The EMOM Variation You Didn’t Know You Wanted

EMOM, with a different twist

• Total training time of 20-40min
• Use one or tow movements (ideally antagonistic)
• A 5 rung ladder is needed – 1,2,3,4,5 or 2,4,6,8,10 etc

Example:
A1 – Clean & Push Press
A2 – Pull Up

^ Min 1 = 1 rep each, min 2 = 2 reps of each, min 3 = 3 reps of each, min 4 = 4 reps of each, min 5 = 5 reps of each, min 6 = back to 1 rep of each, and so on.

As you can see if using single rep additions on the ladder it’s not too terrible on paper, however in practice it’s a lot tougher than it seems.

It’s even more challenging when you ladder up 2 reps at a time.

You can also use a 1/2/3 ladder if you want to focus on heavier loads, and in truth you can use any type of ladder because it’s the sort of thing that can be manipulated to suit various different outcomes.

Bonus – EMOM considerations

Keep the movements you choose low on the scale of neurological demands, the idea is a high amount of work (density) while also providing people what they need to progress (positive stimulus).

Also try your creations yourself to make sure they work.

You’d be amazed how often people write things out and they just don’t work at all 

What EMOM’s have you used that you’d care to share 

Please do leave your thoughts and questions below.

Enjoy,
Ross

How to transition from face-to-face PT to fully online coaching and to create a sustainable model for your online coaching business – Part Five

Welcome back once again dear reader.

We’re now at the final part of this short series.

Hopefully you’ve gained some insight into what’s required to transition from a face to face fitness service to an online one. 

To recap the first 4 parts:

Part 1 – Why Would Someone Hire You

How to transition from face-to-face PT to fully online coaching and to create a sustainable model for your online coaching business – Part One

Part 2 – Understanding What To Ask

How to transition from face-to-face PT to fully online coaching and to create a sustainable model for your online coaching business – Part Two 

Part 3 – Online Offerings 

How to transition from face-to-face PT to fully online coaching and to create a sustainable model for your online coaching business – Part Three

Part 4 – Marketing, Messages & More

How to transition from face-to-face PT to fully online coaching and to create a sustainable model for your online coaching business – Part Four

By all means go back and have another read to accumulate any potential questions you’ve got and feel free to send the across.

After reading what was in parts 1 to 4 you might be asking – What’ do I do now?

It’s a great question to ask that commonly comes up after the initial phase of excitement has faded. 

You see transitioning to an online training service is easy in theory, however in practice it takes time to build momentum and will require you to dedicate a hefty chunk of time to it. 

Nice as it would be if people could just find you amongst the sea of other offering the same thing, it’s just not realistic or wise to put all your hope on that happening. 

Don’t get me wrong, people will find you and hire you due to good luck. 

It’s just worth not trying to make that the crux of your entire business strategy.

Thus that is the key element we will finish this series on – Strategic Business Planning.

If there’s one thing a lot of people forget it is this.

Rushing in with all the enthusiasm required to succeed and no shadow of a clue as to the direction they need to be heading in has been the downfall of many.

Business plans can seem laborious because they’re not fun, they are essential though. 

They’re easy to write in theory, however this often changes in practice (remember this).

 A good opening question to ask yourself:

What are your targets – these wants to include ALL your yearly costs.

It’s easy to forget to account for what you’ll be spending in set up fees, marketing and various other elements linked to running an online business (business expenses) and these need to be factored into you overall targets. 

Yes people dislike talking about money, however it’s necessary in business. 

Here’s some key considerations:

• Payroll: Paying yourself and/or specialists you draft in for specific tasks 
• Rent: Even if in cyberspace don’t forget to account for it
• Utilities: The cost of your hardware/kit, electric, WIFI, hosting, site names, etc
• Software Subscriptions: Perhaps the fastest-growing expense category if left unchecked
• Advertising & marketing: This can amass quickly, hire a consultant to help
• Entertainment/Rapport: The effort/time/content you send to and give to others 
• Servers and website maintenance: Curial in running an online business, don’t buy cheap 
• Tax: Save yourself hassle here and hire an accountant 
• Business insurance: Don’t also for get to have any special insurance needs if applicable
• Consultants/Professional services: If I keep mentioning hiring outside help it may sink in
• Training/Learning: This is CPD and keeping up to date, finger on the pulse type stuff
• Equipment: Again don’t forget that if you offer welcome packs or sell merchandise it all costs 
• Home office setup: Because COVID….
• Fuel/Mileage: Yep, even if you work online there will be times you need to go out to network 
• Misc: For the love of all that is holy set aside contingency money 

Plan for all of the above and don’t be afraid to ask someone to take a look at all the considerations because they may know of a few things you’ve forgotten. 

In the end your overall gross income wants to cover all it needs to, then from here you’ll be looking at the net profit (what is left after everything is paid for) and where to save and/or reinvest that capital.

Once you’ve considered all of the above you’ll also need to know what your KPI’s are. 

Key Performance Indicators (KPI) – what are they going to be in your business?

Here is a great little link to how they work – https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/articles/what-is-a-key-performance-indicator

You’ll need to use this info to establish what yours will be in your online fitness business. 

As an example it might be the following:

• New Additions to your Email List (direct response enquiries from this)
• Online Template Sales 
• Group Coaching Sales
• Individual Coaching Sales 

You get the idea, you need to be tracking what is going on, otherwise you’ll not know where you might be leaking funds or missing out. 

Additionally in write a business plan/strategy it’s worth remembering who you’re writing it for.

By this I mean potential investors and places that will give you cash to grow.

They will want to know future projections, current profits/tracking, past cash flow and all the nitty gritty things that many don’t want to discuss and this is because they want to back a good horse not take a chance on one that might fall at the first hurdle.

Well, some will take a chance although they’ll want a lot in return for doing so (keep it in mind).

A common oversight is how one actually writes their plan as most write it entirely for themselves, and while this doesn’t seem like a problem, it is.

Try to write yours with a potential investor/person that you’re trying to appeal to in mind, be that your target audience, an investor(s), Banks or whichever partner you’re trying to win to your side.

While it might be your business, your baby as it were, you need to think about what it means to other people as they’ll be the ones to keep it (your business) alive.

The next element that gets forgotten is resources.

Don’t underestimate the resources you’ll need – have spare budget for this. 

You may be operating out of your garage, garden or home in the early days, however if you have big plans then sooner or later you are going to need help and that means you will probably need additional resources (whatever they might be at that specific moment).

Set out exactly what resources, partnerships & help you will realistically need to achieve your goal and the forecast growth rates.

These can end up including a few of the follow, and perhaps more on top:

• Employees (out sourced work, e.g marketing, web design)
• Premises and Equipment (service costs, contingency etc)
• Suppliers
• Advisers, be this in the form of mentors or coaches
• Agents and Distributors. for outreach/networking etc
  

Essentially this links back to what I mentioned above in the yearly targets. 

Why repeat myself you might ask, well that is because too many forget to keep these things in mind and it causes issues so I’m trying to have you avoid making that mistake. 

This attitude is born of an overly pragmatic and realistic view of the world.

It’s not for everyone and may have said it’s negative and that I look for the bad in every situation.

In my experience it’s better to be prepared and don’t forget this critical business lesson:

Consider (and plan for) the worst case scenarios – not doing so is foolishness.

This can be in relation a sector crash, a competitor setting the bar far higher than you can reach and getting the majority of the business, or a virus that tanks the economy.

Business can go belly up in an instant and to not acknowledge that is naive.

You’ve got to look at it critically, really tear your plan.

Aim to make it water tight, air tight or whatever kind of tight is the tightest.

I mean really pick everything apart and reveal what is uncomfortable to discuss or admit in regards to your shortcomings because other people won’t hesitate.

Especially in business and while it seems harsh they usually have good intentions.

Better to be ready than reactive.

Finally… 

Remember the reoccurring points from above, no, really. 

Track everything and plan forwards accordingly based on REALITY not hopefully fantasy.

Treat your online business just like you’d do with your face to face one.

Please take some time to read the above again, and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to leave them down below.

Enjoy,
Ross

How to transition from face-to-face PT to fully online coaching and to create a sustainable model for your online coaching business – Part Four

We find ourselves at the penultimate part of the 5 part series.

The hope is that at this stage you’re now aware of key elements required to transition towards online fitness business. 

A stumbling block many face is specific branding for their business.

Knowing where to start with this can be the first and arguably largest wall to climb. 

There’s so many options and potential avenues to go down, however as with most things in life keeping it simple will typically be the most useful way to go. 

Especially when it comes to a name.

Many in the fitness business I opted for this classic combo:

‘Their Own Name + Something Fitness Related’

‘RossFit Personal Training’ – that’s been mine since, well, a long time now

You can be sure of one thing when you choose this combo.

Actually you can be sure of a few things:

• Simply Establish
• Personal 
• Easily Associated 

While it’s hard to say such a thing is a bad idea.

Especially when people don’t have the potential niche clients or target demographic to work with that we touched on previously it can be a good safe bet. 

This however isn’t a brand, not in a true sense. 

A brand is something people can immediately associate themselves with.

When you create a brand this is what happens:

People see X and the link it mentally to Y.

Example: People see Poundland and this link it mentally to things costing £1.

This is ideally what you want in to happen regarding the fitness niche you’re aiming at.

People see your brand and associate it with positive emotions/outcomes, value and multiple benefits to their life. 

And if you take a look it’s rare you’ll see the classic combo appear among the most recognisable fitness brands.

You see PT’s, coaches that are at the top have a brand.

One reason is that it creates a culture, a tribe that people want to be apart of.

When it’s your name + fitness, fit, PT, it can be limiting for building a community, especially online.

Let us just take a few examples:

• Nike – Various 
• GymShark 
• Lululemon 
• CrunchGym (Crunch Fitness)
• CrossFit 

The bottom line is this, to create a brand you need the following:

• A Clear Message (mission statement, etc)
• Core Values & Principles
• Target Demographic
• Memorable Design & Name

With a Brand you’ll find unlimited potential.

To refine your business it’s often worth asking these questions:

• Why I want to coach?
• Who I want to coach
• What I stand for?
• What’s my brand? (brand values > what do I + who do I represent)
  

Why are the above important to know?

These can all translate into your business name (that defines you) you see.

A business name ideally presents/represents the people you wish to service (values, beliefs, benefits) and what you do & why in such a way that directly resonates with your ideal client.

Look outside of fitness to see how it works.

Take Apple, now that’s a brand that carved out a part of the market for itself.

Steve Jobs was a visionary, he knew the people he wanted to reach (early adopters, creative types, modern folk, etc) and that while it started with computers there could be more.

Apple now supplies a stupidly large amount of tech.

Chances are you own a few bits from them, even when there might have been better options, you didn’t buy them because you didn’t know about them.

Apple on the other hand, they know how to convey their messages well.

Take the first I-pod: “1000 songs in the palm of your hand.”

People were sold because they knew a clear benefit in what was being offered (1000 songs).

Competitors had similar tech, if not better.

They didn’t know how to communicate their message and they lost out.

While they did also have brands, theirs were narrowed to one field (much like your name + fitness is).

Because Apple didn’t limit itself (like many have done with your name + fitness) they didn’t just need to do desk tops, lap tops, music devices, phones or anything.

Why?

You’re buying the brand, you’re buying everything that apple stands for that resonates with who you feel you are (or want to be perceived as).

This is how a fitness business also wants to be treated.

A brand.

Something that all people can become a part of.

Take some time to review your business branding aspirations based on your target client that you wish to help. 

You might just create something that changes the game forever.

A great place to start is to look back at the sort of person you want to work with. 

Then using the “what you do + your target audience”formula is the most effective for coming up with a brand name.

A name that explains is better than one that tries to be clever.

Although if you can be clever and still connect with people on an emotional level then that’s great. 

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is your message easy to understand?
• Does your message connect on an emotional level?
• Are you offering beneficial, valuable solutions/services?
• What problems (perceived) do you solve for people?
• How do you make peoples lives better?
• When people see my brand, what do I want them to think about it?
• What do you want people to say about your brand?
• Why will they not be able to not share your content/messages?

One additional tip that is useful is to think of all the things you don’t want to be known for this will help you flip the narrative and find the direct opposites.

As an example, you might not want to be seen as someone that offers ‘quick fixes’.

What’s the opposite to a quick fix?

Perhaps a long term solution, or a life time benefit.

There can be many answers, the key element to remember here is that in knowing what you don’t want to be it makes it easier to establish that which you are aiming to be.

Once you’ve taken some time on the above you’ll find it helps your marketing as well. 

This is because you’ll be able to create something that has a consistent feel & flow.

When you go and do some R&D you’ll find that all the high profile brands (and their social/media marketing) all follows a specific look that is synonymous with them regardless of what the post/ad is about and it makes them instantly recognisable.

You’ll find that builds trust, rapport and in the end more potential for business. 

When it comes to creating something online it’s a lot easier than what could only be done with bricks and mortar in the past. 

It allows for you to evolve with your clients, sharpen your visuals, refine your message plus give people the most value/benefit and emotional oomph possible. 

Tools such as survey monkey are good for gathering info and testing out brand names.

Asking people what feelings, thought or associations they get from some potential brand names you’ve got in mind will be invaluable because you’ll see if you hit the target or are instead a prime candidate for the Stormtrooper Academy.

Same can be done for any images too.

You may also find it useful to hire someone to help you with the design elements.

One final thought for you.

Your ideal client is someone you’re uniquely positioned and qualified to help & your brand needs to reflect this.

This ought to be enough food for thought to have you set out some necessary steps towards success.

Please also feel free to force across any questions you may have my way as well. 

Enjoy, 

Ross 

100 of My Top Training Methods – Part 1 Frequency & Training Splits

As promised.

What you’re going to find below are method/protocols/options that you can add to your overall training programs. 

It’s worth remembering these are elements to add in to a macro/meso/micro-cycle. 

This means you’ll want to have a deep understanding behind the principles of programming. 

In knowing those deeply it will make what I’m going share with you easy to apply and also easily justified if anyone ask why you chose that particular route. 

First up, Frequency & Training Splits 

Ideally a muscle group wants to be hit once ever 3-5 days, at least the majority.

This will be subject to the old ‘+/- 1-2 days’ based on the load, effort & type of movement (think compound versus isolation) and how systemically fatiguing your work sets were. 

Keeping that in mind, here are my top 10 methods surrounding frequency to consider.

1 – Full Body 3x Per week  

An old classic way to train that allows for the stimulation of a muscle group ever 2nd-3rd day because of only having one session.

Example: one session repeated 3 times per week

A1 – Squat
B1 – Bench Press
B2 – Row
C1 – RDL 

2 – Full Body 3x Per week – Alternating Sessions 

Hitting the same session can get dull for some, this is where option for having Session-A & Session-B to alternate makes life a little less mundane, while also allowing for the higher frequency of muscle/movement stimulation as mentioned in option 1.

Example:

Session-A
A1 – Squat
B1 – Bench Press
B2 – Row
C1 – RDL

Session-B
A1 – Front Squat
B1 – Dip
B2 – Pull Up
C1 – Deadlift

3 – Full Body 3x Per week – Specialised Variety 

Just like the above however each session you’d be performing a different variation of your main movements, there is no limit to the variations you can choose, and this works very well for more advanced lifters or people that enjoy doing something different each session.

Yet even with the high movement variation due to the same movement pattern being trained the overall crossover is high. 

Example: Training 3 times per week, here are 9 Squat variations (3 weeks worth)

1 – High Bar Squat
2 – Front Squat
3 – Barbell Step Up 

4 – Low Bar Squat 

5 – Cyclist Squat 

6 – Box Squat 

7 – Pause Squat (High Bar)

8 – Zercher Squat 

9 – Dead-Start Squat

4 – Full Body 3x in Two Weeks (Ideal for busy people)

Clients train on Monday & Friday in Week 1, then again on the Wednesday of Week 2 using the same session of any idea of splitting the body up as you’ve found mentioned (and will find mentioned going forwards)

Ideal for compound lifts.

Example: 

Monday:
A1 – Front Squat
B1 – Pull Up 

B2 – Bench Press

Friday:

A1 – Deficit Deadlift
B1 – Press Behind Neck
B2 – Bent Over Row 

Wednesday:
A1 – Trap Bar Deadlift
B1 – Dip
B2 – Chin Up

5 – Half Body 3x Per Week – Upper/Lower 

Similar to option two, however you split the body and alternate sessions.

Example:

Session A –
A1 – Squat
B1 – Deadlift

Session B –
A1 – Bench Press
A2 – Pull Up 

6 – Half Body 3x Per Week – Anterior/Posterior  

Similar to option two, however you split the body and alternate sessions.

Example:

Session A –
A1 – Squat
B1 – Bench Press

Session B –
A1 – Deadlift
B1 – Pull Up 

7 – Half Body 3x in Two Weeks (for older trainees & those with low recovery)

Using any of the ideas above you have you client train on Monday & Friday in Week 1, then again on the Wednesday of Week 2.

Ideal for compound lifts.

Example: 

Monday:
A1 – Squat
B1 – Pull Up 

B2 – Bench Press

Friday:

A1 – Deadlift
B1 – Press
B2 – Bent Over Row 

Wednesday:
A1 – Trap Bar Deficit Deadlift
B1 – Dip
B2 – Chin Up

8 – Half Body 3x in Two Weeks (for competitive athletes)

Training this way also is very good for athletes that need to keep up their base levels of strength (GPP) while still practicing their sports, as such you may take an approach that focus on what hey don’t get in their training movement pattern wise.

Example: Soccer Player 

Monday:
A1 – Sumo Deadlift
B1 – Pull Up 

B2 – Bench Press

Friday:

A1 – Stiff Leg Deadlift
B1 – Press
B2 – Bent Over Row 

Wednesday:
A1 – Snatch Grip Deficit Deadlift
B1 – Dip
B2 – Chin Up

You can also add in corrective work (form rolling, stretching etc, in the rest periods)

9 – Daily Training – Body Building Template – Classic

What has come to be known as the ‘Bro-Split’.

Example: 

Monday – Chest
Tuesday – Back
Wednesday – Legs (often skipped)
Thursday – Shoulders
Friday – Arms: Biceps
Saturday – Abs & Arms: Triceps
Sunday – Rest Day 

While it seems low on frequency what you’ll notice is that the upper body falls perfectly inline with the recommendations for hitting a muscle group every 3-5 days, it’s the lower body that suffers, and while some may be able to train legs hard enough to warrant only hitting the once every 7 days, that will require quite some effort – just for your information.

10 – Daily Training – Body Building Template – Modern (Pull/Push/Legs)

As science progressed so did the overall training mentality, as a result this is what you’ll find most tend to adhere to.

Example: 

Monday – Pull (lat focused)
Tuesday – Push (chest focused)
Wednesday – Legs (quad focused)
Thursday – Pull (mid back focused)
Friday – Push (shoulder focused)
Saturday – Legs (hamstring focused)
Sunday – Rest Day 

This doesn’t mean in the case of say a quad focused day that no hamstring will be trained, they will, just with a lower intensity, and on the second leg session this will be swapped. 

11 – Daily Training – Strength Skill Template – Russian Inspired 

This style of training is low volume and highly movement specific. 

It’s not uncommon to do 10-15 working reps per movement per day, and while that doesn’t seem like a lot, the overall loading is often above 80% of the max in the chose lifts.

Example: Everyday

A1 – Floor Press
B1 – Deadlift
B2 – Pull Up 

Set wise you might do 2 working sets of 5 for each movement and 1 back off set of 5 for mind muscle connection enhancement.

12 – Daily Training – Lift Specialisation Template – Justa Inspired 

You have someone choose one lift they want to focus on and have them practice it daily, meaning they don’t train to fatigue in this movement, adding in accessory work is optional on a 2-3 day per week basis.

Example:

Monday – Press + Accessory Work (leg/back)
Tuesday – Press
Wednesday – Press
Thursday – Press + Accessory work (legs/back)
Friday – Press
Saturday – Press
Sunday – Press 

13 – Rotating Schedule – 2 on, 1 off, repeat 

Ideal for people that have free reign of their time schedule, and it’s also great for increased frequency of repeated stimulus (hitting the muscles every third day)

Example:

Monday – Upper Body
Tuesday – Lower Body
Wednesday – Off
Thursday  Upper Body
Friday – Lower Body
Saturday – Off
Sunday – Upper Body – etc 

14 – Rotating Schedule – 3 on, 1 off, repeat 

The added day gives a chance for more intensity and specific volume on a muscle group while keeping over volume levels in tolerable amounts to ensure no premature overreaching or fatigue.

Example:

Monday – Push
Tuesday – Pull
Wednesday – Legs
Thursday  Off
Friday – Push
Saturday – Pull
Sunday – Legs – Off Monday then cycle repeats Tuesday 

15 – Rotating Schedule – 2 on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off, repeat – Poliquin Inspired 

This was a favourite utilised by Charles Poliquin, allowing for two days where you can have slightly higher volume and one that is on a slightly lower scale to manage fatigue, while also hitting each muscle/movement group every fifth day, he found this to be very good for off season athletes and people who wanted to focus on size/strength.

Example:

Monday – Chest & Back
Tuesday – Quads, Hams, Calves, Abs
Wednesday – Off
Thursday  – Shoulders, Arms, Forearms
Friday –  Off
Saturday – Repeat cycle from day 1
Sunday – As noted above 

I have personally run this myself several times and always found great results from it in regards to strength, plus it’s always successful for clients who have purely physique related goals.

16 – Multiple Daily Sessions – Twice Per Day 

When it comes to multiple daily sessions you’d do well to dial someones training days back to perhaps 2-3 days per week, then perform and AM & PM session splitting the volume of one session over the two time slots. 

This will seem like a massive step backwards at first however there needs to be an acclimatisation period.

It’s also worth noting that sessions want to be around 4 hours apart typically. 

Example:

AM Session – 45min total training time
A1 – Snatch Grip Deficit Deadlift
B1 – Weight Chin Up

PM Session – 20-30min total training time
A1 – Barbell Row
B1 – Reverse Fly
B2 – Barbell Curl 

The key with multiple daily sessions is to build up slowly.

17 – Multiple Daily Sessions – Thrice Per Day 

As with double daily sessions you need to start off slow, reducing total frequency to say 2-3 days training per week, then when it comes time to add in an extra training day you may drop the third session for a while.

This will allow you to perhaps have one day with thee session, one day with two and then two single sessions, eventually build up to 3 session 3-4 times per week. 

You will also need to consider what goes into each session as the body tends to respond better to specific training stimulus at specific times.

Example:

AM Session – High Threshold Training – Muscle Damage/Mechanical Tension (Strength or Speed)
PM Session 1 (afternoon) – Myofibrillar Bias – Mechanical Tension/Metabolic Stress (Strength/TUT)
PM Session 2 (evening) – Sarcoplasmic Bias – Metabolic Stress (TUT & High repetition work)

18 – Multiple Daily Sessions – Contrasting Sessions 

Given the ideas in the last few points you’ve not go a grasp on how to put together a logical structure for applying multiple daily sessions.

Don’t be fooled into thinking they all need to be focused around stimulation and training stress. 

Sometimes multiple daily sessions can complement one another by following a stimulatory/recovery aspect. 

Example:

AM Session – High Threshold Strength Work
PM Session – Foam Rolling & Myofascial Release

Or

AM Session 1 – Mobility & Restoration Work
AM Session 2 – High Threshold Strength Work
PM Session – Foam Rolling & Myofascial Release 

19 – Stimulation & Restoration – Blended Sessions 

Sometimes we need to do more work on our niggles, injuries and hot spots than we’d perhaps like to, this is where some people will find any excuse not to do daily recovery work. 

Fear not as you can combine what they NEED to be doing in their active training sessions.

You will simply have a standard training movement followed by a restoration bias one, this will allow for increased frequency on their afflicted areas that need work which they may or may not do on their own. 

This easily fits into any of the options above.

Example:

A1 – Deadlift
B1 – Restoration (dynamic mobility)
C1 – Pull Up
D1 – Restoration (active stretching)
E1 – Barbell Curl
F1 – Restoration (parter stretching)

Remember,a s fun as it is to have people leave sweating and feeling they’ve been ‘demolished’, any fool can do that, only a good coach can blend what they need amongst what they want. 

20 – Stimulation & Restoration – Separate Sessions

Dedicating an entire day to recover work is great, as opposed to just a simple 20-30min PM  session, you can have your clients spend an entire 60min on recovery and much needed remedial work. 

Example: As per Poliquin rotation above

Monday – Chest & Back, Quads
Tuesday – Restoration Day – Balance Focus
Wednesday – Off
Thursday  – Hamstrings, Shoulders, Arms, Forearms
Friday –  Off
Saturday – Repeat cycle from day 1
Sunday – As noted above 

You’d be amazed how well this work for restoring lost elements of fitness such as proprioception, body awareness, agility and a whole host of other things that rely heavily on the neurological side of training. 

Final Thoughts, all of the above work very well in meso/micro-cycle planning. 

Personally I work on what is a 3-week wave, meaning that after three weeks there is a decrease in volume, and/or intensity by 1/3 or perhaps 2/3 depending on what stage of training we are at. 

This often translates into people getting roughly 6-8 repeated exposures +/-2 depending on the style of split used and the needs of the client. 

You will find that most people tend to have milked all the can around the 6-8 repeated session  mark, while there will be some variance person to person this is pretty typical, and if training a muscle twice per week, well that’s 3 weeks. 

I also use 2 week Accumulations with 1 week Intensifications in some, meaning a great natural deload when they start a new phase of training, again, it all comes down to the needs/goals of the client.  

In conclusion, you now have 20 options for increasing frequency and adjusting training splits to hit optimal frequency (3-5days per bout of stimulus), and that is just scratching the surface.

Honestly there is a lot more nuance that goes in to all of the above, such as exercise selection, phase potentiation, specificity, individual difference progressive overload and many over variables linked to periodisation.

In the next part you’ll find some of the methods I use for increasing intensity in training for varied goals.

Before that though, if you have any questions please leave them down below.

Enjoy,
Ross  

My Mad Methods – Intro

What’s left to uncover training wise?

Sitting here thinking about it there’s been nothing new or earth shattering for the last several decades.

At best it has been a rebranding of something someone did once upon a time that lost favour and fell out of fashion and popular discussion.

It leads us to get caught circling the only things we know.

This might be 5×5, sets of 20, HIIT or whatever our bias find mot pleasing.

I wrote a series called – ‘My Mad Methods’

They’re obviously not my methods, they’re methods I’ve learned and accumulated over many years that got committed to memory, and even though I shared 100, do you know how many of them I personally use these days, it’s about 3-6 at most.

In the coming weeks I will share the 5 parts to this mini series for you.

Now they’re nothing special or things not already written somewhere online I suspect.

You can do with them as you will, perhaps you might run through all 100, or read the first paragraph of my drivel and think – “Dear god this is dull”.

Either way it gives me a modicum of purpose for a short time and might help someone break away from a training plateau.

Check back tomorrow for the fist part.

Enjoy,
Ross

How to transition from face-to-face PT to fully online coaching and to create a sustainable model for your online coaching business – Part Three

So you’ve gotten some of your ducks in a row. 

The message you’re looking to share, the people that will benefit and gain great value from what is offered, plus the growing fire of desire in your soul. 

All necessary elements to online success and making the transition.

One more crucial requirement is that of an engaging, or enticing Online Offering to gain interest.

When you decide to do some research into what is currently on the table from your potential competition it’s easy to get lost in the vast abyss known as cyber space, this is because unlike face to face training the competition isn’t just ‘Pete down the road at a neighbouring gym’, it’s potentially the entire online sphere.

At least in the sense of the niche you’ve decided upon that is. 

This is where it’s very useful to have a specific demographic and solution (to a problem) to work with as it helps narrow down how many nuances need to be covered. 

I’d highly suggest taking some time, perhaps an hour or so, to do some R&D for what others offer online that makes for a successful online business. 

Here’s what to look for in social media:

• Who’s (and what) content is shared to most 
• Why is it shared – look up the comments/captions to find clues
• Establish common needs through most engaged content in your target demographic 
• Make notes on what basic services are offered from those with the most shared content 
• Collect info on offers (seasonal, ongoing, etc)
• Check comment threads for interaction, common questions and how they answer enquires 
• Look for ‘Calls To Action’ – what do they ask people to do for them
• Find the things each brand/company offer, this is a note to what works

Once you’ve done this it’s worth going along to their websites.

When you arrive here you can find out the details surrounding the specifics of what they offer.

Make notes on the following:

• Why they say their service is for the client 
• How they connect with the client emotionally*
• In what ways do they convey value, benefits and personal importance of their services (why their service will make the clients life infinitely better & how)
• What they offer – how many products/services 
• In what way do the solve perceived problems with their service 
• Pricing & how many different pricing options there are

*This is important because people buy with emotion and then use logic to justify their purchase after the fact. 

Once you’ve done the above for several successful online training services you can narrow down the long list of info so that the things they all do are recognised because this will then help you by providing a framework to go by. 

As you can imagine I’ve personally done this before.

Say you’ve not got a lot of time and just want something specific to focus on, well worry not. 

I’ve found this is the key information you’ll need in just 3 points:

1. Why the online service connects emotionally – their use of emotive/personal language that is unique to the niche of clients that makes them feel as if the ad or offering was created specifically for them.
2. How many services they offer – a lot successful online training services tend to offer at most 2-3 products that are best sellers. Their offers are periodic so they hold their value as novel and adhere to the principle of scarcity.
3. What they charge & why it’s justified – this is where you will need to look at the price to value (offering) ratio because often what is charged will seem more than fair for what the clients are getting in return.

The first two points are easy to understand, you can even pinch the structure/systems/set-ups they use if you like the look of them because there’s a good chance a lot of people feel the same way. 

Yep a lot of people use services because of the right brand colours that happen to fit their own perusal tastes. 

Additionally if your webpage, social media, etc all look sharp and consistent it goes down well. 

This is simply because it looks professional and tends to have people raise their acceptable expectations of what can be charged and also what they’re willing to pay as in this modern world there’s plenty of people willing to pay a premium.

Well, provided they can understand the value/benefits.

This brings us nicely to the third point.

When it comes to price in my experience people get it astronomically wrong and tend to opt for the angle of be super cheap because that will make it more accessible to people and draw more in, when in reality it does the opposite.

Think about it, when was the last time you wanted to buy ‘cheap sh*t’ when you can afford better?

People don’t want to be cheap when they have the choice of better, and the funds which many do by the way, people have money to spend because if they didn’t they’d not be looking.

Oh yes, people know what they can afford and stretch to, which is more than they’d ever admit.

This is because they don’t want to be fleeced or feel tricked which has happened to almost everyone.

People don’t mind paying a good fee for a high value service. 

Hence why looking at what is being offered at what cost is critical, being able to see thevalue (they get more than they expected for what they’re paying) along with thebenefits (how it is something they can’t really miss out on because of all the positives from having it), both of which connect emotionally.

Chances are some people have gotten bored of my ramble so far and clicked off. 

For those of you still here, well done because now I’ll put in very simple terms what I’ve found is good to offer from a simple service standpoint.

• Online Coaching: 1-2-1
• Online Group Coaching
• Training Templates 
• Special Offers*

*Special offers are to be exactly that, special. This means don’t repeat the same offer within a 12 month period and make it literally a ‘buy now or miss out’ opportunity that has limited spaces because this helps the offer truly retain it’s impact and hit these Principles Of Influence – Scarcity, Reciprocity, Commitment, Contrast, essentially having value be held and respect for your offers bering sustained as people will know they’re not a ploy and if they miss out they miss out. 

While the above might seem simple, what you offer in each level of service can differ. 

You’ll want to go the whole hog for anyone opting for ‘Online Coaching 1-2-1’, meaning that you will cover multiple aspects ranging from (although not limited to):

• Online Coached Sessions 
• Programming (sessions not done digitally)
• Nutritional Guidance 
• Behaviour & Habit Change 
• Check-In Services 

Plus there will be anything additional that you feel is of value to your specific niche. 

It might extend to regular articles, program tweaks, Zoom reviews whereby you adjust nutrition and/or behavioural strategies where necessary and so on. 

This coaching option will more often than not be your most expensive one.

Ideally you’ll want to set in place an agreement whereby people pay for multiple months up front. 

Alternatively if that doesn’t fit your niche then a monthly rolling fee paid before starting will be useful because billing at the end of training can have you caught short fee wise occasionally.

You can have their initial consultation be free of charge. 

A 30-45min talk where you can both establish common grounds, goals and if you initially gel.

(We will cover how to run/set up a great consultation next time)

From here you may wish to send a few freebies, everyone loves a freebie.

After this though you’ll be wanting to charge for you time. 

Often there will be people that perhaps try to haggle or get a deal, then some simply won’t be able to afford the fees up front, this leads nicely into your second option ’Online Group Coaching’ which is a great option for those with less funds available.

Now service wise they get exactly the same as those opting for the 1-2-1 option. 

Pretty great, right? 

There must be a catch, that’s what most think and it’s not so much a catch as it is a clear compromise that is laid out in the word ‘group’ because to share the cost means to work alongside more than one other person.

You can find anywhere from 2-10 (or more) people can share their training.

This means that things such as programming, nutrition, behaviour & habit change will be done as a team, ideally everyone has the same goal or one that is in the same ball park. 

If someone wants something completely specific to them, then they must pay for that premium.

In saying this though people will find a lot of benefit from working with a group.

The additional community, accountability and energy that can come from working with others is highly beneficial to a lot of people because many struggle to train alone which is where the support of others is an invaluable benefit to them. 

So this isn’t a downgrade, if anything it’s an upgrade because people won’t just make progress. 

They’ll make friends too. 

One tricky element is the consultation, I’d highly suggest this being mostly done via email/message.

When you have a satisfactory number that have aligned goals then set up the online consultation to see how well everyone gels together as a unit and take things from there. 

The last staple offer is that of ‘Training Templates’ which can be specific or plug and play. 

It can be a good idea to have an ‘Upgrade Option’  for those that want a specific program. 

Templates on the other hand are typically just something that the majority can put their own lifting numbers into and follow a well written training cycle that has a proven track record of results.

It’s a good idea to ‘beta test’ templates on people for free (this can be an exclusive offer).

You’d ask for the rights to their before/afters so that you can use them for marketing.

It’s also a good idea to have a nutrition guide of sorts that comes with the templates which offers perhaps a few strategies for achieving common goals such as fat loss, muscle gain etc. 

You’d find explaining portion sizes, how to establish daily calorie expenditure and so on good in it.

Of course it’s merely a guide based on the current science and common sense. 

Don’t prescribe anything as that can be stepping out of your lane, by all means give examples of meals and foods for variety just don’t tell people specifically what to eat or in what quantities.

This would be your cheapest option, perhaps coming in at 10% of your full fee for online coaching and when you offer the upgrade option that is where you can add a little extra cost on top as you’ll then be required to spend time speaking with the individual to get all the info you need. 

Plus you’ll have to put aside time to create their program and so on, all at cost you, so charge well.

Lastly you’ve got the option of Special Offers and as mentioned before these need to be limited in their frequency and when put out to the world they don’t want to reappear or linger. 

You can choose to go for discounts, special training packages or something like a training even that takes a certain amount of people from ‘try hard’ to ‘triathlete triumph’, such things will help boost your overall brand reputation because people will know what you offer means something. 

It’ll help ensure your service stays seen as a premium one. 

Now the above is a lot of information to take in, so perhaps go take a break and then give it another read.

True enough there’s not ‘one best’ way to offer an online service or even what you ought to offer in yours, as such the above is merely a guide to use if applicable to you.

You’ll notice I didn’t mention prices and this is because they can vary based on your niche.

Take your time and put together an offering that is so good you can put essentially any fee on it, which ideally wants to be above £250 per month for an online coaching service at a minimum.

Also feel free to send any curiosities or questions my way. 

Enjoy,
Ross 

How to transition from face-to-face PT to fully online coaching and to create a sustainable model for your online coaching business – Part Two

After spending time getting your fitness message solidified and writing in a way that will connect with your idea clients it’ll be high time to start thinking about what you’re going to offer. 

Commonly people try to offer 1001 training options.

While some like a buffet of options, the majority will feel overwhelmed by such choice and end up talking themselves out of investing in an online service because they just don’t know which is best, so instead of giving into their fear of choosing poorly or making a mistake they’ll just avoid it entirely. 

This is what happens time and again when there are too many offerings, this is where option for perhaps a grand total of 2-3 online training/service options is best. 

From a mental standpoint we’ve only go so much capacity for thought and decision making. 

Before looking at offerings (package wise) you’ll need to cover these key points in what you offer online:

• Solution(s) to client problems
• Value & Emotional benefit 
• Clarification (addressing questions/concerns)
• A reason the potential client can TRUST you  

It might seem easy to tick off these points, however there’s a lot more that goes into it because of the deeper psychological elements that often go unaddressed.

The crucial one being that of the last point, trust. 

We’re going to tackle the points above in reverse order.

You see buying something online has become easier, so easy in fact that people will do it at the drop of a hat on an impulse buy provided they know what they’re getting in regards to service, experience and emotional satiation.

To address these first, how do we build trust?

You’ll find plenty of suggestions, however in my experience they all link to rapport in the end. 

This can be achieved via social proof (evidence of success), a display of genuine desire to help (essentially people need to know you are about them as a person, not just a pay cheque), honest is of course essential as is delivering on the promises you make. 

Additionally admitting when you’re a little off the mark helps too.

Yep, this means even sharing in those stories whereby you couldn’t help someone.

Explaining why you weren’t the right person to help them at this specific time, and how you then went above and beyond to refer/find someone better suited to help said person with the correct skill sets and attitude they personally required. 

Not holding back in this regard help you be more human and relatable.

This is invaluable in an online world where people literally have to take you on face, or rather word/digital value. 

Therefore it’s essentially to be upfront from the start, there’s no need to try and slip in additional fees or anything like that to boost your bottom line because while it might seem clever and like a good idea it’ll erode any good will, potentially (eventually) resulting in people not speaking poorly yet not speaking highly of your services either.

Most will just avoid discussing what you have to offer, in my experience that’s the worst outcome. 

How does the saying go, if you can’t be famous then you might as well be infamous because as least that way you’re still at the top of peoples mental landscape.

To be ignored is a death sentence online.

As such look to build trust over the long term by fostering client/potential client relationships over the typical decision making period before a purchase – 3-9 months commonly, sometimes longer. 

Don’t think of the short term gain because that won’t result in long term success. 

This nicely segues into the aspect of clarification regarding your services and/or potential client concerns/questions.

Sadly I can’t give you a definitive list here. 

The best I can offer is the common ones I’ve come across when it comes to working with people in an online capacity.

• What’s in it for me? 
• How can you guarantee I will get results?
• Why are you the best option for me?
• Is there a discount?
• Can you tell me what’s included? (similar to WIIFM)
• How long will I need this for?

Typically these are the common questions surrounding the overall value of the product/service.

How best to answer these is with honesty, transparency and detail, don’t be afraid of giving people all the available info. 

If speaking on the phone you can answer in person, otherwise a PDF or webpage with the answer required will be useful as people will tend to go looking for reassurance, which it actually something to remember because provided you reassure a potential client then a sign up is 98% secured. 

People need to feel safe.

Given how life can throw various curve balls at us when some consistency/security can be offered it’s a very valuable thing. 

It’ll also serve to build a good reputation for your brand and service. 

You’ll have individual answers for each of the above common questions written in a way that resonates with your target client, however when speaking about it generally here is a short list of pointers to help you answer each one. 

• Show people how their life will be benefitted by your service.
• Explain you can’t guarantee results because they have to be willing to change for them. 
• Provide stories & testimonials from people like them & how you change their life for the better. 
• This is up to you to offer or decline,I’d make it a seasonal thing**
• Cleary explain what they get for their money (sell benefits), also ask if there is anything they expected that isn’t there because then you can add it in especially for them if it’s not there already.
• There is no right answer here, so again just be honest and explain/show how long it typically takes people to achieve results (based on their level of commitment)

**If the first thing people ask about it price it’s worth remembering that this type of person is usually a royal pain in the ass because they want a premium service (and everything imaginable done for them) for the as cheap as humanly possible and in my experience they’re not really worth your time as they won’t change their habits or put in the required effort. 

You’ll find there will be individual curiosities based on your demographic, they will be revealed upon working with your chosen client and as such you’ll be able to address them specifically when they become known to you. 

Additionally it’s also worth asking people if they have any concerns/questions. 

The more info you gather the more you can elevate the troubling thoughts they might have. 

By addressing the above you’ll find you’re often covering all the emotional benefit & value they will achieve from utilising your online service.

One nice little touch to remember though is that people may sign up for the service, however they will stay because of the unforgettable experience you deliver, well, that’s provided it’s a positive unforgettable experience as these can also be less pleasant and you’ll find people will remember what made them feel really good or really bad. 

Be sure to provide people with a gift they didn’t know they wanted in your service. 

This doesn’t mean a literal gift, although those small touches such as birthday cards, remembering their wedding anniversary and wishing them congrats on it or celebrating their new job, home etc also go down well because these show that you value them as a person, not just a pay cheque (as we mentioned earlier). 

You can even have have landmark achievements you celebrate.

Perhaps a fat loss goal being hit, a weight being lifted or something else that allows a public celebration and genuine display of how proud you are and they ought tot be about what they’ve achieved.

Even sending them documents, articles, booked, podcasts etc on things which interest them goes a long way. 

It’ll allow you to relate back to a conversation you had or something they mentioned.

Thus showing when they speak you actually listen to them and take note of what they say. 

It’s a rare talent these days, listening, and it’s even more precious to take action and do something nice for someone without any desire for reward. 

Beyond this the emotional benefits of improved confidence, smaller clothing, less aches & pains, better physical capabilities and generally feeling that they’ve got life going in the right direction all add to how good they will feel which satiates their emotional needs for a sense of importance and potential validation (as others will compliment them on how well they’ve done, etc).

Of course you’ll need to know your client, and the demographics, real emotional drivers.

Each might be similar yet also subtly different, it’s worth asking these three questions to people for more clarity and to potentially reveal what is really driving them.

• Why is achieving your goal important to you?
• How do you want to feel as a result of achieving your goal?
• What would achieving your goal mean to you?

Having this info will really help you connect with the person/people you’re aiming to help. 

Now if you’ve made it this far all of the above will serve in helping you establish what your target clients common problems are, both practically and emotionally as well. 

This will serve to allow deeper and more meaningful connections to be made in your message(s).

You see when it comes to writing adverts (copy etc), sharing the benefits of your online service and generally getting people to engage with what you’re trying to do/say it requires you to know how the potential clients think and what is important to them. 

If a lack of time is their issue then you can share content/info based around short training. 

This can then translate into what you offer in your online service so that it requires very little time investment regarding check-ins, tracking and training sessions as this is what your client want. 

You need to make sure the people looking to hire you know you’ve got their back and have an answer or two for their presently perceived problems, this doesn’t mean what is an issue now will always be an issue however that’s why businesses grow, as do your offerings/service. 

Additionally, as mentioned above if you’re not sure what people’s perceived problems are, just ask. 

Put out a survey, use social media to do polls, invite people to discuss what frustrates them.

Regardless of how you do it just make sure you’re asking your potential clients and overall audience what they want to address, plus what’s important, of value with deep emotional benefit to them too. 

These days people want to guess all too often. 

Don’t be afraid of asking people what they want and then giving it to them. 

The worst outcome is you start out by doing content regarding what they’ve said and they don’t engage, this is a win though because it shows you that’s not what they’re really after, thus allowing to to conduct more research to truly establish the apple of their eye. 

Hopefully you found the above useful, now you need to go and apply it. 

In part three we’ll address what is considered a good online offering and how best to set it up.

Until next time. 

Enjoy,
Ross

How Frequently To Train For The Best Results

As with all statements like this is comes with a  rather large initial slap to the face in the answer of…

It depends.

Personally I find that answer so very frustrating, despite it’s validity it’s often used as a scape goat for someone instead of saying – “I don’t know.”.

Over the years I’ve found this is the best response – “In what context?”

You see understanding the context in which a question is being asked helps a lot. 

While people will like to avoid giving out direct answers for the fear of culpability, many forget it’s actually okay to be wrong or miss the mark because that’s then what allows us to grow and become better than we currently are. 

Feel free to skip to the bits in blood for the answers you’re looking for. 

There’s people that have broken world records training 2 days per week (Lilliebridge, Efferding, Chaillet, etc) and then we’ve got people that train daily which achieved greatness (Broz lifters, those under Abadjiev an dos on).

Essentially what ever answer YOU WANT to find can be found. 

That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the right answer for you specifically though.

When I get asked the above my standard answer for trainings is ‘2-4 days per week’.

With the ideal frequency of exposure, ‘hitting the same muscle/movement every 3-5 days’.

You see how many trainings per week versus the frequency of how often you hit something are two very different things. 

Tat being said…

Above is commonly what tends to fit the Goldilocks Principle for most.

The reasons for this are as follows:

• It fits the working week for majority of people 
• There is ample time for recovery 
• A purposeful and practical program can be created that covers all required aspects of training 
• Hundreds of thousands of successful people have trained 2-4 times a week (success leaves clues)

Now this isn’t to say that more training won’t potentially provide more benefits.

If you can recover from such a training load that is, and in my experience most can’t so hitting it 2-4 times per week tends to be the best option because while some high level peeps can manage 12-16 sessions in a 7 day training period, those are the realms of rare air. 

Such people are often paid to train that much as well. 

Why seek the maximal amount you can survive when there’s an option to find how little you need to thrive?

The latter allows more time for life by the way. 

I remember reading many writings from the late Charles Poliquin and his suggestion (from a lifting standpoint) was to train a muscle/movement once every five days, with from personal application I can say works very well. 

The downside it that it may not fit the 7 day working week most want to adhere to. 

Usually in a lifting sense people that ask the above are actually looking for training splits.

The common ones, or realistically all the splits are as follows (from a lifting standpoint).

• Full Body 
• Upper/Lower
• Body Part

There’s also some nuance, you could do Whole Body, Anterior/Posterior or Movement Focused.

Similar yet subtly different to their predecessors, we’ll look at them later.

All of the above can hit the ideal frequency exposure from a positive stimulus sense (every 3-5 days), even the ‘body part split’ if used correctly.

Beyond the above it’s merely the organisation of the split that seems to confuse people. 

Full body training is as it sounds, you train the full body each session, whereas an upper/lower has you train either your top or bottom half only (using various angles etc), and when you’ve got a body part split this tends to be a body building favourite as you hit each muscle one a week, ish.

Before going any further there is one point I’d like to add regarding training frequency, splits, etc. 

A key element is that optimal results seem to come from hitting something 2-3 times a week when looking at keeping training aligned with the 7day working week.

It’s why most tend to find an upper/lower split to come out top trumps in the end. 

You see our body needs a frequent stimulus to allow the accumulation of positive stress/fatigue that will force adaptation to occur as per the various principles surrounding this phenomenon (SAID, GAS, Law of Accommodation etc, google these are there’s endless info on them written in far better and more concise ways than I ever could, true story.

Body Part splits can provide the seemingly required frequency as per the literature and also anecdote/experience of the successful, it tends to be largely focused on the upper body only. 

There’s a reason for the term ‘chicken legs’ you know, it’s not just a term of endearment.

A good body part split would need at least a 6 day a week training schedule.

Manageable for some, and effective for those genetic marvels or those that have a really good friend called Richard.

Alas for most mere mortals many will be left wanting.

If you’re not sure what to go for here’s some examples of how to organise a potentially optimal training frequency of 2 days per week with the above training splits to guide you. 

Keeping in mind the idea of getting the level of stimulus you need. 

Remember they’re not gospel, however why not try starting off with less. 

You can always add more over time, no sense in burning yourself out straight from the gate. 

2 Day Training 

Full Body – Literally train the full body on both days 

Whole Body – 

Day 1 – FS, Chin Up, Dip + posture/arms/core
Day 2 – Snatch Grip DL, Press, Bent Over Row + posture/arms/core

You can use and upper/lower split, this will be good for those that are a little older and perhaps need more time for recovery these days, the downside is you only hit each muscle group once a week.

Anterior/Posterior  (Squat-less Example) –
Day 1 – Trap Bar DL, Press, Dip
Day 2 – Stiff Leg DL, Bent Over Row Chin Up   

Movement – 

Day 1 – Snatch, Squat Jerk
Day 2 – Clean & Jerk, Snatch Balance 

If you go for a ‘body part’ split then Pull-Push-Legs will work and it would take you 3 weeks to rotate back to the start.

You’ll find a good idea is to look for movements that offer the best ‘bang for your buck’ on 2x a week.

3 or 4 days training per week can follow similarly to the above. 

Chances are you can see that the overall idea behind training days is to get in the frequency needed per muscle group/movement which is why there’s a lot of crossover in my examples above. 

Say you’re going for 3 days per week.

Full body or whole body will offer the most frequency/exposure of movements (hitting the same things every 2nd or 3rd day), and second in the running is upper/lower and anterior/posterior (hitting the same thing ever 4/5th day).

Essentially you’ve got more opportunity to progress than you might think. 

Personally like a Whole Body approach due to being able to hit an upper/lower movement in a nifty little super set fashion which then leaves plenty of room for accessories to satiate any specific or emotional needs people may have. 

This is actually my current training split done over 3 days per week due to current time limits. 

Day 1 – Session A

A1 – Press x3,3,3,3,3 (adding a rep until 5,5,5,5,5 hit) – 2-0-X-0 – No Rest
A2 – Pull Up x4-6 2-0-X-0 – Rest 80 Sec
B1 – Deadlift x5,5,5,5,5 (work to 1-2 top sets) 4-0-X-0 – Rest 40-100 Seconds 

C1 – Accessory work if time

Day 2 – Session B

A1 – PBN x3,3,3,3,3 (adding a rep until 5,5,5,5,5 hit) – 2-0-X-0 – No Rest
A2 – Row x4-6 2-0-X-0 – Rest 80 Sec
B1 – Squat x10,10,10,10,10 (work to 1-2 top sets) 4-0-X-0 – Rest 40-100 Seconds 

C1 – Accessory work if time

Dull although quite effective for keeping base strength and getting done within 35-45min. 

Additionally this means I have a rotation of Week 1 – A/B/A, Week 2 – B/A/B which allows for some nice progression in the press and I can rotate the SQ/DL & Pull variation every two weeks unless I feel like keeping it for another two.

As a good general rule changing up a movement variation every 6-8 sessions is a good idea. 

I’ve found people get very caught up with trying to create the ‘perfect program’.

Please accept there isn’t one, even mine can’t boast such a claim despite being as close as possible.

Seriously though, you’ll find hitting your training (lifting wise) for 2-4 sessions per week and ensuring a frequency of muscle/movement exposure of hitting the same one every 3-5 days will be more than sufficient to make a lot of progress. 

Enjoy,
Ross 

How to transition from face-to-face PT to fully online coaching and to create a sustainable model for your online coaching business – Part One

Making the switch from the conventional style of personal training to a digital option is alluring. 

Below there will be three key questions to ask yourself.

These will help you begin to get all the pieces in place ready to start making the transition.

Of course this is merely the start, there’s a lot more to consider however we create start by establishing what we foresee the end being. 

The idea of being able to work from anywhere in the world, setting your own hours and finally begin able to achieve that much coveted sense of freedom that is so sought after, a truly worthwhile aspiration.

Before we look at how to make this transition there are some things to clear up.

Firstly, you’ll still need to treat each online client with the same level of service as you would face to face. In fact you might need to do more for them. 

Next is that you may not spend less time doing admin (at least not in the early days), you’ll more than likely end up racking up higher hours in front of a screen. 

Lastly you’re going to have to have your marketing and outreach nailed down.

Unlike being in a gym people won’t get to see what you do unless you actively try to show them with engaging content that is not only educational, entertaining but also inspirational. 

All that being said, once you’ve gotten through the initial period of setting up your systems and have some good operations in place you’ll find it easier to set out hours that you will/won’t be working. 

Until that point though you’re going to need to keep your finger on the pulse. 

One of the first questions to ask yourself is this – Why would someone hire me?

From this you’ll want to write a list of all the benefits you can bring to someones life, what they will find them valuable, what problems they will solve for the target clients and also if there is anyone else that offers exactly the same thing (brace yourself, there might be).

After you’ve made a comprehensive list sit down and choose the one thing that stands out.

This is usually something that creates or has the power to create waves of emotion in people. 

Given the endless online trainers all fighting for a slice of the pie and offering what is much of a muchness you’re going to need to really bring something special to the table.

You may even find this is directly suited to one very specific type of person.

Maybe some that is 43 and has suddenly found all their best clothes no longer fit which has resulted in them losing confidence, becoming highly anxious and feeling as if they’ve ‘lost themselves’. 

And you just so happen to have a gift for them that will provide them everything they need to rediscover and reawaken who they really are through your unique style of training. 

The second question you now need to ask yourself is this – Who is going to feel my fitness message was written specifically just for them?

Being able to create a message (and also content too) that deeply connects with just one person is a long forgotten art, especially when in the modern digital world it’ all about instant gratification and dog filters. 

Understanding just what to write and in such a way that has someone feel it was written just of them is a true gift. 

It’ll end up confecting with a great many people that share the exact same feelings. 

After all we’re not as unique as we’d like to think, additionally you’ll be able to share this one message across every platform and possible avenue of digital communication to see which one has the more engagement as that is then where you’ll know to focus your attention, money and energies. 

You don’t want to be sharing IG videos when what you’re offering is better suited to LinkedIn.

You may have heard this described as understanding your ‘target demographic’.

Much like in face to face training you’ll need to know where the people you’re trying to connect with are, at what times and also what makes them tick on a psychological/emotional level. 

You’ve got plenty of online tools for this such as survey money and so on, however that’s something to over once you’ve answered the two questions above and also the last one that we will uncover soon. 

The combination of the initial two questions will have you build a solid foundation of understanding.

With that you’ll be ready to answer this final question – Who knows you?

If there is one lesson I’ve learned it’s not so much who you know that matters (although that does help), it’s who knows you and what you can do that matters most. 

This is where many fall down as they expect instant success, almost as if they’re entitled to it. 

Less for setting up an ‘Only Fans’ Account there’s very few fitness professionals that become an online success without years and I literally mean years of effort, investment and sacrifice.

It’s why while the transition from face to face into an online realm appears easy on paper yet has only a few actually become a recognisable household name or go to fitness brand.

Just look at those that are currently sat at the top of the online mountain for fitness.

Not one of the just happened to get there. 

They all put in years of graft and had a lot of help (which they paid for). 

To make the just transition you must be willing to put in as much effort as you did building your face to face business, otherwise you’ll be nothing more tan a brief flavour of the month. 

Answer the above questions, let me know what they are and keep an eye out for part two. 

Enjoy,
Ross