Archive Classics – 10 Tips for Aspiring Personal Trainers – 2021 Update 

With all of the extra business you will amass from the tips so far, you might want to think about some down time.

Before I go on, please just answer these few questions for me:

– When was the last time you had a holiday?
– When was the last time you have a full day off?
– When was the last time you have any time at all to yourself?

If you can’t really give a definitive answer to any of those questions I suggest you read on 

** Update **

What you’ll find below isn’t meant to detract from hard work.

In all aspects of life you get out what you put in consistently.

Just ensure that what you do put in is productive.

No one ever got rewarded by burning themselves out 

Business Tip Number 7: Down Time

As trainers and coaches it can be hard to turn down business.

Simple because it feels work isn’t always guaranteed.

While it may seem like a good idea at the time to work all the hours under the sun it will only lead to you becoming over worked, demotivated, potentially ill and worst of all… you might even lose your passion for training 

There are 52 weeks in the year.

Attempting to work everyone is futile.

You should allow yourself at least 1 months holiday per year 

You don’t need to take it all off in one go.

Taking the occasional 2 week break, mixed in with long weekends will serve to help keep you inspired and remain passionate.

** Update **

I speak from experience when I say working all the time isn’t healthy.

Plus the only reason PT’s don’t take time off is due to FOMO.

The fear of missing out on business and losing money.

That being said if your business can’t handle a couple of weeks hiatus then you might wish to get help as you’re potentially lacking in good business acumen 

Here are my personal recommendations for how to organise your holiday time:

Total holiday – 28 Days.

Take one 2 week vacation per year, thats 14days gone.

I would take this in what is your own businesses quietest period.

Take 1 long weekend each month.

Long weekends are great for a quick break that will help you come back more inspired than before 

These rules are not set in stone, but I have found they work perfectly for me, however you need to find what works for you.

One more question.

Do you have any time to yourself each day?

For many the answer will be no.

This is a part of the problem.

It further leads to the negative effect I stated above 

Lets say you work form 6am-9am with clients.

Then again resume at 12pm-2pm.

This is followed by another short break until 5pm-8pm.

Then you finish, or perhaps work until 10pm, who knows.

The first is an 8 hour day, all be it broken down across the day.

In those times where you’re not working it is worth picking one of the 3 hour gaps and just disappearing for a few hours.

Here are some suggestions of what you can do in that time:

– Read-
R&R
– A Hobby – Knitting is good 

Essentially relax in anyway you find pleasurable.

The other gaps can be used for admin/business/marketing work.

** Update **

Keep a time diary, see what you do in a day.

The utilise the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritise your day 

Learn to take some time to yourself.

You (and your business) will thank me for it in the long run.

Enjoy,
Ross

👑 Archive Classics – 10 Tips for Aspiring Personal Trainers 👑

All of these tips so far have been aimed at saving you time.

Increasing your hourly value.

 Gaining more clients and improving your brand awareness 🧠

This tip will further help to make you a sought after trainer.

Good Morning ProZoners,

** Update **

This tip plays on the principle of influence known as scarcity.

It’s sadly been used a lot of late and while it still has impact, it’s not quite what it was. 

The reason for this is because people lie.

Very few every really have “3 spaces left.”.

That being said, what you can so is set up the total number of spaces from the outset, say that’s 20, then as people pay upfront to secure their spot you can keep people updated as to how many are left. 

Honesty is key when using this principle 🗝

Business Tip Number 6: Limited Space Available 

Creating a sense of urgency is a long forgotten aspect of personal training business.

Many personal trainers will make themselves too available.

By doing this they look like they’re not busy and desperate. 

This will potentially devalue what people think of their services 📉

** Update **

People can smell desperation and it reeks.

Think of a time where you’ve seen someone that is desperate.

They will grovel and say anything they can thinking it helps. 

Sadly it only serves to send potential clients the opposite way.

Have some standards and pride in your service, don’t give it away or compromise for the sake of a quick sale that you’ll not gain much if any benefit from 👀

When you offer something that is in limited supply people will desire it more. 

As far as basic human psychology goes 🧠 

Remember – “we always want what we can’t have” 

As a result if we think we might miss out we will want it even more.

** Update **

This is known as FOMO – fear of missing out. 

It causes people to rush to buy things they don’t need. 

Doubly so if their ego has a hint that having that which is coveted will gain them some form of accolade, importance or status.

You’d be surprised what people will do for these things. 

They’ll throw people under the bus for no reason to gain what they want, I’ve seen it happen. 

When people want to be a part of a seemingly exclusive fitness event/group/class etc, they will go out of their way to secure a spot.

People will go to great length to secure the apple of their eye 🍎

There are several ways you can create a sense of urgency. 

Don’t be fooled in to thinking you just need to say you’re fully booked.

Remember that people need to see you being busy to believe it.

Although it’s wise to believe half of what you see and less (or none) of what you hear 👂

Especially in the online fitness world 🌎

If you successfully use the tips we have covered so far this will be easily achievable for you.

Because you’ll genuinely be in the position to choose clients.

Here are the best ways I have found to convey that your services are not to be missed out on:

– Limiting Members in Bootcamps, Classes, SGT, PT, etc

– Posting your available PT times in peak hours

– A waiting list for future bootcamp/PT bookings

– Limit the time you run offers, if people miss them even by only a day it’s tuff, they missed it 

– Have a trial period for PT clients, almost like a probation for your clients to make sure they are willing to give 100%

My last piece of advice for this must only be used if needed, it can be very powerful but it can also work against you…

– Be prepared to say NO to those who don’t give you 100% commitment and pay upfront 

** Update ** 

While I personally prefer the PT’s I mentor to get payment first. 

This can go against some, however it’s a calculated risk. 

Do you want people that potentially will bail and not pay you anything or would you rather those didn’t waste your time?

Getting all the fees upfront is a good sing people are committed.

From here you can offer them the following gestures of good will. 

1 – They now can pay monthly as they paid upfront the first time securing your trust and showing their commitment 

2 – They don’t get a price increase so long as they stay with you once the initial agreement is over, if they leave and come back they will be subject to new fees

Loyalty is worth rewarding ✍

In my experience I’ve found this last tip has inspire many to act.

Giving them the kick up the 🍑  they needed.

As always please leave your curiosities down below. 

Enjoy
Ross

Archive Classics – 10 Tips for Aspiring Personal Trainers – 2021 Update

 Archive Classics – 10 Tips for Aspiring Personal Trainers 

Contradiction, that is the best word to describe fitness 

Yet in contradiction we can find clarity of thought 

Hello there,

I gave you a tip pertaining to charging for your consultations instead of them being free.

It’s purpose, increasing your perceived value to potential clients.

How do you feel about a little contradiction?

It is common practice in the fitness world for people to almost contradict themselves with every other sentence they utter.

That isn’t the issue though.I’d like to add is even after I reveal this tip.

It’s how you use it that will make all the difference 

** Update **

The key consideration will always be to understand context.

You see things are only a contradiction when you don’t know it.

It’s easy to fall to confirmation bias, become blinkered or ignore other factors that may have you question a belief.

You may find that your belief isn’t the right one.

Or at least not the right one at that specific time anyway.

Aim to have an open and objective mind 

Business Tip Number 5: Free Knowledge.

Wait…Didn’t I say in ‘tip 4’ you should charge for your time and advice?

Yes I did.

Charging for your time/skills and offering your best knowledge for free are two different things 

** Update **

This falls into your content marketing strategies.

Knowing what to share that people wish to engage with is key.

You might have a wealth of knowledge, however if it’s not what people want to know or are actively seeking they won’t engage.

Many PT’s make this mistake.It doesn’t mean what your’e sharing isn’t good.

In my experience it means it’s just not relevant to your audience.

Share what people want, and if you don’t know what that is you simply ask them 

Time is valuable and needs to be paid for.It’s also true that knowledge is equally as valuable.

Considering how much high quality free information there is available on the internet standing out can be hard.

Giving away less than your best just won’t cut it these days 

However it needs to be RELEVANT to your audience.

You don’t need to give away all of your secrets for free.Just the ones that people want to know and find value in.

You’ve got to give a lot in this world to get something back 

How will you go about giving away your best knowledge for free?

** Update **

You will now need to be not just a good writer as said below.

While copy, literacy etc are important, so is image creation.

You’ll need video skills, speaking skills and to be focused on delivering a clear message in each post.

I suggest you devote a lot of time to ‘P.R.E.P’

• Point (message to share/product to sell )
• Reason (Why it’s a benefit & valuable)
• Evidence (How it’s proven to work in the past)
• Point (message, reaffirming what you started out saying)

Nail this down and you’ll be considered a trust resource online.

Be sure you’re one of them as these are rare as rocking horse 

That is a simple case of learning what it takes to be a good writer.

How do you get better at anything?

By doing more of it, obviously (with a focus and deliberate intent).

Simply start do more of ‘the thing’ you want to be good at.

If that is writing, then write more and ask for critique 

Once you do you must keep on doing it, be consistent.

You will get better each time you write.

As a result attract more people who will potentially pay you.

This can lead to people wanting something more in depth and specific to them 

Here are some must have sites to dispense your pearls of wisdom on:

– WordPress
– All Social Media
– You Tube (If you’re not camera shy)
– News Letters (Specifically an email list for clients/potentials)

These are great tools for increasing your brand awareness.

They’re great for showing people you know your stuff 

Plus that you’re also worth what you charge and more.

What kind of knowledge should you be imparting to the masses?

Anything that you yourself would value knowing is a god start.

While it might not appeal to all, it gets the ball rolling.

From here you can also do Q/A’s to find out what people want 

The biggest secret to making this work though?

Practice, and deliberate practice specifically 

Keep it simple (your message that is).

Trainers and people of a similar ilk will love the technical jargon.

Average people aren’t that way inclined.

By keeping it simple you will appeal to more people 

Speak, write, create and communicate in ways they understand.

This will help you stand out from the rest because people will feel as if you’re created something just for them and them alone.

It makes the feel spoken to, important, understood and special.

Who doesn’t want that?

As always leave any questions down below 

Enjoy,
Ross

 Archive Classics – 10 Tips for Aspiring Personal Trainers – Update 2021 

This tip is unconventional.

Seriously, it breaks the norm, along with potentially scaring off clients and trainers alike.

It’s a powerful tool to have though  

Hello there,

If you thrive on going against the grain and breaking the norm then read on.

** Update **

I’ve always been one to cause a bit of a ruckus in business.

Then again there’s only a hairs distance separating you from being famous or infamous  

Business Tip Number 4: The Price of Advice.

The price of advice is steep… Free.

This is what you are told from your very first days in the business, they will say the magical free session or free consultation will help you acquire new clients because you’re able to showcase your skills, sadly it more often than not leads to people wasting your time.

** Update **

You’ll find as a PT you can give great advice.

The person receiving it will apply it while you’re there. Many will even thank you and say how much better it feels.

The next time you see them though they will have reverted back to their old ways  

Time is precious, more importantly though, your time is precious and you must charge people for it.

Charging a fee for advice might seem like madness  

In fact it is actually genius… These often coincide.

When you charge potential clients for your time you are establishing your value as a trainer.

I have found that people will be more likely to buy sessions if they have to pay for a consultation (or advice), simply because they are already happy with handing over their hard earned cash to you for your knowledge.

** Update **

This sets up the understanding of value.

Many trainers will be scared of doing this and think it’ll sully the potential rapport, however it’ll often have people respect you more  

It also shows they are happy with the potential of having you as a trainer.

You can also have a reduced rate introductory P.T session instead of a consultation, so a small discount to help them out.

The real benefit of this tip is that it will separate those willing to actually pay for sessions from those who just want something for nothing.

** Update **

If you find people legitimately don’t have the cash offer to send them some helpful info via email regarding nutrition, training etc.

This will be a small olive branch   

Here are my suggestions for what you might include in your consultation/advice offerings:

– Body Comp Analysis

– Nutritional Review

– Training Review

– Your Success Portfolio

– Client Goal Setting

– How You Can Help Them

– Your Rates/Current Offers

The final piece of the puzzle in this consultation check list is this:

– Ask when they can start and get them booked in!

Enjoy

Ross

👑 Archive Classics – 10 Tips for Aspiring Personal Trainers – 2021 Update👑

👑  Archive Classics – 10 Tips for Aspiring Personal Trainers 👑

Good Morning ProZoners,

Today I will give you the third tip to help improve your business, what can you expect to learn today?

– How to offer an exceptional deal.

– Save time.

– Increase your overall hourly rate.

Business Tip Number 3: Bootcamps 👢

** Update ** 

I’ve harped on about this style of training endlessly.

Even so it seems people don’t utilise it and this got me thinking. 

Perhaps I’m saying it in the wrong way.

Today it’s time to change that and try a different tactic because you all deserve to succeed in business 🤗

Offering a bootcamp is similar to small group training, there is a big difference though.

It comes in the ability to train a large amount of people 👥👥👥

Potentially up to 12 or more, kit/space providing of course. 

This means your hourly worth will increase.

** Update ** 

As you know I’m not a fan of charging by the hour. 

That being said it’s essential to know what your working time is worth per hour for business projections and to establish what you’re losing every hour you waste procrastinating 🤣

Say you offer a bootcamp 3 nights per week at 7pm each night.

** Update**

7pm is a peak time

However bootcamps would be priced at off peak. Why?

It’s a good will gesture, plus you’ll be getting in a large amount of people, meaning you’ll more than be rewarded for your kindness 🤓

Say t he bootcamp has 12 people attending and each pay £100, that will make you a profit of £1200 for only 12 hours work.

This means your hourly worth is £100 per hour 🤑

As you can see from that small example a bootcamp is an invaluable tool to increasing your business.

** Update ** 

It’s also worth mentioning you can offer more than one service.

If you have massage, rehab, soft tissue, nutritional coaching or any other niche that people find value in these can be offered. 

I’d provide a small discount (off peak rates) to the active boot-campers as another good will gesture.

This will be another method of increasing your perceived value.

While you won’t  be a ‘one stop shop’ you’d do well to cover a lot of basis and then have a ‘referral network’ of people you trust to send clients to that you may not have the skills needed to help. 

This often results in business synergy and benefits for all 👍 

A question you might be asking is what should your bootcamp consist of?

In my experience, offering all of your best knowledge, skills and resources is the best way to fill a bootcamp.

Here is my advice for you:

– A reasonable price £100-150 per head (area dependent).

– Confine it to a 4-6 week period.

– Limited spaces. 12 is an ideal number for one instructor.

– A minimum of 12 sessions, with a maximum of 16.

– Initial and final body composition analysis.

– Tailored nutritional plans for each individual.

– A PDF copy of the bootcamp for each member upon completion.

I would also suggest offering merchandise for free too 👗

Everyone loves free stuff.

** Update **

This isn’t just a gimmick by the way, it’s a community builder and marketing tool helping boost brand awareness and also TOMA (top of mind awareness).

Additionally it’ll help word of mouth and client referrals.

People will speak highly of a high value service 🗣

T-shirts, vests and hoodies are always appreciated by clients.

I personally advise training diaries also for those that don’t have one. 

You could also offer a celebratory meal after the bootcamp, this isn’t necessary although it is a nice personal touch and people love this sort of thing 🥳

It can also help with client retention as well. 

Plus it also makes for a good story and collection of photos/testimonials for social proof in your marketing 👍

Remember it is worth putting in a high degree of effort for each bootcamp, the rewards will be worth it.

Enjoy,

Ross

👑 Archive Classics – 10 Tips for Aspiring Personal Trainers 👑

Would you like to free up your peak hours for more clients without losing your current people who train at peak times?

In this post you will:

– Learn how to free up peak training times

– Fill dead hours in the day with paying clients

– Fully book your ideal working diary

Good Morning ProZoners, 

This next little gem is one I’ve spoken about before, however it’s so useful it warrants mentioning again 🤓

Business Tip Number 2: Red or Blue?

** Update **

These days I actually use Purple & Green as the colours, for some reason people like those colours, however they’re nothing more than a conduit for the principle that drives the main purpose of this tip.

You can use any term to describe you like 🎯

Filling your diary in peak times can be relatively easy. 

Most people will be free at the times before and after work as these times are the ones that fit a standard 9-5 working week.

You typically often find some hours in the day that are dead time when they don’t have to be 🤓

** Update **

In those dead times they’re not wasted unless you allow them to be mind you. 

This means you can perform admin, marketing or various other miscellaneous tasks that are conducive to productivity in business or your education.

Don’t waste your time because you can’t get it back 👨‍🎓

If you want to fill these times you can apply the above of Red & Blue?

Red Hours are your peak/premium hours 

• 5-6am
  
• 6-7am
  
• 7-8am
  
• 5-6pm
  
• 6-7pm
  
• 7-8pm
  
• 8-9pm
  

In this time you would charge full price for a session, and an additional 35% if someone only wants to do a ‘single session’.

So instead of say £50 it’s £67.50, because your time is valuable.

** Update **

Y’all know I’m not a fan of doing single sessions as they’re largely a waste of time for a lot of people as they can’t really go anywhere and people are better off having a 6 month agreement of 2-3 sessions per week. 

That being said if people do just want single sessions, or one per week charge a higher fee for them as this will encourage them to head towards longer sign ups with more training per week as it works out cheaper 🧠

Blue hours are those off peak times which are commonly less busy.

• 8-9am
  
• 9-10am
  
• 10-11am
  
• 11am-12pm
  
• 12pm-1pm (Your Lunch/Training 1-2pm)
  
• 2-3pm
  
• 3-4pm
  
• 4-5pm
  

These can often remain free for a lot of PT’s because no one is around in the day… Or so many think 🧐

Red hours are peak times, thus they deserve a peak rate of pay £50 for example.

Blue hours on the other hand are the off peak. 

These are the times that many P.T’s struggle to gill, offering these at a reduced rate £30-35 per hour will help in you fill these times.

Potentially there will be the angle of appealing to shift workers and those that don’t work normal hours. 

You may also find it becomes enticing some of your clients who train at peak times to move to an earlier appointment in the day to gain themselves a reduction in cost with no compromise to the quality of service they receive, freeing up a peak slot for a new client to take 🤗

This will also help you gain some clients you may have potentially missed due to cost, thus allowing you to potentially fill your diary at all times of the day.

** Update ** 

The peak/off peak hours pricing can also be utilised when setting up group training, classes, bootcamps and various other specialist trainings.

You may also find that niche classes/group trainings can also draw in some additional people you may have not appealed to before, by this I mean something like a ‘Spin Bootcamp’.

How would it work, why would people pay for spin when it’s largely free I hear many a voice cry. 

Well that’s easy, and that’s because people like spin and when you offer something something nuanced that they can’t get in a regular class such as additional mobility, strength and nutritional coaching in a 10 week bootcamp priced at £300 per person at a peak time or £200 for an off peak block (for example), people will flock to it 💷

Don’t be afraid to really nail things down money wise, or even ask to be paid because that’s the on element in business a lot of PT’s fail at and sadly end up leaving the industry as a result. 

That’s not going to be you though when you apply the above knowledge 🤟

Enjoy,
Ross

Can’t Someone Else Do it?

The Garbage Man Can 

Depending on your age you might remember that episode of the Simpsons; ‘Trash of the Titans’.

Simpsons episodes are generally good, occasionally great and sometimes filled with garbage, although in this particular case the garbage was gold. 

Homer basically makes some hefty claims that if he was garbage commissioner he’d make everything better by having the garbage men do every task that all the citizens of Springfield didn’t want to do. 

This came to my mind when I was out for a walk and saw it was bin day. 

Suddenly the song came into my head. 

“Chief Wiggum:
Who can clean me up
Before the big Policeman’s ball?
The garbage man.

Garbage Men:
Yes the Garbage Man can”

After a few more lines came to mind, not at all in the right order, it was one part that hit me hard. 

“Can’t someone else do it?”

Just like that a very large, very obvious penny dropped. 

This is the best way to describe how humans as a species (or at least the majority of them) feel about having to do any form of hard work to achieve something.

Can’t someone else do it….

Take fitness as the example.

Promise instant success whereby the person doesn’t really have to do all that much themselves and the masses will probably bite your hand off, which you know deep down is true because of how much total crap is out there which people happily buy without hesitation.

An average person wants something for nothing. 

Or rather everything without sacrificing anything.

Sadly that isn’t real life and our only reprieve is that we get to choose our damn sacrifice and exactly how much of ‘it’ we will be putting on the alter, often this directly links to how much success comes back to us as a result.

This simple lesson can change a lot in regards to fitness business.

At least based on the thinking I was doing yesterday.

Essentially you’ll have two options for people moving forwards.

1 – Offer a service whereby you say that you’ll take care of ‘everything’ for them.

2 – Offer a service based on change only being as impressive as the client is committed.

The first we know works, you see templates, fat burning pills and various products promising the world for the minor cost of a single grain of rice. 

When it comes to the second option that will have you appealing to a very specific type of person.

That ilk being those that have become aware of how life really works and exhausted their excuses pool while embracing reality.

The only issue with the second choice is the people that fall into that bracket tend to have very little money or are a bit tight and won’t invest it, bloody typical.

Humans don’t want to do things they don’t want to do. 

They’ll always ask if someone else can do it for them. 

Remember this to prosper in fitness business, just don’t make promises you can’t keep though.

People will pay good money to have someone else solve their problems, so find your client first before creating your product so that you know without a doubt that they’ll want what you’re offering because it means that when they think – “Can’t someone else do it?” – you can answer –

“Hope has arrived, because I am here.”

Enjoy,
Ross 

Archive Classics – 10 Tips for Aspiring Personal Trainers – Updated 2021

👑 Archive Classics – 10 Tips for Aspiring Personal Trainers 👑

Before you read on, answer these questions:

• Are you a new trainer or experienced trainer looking for new ways to get more clients?
• Would you like to earn more per hour for less work?
• Are you willing to try new things?
• Do you want to know the ‘secrets’ it took me years to learn for free?

** Update **

As with the updated version of the PT Mistakes I did recently there is no real secrets here, it’s all based on good business and personal growth.

In the end the information available to us is only as good as our application is consistent and purposeful.

Cast off your skin of procrastination and become better than all the PT’s that came before you because that’s why we share what we know, so that you surpass us 📈

Hello there,

Did you answer yes to one or all of those questions above 🤓

Regardless I’m going to share some experience anyway because that’s what the internet is for 🤣

I will be writing 10 Posts containing a different tip each day to help any and all trainers, hopefully there will be one piece of information that will help you.

Business Tip Number 1: More money, less time 💷

** Update **

Job satisfaction doesn’t just come from helping people or being ‘passionate’ about what you do. It also comes from earning a living that has you being able to provide for your needs.

It’s foolish to say money doesn’t matter or that it’s not important unless you’ve got millions in the bank and have literally no need to work.

By all means have noble reasons for what you do, just accept that earning a decent wage and wanting to earn one is not something to be ashamed of 🎭

The new year that’s approaching heralds new gym members.

These people are likely to be deconditioned, unconfident and potentially frightened about training.

This is where you can help them not only achieve their goals and improve their self confidence, yet also gain their trust & loyalty.

Let’s just say you know of 4 new gym members who joined/started at the same time, however they can just about afford one P.T session per week individually (even though they need more) because it is too expensive for them… What can you do?

🧐 Drop your rates?
🧐 Move on and try someone else?

Or perhaps offer them the opportunity to train together.

This is known as small group training.

What are the benefits?

• Lower Cost to clients.
• Affordably sustainable.
• Helps them feel comfortable with fellow gym members.
• Time efficient.
• Great publicity.

For example:

Your hourly rate might be £40.

Working in a group of 4 will have you charging each person only £10 each per session per week (if you wish to explain it that way).

This will help you offer affordable training to them and gain more clients, it also means they could potentially do 4 total sessions a week 🤯

So they’ve gone from maybe one a week to now having the potential for 4, talk about a high value benefit.

It also provides support and comfort of people in the same physical situation as them.

** Update **

Small group training is also highly beneficial to offer to those that train in class settings as there’s a high probability they will make friends that are willing to split the cost of training.
Plus it also makes it more enjoyable for them as they’re no longer going it alone and will have people to share in their experience 🥇

If you wish to take payments as people come/go then I’d suggest asking for an upfront payment of £40 from each person for 1 session per week for 4 weeks, as an example.

This means £160 for that week, and ideally they will repeat this for many more weeks, months and hopefully years to come, the benefit to them is that they may not feel ‘locked in’ to training, and the benefit to you is it’s extra income 🤗

** Update **

Personally I’d rather take long term booking up front on 6months or more, however that is very niche and is only for the most committed of clients, however a high value service like that brings in high value clients 🤓

This will give you the opportunity to gain more clients in a similar way, eventually leading to more booking sessions with you at a reduced rate to them, however not to yourself.

** Update **

Your time is valuable, don’t be one of the PT’s that charges a pittance because people won’t value your time.

If someone can’t afford your time that’s okay, you simply find another way in which they can afford it without compromising how much you earn.

After all, you don’t see Rolls Royce dropping their prices because people can’t afford them 💷

Group Training is time efficient.

It will help you build a portfolio of clients who achieve great results through your training, thus leading to more clients in the future.

More tips to follow 🥳

Enjoy,
Ross

Something is better than nothing only when tracked

Details of Density 

The amount of work performed per unit of time, that’s density 

You’ll find there’s more to it than just this though.

Good Morning.

Density is linked to ‘Work Capacity’, which Poliquin described as the ability to repeat high quality efforts 

I’d further add to this…. while buffering fatigue.

A lot of people miss out this rather important element of training.

When it comes to its use as a tool for training it’s incredibly versatile because it will allow you to build not only strength, endurance, lean mass, cardio and mental toughness 

There’s also a lot of benefit in regards to saving time and improving the quality of training you’re doing.

As a marker of progress you’ll be able to see if you’re getting more total work done as well over a period of time, or when comparing training from year to year as there needs to be an overall upwards trend otherwise there will be no progress.You can establish your training density per session like this:

Total Tonnage (KG)/Training Time = Training Density

Example:

13,000kg / 77min = 168.8kg per min

That’s not a bad bit of work to be done in that time.But wait… there’s more 

(2 points for guessing that movie reference)

It’s all well and good just lifting more total volume in the same training time to increase the overall density of work done, and there be many benefits to this however you’ve got to keep an eye on your average intensity.

Average intensity is something I’ve mentioned before, many times in fact.

There is one caveat I have to mention, that is that in all of my examples and posts on here when I’m talking about total volume etc, it’s directly in reference to the main lifts and doesn’t factor in the accessory work as this would be done separately 

Yep, I do a lot of maths for my clients programming, then again it’s why those that trust the process and allow us to work together in synergy get better results than they’ve ever achieved before.

Much as I like the holistic nature that has become more prevalent in coaching these days you can’t beat the results you’ll get from knowing/applying the numbers correctly 

To establish average intensity from the density work all you do is this:

KG Per Min/1RM x100 = Average Intensity

Say we have our 169kg (168.8kg) from above as the working density for squat, and the known squat 1RM (competition is 240kg), the equation would look like this.

169kg/240 x100 = 70% 1RM Average Intensity (70.41% exactly)

^^ Ideally the AI want’s to be around 70-85% for the most part.

The above needs to be tracked for all sessions.

It’s worth remembering that the Density & AI will not always go up each session, it’ll wave up & down, however the OVERALL trend line needs to be plotting upwards slowly over the course of multiple macro/mesocycles – fyi 

Knowing the above will help you in creating better programs.

Yes it will seem like a chore, however as a coach this isn’t really an optional extra, it’s a necessity.

It’d be great to know your thoughts on the above 

Do you track any of the above or not?

If the answer is no it’s not the end of the world, especially if you weren’t aware of it until now because that is the purpose of this poorly written blog, to help you discover the keys to unlocking higher skills in coaching.

Additionally if you have any questions please leave them below.

Enjoy,
Ross

Which Is Better For Business To Specialise Or Generalise

Lately I’ve been speaking to a lot of people regarding their fitness business and a common question tends to surround having a niche that makes them stand out from the rest.

In my experience business is quite simple.

You create a product that provides value, benefit and overall improvement to someones life.

Now it’d be nice to be one of those businesses that create just one product that brings in what is essentially endless return on the initial investment, however that’s not probable or worth putting all your chips down on, so try to keep these points in mind.

• Establish the continued needs of your clientele
• Provide not only solutions to problems, also provide long term value, benefit and an unforgettable experience
• Stop trying to be flavour of the month for the sake of it, actually provide/offer useful services

The key difference between specialising and generalising in business isn’t what you think.

You see it’s absolutely possible to specialise in a specific niche/corner of the market and demographic you’re catering for while also offering multiple (general) products that are of benefit/value to each customer in such a way that has them feel each one was created just for them.

Speaking from a fitness business perspective, because that’s where my experience is rooted.

I personally focus on getting results, more specifically life changing results and these aren’t for everyone because of how they are delivered.

My niche you see is simple, it’s Life Changing Results.

Bold as that sounds anyone that has gone through the process and applied the knowledge and put in the effort came out the other end a much better version of themselves because despite what the modern narrative says I don’t believe anyone is ‘the best they can be’ as they currently are.

We can always improve in some way, and what is life without the desire for constant and continued growth?

People achieve life changing results with me through these 3 steps:

1. Habit Change (permanent habit change that is)
2. Strength Training
3. Doing only that which you need and no more, minimalism all the way

For many years I’ve been saying this to people when it comes to describing my business in the elevator pitch fashion – “Do less better.”

It can seem odd to some, however a lot of the people I’ve dealt with have been frustrated for years trying 1001 things to achieve whatever it is they’re after so I offer them the simple option of doing less to achieve more than they ever have before.

There’s one tough pill to swallow though, when you strip away all the unnecessary BS there tends to be very little in the way of poor excuses or dodgy rational to justify failure and instead people must begin to reflect deeply on their role in it all.

It’s tough for anyone to accept they were in fact the main problem in their own life.

So while my niche might be focused around people giving away the current troubles in life they have and growing to become more, it’s done through what can be called general strength training, body composition improvement, evolved nutritional habits etc.

Fitness itself at the grassroots level is much of a muchness.

No one really offers anything that is that different or special.

In fact the only unique thing about their business is that it’s run by them, chances are everything else is pretty standard although probably just using different colours or semantics to catch their clients eye.

Remember though there’s nothing wrong with being ‘basic’ though.

If anything that could be a niche of sorts – Brilliant Basics

No one is above honing their fundamentals and sharpening up the elements that seem to get a token amount of time spent on them because when you look at anything in any field that is done at the highest level the basics are usually sturdy and often used again and again.

Now that I’ve had a bit of a mind dump.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is this – It doesn’t matter what you do so long as you do it very well (ideally better than anyone else).

You can specialise or generalise, regardless be so good that people can’t deny or dispute you do good work and that will be the headwind that carries you across the ocean that is business to the island known as success whereby you can enjoy the view of just how far you’ve come and all that you’ve achieved.

Before I finish up though I will leave you with 3 obscure areas in fitness that are absolute Gold Mines it’s up to you if whether or not you choose to focus on one of them.

• Massage & Manual Therapies – specifically helping people be pain free
• Injury Rehab – Linked to the above, except you focus on one area such as shoulder or neck etc
• Kettlebell Training – Using literally just this piece of kit for 80%+ of training

If there’s any questions you’d like to ask please fire them across.

Enjoy,
Ross