We are excited to officially announce Chris Cooper as the newest member of the elitefts team, who joins Dr. Tyrel Detweiler in the ranks of our recently-acquired, esteemed elitefts columnists.

As a successful business owner, former powerlifter, and best-selling author, Cooper is passionate about mentoring entrepreneurs in the fitness industry. Having nearly gone bankrupt in the past after opening up his own gym, Cooper is someone that can speak directly to the challenges of managing a gym without a formal background in business. Simply put, he represents the transformation from “good coach” to “good business owner”, a change that is critical for all gym owners seeking long-term success. Today, he owns two gyms, three companies, and a number of other properties in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He is the founder and owner of the mentoring practice Two-Brain Business, whose goal is to make gyms profitable through sustainable growth. He is also the author of three books: Two-Brain Business, Two-Brain 2.0, and Help First. 

Did You Know?

  • Two-Brain Business is the best-selling fitness book of all time, which originated from Cooper’s personal blog on business management for gym owners.
  • Two-Brain Business grew to become the largest fitness mentorship practice in the world, with over 350 gyms participating across the globe.
  • Cooper manages a podcast called TwoBrainRadio under the Two-Brain umbrella.

Despite recently joining the team, Cooper is not a newcomer to the elitefts community. In fact, he first met elitefts founder and CEO Dave Tate at the APF Wolverine Open back in 2003. At the time, he had been reading Tate’s “Periodization Bible” articles on T-Nation, which inspired him to submit his own articles to the site. In a brief in-person conversation, Tate encouraged him to continue writing – which he did. Twelve years later, Cooper emailed Tate and asked him to be a guest on his podcast. The relationship continued to strengthen from there – in fact, Cooper even presented at the 2017 elitefts Fitness Professional Summit.

“Anyone who knows Dave is probably in his debt. The best way I can think to repay him – even a tiny bit – is to help the people he cares about: his readers and customers. So, I’m wide open to submit anything that will help gym owners and trainers become profitable.”

As an elitefts team member, Cooper will leverage his column as a platform to equip gym owners and business professionals in the fitness community with the tools they need to be profitable.

Read his latest article, The Farmer Phase — Don't Get Stuck Here.