You have heard it your whole life...

Set goals.  Winners are goal setters.  If you don't know where you're going, you'll never get there.  I am a big believer in goals, but to be honest, I was not a true practicer in my earlier years.  I thought it was a waste of time, or at worst a disappointment.  I was feareful of setting lofty expectations and falling short.  Kind of like opening the bill drawer or looking at the scale...

Run time: 35:06

On this episode of the cast, I talk about goals, goal setting, and why they are important!

• Discussion of muscle and fitness type articles
• How they re-hash everything again, again, and again...
• My Grand Canyon vacation
• Setting Long-Term goals
• Developing Action Steps to move you forward
• Why all that matters...

What's it like to give up a steady career with great retirement and benefits to count to 15 all day long?  Not to mention to have both you AND your wife doing the same thing!  In this episode, I have the pleasure to interview Rondell and Zyla Clark of F.A.C.E. it Fitness.  

They tell their tale of beginning in the fitness industry, the struggles, the triumphs, and what it really takes to grow a business.  Enjoy!

Run time: 56:58

Building a successful Training business takes time, consistency, and an appropriate amount of "face time".  In order for people to hire you, they have to know you are actually available to work!  People need to physically see you working with people.  

Remember, Personal Training is as much about look and feel, as it is about hard work, nutrition, and discipline.  You need to be the SIZZLE not the STEAK.  Simply posting and sharing fitness related items is not enough. 

Run time: 24:30

I go over 3 major points that every Personal Trainer needs to understand when building a great book of business.

1. This is still a Personal business

2. Posts, Views, Likes, and Shares < 1 Conversation

3. Clients First.  Always First.

What does a Trainer do when they walk into their workplace only to be told by management that they no longer have the right to train THEIR clients?  Kevin Lacy is a career personal trainer, business owner, and athlete.  He has gone from a front desk attendant working for minimum wage to owning his own business with nearly 200 clients!

Check out his story, his views, and his tips for becoming an elite Personal Trainer.

People don't love training.  They love their Trainer!

Being shameless is the sign of any true trainer.  Keven is never afraid to deliver a message (no matter how off key) of inspiration and motivation.  Even on a snow day!

Why go to a restaurant to order food when you can have your very own WORKOUT menu!

What does it mean to run a business?

On this episode of BTP, I wanted to take some time to talk about the BUSINESS of Personal Training.  For those looking to break into the business or those currently working, this series is for you!  The entire month of September is dedicated to helping you be the best business owner you can.

But this information does not just apply to Personal Training.  These ideas, methods, processes, and practices will help ANYONE that runs a service based business.  The specific topics covered in this episode:

The TOP 5 Skills to master:
1. Asking for Money
2. Be exceptional
3. Develop Relationships
4. Be authentic
5. Keep up with your P&L

Sometimes the best words are not your own.  Anytime I am discouraged, lose a little faith in myself or my abilities, I play the video of Steve Jobs' commencement speech at Stanford.

I think it's important to let other people's words inspire and influence you.  But always remember to trust in yourself.  If you have taken the plunge to enter this industry, you have already done more than 99% of the world.  You started.

Took a couple weeks off and lived a little life.  Or life happened to me.  Trips, funerals, other unplanned events makes a Trainer's life interesting.  Sometimes life takes you places you were not expecting to go.  They are good.  They are bad.  But no matter what, you get through them and still prosper!

My trip to Minneapolis

Mistakes made by most people. (The Warrior's Weekend)

1. Always eating out
2. Not scheduling enough to do-boredom
3. Not exploring
4. Doing things that make you feel worse
5. Not giving yourself a pass / time to readjust

So with all that being said, that is NOT the purpose of the show tonight.  Everything I have talked about to this point is merely to show you that even for someone that preaches health, fitness, discipline, planning, and control; I have just as much control as the rest of you.

But even with that, the topic of this episode has more to do with GOAL setting.  Not general goal setting, but goal setting based on the season you find yourself in.  

September only has one real holiday (Labor Day), fall break is not until mid October, and the holidays have yet to enter the conversation.

I recommend finding something to keep you participating.  Take advantage of the general regularity of your schedule.

• Great time to set up a 5k. (Cardio Prep)

• Make friends in a new fitness social group. (Bootcamps)

• Find a sport to play. (Fall leagues)

• Experiment with cooking. (Learn healthy eating)

All of us look at ourselves in terms of movies, songs, images, etc.  We like to think we are in the show. Like there's a director guiding our every move and action.  Every achievement we attain we are getting one step closer to the ultimate goal.

And when we get there, theme music will play, the Director will say "...and Cut!", and credits roll. That's insane.

What if we could change our thinking away from:

• Doing just one more lift...
• Going this much further...
• Get past the next couple days...
• Making up by doing double...

 In this episode, I talk about how to let the pursuit of perfection be the true journey.  After all, perfection cannot be acquired, only pursued.

Run time: 26:36 min

From the age of body building to the inspiration of CrossFit, Mitch Warren has spanned the entire fitness industry.  I have a chance to sit down and pick his brain when it comes how he approaches his Personal Training business.  We discuss life, fitness, ninja turtles, and pro wrestlers.  Also, science and other stuff...

Run time: 46:15

Get in touch with Mitch here:

Facebook

Instagram

We all suffer from some form of hubris.  Trainers just happen to show it more than others!  We believe that our opinion on health and fitness should never be questioned and that EVERYONE should listen to it.  That is very far from the truth...

In this episode, I confess some tough lessons I have learned over the years and one I was reminded of recently.  It is a difficult thing when you realize that not everyone in the world thinks you are the best at what you do.  It is an even harder thing to openly acknowledge that fact and still encourage people to seek out better advice.

• I discuss my first open criticism for the world to see.

• What I would have told the younger me to do.

• What does a Trainer do when you know there will be a personality conflict with a client.

• When is it time to 'fire' a client?

Runt time: 29:09

Sometimes the most important thing we can do to stay in shape is simply know where we are starting from!  

In this episode, I discuss how to go about getting an accurate assessment of where you are.  I go thru 5 simple steps I use with my clients that you can apply to your own methods of training as well.  Small rant on instragram as well :D

Run time: 22:45

As promised in the show above, here is a general outline of some cardiovascular programs I would recommend.  Feel free to contact me with any questions.

And what better way to follow that loveliness up than with good ole fashioned good for you eating!  This is what I do to make sure I am always at a reasonable baseline to move forward in the week.

Once you have a plan of exercise attack, and what I would do if I were you with food, then it's time to record it all down.  Here is a poor man's version of the fudge budget.  And here's how you use it:

Take every meal you eat and write it down.  At the end of the day, if you were dead on, then put a +1 in the IN column for every meal you got right.  Put a +1 in the OUT column for everything you didn't do so well with.  Follow that for the week.

When Sunday ends, subtract the OUT from the IN column.  Then divide that by your total meals.  Then, to see how well you did, just apply elementary school grades to them:

100 - 93 = A

92 - 85 = B

84 - 75 = C

74 - 65 = D

64 - 0 = F

Do you realize that most people simply spend their time in the gym or pounding the pavement to try and UNDO something they did with food yesterday?  I bet most of you reading this really never gave it much thought--but it's still true!

It's time to squash that way of thinking.  It's time to get traction.  It's time to start launching forward and not just trying to dig ourselves out of a hole.  It's time to get out of debt.  Exercise Debt.

Run time: 20:56

This is what I'm talking about!  Look at the images below...  I couldn't even get the link to post from the story--it's like they don't WANT me to link it.

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Other points of interest from the show:

• I talk about the concept of exercise debt and what it means
• How to go about developing a 'Fudge Budget'
• The most important thing to do AFTER you mess up
• Rant on adult decisions