The Dark Side of Personal Training
I’m speaking to those well-intentioned trainers who miss the mark of our profession—internal and external health.
Online Trainers Going Broke: Don't Blame COVID-19 or the Government
The next few months are going to be incredibly difficult for the vast majority of online trainers. Consider me Dr. Phil for a minute as I provide four things that you can do to not find your dumbass in an anxiety-riddled situation when or if something like this happens in the future.
Your Checklist for a Perfect Personal Training Session
Through my 22 years of coaching, I’ve found that all great personal trainers have things in common. While there’s no one single script we follow, it helps me to have a checklist. So I’m sharing a checklist I give to my staff when they start one-on-one training at my gym.
Shit Coaches Need to Stop Telling Their Clients
Honestly, there are so many that I could go on forever. Within my sarcastic tone, I hope the message that comes across is simple.
The Coach Rulebook: 5 Rules to Follow
You can be the smartest nutrition or training coach in the world, but if you don’t know how to actually help people your business will fail.
The Client Rulebook: 5 Rules to Follow
If you’re going to invest the time and financial resources to hire a coach, you should be doing everything you can to get the most out of the relationship. Avoiding these common mistakes is a must if you hope to reach your goals.
Coaching Is More Than Just Programming
Your clients are all looking for a combination of guidance, accountability, and a relationship with a coach. It’s your job to figure out which of the three they need and how to best deliver it.
WATCH: Table Talk — How Dave Supported Himself as a Powerlifter Before e...
Before the original Q&A, before the equipment, before the team, what was Dave doing?
Coaching Essentials for Program Development
How do you determine if your program is too easy, too hard, or just right? Here are some things to look for to see if your coach is the real deal or full of shit.
Steps Toward Success: Your First Year as a Personal Trainer
The first year is tough, and that’s when most trainers fail. If they stick with it they start to break through their second year — but only if they put in the ground work their first year.
Create a Culture that Breeds Results
I don’t care if you have the best athletes and the best equipment in the world — a shitty gym atmosphere can DESTROY their results.
Learn From the Back to Lead From the Front
In sports performance, sometimes you need to shut up, take a seat in the back of the room, and learn before you are ready to lead from the front.
How to Make Money as a Personal Trainer
My last year as a personal trainer I averaged over 40 billable training hours a week and sometimes did over 60 hours a week. The tactics I used to get to that point are now the basis of our trainer development program.
6 Lessons to Become a Better Strength Coach
If you’re going to be successful in this industry, there are a few things you need to know from the very start.
5 Things to Know for Your First Show
Competing in a bodybuilding show can seem overwhelming, and you may have no idea what to expect. Don’t let fear hold you back.
Ivan the Terrible
The customer is the ultimate determinant of your product and what it’s about. It doesn’t matter how you perceive your product — it matters how they do.
The 10 Principles of Being Personal with Personal Training
Personal training is a field that allows for creativity in how you do things with exercise, but at its core, it is still working with people. You need them to like you.
How To Price Personal Training
Unsure where to set prices for 1:1 or small group training? Here’s an in-depth look at the industry’s current rates and how to best incentivize your trainers while bringing more clients—and money—to your gym.
WATCH: Table Talk — The Current State of the Fitness Industry
What do you think of the fitness community today and all the shitty gurus on social media?
Resistance Training for Young Girls — Building More Than Strength
As a father raising a young girl, I have seen the importance of empowering the next generation of women. Here are my recommendations.
Top 10 Mistakes Men Make in the Gym
If you have the slightest inkling that this article may offend you, proceed to mistake number 5. You’re probably that guy.
Hypertrophy Is The Holy Grail
After so many years and so many clients, I’ve begun to realize that everyone’s training needs are the same.
WATCH: BOSS Barbell Club Training and Business Principles
The second part of this interview, Dan Green and Dave Tate share business challenges and the process of building a successful training facility.
Being God Awful Precedes Being Good
Personal training is like any other craft, it takes time and perseverance through many mistakes to master. I recently reflected on my climb as a professional.
5 Easy Ways To Become A Shitty Client
Are you trying to make your coach’s life hell? Do you aspire to be the biggest pain in the ass possible? I’ve got the plan for you.
Oslo Performance Center — 'More Than Just A Hardcore Gym'
Co-owners Haavard Sundt, Espen B. Andersson, and Finn-Tore Carlos Comacho have opened the doors to their Norway training facility. With a business strategy in place, this is how they plan to expand their gym and the service it provides.
Training Women: There Is A Difference
Men and women have different needs. Pay attention to these eleven factors when programming for your female clients.
Personal Training Is NOT Easy
To be a successful trainer, it takes more than showing up and looking the part. It takes more than you think.
Getting the Most Out of Online Coaching
There are obstacles to overcome for effective online coaching. If you’ve considered working with a coach from a distance, here are the things you’ll need to do for an optimal working relationship.
Tanner Baze: The Unspoken Truth About Online Fitness
"The fitness industry is getting its ass kicked, and not in the way you might think."
WATCH: The Red Flags of Online Coaching
Everything you’re seeing online is a mirage. How do you filter through all the bullshit?
The ONE THING You Need to be Doing
You’ve been searching for it. A lot of people promise it. Here’s the real deal.
Rick Razzano's Pain Train Fitness
From watching his father play for the Bengals to being Eli Manning’s fullback to being drafted by Jon Gruden, Rick has experienced it all. At his Daphne, Alabama gym, he’s passing it on to his clients.
Austin Simply Fit Pushes Expansion, Multiplies Clientele
In only five years, Mark Rogers has taken his gym from one location and grown to three facilities covering the entire Austin, Texas area.
I'm Too Young to Be This Damn Old: Me Training Me
Please excuse this dialogue that I’ve had with myself. It is done in an effort to show that I will try to be responsible as I start training.
Training the Elderly and the Obese: The "Give Up" Guide
Not every client is a genetically gifted, young woman without any chronic ailments. This is real life, and trainers need to be able to work with all demographics.
Selling Timmy
Depending on who you are, hopefully you can use this information to be either a more successful trainer, or a more informed consumer.
