Categoriescoaching personal training Program Design

The Importance of Feedback

I am currently galavanting around in my favorite place in the world…

…London.

I spent the weekend with my good friend Luke Worthington putting on our Strategic Strength Workshop and now I am in Day one of a three day introvert extravaganza. My plan is to do nothing but walk around the city, talk to as little people as possible, and eat carrot cake.

I am hoping to get a little writing in while here, but until inspiration strikes I have a lovely post today from another colleague of mine, Ottawa based personal trainer, Elsbeth Vaino.

Enjoy!

Copyright: niroworld

The Importance of Feedback

“That was awesome!”

“Good job!”

“You are on fire today!”

Everyone likes to hear they’re doing well, and the feedback you give clients can take their workout up a level or two. If their form isn’t the best, feedback can help them get the more out of that exercise. But that’s actually not the kind of feedback I want to talk about.

I want to talk about the feedback you ask for from your clients.

No, not about how well you’re doing, although it is nice to hear clients tell you how much of an impact you are having on their life.

The best feedback is the stuff your clients tell you about the exercises they’re doing. I’ll be honest that I only clued into this gem a few years ago, which means I spent way too long training clients without all the facts. I don’t even remember why I started asking “where do you feel that?” and “how does that exercise feel?”, but I do remember how high my eyebrows shot up at some of the answers.

via GIPHY

Me: “How’s that plank treating you?”

Client: “I love it. It’s a great back exercise!”

Me:

 

Me: “Where do you feel that most?” (asking about a glute bridge)

Client: “Here.” (pointing to her quads)

Client: “Here.” (pointing to the low back on his up-leg side)

Client: “Here.” (pointing to his hamstrings)

Me:

 

Me: “How easy or hard is that?” (asking before their second set of split squats)

Client: “It’s really hard on the left leg and pretty easy on the right.”

Me: “Where do you feel that most?”

Client: points to the left quad. (while doing the exercise with the right foot forward)

Client: points to the left quad. (while doing the exercise with the left foot forward)

Me:

via GIPHY

I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest I’m not the only trainer whose clients feel some exercises in unexpected ways. I’m not saying there’s anything inherently wrong with the responses above, but I am saying that if you put a glute bridge in someone’s program, you’re probably doing it with the goal of strengthening their glutes, not their quads or hip flexors.

Sometimes form issues in an exercise are easy to spot, with obvious ones being round-back deadlifts, or deadlifts where the person clearly pulls up from their back vs drives from their legs and hips. But the truth is, sometimes an exercise looks good, but still isn’t accomplishing what we think it is.

In addition to clients telling me they feel muscles in a way I don’t expect, sometimes they also give visual clues. If you or your client is stretching or rubbing the low back right after an exercise, ask why. The answer is almost always one of two things:

  • It’s just a habit
  • The back feels tight.

If the back feels tight after doing an exercise that isn’t intended to work the low back, something unexpected is probably going on.

If you’re on board with the concept that maybe you (or your clients) aren’t getting what is expected out of some exercises, the next question should probably be: “what can you do about it?” Thankfully it’s not super hard.

Here are the steps I suggest:

Step 1: Make Sure You Understand What the Exercises You’re Doing Are Supposed to Be Working

Some are simple: glute bridges should primarily work the glutes, side planks work the sides (aka obliques), planks work the abs, split squats and lunges work the legs, primarily the front of the front one. Most rows work primarily the upper back, while bench press is primarily about the chest.

No idea what this works

Some are less simple as they work more muscles. Deadlifts work basically everything, but really, the low back is just stabilizing while the legs and upper back do the heavy lifting. Given that, if you ask your client how they feel after deadlifts and they mention their back is sore or tight, odds are something is off. Similarly, squats work almost everything but it’s mostly a lower body exercise.

If you’re not sure, find out, because this is important. How? If you have a trainer, ask them. If not, check in with a book or articles from one of the trainers on the internet whose stuff you think is good.

Step 2: Find Out What’s Actually Happening By Watching and Asking

“Where do you feel that most?” “How does that feel?” Ask yourself/your client upon arrival “how are you?” or “how did you feel after the last workout?”

Does the answer match the goal? If yes, great! Carry on. If not, now what?

Step 3: Coach, Adapt, or Replace

Pretty much every exercise issue can be solved by one of these three things, and in my opinion, they should be tried in that order.

Try to re-coach it first (or review the form if you’re doing your own thing). As trainers, we can be quick to assume that if an exercise isn’t performed properly, we need to bring in approaches to correct it but maybe the person just didn’t fully understand the movement. Before assuming you need to adapt the movement, coach it again – with different words if you need to.

Young woman and personal trainer rest in the gym after workout

If that doesn’t get the desired result, then try to adapt. There are lots of options:

  • Add a riser to limit the range of motion (maybe temporarily)
  • Add a band to help the person feel the intent of the exercise (e.g. band around the knees in a squat)
  • Move the arms from the floor to a bench for the plank or side plank (if you or your clients have ever felt planks or side planks in your back more than abs or obliques, or in your shoulder and neck this is a game-changer)

Did that work?

If so, great! If not, try another adaptation if you know one.

If that still doesn’t work, replace it with something else.

Contrary to what the internet wants you to believe, there is no exercise that you have to do. (ducks to avoid the lightning). And most of the time there are other exercises that will actually achieve the desired outcome for you or your client.

Here is how I have addressed a few of the examples noted above:

The plank that works the low back:

Planks

Coach it: “Think about shortening the distance between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your pelvis, and I want you to stop if you start to feel it in your back.” In this case, if they make it to twenty seconds before it goes into the back, we keep the plank as is, with the goal of twenty becoming twenty-five and then thirty… If after a few workouts, it’s still at twenty, we move to adapt it.

Adapt it: “I want you to do the same thing, but this time with your forearms on a bench.” I’m not sure who decided that planks from the floor is where everyone should start, but in my experience, there are a lot of people who should be starting with an incline plank. This adaptation is often a game-changer. Once the person can get to a minute at an incline, we try moving to the floor, while coaching them to stop if they start to feel it more in the back than the abs.

Replace it: In this case, we rarely have to replace it, but if need be, dead bugs can be a good option, although they might need coaching to ensure the back doesn’t arch.

Single-leg glute bridges felt mostly in the hamstrings:

Female doing single leg glute bridge

Coach it: ”Push your hips up as you press your foot into the ground and also think about pressing your toes through the front of your shoes”.

Adapt it: Provide some extra support by switching to a 1.5 leg glute bridge where you have both feet on the floor, but only put as much pressure on the second foot as you need to feel the glute working.

 

Replace it: Try a cable hip extension or two leg hip thrust.

 

Split squat for the side where it is felt more in the back leg:

Coach it: “Lean forward at the hip and when you get to the bottom, really drive the front foot into the floor to push yourself up.”

Adapt it: Put a band around the front knee and pull it forward as they do the movement.

Replace it: Switch to a lateral stepup (or a reverse lunge.

About the Author

Elsbeth Vaino is a personal trainer and gym owner at Custom Strength in Ottawa, Canada, where she and her team primarily train regular people who don’t love the gym but do like what going to the gym allows them to do. Before becoming a trainer, she worked as an electronic warfare engineer (you know, same old story). Check her out on Instagram (HERE) for exercise videos or head to her blog (HERE) for those who prefer words.

Categoriescoaching fitness business Program Design psychology

6 Ways to Instill Success In Your Clients’ Training Programs

The answer is easy: Tell them to add more weight to the barbell.

LOLOLOLOL.

I’m kidding (sort of).

Facetiousness aside1, I wanted to spend some time discussing a few strategies you can (hopefully) implement today that will make the training programs you write for your athletes and clients more successful.

Businessman target for success

6 Ways to Instill Success In Your Clients’ Training Programs

“Successful” in this context means 1) your clients continue to show up (bills need to be paid, yo!), 2) your clients don’t hate you (most of the time) and 3) as a corollary to your Jedi-like coaching skills, you turn all your clients into deadlifting Terminators.

I.e., they get results.

We often bog ourselves down harping over details like optimal exercise selection, exercise order, set/rep schemes, rest intervals, or even which type of muscle fibers are firing during which exercise.

Of course, this is not to insinuate all of the above aren’t important, they are. Except maybe the last one. If you’re going into that much detail with your coaching on something that won’t matter of 99.2% of the population, it’s safe to say you might be over-thinking things.

However, as fellow fitness pro Jonathan Pietrunti noted on my Facebook wall recently:

“If we don’t focus on bolstering the client’s intrinsic motivation and fostering self-efficacy, they aren’t going to show up for long, regardless of how awesome are programming is on the movement/physiological side of the house.”

You can design something worthy of a Program Design Pulitzer, but if your client would rather wash his or her’s face with broken glass than perform another front squat or set of bench pressing with tempo contrast, you’re failing.

You’re failing, hard.

1. Understand People Are Different (and That They’re Not You)

  • Powerlifters like to train people like powerlifters.
  • Bodybuilders like to train people like bodybuilders.
  • Kettlebell aficionados like to train people with kettlebells.
  • CrossFitters like to do #whateverthefuck.

Any well-thought out training program should fit the needs and goals of the client.

That goes without saying.

A mistake I find many fitness professionals make is that they write programs catered to what they like or how they prefer to train.

I don’t feel this is wrong per se; it’s only natural to default to your strengths and/or personal beliefs and methodologies. Where it becomes a problem is when we gravitate towards a specific modality at the expense of, well, everything.

I remember having a conversation with one of my young athletes recently who’s a rather big dude for his age. He mentioned in passing (and I am paraphrasing here) that his football coach wanted everyone to squat the same way:

  • Same foot width.
  • Same stance.
  • Same bar position.
  • Like a bunch of robots

Man performing a crossfit back squat exercise

He then demonstrated the exact stance his coach told him to use and maybe hit 70 degrees of hip flexion.

Let’s just say that if what he showed me was seen at an FMS workshop, people would become visibly sick to their stomachs.

I simply asked him him to widen his stance significantly and to externally rotate his feet a bit so his toes pointed outward.

He was able to hit a beautiful depth. Thus saving himself from the wrath of internet warriors everywhere.

(NOTE: I am not a depth Nazi. To me squat depth is arbitrary and all I am really concerned with is someone finding whatever depth they’re able to “own” & control. If it’s past 90 degrees, cool. If not, that’s cool too.2Either way we’re going to train the hell out of it.

The point being: If he had followed his coach’s poor squatting advice, assuming everyone is supposed to squat the same way, he may have never realized his full potential.

Everyone is different, and it’s important to respect unique leverages and anthropometry as it relates to not only squatting, but any lift.

Programming based around your client’s goals is paramount. But it’s also important to tweak any lift to fit the needs (and abilities) 0f the trainee, not vice versa.

2. Ensure Success in Every Session

This seems a bit redundant, I know.

“You write a post on how to instill success in a training program and you’re telling me in order to do so I need to….ensure success? Wow, Tony, that’s revolutionary. What’s next: telling me that in order to improve my vertical jump I should jump higher?”

The best analogy I can offer is the whole concept behind “girl push-ups.”

No, I’m not referring to a woman performing push-ups, which would make sense. Instead, I’m referring to the lame premise of women performing push-ups from their knees. I.e., “girl push-ups.”

I hate the connotation and message this sends.

Oh, you can’t do an actual push-up? That’s okay, lets pander to societal norms on engenderment, plant the idea in your head at an early age that women must train differently from men (flexed arm hang test vs. chin-up test), and do “girl push-ups” rather than take the time to coach and progress you accordingly.

If I’m working with a female client and she can’t perform a push-up (from the floor) – usually due to a core weakness or lack of lumbo-pelvic-hip control – I find it more productive to OMIT the “you’re a girl so lets do this instead” mantra, and instead demonstrate to her that she can do the exercise.

Either by having her perform elevated push-ups in a ROM where’s she successful, or possibly having her perform a band-assisted push-up, like so:

 

In both scenarios I’m addressing the actual weak-link (a weak core, or the basic novelty of the exercise) and not just tossing my hands in the air and relinquishing programming control to the fact she has a vagina.

I’m coaching.

And not only that I’m going out of my way to ensure a sense of accomplishment/success in each session.

This, my friends, is the key.

That and…..

3. Building Autonomy

Autonomy is the love-child of good coaching (and giving a shit).

Despite what some fitness pros may think, people aren’t paying you to count reps, they’re paying you to COACH.

On numerous occasions I’ve had new clients be taken aback when they realize I’m not counting their repetitions.

I’m too busy watching and coaching to count their reps.

Furthermore, I’ll tell all new clients that my goal is for them to “fire” me at some point. Not because I did something creepy like forget to wear pants, or, I don’t know, play Coldplay during heavy deadlifts.

No, I want them to (eventually) no longer need my services.

I want to make them their own best asset and advocate.

I want them to go on vacation or walk into a random gym and be able to “MacGyver” a workout in any scenario…whether we’re talking a fully-equipped training mecca or a rinky dink hotel gym that has nothing but a treadmill, dumbbells up to 35 lbs, and a roll of duct tape.

A Roll of Duct Tape

Dan John often speaks to program design being stripped down to nothing more than the squat, hip hinge, push, pull, single-leg variation, and carry.

Teach your clients that.

Force them to marinate in learning each category and what exercises belong where. In doing so they’ll eventually be able to jimmy-rig a workout without batting an eye.

They’ll become autonomous.

And a funny thing will happen: they’ll end up staying with you anyway because they understand the value you bring being a coach that actually coaches.

4. Provide Choice

I wrote about the power of choice in THIS article.

As it relates to providing fitness and program design services this can be a double-edged sword because:

  • If people knew what they were doing they wouldn’t hire us to make choices for them.
  • It’s often in their best interests to be told what they need to do and not what they want to do.

Taking away choice behooves them.

On the flip side, it can behoove us, the fitness professional, to offer some choice.

This can mean giving them the choice to pick their main lift of the day – Squat? Deadlift? Maximal frisbee toss?

Or maybe giving them the choice to pick the mode of the exercise. Say, a KB deadlift or a trap bar deadlift?

 

In the same vein, I’ve compromised with clients and “rewarded” them with a 5-10 minute window of doing whatever the they want – judgement free.

  • For many of my guys it’s all about the gun show – bis and tris baby!
  • For my ladies they’ll often congregate at the Hip Thruster

Whatever the case may be, offering your clients some choice is a splendid way to keep them motivated and engaged in their training.

5. Celebrate the Small Victories (Regardless of How Small They Seem)

I like to call this the Todd Bumgardner rule; although he has a much better way of stating it:

“Demonstrate unconditional positive regard.”

When I travel and workout at various commercial gyms I can’t help but observe other trainers in action.

Some are amazing. They’re engaged, actively coaching, and paying attention to their client, offering feedback and encouragement whenever it’s needed.

Others are, well, pretty shitty.

There’s zero effort in providing feedback. And if there is, it’s generally nothing more than a casual “nice job” or “way to go.”

via GIPHY

Celebrate the small victories!

You don’t need to do back flips or Parkour of the power racks when a client keeps their chest up during a squat.

But would a little enthusiasm hurt?

6. Simplicity For the Win

Consider this final point the Mise en place of the entire article.

I had a client admit that she was “frustrated” by the simplicity of the program I wrote for her. I took no offense, because it happens often.

Fast forward a few weeks, “Tony, I feel stronger and my lifts are going up!”

Strength coach nods approvingly.

I’m not the first to state this, but people tend to fall into the trap of adding stuff into their programs for the novelty, almost always at the expense of failing to take something OUT.

You can’t just keep adding more and more to a program and expect to make progress. Get rid of the superfluous BS that serves no purpose.

Moreover, fancy or elaborate looking exercises don’t equate to better. They great at receiving likes and vast applause on social media, but rarely do such exercises elicit actual results.[/efn_note]And I guaran-fuckin-tee that the person who posted the video doesn’t perform or utilize the exercise themselves in their own training.[/efn_note]

Categoriespersonal training

Everything Is the Same

Today’s post marks the return of Paul Levitin who some may recall wrote an excellent piece here a few weeks ago on self-sabotage.

Being a successful fitness professional, much like every profession, takes practice, patience, a bit of luck, and an unyielding desire to not be average. If you’re a new trainer I urge you to read Paul’s “lesson(s)” below. And even if you’re a veteran coach I think it’ll be useful to be reminded that you’re not that special and the basics still work.

Enjoy!

Copyright: nomadsoul1

Everything Is the Same

When I started my career as a personal trainer, it was at a “big box” chain gym. I was hired, even though I had never actually trained someone before. I just enjoyed working out, and passed a test that said I could now train other people. I was in way over my head.

My manager at the time was a guy named Chris. He walked me around the gym floor, started showing me where things go. I still remember the conversation from that day.

“So, when you’re here, your job is to talk to people. Help them with the weights, spot them, drum up conversation. Then, if they seem interested, offer them personal training. A lot won’t be interested, but some will. The more people you talk to, the better chances you have. It’s a numbers game.”

Casino roulette, ball stopped on black 8 number closeup. Gambling and betting. 3d illustration

Just like John Cutter said, “always bet on black.”

We continued our walk.

“In the beginning, it’s going to be slow. It takes time to get going, because you don’t have any experience right now. Once you get a few clients under your belt, and get more comfortable, things will start to get rolling. It might take a few months, so you’ve got to hang tight in the beginning.”

I nodded. Not like I had anything else better to do. 

“A lot of people look at training and think ‘oh, that’s a cool job! I like working out, so I can get paid to do that!’. But that isn’t really how it is. It’s a hard job, and you get out what you put in. It is time-consuming, and draining at times. It is not nearly as glamorous as you might think.”

Kind of weird to be telling me on my first day, but I just continued to listen.

“Any questions so far?”

So I meekly chimed in, “Yeah well, you know, I don’t really, like, know how to train people? What do I do if I actually get a client?”

“Ha. Don’t worry about that. I’ll tell you a little secret: no one knows when they first start. You learn by doing. Sure, you read the textbook, but the REAL education starts now. Don’t stress about it. It comes with time, and practice. I started just where you are, everyone does.”

That helped a bit, but I persisted.

“Yeah but, won’t people know I’m just faking it? Who is going to pay me to train them when I’ve never done it before?”

Chris looked me dead in the eyes:

“Listen, you might think you don’t know anything, but that simply isn’t true. We hired you right? You went through the interview, you were tested. You wouldn’t be here if you knew NOTHING. Is there room to grow? Sure. But you know far more than you give yourself credit for, and you DEFINITELY know more than anyone coming in here off the street looking for training. You just need to know enough to answer their questions, and enough to ask for help when you don’t have the answers.”

via GIPHY

A week later, I had my first “orientation.” (my gym’s name for the free training session given to new members, with the real goal being a sales pitch for more expensive personal training at the end).

I got through the training session, I made the guy sweat. Burpees, planks, all the usual suspects (please, it was 2014, it was a different time). Then, I got to the sales portion, and I completely froze. I ended up bumbling my way through the pitch, and the guy gave me a weird look, said “no thanks,” and walked out.

Chris was there watching from afar, and he asked “So, how’d that go?”

“Not good,” I said “I sucked.”

“That’s ok. No one knocks it out of the park on their first swing. You can’t. It’s just like working out, you’ve gotta put in the reps. The more practice, the smoother it will become. You will work out the kinks, but it comes with time, patience, and persistence.”

That helped me feel less crappy, but I still wasn’t pleased.

“I don’t get it,” I bemoaned to Chris “I did everything right! I killed him. Burpies, battle ropes, he was panting by the 15 minute mark! I know his legs are going to be so sore tomorrow, he even said this was the best workout he’d ever done.”

“Here’s the thing,” Chris said to me, “First of all, what makes you think he wanted to be crushed? Did he tell you that, or did you assume it?”

“Well, I just thought…”

“That’s right. You assumed that because that’s how you want to work out, that that’s how he would want to work out. But he isn’t you. Next time, take the time to ask, rather than just jump right in with assumptions. you’ll see as you do this, that less is more. People are out of shape, overstressed, overtired, and overwhelmed. It doesn’t take a lot to push them over the edge. What they need from you, is help and guidance, not to be crushed by the world’s hardest workout. Any bozo can do that, it takes tact and skill to actually give people what they need, not simply what you, or they, think they want.”

I got that.

via GIPHY

“And in general,” he continued, “It’s better to start slow and build. It’s easy for you to add more to their routine over time. However, you can only do that, if they stick around. If you overwhelm them so much that they don’t keep coming back, you end up helping them less, rather than more. Trying to do too much, too soon, ends up backfiring.”

This all made a lot of sense to me, and I continually worked to implement Chris’s advice and techniques. 

Eventually, I found my groove.

I sold a few training packages, which gave me confidence to sell more. I started training clients, and learned that I could help people with the knowledge I had, which helped me feel less like a “fraud” (Imposter syndrome anyone?). I went on to become the top trainer (and salesperson) in my gym, and soon the entire company.

via GIPHY

I remember those lessons from Chris in my early days, and think about them often. Not because I need help being a better personal trainer anymore, but because I am always trying to be better at something.

Somewhere in my life, I am always trying to improve, as I hope you are too (and I suspect that is the case, since you are reading this right now).

Which brings me to my main point: everything is the same.

There were many lessons that Chris taught me. Lessons that took me from newbie personal trainer, in over my head and feeling flustered and overwhelmed, to the top of my company. Eventually, I was promoted and given Chris’s job, and put in charge of training new personal trainers on how to have more confidence, train their clients, make more sales, and overall be successful.

Each of these lessons, although given to me in the frame of personal training, could have just as easily been about working for a Fortune 500 company, building a business from scratch as an entrepreneur, or a romantic relationship. In reality, all of this advice was really just about life. 

Take out “personal trainer,” and replace it with “salesman,” “entrepreneur,” “athlete,” “dieter,” “spouse,” or other. It doesn’t matter.

These lessons are about life, they transcend career paths and specific goals.

What did my manager really teach me?

  • It’s a numbers game. You get better with practice. 
  • Things aren’t always as glamorous as they seem from the outside. It takes hard work, and you get out what you put in.
  • Give it time. It is hard in the beginning, but if you can stick with it, you’ll see success
  • You have more to learn, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking action right now
  • Ask for help when you need it, and don’t be ashamed if you don’t know an answer
  • Don’t assume that everyone is like you. Humans are unique, and what works for one person, even you, doesn’t work for everyone
  • It’s better to start slow and build up, than to try to do all-out right out of the gate

Name a place in life, a challenge you face, a goal you might want to work towards, where these are NOT true. Go ahead, try to find one, I’ll wait. This is advice I could give to anyone, about anything, and it would always hold up. Why?

Everything is the same.

What we need for success is not unique to one realm. Success is success. It is built from the same materials, no matter the location. If you can internalize these simple lessons, you will be able to build success wherever you choose.

About the Author

Paul Levitin spent a decade as a personal trainer & strength and conditioning coach, becoming the number one trainer in his entire company, while collecting over 30 certificates (CES, CSCS, PRI, PN1, FRC, & many more).

Wanting to better serve his training clients, he began to study behavior change, and eventually became a Board Licensed Health & Wellness Coach (NBHWC). This led him to create his education and mindset coaching company “The Healthy Happy Human Academy,” where he now helps clients deal with things like self-sabotage and perfectionism, to allow them to build a healthy, happy life.

He seeks to bridge the gap between the worlds of fitness and nutrition, and the frustrated, overwhelmed masses who just want to move more, feel better, and live a little longer.

https://www.instagram.com/paullevitin/
The Healthy Happy Human Podcast
The Healthy Happy Human Academy FREE Facebook Group

Woman lying with her legs crossed indoorsCategoriescoaching

Confessions of an Introverted Strength Coach Revisted

People are often surprised when I state I’m an introvert.

Woman lying with her legs crossed indoors

Confessions of an Introverted Strength Coach

What most people fail to recognize is that “being an introvert” is part of a spectrum. No one is 100% introverted, nor are they 100% extroverted.

Everyone’s a little of both.

Another common misconception is that introversion is somehow correlated with being depressed or sad or downtrodden. In attempting to find a suitable image to go along with this post I simply typed “introvert” into my image finder thingamajiggy on WordPress and was quite surprised (if not slightly appalled) by what appeared on my screen:

Image after image after image of various people looking dejected, anti-social, and altogether unhappy.

It was quite striking, because all “being introverted” means is that you likely need or require a little more down time (or down tempo activities) in order to reenergize and recharge.

Is time to recharge yourself 65

I remember when my wife and I first started dating there was a night where I had just gotten back from a full day of coaching and was zapped. All I wanted to do was collapse on the couch and watch House Hunters. Unfortunately (for me) it was a Saturday night and Lisa had already committed us to a get together with a bunch of her friends at a local lounge in downtown Boston.

Ten minutes in it took all the will-power I could muster to not walk out of the place and straight into the path of the #66 bus down the street.

I just stood there with a blank stare and repeated one word answers as she and her friends attempted to engage with me.

  • “Tony, Lisa tells me you’re a personal trainer?” Yes.
  • “How long have you been doing that?” Awhile.
  • “So, what do you think about keto?” Grabs beer bottle, breaks it over the counter, slits own throat.

When we eventually left we had one of our first arguments. Clearly I was acting like an a-hole, but after explaining to her that the last thing I wanted to do after coaching for eight hours was to go to a bar and listen to Panic! At the Disco, we had a better understanding of each other’s needs.

I explained I am not against going out and participating in social events, I just needed a bit of a “buffer.”

Being a coach – inundated with constant noise and non-stop interaction – can be draining.

An introvert requires the antithesis of that in order to feel rejuvenated and ready to go the following day.

To repeat: This doesn’t mean we don’t like to do or be involved in social activities.

Rather, in our free time we generally prefer to:

✅ Read a book
✅ Enjoy a barrage of kitty cuddles.

That’s pretty much it.

One common remark I receive from other coaches and personal trainers is what would I recommend they do to counteract their juices running on empty when they’re in the middle of a long work day?

What can they do when they’re five hours deep into a long work day and have a barrage of sessions yet to complete? It’s not like they can meander off into a hidden closet and take a power nap.

(or can they?????)

Likewise, is the expectation that we have to be the rah-rah, high-energy coach who jumps up and down everywhere and perform cart-wheels after every set in order to be considered “good” or successful?

Listen, the bulk of your clients aren’t expecting a DJ Khalid performance during their session.

DJ hands and remote and mixer DJ for music

Sure, there’s a time & place to amp things up and to be the cheerleader, but I’ve found that more often than not…

…most clients don’t care for the (fake) performative nonsense.

You can still be a switched on and attentive coach without the theatrics.

That being said, it still behooves you, introverted coach, to be proactive and give yourself sporadic breaks throughout the day. These could be brief 15-30 minute windows of solitude when you know you have a full-day looming. Or, when you know you have a solid line-up of clients scheduled, it may be worthwhile to break the day up where you get your own training session in half way through.

BUT MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL: Do NOT fall pray to this idea you have to be a performative coach in order to be seen as legit. That BS may get you likes on Instagram, but it’ll lead to nothing but eye-rolls in the real world. Not to mention it certainly won’t be doing you any favors from an energy conservation standpoint.3

BUT EVEN MOST MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL:  Be sure to grace yourself with ample “me time” when you feel you need it. This could be sitting at home binging a show, going to the movies, hanging out at a bookstore of coffee shop, or, I don’t know, perusing your baseball card collection.

Remember: All being an introvert means is that you’re a fucking psychopath you likely require more solo time in order to reenergize.

It’s important to lean into it.

It’ll help make you a more engaged coach and your clients will benefit as well.

So, hi fellow introvert. I see you. What’s up?

Broke Penniless Man With Moneyless Empty PocketCategoriesfitness business

2 Keys to I Can’t Afford It: Especially Around the Holidays

I sincerely hope everyone out there had a splendid holiday season filled with copious amounts of love, friendship, and cookies.

Admittedly, I am a tad late with posting this article from TG.com regular, Gavin McHale, but the message is one that should resonate with most fitness professionals regardless of the time of year.

I.e., discussing detox diets, WTF actually happened in Matrix Resurrections? money with potential clients.

I think this will help a lot of trainers out there.

Broke Penniless Man With Moneyless Empty Pocket

2 Keys to “I Can’t Afford It”: Especially Around the Holidays

If you’ve ever heard “I don’t have the money right now,” or “I’ll sign up when things settle down,” pull up a chair, you’re going to want to keep reading.

I have a very clear memory of a sales conversation that changed everything for me. I was selling personal training at a middling price point and sales were a breeze. 

My schedule was filling up, but my bank account wasn’t.

Here’s how it normally went: Client walks in, referred by a friend or family. I show them the gym, with the music bumpin’ and others just like them working out, take them through a movement assessment, drop some knowledge and make them feel better, then share the price. 

They were sold. 

Woman holding hands cash money one hundred dollars bills

They were sold before they even walked in. I just had to walk through an open door. I was more of an order taker than a salesperson.

Then, I made the move over to selling on the phone and added an online component to the program, increasing the price.

My first call was with a former teammate of mine now doing investment banking in Toronto, Canada’s money capital. 

As we moved through the call, it became very clear he was making excellent money – the stock market had been good to him. However, he had let his once athletic body go and could barely make it up and down the ice in rec hockey anymore. 

He was a perfect fit for my new program, built for former athletes wanting to get back to the glory days. 

When we got to the pricing, I shared my new and improved price of $2000 for a 10-week program.

He resisted. 

“Ah, Gav… that’s not in the cards right now. I’ll have to wait until the New Year when I get my bonus.”

I knew this guy was earning upwards of $200,000 a year, buying lavish dinners out most nights and otherwise living the life of a young man with money. 

But he couldn’t stomach $2k to get his energy and youth back?

via GIPHY

Something wasn’t adding up and I was thrown, letting him off the phone with a “maybe later.”

Sometimes, I’ll admit it, it is about the money. And that’s okay…

More often than not, it has NOTHING to do with money.

It has everything to do with fear.

  • Fear of failure.
  • Fear the program won’t work for them.
  • Fear that you’re not the leader they need.
  • Fear of the unknown.

So often, our potential clients miss out on life changing experiences because of fear. They get in their own way and say no to things they know they desperately need.

If you know you can help this person, it’s your responsibility to help them take that scary leap into the great unknown. It’s on you to hold their hand as they jump.

Have a Human Conversation

If they object, the most important thing is to have a human conversation with the person on the other end of the phone. It’s okay to disagree, but you’re not butting heads with one another, trying to go separate ways.

You both want the same thing – for them to succeed and grow beyond what they’ve been able to do before. So instead of going opposite directions, think about being a few steps ahead, reaching out your hand and asking them to come along with you.

via GIPHY

By staying calm and appearing certain, you position yourself as the leader that they desperately need. Their brain is freaking out because up until the point you mentioned money, they wanted and needed this program. 

Once you regain rapports by empathizing with their situation (I’m sure you’ve had difficult decisions to make in the past), you can now start to help them see that their decision making compass is what got them to this place, in desperate need of help.

I call this the Dickens Method, thanks to his famous Christmas story.

We’re going to help them see the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. 

In fact, the entire call up to this point should’ve been helping them see the problems they’re having right now. The ghost of Christmas Present should have punched them in the face and how their reality is not in line with their goals and desires. 

Now, we must help them recognize the default in their past behaviors and help them see that repeating those behaviors again will only lead to the same place.

Remember, this most likely isn’t about the money…

Simply ask, “How has this belief affected your decisions about your health and fitness in the past?” 

They may have made a bad investment in the past… Maybe a bad trainer, a treadmill that sits unused or a gym membership that they’re still paying for but have yet to use.

Fitness membership

It’s your job to help them see why that won’t happen again with you.

On the other hand, they may have shied away from other opportunities in the past because they thought they couldn’t afford it or they felt like they weren’t ready or it wasn’t the right time…

Notice the pattern.

You should have leverage to pull from earlier in the conversation as to why they’re not where they want to be, and if you can frame it for them to see that the main reason is this built-in lack of belief, you can help change their perspective to one that’s ready to make a change.

And since you’ve covered the ghost of Christmas past and present already, you can now show them the ghost of Christmas future, helping them paint a picture of what their future may look like…

“I want you to look forward to 6 months into the future… How will your life look any different than it does now if you don’t make a change? If you don’t do this, do you think your financial situation will get better and you’ll be able to invest then? Do you think your fitness level will improve in that time without support?”

What if we could help you move closer to your desired result in the first month working together, would that put your mind at ease as to making this investment?”

These are all questions they’ve probably never thought to ask themselves, and although they may seem forward or ‘too pushy’ to those of us averse to sales, you’re on the verge of helping someone make the biggest and most terrifying decision of their life.

It’s on you to ask.

The Jiu Jitsu Rule of Sales

When a jiu jitsu coach was asked by a student how to get out of a certain headlock position, the coach responded with an answer no one was expecting.

“The best way to get out of that headlock is to avoid getting into it in the first place.”

Jiu jitsu training

In other words, if you’re in it, you’ve already made a lot of mistakes and put yourself in a tough position.

So, here are 3 ways to make sure you don’t get put in the headlock of a price objection:

1. Make Sure They FEEL Their Pain

Allow them to fully understand the prison they’re currently living in and the problems it’s causing in their life and the lives of others they care about

  • How is their lack of energy affecting their kids?
  • How is their low self confidence showing up in their relationship?
  • How is their weight gain affecting their own self worth?

Although these questions are difficult to ask, you must help them understand the scope of the problem, so they’ll be willing to take the steps to fix it.

2. Help Them See the Gap Between Their Current Life and Their Ideal Life

Once you’ve opened up the pain and taken them deep into their emotions related to that, it’s time to flip the script and help them paint a picture of their ideal future. Then, you can recap it in a way that emphasizes the difference between these two states.

3. Finally, You Must Learn to COMMUNICATE YOUR VALUE In a Way That Shows Your Prospect the Direct Benefits to Them

If they care about their kids, tailor every piece of what you do to how it will affect their kids. If they’re scared of losing their identity, make every pillar of your program about maintaining that identity or getting it back.

It’s not enough to tell them what your program is or what they get for their money. It has to be relayed in a way that they can see themselves benefitting from it. 

For example, think about pitching the app you use to deliver your training program.

OPTION 1: “You’ll get set up on our app and all your workouts are available there for you. We do 3 days a week of strength training programming.”

OPTION 2: “Imagine walking into the gym, having everything you need in the palm of your hand. Exercises, sets and reps so you know exactly what’s next. Exercise demos are built in so you never have to worry about doing it wrong. We provide that peace of mind with this program.”

OPTION 3 (added by TG) “If you don’t use my app, Rambo will be angry. You don’t want Rambo to be angry.”

via GIPHY

NOTE: 100% go with Gavin’s options.

See the difference in how I present the exact same thing?

This is not about persuading someone or swindling someone into something that will only benefit you. Overcoming objections is about finding a win-win situation for everyone. 

We both know that waiting until until “things settle down” is not only going to set them back months in their progress, but it’ll most likely lead into the next “life thing” that will keep them from signing up.

There will never be a perfect time to make a huge life decision, but if you’re there to guide them through and bring certainty, they can make the best decision for them and you’ve created a win-win for everyone!

Finally

A great sales or enrollment conversation is really the first coaching call, holding them accountable and allowing them to see just how you can help them in the long run.

This stuff is literally the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what we teach inside Maverick Coaching Academy. If you’d like to learn more, follow me on Instagram and let me know you read this – I can send you our sales framework, which our clients have used to sell close to $1,000,000 in training programs, absolutely free. 

About the Author

As a Kinesiology graduate, Gavin McHale quickly realized that following the traditional business model would lead to trading more time for more money.

Over the course of 8 years, Gavin built a 6-figure hybrid training business before founding the Maverick Coaching Academy in 2019.

Since then, Gavin has left the gym and gone all in helping other strength coaches build their businesses. He has made it his mission to fix the broken fitness industry and connect other amazing humans to the highest version of themselves.

IG – @gavinmchale1

The Coach’s Playground Podcast

maverickcoachingacademy.ca

Categoriesfitness business

Facility Logistics: The Missing Variable?

With my gym expansion here in Boston now back on the “to do” list, this guest post from New England based personal trainer and educator, Casey Lee, couldn’t have come at a better time.

I’ve always felt that one of the things many gym owners fail to prioritize is the client experience.

In short: From the minute a client walks into the facility to the point where (s)he leaves, what is happening?

  • Where do they place their belongings?
  • Where do they warm-up?
  • Does the layout of the facility make sense? Is it designed for 1v1 or semi-private or group sessions?
  • Where do the Jean Claude Van Damme posters go?

All of these are important, pertinent questions that are sewn into the client experience and play an integral role in the success of any facility.

Read on for more insights!

Copyright: themorningglory

Facility Logistics: The Missing Variable?

If you polled ten strangers on the street and asked them what personal trainers did for a living, what do you think the breakdown of their answers would be? 

Workout? Probably a solid 33% 

Count reps? Cue eye roll. That probably gets a vote. 

Eat out of tupperware? You know the real ones would say this.

Seriously though, whenever I would attempt a bite to eat between clients, the second I cracked the lid, like clockwork, my client would open the door. 

“All you do is eat! I only ever see you eating!” 

(Melissa Highton (talk | contribs)

The perfect X-mas present for any trainer in your family

Ultimately the biggest answer, I think, would be that we write workouts for people.

I like to call it ‘fitness prescriptions’, because, well, that’s what we’re doing.

We prescribe sets, reps, tempo’s, which you implement to use for your bicep curls, and of course, the occasional tupperware recommendation for our protege’s of strength that are trying to eat their gains on the go. 

But Coach, I have a novel concept for you to include in your prescription. 

Yes, I used the word novel. This is a big flippin’ deal! 

Okay, maybe not novel, but it is truly important and I think has been ignored & overlooked alongside the many advancements of fitness programming.

Facility Logistics

Facility logistics can be a pretty big list. How many squat racks on the training floor? What increments do the dumbbells increase by? Ranging all the way to client-facility logistics like the  time of day you train and how busy it is. For my brothers and sisters who train at a commercial gym, you’ll appreciate this one…

…is there going to be a small group or group exercise class going on that will boot you from the area needed to train. Anyone who’s been privy to being ousted from their power rack because of a looming “Tank Top Triceps” class I’m sure can commiserate as follows:

via GIPHY

In 12 years of coaching out of a commercial health club, I can recall countless times that clients would receive their exercise prescription, full of thoughtful movement variations and calculated training volume, only to have a group exercise class bump them from a training spot on the floor or have some gaggle of high school kids monopolize 2 of the 4 squat racks. 

I can visualize the email right now. I’ve seen it dozens of times.

“Hey Coach, went to the gym last night for my workout and couldn’t get any of the equipment. Ran for 45 minutes and went home.”

Sweet. 

I think there is a case to be made that facility logistics, not exercise selection, sets, reps, tempo, or any of that jazz, is the most important programming variable that we need to consider. Specifically the facility that your client will be using when they are not training with you (boutique and aspiring online coaches take note).  

So consider it we must!

And here’s how…

During the client onboarding, consider these questions:

1. When you’re not training in our private sessions, where do you envision your other workouts taking place? 

(At said place) what time of day do you think you’ll be training?

*If the answer is at a commercial-style or big box gym, follow up with something like this…

2. Do they have equipment you feel comfortable using? Could you send me pictures of what the gym’s set up looks like?

Have you ever had a client tell you that they don’t want to use dumbbells because “that area of the gym is full of scary meatheads?”

Knowing your clients comfort level in their own gym should never be taken for granted.

3. Is the training space tied in with any kind of small group or large group exercise style class?

(Pro tip- Trainers, want to make your new client feel comfortable and let them know you’re invested in their success? Call their gym and secret shop the facility. Ask these questions as if you are a prospective member). 

If someone is training at home, because there are a special set of facility logistics…consider asking the following 

4. When you work out at home, what are a couple possible interruptions that could occur?

This is basically asking if a toddler is going to come storming in and demand that you stop what you’re doing and color. 

If you know, you know.

via GIPHY

5. Do you have any questions on the equipment you have at your house?

The answer may surprise you. Never assume.

6. Do you have the ability to preheat the area if needed?

January garage gyms in the northeast. Frostbite galore! 

Summary

Though these questions may seem routine to us, to a client they are simply part of your process. A process that not only takes into consideration the client’s feelings towards their training facility, but will also help you write a program prescription that your client will actually be able to do with confidence and consistency.

Last I checked, those two things help clients achieve their goals 154% of the time. 

That’s a proven percentage. Trust me. I graduated from Gentilcore University with a degree in AT-AT engineering. It’s a real thing, look it up.

Coaches, the biggest take away here is that before you sit down to look at movement screens, calculate training volume, map out a periodized training block, take into consideration the facility logistics of your clients training space. Put yourself in their shoes, program for their confidence and consistency, and the rest will fall into place. 

About the Author

Casey Lee is the Director of Coaching and Education for the Parisi Speed School and also has an online personal training business called Purposeful Strength.

Both positions intersect at writing successful training programs for over 100 Parisi Speed School affiliates as well as a diverse private client population. What both have in common is that every client and their respective gym is unique in their own way and accounting for facility logistics as the first programming variable has led to better client success and business retention, and that’s pretty cool. 

Categoriespersonal training

Meet In the Middle

There’s no question we’re living in polarizing times; no one can seem to meet in the middle on anything:

  • Politics
  • Religion
  • COVID/masks/vaccines
  • Who’s the best Batman…

If there’s any degree of disagreement the brass knuckles are coming out. We see a fair share of the same sentiment in the fitness industry and with today’s guest post, Shane McLean pontificates on that point a bit further.

Copyright: xwinggames

Meet In the Middle

Remember when you used to meet up with a friend and you would meet in the middle? They didn’t want to go all the way over to your house and you didn’t want to go all the way to theirs, so you met in the middle. When I was a kid, it seemed a fair deal because I rode my bike everywhere.

Now it seems (to me) we live in a world of extremes, and no one meets in the middle. It’s either this or that. It’s fact or it’s fiction. You support me or you’re dead to me. Plus, if there are two differing points of view, you must side with one or the other.

This is often exacerbated (in my opinion) by the mainstream media and even on TV shows.

Extremes sell and get you fired up.

If you support one side or the other for whatever reason, it’s easy to draw a line in the sand and put your money where your mouth is. How’s that for back-to-back use of clichés? On second thoughts, don’t answer that.

Although today’s political climate has its fair share of extremes, I also see this in the health and fitness realm.

Warning: Soap Box Moment

Before the rant, here’s where I’m coming from:

  • I’ve been a personal trainer for twelve years
  • Freelance fitness writer for over six years
  • Been writing a fitness blog for over seven years
  • Volunteer for the Personal Trainer Development Center where I consume a metric ton of fitness content.

I’ve read, written, coached and performed a lot of exercise. This doesn’t make me an authority, but it does make me a loud mouth with an informed opinion. If you dislike opinion pieces, stop reading. If you wish to be more informed as to see clearly through the murky waters of the fitness realm, hold on to your keyboard.

It will be a bumpy ride.

The Middle Doesn’t Sell Well

Extremes sell because they get attention.

Nothing brings this more to light more than social media because it takes a lot to get consumers attention while they’re doom scrolling. And being on social media more than I should, here’s what I’ve gathered about what sells and what doesn’t.

Nothing polarizes trainers, coaches, and consumers more than diets and methods of exercise. Whether it be Keto, Atkins, Vegan, (insert all diets here) or high intensity training, CrossFit, Zumba, or kettlebells (insert all training methods here).

To get attention in a crowded marketplace and more sales, you need to stand out from the crowd. And some trainers, coaches, etc. go to extremes by either

  • Performing circus tricks that kind of look like exercise
  • Saying only this works and nothing else does
  • This food will get you fat so buy this instead4
  • You’re exercising all wrong and you must do this for gains
  • Eliminate this and add this (whatever their selling) to get long-lasting results
  • Stop making these diet and exercise mistakes and do this instead.

Or variations of all the above.

Now, I’m not saying this is wrong and I’m not denying people trying to make a buck no matter how dubious their claims are. Because (cliché alert) fools and their money are soon parted.

But I’m going to let you in on a little-known secret that seems obvious that you’ll be smacking your hand into your forehead repeatedly saying ‘why, why, why didn’t I think of that.’

Are you ready?

Everything works. Yes, even the Thigh Master. Or Zumba.

The trick is what to do when the extremes stop working.

Here’s What Doesn’t Sell

Extremes do work because there is a time and place for most things.  There are times to go to extremes to get the results you want.

Plus, people are entitled to their extreme opinions too. My only problem is when these people are presented with overwhelming evidence to the contrary and they still hold on to their beliefs.

But that’s a story for a different time.

Here’s what I feel aren’t the biggest sellers nor doesn’t it generate lots of attention.

The basics and moderation, otherwise known as the middle.

The middle for resistance training involves the regression and progression of hinging, squatting, lunging, pushing, pulling and locomotion (carries, sled work etc.) And the middle for nutrition is a caloric deficit for fat loss, caloric surplus for muscle gain and eating more like an adult and not a child.

Yes, there is a lot of wiggle room as I’m taking the broad view here.

Moderation is taking the long-term view and not just the short-term strategy of losing 10 pounds in 6 weeks.

Quoting a well-known coach, he suggests you need to spend more of your time doing either a:

“Moderate diet (not a huge caloric deficit, surplus or mass elimination of food groups). Combined with Hard training (more sets, reps or more days exercising).

Hard diet (bigger deficit or surplus with elimination of foods) Combined with Moderate training (less sets, reps, and training to support you goal).”

Now extreme dieting and training programs (at the same time) are doable but only for a limited time. Think of it (another cliché alert) as burning the candle at both ends. You burn bright for a while and after a while there is no wax to burn.

But moderation and the basics aren’t as sexy or sell as well as extremes.

Wrapping Up

This is not a knock-on trainers or coaches who use attention grabbing content or exercises to generate sales, likes and followers. But be aware there is plenty of room in the middle performing the basics with moderate diet and exercise.

Because doing a little over the long haul will give you the best chance of success. Save the circus tricks for the professionals.

If you’re looking for an exercise program to get you back on track, check out my 6-week program right here.

About the Author

Shane “Balance Guy’ McLean”  is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Louisiana with the gators.

CategoriesMotivational rant

How to Prevent Burning Out as a Fitness Professional

I wanted to use a blog title that fit my personality more.

Like:

“Life as a Fitness Professional: See Brick Wall. Throw Face Into It. Repeat.”

But, you know, SEO and all.

Being a Personal Trainer/Coach Isn’t All Kitten Kisses and Rainbows

Forgive the nebulous tone out of the gate.

Let me be clear: I love what I do, and I wouldn’t have chosen to do it for the past 20 or so years if I didn’t gain some semblance of enjoyment from it.

[Although, truth be told, if Hollywood came knocking at my door tomorrow asking me to be the next Jason Bourne I’d peace out faster than you can say undulated periodization.]

I’ve been very fortunate and lucky (with equal parts hard work and insatiable consistency) building a career that not only provides an immense amount of pride and gratitude, but also satisfaction and sustenance.

Now, we could make the argument that being a fitness professional is a pretty sweet gig.

I mean, you get paid to hang out in a gym all day and wear sweatpants. There’s also a low-barrier to entry, which can be good and bad.

Good in that it allows people to pursue their passion without dropping $40,000 per year on a degree. Bad in that, well, there’s a low-barrier to entry.

Anyone can become a personal trainer.

via GIPHY

Additionally, I could go on forever listing all the other benefits to being a fitness professional:

  • You help and inspire people on a daily basis.
  • Free gym membership.
  • You more or less set your own schedule.
  • You can eat out of a Pyrex container and no one will judge you.
  • Did I mention you get to wear sweatpants to work everyday?
  • You get to wear sweatpants to work everyday.

There is a dark side, however.

While the numbers can vary, and it’s more or less an arbitrary, ball-park figure: many fitness professionals – personal trainers in particular – have a “life span” of 1-3 years.

Feeding that statistic, the average personal trainer makes roughly $32,000 per year, working a split-shift 60 hour per week schedule5 often with minimal (if any) benefits.

  • Spotty health insurance
  • No 401k plan. It can happen, but it’s rare.
  • Limited (if any) paid vacation.
  • But hey, you get to wear sweatpants.

While by no means a dirt poor scenario, there’s a reason a very finite number of fitness professionals ever hit the magical six-figure mark.

The ones that do often either work in a big city or in a very affluent area where people can afford high(er) price points for their services. Running the math, a trainer could work a 20-hour week charging $100 per session and easily make six-figures in a year.

However, that’s not realistic for most.

Not many can charge $100 per hour ($40-$50 is more like it), and not many are taking 100% of the profit. I.e., for those working out of a commercial gym, it’s often standard they take 30-50% of the cut (depending on what kind of “tier system” implemented).6

Not only that, cost of living has to be taken into consideration. Sure, trainers living in a more urban area can charge more, but they’re also paying $2000 per month to live in a closet (and $16 for a burger).

Another thing to consider is this:

This is NOT a “Demand” Career

Being a fitness professional means you’re in the service industry. How many people in the service industry do you know who are making bank?

Not only that…it’s not a “demand” career.

There’s always going to be a demand for funeral home directors, electricians, doctors, and, unfortunately, used car sales(wo)men.

Personal trainers and strength coaches? Not so much.

When the economy is stagnant people have a tendency to chop off what’s expendable. If it’s a matter of putting food on the table or paying someone 2x per week to take them through a killer front squat Tabata circuit while balancing on two kettlebells, what do you think is going to win out?

So, what can be done to not burn out and set the odds in your favor?

First: read THIS. <—The holy grail isn’t necessarily owning your own gym.

1) Grind, Hustle, [Insert Motivational Word Here]

To be honest, I hate the connotation of “grinding” or “hustling.” Every time I see a Tweet or IG status of someone saying how they’re up early “grinding” or how much they’re” hustling,” I want to jump into a live volcano.

I get it, though.

You’re reading anything and everything Gary Vaynerchuk has in print or paper and you’re listening to all of his podcasts.

I did too, for about three days. And then I got over it. His message, while good, just comes across as a broken record to me.

I don’t want to be Gary Vee, and I don’t think Gary Vee wants you to be Gary Vee either.

He works….all……the…….time.

Even he will admit he’s an outlier when it comes to work ethic and loving the grind.

There IS a degree of grinding and hustling that’s inherently conjoined to the fitness industry.

We work when others don’t.

Too, it’s a very, very, VERY saturated market…and you better bet your ass you need to do something to separate yourself from the masses (and by extension, begin to build a brand).

Being epically good at what you do is step #1.

This doesn’t require Twitter followers or a status update. It requires hard work, consistency, maintaining integrity, along with empathy and gratitude.

“Building a “brand” isn’t a social media illusion. Things like integrity, empathy, & gratitude (along with being good at what you do) count.”

What many refer to as “grinding” is just, you know, going to work. Like everyone else.

However, there’s a difference between going to work and actually going to work and taking pride in it…and working towards something bigger and better.

Learn and respect that difference.

2) “Brand” Building

It’s 2021: You better recognize that “building a brand” isn’t anchored on this idea that you need to optimize website SEO or hire a photographer to take nice looking photographs of you eating a kale salad next to a Ferrari so you can post them on your social media.

Renowned coach and speaker, Brett Bartholomew, shared a powerful message recently:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Brett Bartholomew (@coach_brettb)

As Brett notes, SOCIAL SKILLS are what’s missing in this industry; not more certifications and licensures. Brand building (and by extension, success) isn’t so much about putting more letters next to your name or having a 3x bodyweight deadlift.

It’s about CONNECTION and having the social skills necessary to build healthy and long-lasting client relationships & rapport.

NOTE: Anyone interested in that topic should come to Boston this November to attend Dr. Lisa Lewis’s 2-day workshop: Inside the Coach’s Mind. (wink wink, nudge nudge).

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Social media is certainly part of the equation, however.

“But wait, Tony, didn’t you just say that social networks are a waste of time?”

Nope, that’s not at all what I said.

I said “do the work.”

Coach. Interact. Get people results. Get good at what you do.

CURATE RELATIONSHIPS.

Social media should serve as a complement to your brand. Not BE the brand. Pete Dupuis wrote an awesome article a few years ago on what Cressey Sports Performance did to build their brand.

“Believe it or not, we were open for business for 293 days before our Cressey Sports Performance website went live.  In fact, we strung together more than 1,200 days of operation before realizing we needed to get CSP up on Twitter.”

Anecdotally, I’ll be the first to admit I lucked out in this regard.

I helped build CSP from scratch, and both Eric (Cressey) and Pete encouraged me to build my own brand within a brand. I served as an ambassador for the CSP name, but was also able to leverage that to help construct the brand of “Tony Gentilcore.”

Having Eric and Pete in my corner helped, a lot.

It also helped that I jumped on the website and social media bandwagon before it became a “thing.”

I wrote my first blog post in 2006. I now have over 200o+ posts on this site. And this is not counting the hundreds of articles I’ve written on top of that for other websites.

It wasn’t until 2009-2010 that I invested in myself and hired someone to make a customized website for me.

Quick shoutout to Copter Labs on that front.

Nevertheless, I wrote hundreds of blog posts on my site and interacted with a lot of my readership before I “graduated” to being paid to write for other sites. I often joke that my high school English teachers would shit a copy of “Catcher in the Rye” if they knew I was a paid writer.

Moreover, once I started gaining more traction with my writing I started being asked to present at conferences and started to also be invited to gyms across the world to put on workshops.

Being transparent, open to other ideas, amicable, a good listener, and generally not an asshole have all served me well in growing my “brand.”

All of this to say: I now have other streams of revenue to not only bolster my brand, but to also help augment my coaching. I don’t have to be on the floor 30-40 hours per week (as it stands now, I coach 15-20 hours per week). What’s more, if COVID-19 taught us anything in this industry, it’s that having more “diversity” with your revenue streams is imperative.

  • In-person coaching
  • Distance/online coaching
  • Writing
  • Presenting/workshops (virtual *& in-person)
  • Affiliate income
  • Digital products/resources
  • Mentorships
  • And, sure, sponsorships and “influencing” can be tossed on the list too.

NONE of this happened over-night. And, if I were to be 100% honest: It’s only now – year 19 into my career – where I feel like I’m starting to “get it.”

Not be a Debbie Downer and all, there’s A LOT of noise out there. More and more fitness pros are out there vying for everyone else’s attention and a piece of the social media pie, and it’s becoming more saturated by the day.

It’s becoming harder and harder to make a name for yourself (if that’s what you choose to do).

However, it’s not an insurmountable feat to rise above the chaos.

The key, though: amazing, unparalleled, consistent content.

And not being an unapproachable tool canoe.

That helps too.

Categoriespersonal training

A Personal Trainer’s Credo

Principles?

Treatise?

Standards?

Maybe I should have used some other fancy schmancy word instead?

Whatever the case may be, if you’re a personal trainer what follows are some potent “rules” you should be following.7

Copyright: uladzislauzaretski

A Personal Trainer’s Credo

1. Write Programs For the Client’s Goals (Not Yours)

You may think it’s badass to be able to deadlift 3x your bodyweight or look like He-Man (and I’d agree8), but that doesn’t mean all your clients will feel the same way.

  • Some people will want to look good for an upcoming life event (like a wedding).
  • Some people may want to reduce their chronic lower back pain.
  • Some may want to not pull their hamstring crush the competition in their recreational softball league.
  • And others may have a goal to grow a lumberjack beard.

The examples are endless.

(I’m just gonna toss it out there that, not coincidentally, a healthy dose of deadlifting will likely be on the docket for every one of those goals).

Your job as the fitness professional is to write (safe & efficient) programming that caters to the person standing in front of you. Weird, right? Who would have ever thought that one of the best ways to improve client retention is to do that?

Note sarcasm.

2. Actually Do Your Job (Coach!)

Fitness business legend, Thomas Plummer, is famous for referring many personal trainers as “clipboard cowboys and girls.”

Meaning, many portray themselves as nothing more than glorified (and disinterested) rep-counters.

At a rate of $70-$100 per hour no less!

In my experience, what separates the great trainers from the sub-par ones is the fact the former actually does his or her’s job…

…they coach!

They routinely provide feedback, make adjustments, and progress/regress exercises according to one’s health & injury history, goal(s), as well as ability level.

In short: They give a shit.

3. Being a Hardo is Lame

I’ve never really understood those coaches/trainers who feel the need to showcase this incessant “hardo” I-am-going-to-beat-you-into-the-ground-now-KNEEL-BEFORE-ZOD! attitude.

via GIPHY

You do you.

However, it’s also been in my experience that most people, most of the time, don’t respond well to that sort of silliness. It may work for a week or two, but before long the schtick is going to get old.

As renowned strength coach, Mike Boyle, has routinely said throughout the years…

“Don’t be an asshole.”

Or, maybe Mike didn’t say that? But it sure sounds like something he’d say. Did Gandhi say it? Either way, it resonates with me.

Instead, I feel the more cogent approach is to unabashedly champion SUCCESS with your clients.

Demonstrate and focus on things they CAN do rather than what they can’t. 

I’m going to tell you right now, most people are not going to be able to walk in on day #1 and perform a pristine barbell back squat. If you’re the type of trainer who insists on forcing it onto everyone, you’re going to fail, and more to the point you’re most likely going to turn people off from training.

This is not to say that that individual may one day have back squats placed in their program. I love back squats and think they’re a splendid exercise for most people to master. That being said, it’s imperative to ensure you find everyone’s appropriate “entry point” to certain exercises and movement patterns.

A Goblet Squat is generally a better entry/starting point for most trainees over a back squat. The former will feel more natural and doable.

The latter will often be seen as intimidating and feel like fire ants eating away at their hips and lower back. Then again, this is where BEING A COACH comes to fruition. Ensuring the appropriate joints are doing the work and are loaded correctly during a squat (and that the client feels the correct musculature firing) is the job of the trainer.

You don’t have to be hardo to accomplish those things, though.

You can absolutely do it in a manner that’s accessible to the client and prioritizes success.

4. Wash Your Shaker Bottles (For the Love of God)

Self-explanatory.

5. Practice What You Preach9

Call me crazy but I like to actually test drive an exercise before I put it into a program for a client.

Likewise, it’s rare for me to put a “concept” into program – density sets, drop sets, 5/3/1, undulated periodization, rest/pause training, nunchucks – and not have experienced or toyed around with it myself.

How can I expect my clients to “buy in” to something if I myself haven’t done so?

Integrity is important to me and it’s something I don’t take lightly.

You shouldn’t either.

Categoriescoaching Motivational Nutrition

Carrots and Celery and Priming People to Kick-Ass

Do you recall a few years ago when (then) NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, initiated a proposed ban on the sale of large-sized sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas, sweetened teas and coffees, as well as energy and “fruit” drinks?

The Big Gulp Experiment

The idea was that by prohibiting restaurants, delis, sports arenas, movie theaters, and food carts from selling sugary beverages larger than 16 oz – with a hefty fine of $200 for failing to downsize – people would be less inclined to drink copious amounts of said beverages.

What’s more, they’d be healthier, happier, smile, and say “good morning” as they passed one another on the street10

It worked, right?

People stopped drinking those ginormous ‘Big Gulps’ and instead starting crushing almond milk kale smoothies laced with organic acai berries harvested from a unicorn’s rectum (<– I’ve been told they’re super delish).

Um, no…it didn’t work.

First: We’re talking about NYC here folks. A lovely city by most counts, full of diversity, sports, art, music, fashion, food, and an obsession with hip-hop loving dead Presidents.

Second: People in general, whether we’re referring to NYC or not, hate being told what they can and cannot do.

When this happens, we revolt.

Just look at teenagers. We tell them not to drink alcohol and not to have sex and we usually end up with more costly and less than ideal consequences.

In much the same way, the soda experiment didn’t work.

Consumption of sugary beverages DOUBLED!

Why?

It’s a topic I first heard a handful of years ago from Dr. Gnel Gabrielyan of Cornell University’s PHENOMENAL Food & Brand Lab.

In short, he brought up a litany of valid points with regards to our food biases and how (ir)rational we tend to be when it comes to the decisions we make.

Let’s just say the food industry is sneaky and shady as f*** when it comes to marketing their products. Portion distortion and how that interplays with recommended serving sizes comes to mind here.

Likewise, ever notice how many sugary cereals have their characters looking down?

Do you know why?

It’s to target the kids looking UP at the shelves. They feel the character on the box is looking at them.

“Tell your mom to buy me little Johnny. No, beg her. Fall to the ground and scream and flail your legs until she submits. Do it. DOOOOOOOOO It.”

I mean, talk about brilliant marketing.

However, one point I remember Dr. Gabrielyan highlighting – which I felt helped explained the phenomena of what happened during the soda experiment above (and why it failed so miserably) – is the concept of REACTANCE.

“Reactance is a motivational reaction to offers, persons, rules, or regulations that threaten or eliminate specific behavioral freedoms. Reactance occurs when a person feels that someone or something is taking away his or her choices or limiting the range of alternatives.”

Basically, you tell someone that they can’t do “x” or that they have to do “y,” and they’re going to get a little irritated.

Possibly punch you in the face. Who knows.

Framing

Another point Dr. Gabrielyan touched on was the idea of framing.

“The framing effect is an example of cognitive bias, in which people react to a particular choice in different ways depending on how it is presented; e.g. as a loss or as a gain.”

A quintessential example of framing would be the North Dakota Wine Experiment.

  • 117 Diners; Pre-fix meal of $21.
  • All diners given the SAME wine, but with two labels. One marked “Wine from California” and one marked “Wine from North Dakota.”
  • Post Meal Measures: People rate “California Wine” as tasting better than “North Dakota” wine and believe that the food served with the California wine tastes better too.
How we “frame” a product or service can absolutely effect its perception by the consumer.

Priming

Another Jedi mind-trick to consider when attempting to change people’s perceptions or behaviors is the concept of priming.

“Priming is an implicit memory effect in which exposure to one stimulus (i.e., perceptual pattern) influences the response to another stimulus.”

While a bit sensationalistic, here’s a good example from the Will Smith movie, Focus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwS68ixemAQ

 

Another great example of priming people is a well-known grocery store study whereupon the premise was this: Can exposure to healthy samples lead to healthier shopping?

  • 118 participants at a large grocery store.
  • Conditions: Apple sample, cookie sample, no sample.
  • Amount spent on fruits and vegetables then recorded.
  • No surprise: people receiving an apple sample spent more money on fruits and vegetables.

Note to self: Figure out ways to “prime” my wife into buying me an Xbox for Xmas this year.

Even cooler (and bringing this whole conversation full circle), another well-known and relevant study to bring to light is one where participants were given a carrot prior to sitting down to eat at a restaurant to see if it would increase the likelihood of them making “healthier” good choices.

It didn’t go quite as planned, because, as we learned above, people don’t like being told what to do, and more to the point, people like CHOICES.

Not many people accepted the carrot(s).

The next layer to the study was to then offer participants a choice of either a carrot or celery.

Ding, ding, ding…..success.

More participants grabbed a vegetable prior to sitting down to dinner and subsequently were “primed” to ingest more vegetables at dinner.

How Can We Frame & Prime Our Clients?

As personal trainers and coaches, anything we can do to set our clients up for a higher rate of success and enjoyment in their training, the better.

Some Suggestions

1) Allow your clients to choose their main lift of the day. Squats or deadlifts?

2) Allow them to choose the variation of the lift: Back Squat vs. Front Squat? Sumo Deadlift vs. Trap Bar Deadlift?

3) Allow them to choose their mode of exercise: Barbells only? Kettlebells?  Maybe they dig Landmine exercises?

4) I often like to give my clients a window at the end of their training session to do whatever they heck they want. If they want to thrash their biceps, go for it. Add in some additional glute work? Go! Push the Prowler around (you psycho), have at it. Turkish get-ups dressed as He-Man? Whatever floats your boat, dude.

4) Here’s a cool trick I did with one of my female clients this week to “prime” her into lifting more weight. After a “top set” of deadlifts I was like “that looked awesome. Easy! Wanna maybe add 5-10 lbs and up the ante on your next set?” 

I gave her the choice to stay put or go heavier. Either way it was a win, but she chose correctly…and added weight.

[Cue evil strength coach laugh here]

Giving your clients a sense of autonomy and control over their own training is a powerful tool in their long-term success.

Don’t get me wrong, you should still be the boss. They’ve entrusted you to coach them and write programming that best fits their needs and goals.

However, it’s never a bad thing to give them a little of what THEY want.

Even better: Provide them a sense of choice.