Categoriescoaching personal training Program Design

Putting the Pro In Fitness Professional

What does it mean to be a fitness professional?

The definition (or more to the point, the expectation), admittedly, has gotten a bit less clear cut in recent years.

Copyright: Lupin ALEKSANDER

Putting the “Pro” In Fitness Professional

I could sit here and wax poetic that what separates a “true” fitness professional from someone who’s pretending to be one is that the former actually practices what they preach.

Meaning: They 1) actually workout and/or 2) actually DO the workouts and exercises that they espouse on their respective websites and social media feeds.

Or they don’t.

I mean, I could make the case that a “true” fitness professional is less likely to post asinine videos of circus-act like exercises (that they’d never do themselves) in the name of accolades and attention.

You can spot the fake trainers from a mile away. They write the most ridiculous looking routines.

A Competent Trainer’s Program

A1. Trap Bar Deadlift: 3×5
A2. Pallof Press: 3×10/side
B1. Goblet Step-Through: 3×12,10,8/leg
B2. Pull-Through: 3×12-15
C1. Goblet Squat (50 lb): 2xAMAP (up to 20)
C2. Suitcase Carry: 2×40 yd/arm

An Instagram PhD’s Program

A1. Trap Bar Deadlift Contrast Tempo Set vs. Chains (From a Deficit): 5×10
A2. 1-Arm Landmine Press w/ Contralateral Ossillatory Facilitation: 5×10/side


B1. Barefoot Walking Lunges Over Broken Glass: 2×400 m
B2. Or Until Your Pancreas Fails (whichever comes first)
C1. Pull-Ups: 10×10
C2. Ice Bath: 10x30s

I’m obviously going out of my way to be facetious here, but therein lies my point.

As my friend and colleague, Nick Tumminello, has so succinctly stated in the past:

“A master trainer (I.e., someone who’s a “pro”) can also be referred to as an Exercise Prescription Specialist.”

He or she has a high level of expertise doing the following:

  • Exercise Individualization
  • Exercise Application 
  • Exercise Prioritization 

1. Exercise Individualization

This can simply be boiled down to figuring out the correct stance for someone on their squats. For example, despite what most textbooks would insinuate, not everyone is going to have the luxury of having the “correct” anatomy to squat with a narrow stance and their toes pointing straight a head.

NEWSFLASH: People don’t live in textbooks.

Hip anatomy tends to have the most variance given a broad swath of the population. Things that come into play are:

  • Hip socket depth
  • Hip socket orientation – retroverted (outward facing) or anteverted (forward facing).
  • Femoral neck orientation (retroverted vs. anteverted)
  • Femore neck angle
  • Femur length
  • Amongst other things

There are a bevy of variables to consider and to expect every person to fall into one set pattern or way of executing a lift is a bit of a stretch.

In fact, there’s a number of permutations that manifest when you allow for individualization of squat stance.

Exercise individualization can also come down to figuring out the correct grip for someone to use during their bench press. Someone with sub-acromial pain syndrome (SAPS) will often have pain in the front of their shoulder. Conventional wisdom would suggest that such an individual should adopt a narrow(er) grip during the bench press to “protect” the shoulder.

However, a narrow grip will require more glenohumeral extension, which for these individuals can be problematic. Instead, a wider grip may be more germane to reduce the amount of GH extension required and to place more stress on the pec muscles.

A “pro” leans into and pays more attention to these sort of things.

2. Exercise Application

Should everyone squat to the same depth?

Short Answer: No. Tha fuck outta here.

A Less Short Answer: As I noted above, hip anatomy varies person to person and it shouldn’t be your expectation that everyone, all the time, with no exceptions, should squat to the exact same depth.

I have some clients who squat ass to grass.

I have others who squat to parallel.

And, indeed, I have others who squat above parallel.

Come at me, bro.

 

They all still count as a squat.

Depth is more or less arbitrary and is contingent on one’s goal(s), unique injury history, ability level, and, in case you haven’t picked up on the theme, individual anatomy.

No one should get demerit points because they don’t fit some fictional standard.

Moreover, what about when the conversation switches to sets and reps?

  • What’s the determining factor between prescribing 3×10 for any particular exercise or 5×5?
  • What about 8×3? 6×4?
  • 4×6?

Are you using a dartboard to ascertain a client’s set/rep scheme or intelligent program design catered to the needs/goals of the athlete/client?

A “pro” knows the difference.

3. Exercise Prioritization

Which exercises should be done first in a workout?1

Which ones should be done last?1

Which exercises should be performed most often?2

The eloquent answer is past the scope of this blog post. However, a fitness professional can easily provide a “why” for each example.

In Short

What really separates a true fitness professional from the IG PhD is that the former knows how to DESELECT things. What makes a great chef isn’t the fact they have every ingredient in the bowl.  They’re great because they know what ingredients to (de)select, they understand what order they need to be applied, and they know how much of each to use.

Categoriesrant

One Simple Piece of Advice For Fitness Pros to Consider in 2019: Put Your Clothes On

Not surprisingly I’ve noticed an inundation of “inspirational” or informative post over the past few days offering insight from “How to Save More Money in 2019” to “What Are the (Fitness) Trends to Watch Out For?” to, I don’t know, “Who Would You’d Rather Have as a Dinner Guest: Your Boss or a Balrog?”

Too, this is the time of year many people write their “stuff I’ve learned” posts to reflect on their personal growth over the past 365 days (and to totally brag about how many books they’ve read…wink, wink. Don’t worry, I’m not judging.3

This is not that kind of post.

Copyright: tverdohlib / 123RF Stock Photo

Well, It Kinda Isn’t

Truth be told, I didn’t read that many books last year (due to a very active and rambunctious toddler at home. And Netflix), so I’m afraid I wouldn’t have many sage and/or Earth shattering “new things” to divulge anyway.

That said, in an effort to ring in 2019, I would like to toss my hat into the ring, take a few minutes, and share one good ol’ fashioned, “seasoned veteran” piece of advice to new and upcoming fitness professionals who may be following along.

Full Disclosure: What follows may come across as a bit preachy or me being a cantankerous curmudgeon.

Whatever, it’s my blog, deal with it.

AND GET OFF MY LAWN while we’re at. And GO TO BED.

Put Your Clothes On

I came across an interesting conversation on Facebook the other day, and it only came to my attention because it was started by an ex-client of mine (who’s also a trainer) who tagged me in it.

She posited this question:

“Curious, are you more or less likely to hire a trainer if they post pictures of themselves with their shirts off or in a bikini?”

Now, don’t get me wrong: I understand why someone who’s in the health/fitness industry would feel it necessary to market themselves by showcasing their, shall we say…assets.

HA – see what I just did there?

I do feel there’s a time a place for it, and I do feel there’s little harm in the occasional “look at me, I’m sexy AF, and my pecs can cut diamonds” photo op.

It’s not lost on me that a significant part of a trainer’s job is to look the part.

I mean, if someone’s going to dedicate their life to training 4-5x per week, taking spin classes “for fun,” and crushing kale & avocado smoothies that taste like algae being blown through a whale’s rectum, you better be sure as shit they’ve reserved the right to showoff the fruits of their labor.

But even then I feel there’s a spectrum of acceptable instances for someone to do so.

One thing to consider is if they’re a competitive bodybuilder, figure athlete, or even model. If that’s the case then I can definitely see a scenario where they’re allowed a bit more leeway.

The ratio of shirtless to cute cat pics should likely be bit more skewed to the former.

However, most fitness professionals aren’t competitive bodybuilders, figure athletes, or models. And, while I recognize my age (42) likely plays into my thought process, I do feel it’s in most everyone’s interests to keep their clothes on more often than not.

Reading through the bulk of people’s answers in the Facebook thread mentioned above, a vast majority mentioned they’d be less likely to hire a trainer who went out of his or her’s way to routinely pose with their clothes off.

Answered ranged from “it comes across as too self-absorbed” to “unprofessional” to “intimidating and that they might be too judgmental of my appearance.”

My former client even chimed in with the following:

“I’ve never once seen Tony G pose with his shirt off for a promotional or marketing piece, and he has one of the best physiques I’ve ever seen.4And what prompted this question to my Facebook friends is an inundation of trainers posting promotional and marketing pieces with their shirts off.

I always wonder how that resonates with the average Joe?”

I’m sure for some people it motivates them.

And that’s great.

But I think for the vast majority of people it sets an unrealistic expectation. And, to speak candidly, from a business standpoint, I have a hard time believing it helps to exponentially increase one’s bottom line.

And before anyone fires back with “well, Tony, my business targets people interested in FAT LOSS or people who want to look better naked, what am I supposed to do: fill my feed with pictures of me attending a turtleneck party?

No, that’s not what I’m saying.

What I’m Saying Is This: Looking the part is one piece of the fitness business puzzle. But it’s not the only piece. Most clients are going to be more interested in training with you long-term because you’re not an asshole, not because your delts  look great using the Perpetua filter.

What’s more, as my friend from above stated herself:

“As a trainer, it’s going to stick with your clients more if you teach them that the journey is less about how they look at all times and more about how they feel about themselves.”

Fitness shouldn’t be centered around one’s ability to showcase six-pack abs in an effort to garner likes (and creepy followers) on Instagram. It should be about helping as many people, from all shapes and sizes and backgrounds as possible.

For some niche markets, I understand that this train of thought won’t resonate and that posting an incessant number of pictures of yourself with your shirt off (or in minimal clothing) does bode in your favor and helps to grow your business. This isn’t meant to come across as confrontational or that what decisions you make to run YOUR business is wrong. I have plenty of friends in the fitness industry who do it and are very successful. The thing that differentiates them is that they’re ALWAYS going out of their way to provide quality content.

It’s not just about them.

I suspect, though, that most of you reading will have enough common sense and wherewithal to separate that from my larger point.

Which is……

Posting naked pictures of yourself is not necessary or mandatory to be successful.

For the bulk of potential clients out there posting shirtless pictures for promotional purposes likely won’t work, it likely won’t resonate, and it likely won’t be relatable. Rather, the better business approach will be to go out of your way to showcase your content, expertise, and knowledge instead. How can you help people? What separates you from the masses?

I doubt it’s your bicep peak.

Maybe you have a unique pull-up drill progression you’ve found successful? Maybe you have a lot of success working with people dealing with low back pain? Maybe you do have an adorable cat?

Highlight that, please…;o)

CategoriesUncategorized

6 Tips On Becoming a Better Fitness Professional

I’ve been toying around with writing a post providing tips and insight for new and upcoming trainers/coaches on how to become a better fitness professional for a while now, as I feel the ‘new class’ coming in often has an overwhelming sense of entitlement.

Not all of them, of course.  But a fair share.

For some, they feel that just because they’ve spent the last four years in school and completed a few internships, they’re entitled to a killer job that has them training professional athletes eight hours a day and provides them with full benefits and a Lamborghini.  Hell, throw in some stock options, too!

Sorry, hate to break it to you, it doesn’t quite work that way.

For others, they feel that all they need to do is find the perfect 15,000 sq. foot location, sign a lease, and the people will just magically appear readily handing over their money.

Again, you’re more likely to ride a unicorn to work this morning than that actually happening.

For a select few, however, they “get it,” and understand that it often takes YEARS of incessant studying, honing their craft, attending seminars and workshops, developing interpersonal relationships, building professional networks, and putting in some VERY long hours writing programs, scheduling, building a client list, and otherwise building their business (whether they’re a one-person show or part of a group or team of trainers/coaches) to become successful.

As luck would have it, Pat Rigsby dropped it like it’s hot last week, and shared some of his thoughts on the topic at his website:  www.fitbusinessinsider.com.

HINT:  if you’re a fitness professional and NOT subscribed to this site, you’re really missing out on a ton of FREE information that’s helped not only myself and countless others.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I figured I’d re-post Pat’s thoughts here, and then expound of them a bit with my own musings and diatribes.

Enjoy!

6 Tips On Becoming a Better Fitness Professional

If you want to become the best fitness professionals and run the best business in your area, here’s what you need to do:

1. Study Your Craft.

You need to be studying continually.  Becoming the best is a dynamic thing as every day you need to keep improving to either climb to the top or stay there.  Study everything you can that will assist you in getting your clients better results.

TG:  We had a staff in-service yesterday where myself and Chris Howard took all six of our interns and had them name a muscle that attached to the scapulae, as well as name an attachment point (distal or proximal), as well as name an action (as it relates to the shoulder).

Upon looking at some of their faces when put on the spot, you would think we asked them to swallow the red pill

I’m not gonna lie and say that I passed with flying colors (I held my own), but it was definitely a testament on how important it is to take it upon yourself to get better.

I’ve worked with people in the past who hadn’t picked up a book in years.  YEARS!!!  I can remember one instance where a male trainer I worked with a few years ago said to me during a casual conversation about attending a seminar, “I’m not going. I’ve learned all I need to know.”

He was a douche.

2. Practice What You Learn.

There are a bunch of internet jockeys out there that read enough that you’d think they could become PhDs, but reading or watching isn’t enough.  You need to put what you learn into action.

TG:  It seems that anyone with a digital camera and a Youtube channel can mold themselves into a fitness celebrity nowadays.  In reality, for many, it’s nothing more than a facade of BS.

One of the best ways to get better is to actually take what you learn, and apply it to a real…..live……person.  Unfortunately, as much as I love the internet, it seems that anyone who’s read Zatisiorky (and has 10,000 posts on some random forum) thinks they know what they’re talking about.

I’ve witnessed firsthand trainers who had all the book smarts in the world and could give Doogie Howser a run for his money, but when it came to actually coaching and applying what they learned to a real person, they were a walking ball of fail.

3. Become An Implementer.

It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a marketing strategy or a cue for an exercise – learning it does no good if you’re not implementing.  Once you implement something, you can track the outcome and determine if you want to keep doing it or discard it.  But it starts with implementation.

TG:  Pigging back on my point above, what good is it to increase your knowledge base if you’re not going to use it?  For some reason, there’s often a disconnect between what we read and how we apply it.

I was talking with another trainer last week who was in town for a week observing, and he mentioned how many of the coaches at the facility where he works are complacent. He reiterated to me that they were all very bright guys, but that they rarely ever implemented what they read or watched into their programming.

Using an example:  he stated how they work with a lot of basketball players who, for the most part, are notorious for having poor t-spine mobility.

He suggested implementing the side lying windmill to help.

Nothing.  Nada.  No one listened.  The worst part:  many of the coaches KNOW that t-spine mobility is crucial for shoulder health (they all read the likes of Mike Robertson, Eric Cressey, Mike Boyle, Gray Cook, and maybe even myself), yet, they do nothing to implement what they learn.

I don’t get it.

4. Commit.

Being the best requires making a commitment – it doesn’t happen by chance.  You have to be willing to do the things others won’t. You have to be willing to study not just training, but business too. You have to be willing to find solutions to the things holding you back rather than settling for less. You have to decide to be better than everyone else and do what it takes to get there.

TG:  This is something I wish I would have adapted sooner rather than later.  Early in my career, I read nothing but t-nation, and various other websites/books/DVDs on training and nutrition. Basically if it didn’t help me attain knowledge to make people more badass, I didn’t read it.

Then, I slowly started to realize that I wasn’t really making a lot of money despite getting all of my clients results. I had NO idea how to sell myself.  Worse, unlike the paperboy from Better Off Dead (arguably the best movie of the 80s), I HATED asking people for money.  

It wasn’t until I started reading more books on personal development, business, behavioral economics, and the like, that things started to click.

Likewise, the sooner you realize that this industry is not just a 9-5 endeavor, the better of you’ll be. 

HINT:  Get up earlier.

5. Get Help.

No one gets to the top on their own. No one.  Mentors, Mastermind Groups, Business Partners, Strategic Alliances – there is no faster way to get to where you want to be than to get help.

TG:  I owe much of my success as a trainer and coach to people like Eric Cressey, Dr. John Berardi, Dan John, Mike Roberson, Mike Boyle, Optimus Prime, Bret Contreras, and numerous other people whom I know I’m forgetting (sorry!).

Make it a point to visit other facilities and watch other coaches.  Ask for help!   Better yet, help people yourself.

I’ve always been under the mindset that I’m NEVER that big of a deal that I can’t answer people’s emails. Weirdly enough, I’m always surprised when, after taking the time to respond to their email, people email me back just to say ‘thank you’ for responding.

I took it upon myself to reach out to random people early in my career – to the annoyance of a few – but more often than not, they WANTED to help.  So don’t be intimidated to ask.

6. Attend Live Events.

They provide 5 incredibly valuable things: A learning opportunity, Motivation from being around successful, dedicated peers and leaders, networking opportunities with people who can make you
better and understand where you’re at and a chance to get away from your business and work on it rather than in it.

TG:  Listen to the man…..attend live events.  It’s that simple.

Do those 6 things and you’ll set yourself apart from the crowd, guaranteed. I can promise you that most of your competition will never do more than 1 or 2 of those things and only a few will do as many as 3-4.  Commit to doing all six and you’ll quickly be on the path to being the best.