In this engaging conversation, Dean Somerset, a personal trainer and post-rehab specialist, shares his 20-year journey in the fitness industry. He offers invaluable insights into building a successful coaching career while balancing a busy schedule of 40-50 hours a week. Dean's three powerful tips for improving as a coach are essential for anyone in the field. He discusses the dynamics of different training styles, including 1:1 and semi-private sessions, and reveals how to make a mark even in a big box gym. Don't miss his upcoming book, "Rock Solid Resilience!"

Jason Brown, a fitness and program design expert, shares insights on prioritizing meaningful engagement over social media fame. He discusses his decision to step back from social media to focus on serving a dedicated audience instead of chasing viral success. Jason highlights the importance of authenticity in coaching, explains how a viral article transformed his mindset, and emphasizes creating content that educates and empowers a specific audience. Listeners will learn about building genuine connections and the benefits of deep engagement in the fitness industry.

I’ve known Jon for over a decade and he’s been a guest of the show many times, and every time we have a conversation he shares a lot of wisdom and insights. Jon has served 100,000+ entrepreneurs, coaches and trainers with his content, whether its his books, articles, courses, or mentorship, and has been a force in helping people impact clients and grow their business.  He just launched his new book “The Obvious Choice” which I crushed in 5 days and it has so many powerful, yet simple and applicable insights and actions to take from a person that’s built real world businesses. We focus on some of the biggest principles, strategies, and stories that will help you create actionable steps and impact after listening to the episode.    IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: =>  What are the actual principles and strategies on building a business (and not ones that get shared on TikTok by folks that have never built a real business).  => Why building trust and smaller circles of people that know you will actually grown your business more than social media. => How community, familiarity, and specificity are the 3 KEY principles to grow your business the fastest.  => Why social media is NOT anywhere close to being the best strategy to grow your brick and mortar business.  => The 4 stages of social media for a coach and entrepreneur and when and how to focus on your content.  => What is the 1 + 1 = 10 rule and how it can help you excel and stand out as a coach (most don’t know this!). => Why becoming better and better at your specific skillset may have diminishing returns.  => The 5 skills that will make you stand out and supercharge your craft, regardless of what you do (these are KEY to differentiate). => How to let your geek flag fly and be different and incomparable (become the category of 1!).  => Jon shares “easy” ways to win rather than searching for the hardest option believing it will be best.  => How these entrepreneurs built a very successful business and big impact with small lists, small followings, and no big personal brand (and how you can too).  => How likes and social media following does NOT convert to dollars in the bank account of fulfillment of what you do.  => You can get clients this week by _______ (it will seem so easy you’ll be blow away how you missed this).  LINKS & RESOURCES: Book - The Obvious Choice (Jon Goodman) https://a.co/d/f7Z3xlX Jon Goodman Instagram https://www.instagram.com/itscoachgoodman/ The PTDC website https://www.theptdc.com/ Download Our 3 Powerful and FREE Gym Playbooks https://free.builttolastgym.com/ Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

Andy McCloy is not only a great coach, the owner of the most successful gym in Huntsville Alabama, and one of my closest friends, he’s also my business partner in the Built To Last Gym Mentorship we launched last year. While in town to work on some projects and our upcoming mastermind in Austin, TX, we sat down to discuss how to build a successful training system for your gym, coaching business; one that can be scaled and taught to your team.  Your training and coaching are the foundation of your whole business and we have seen more and more people in the industry skip past this with speed to focus on things like brand, marketing, sales, etc. The reality is that training and coaching are the service that everything else is built on and THE most important part. If this ins’t good, nothing else will help you! Tune in to discover the process of building a results based training system that can be scaled.  IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: => Why your coaching program and gym NEED a training system (and not just any training system). => What are the best practices for developing a training system (and what NOT to do!). => Why your business (long term) will live or die based on the quality of your training and coaching system.  => You don’t sell programming, you sell how people feel after participating in a session (and how training systems & coaching play into this). => How Andy started his journey of developing his training system and his “Borrow” then “Build” framework.  => What do Crossfit/OTF/Orange Theory/Barry’s Bootcamp, etc have in common and what we can learn from them.  => How we learned that certain methods don’t work with certain populations (wisdom from 10’000’s of combined sessions). => Our influences of who we borrowed from and how we then built our own training systems.  => What is the “mixed model” of program design and why we’re big fans of it.   => What framework BCI Sports Performance and Fitness use with athletes and general population clients.  => What we learned from Mike Boyle and how it influenced some of our programs (both in different ways).  => We covers BCI’s rules and frameworks of the training system. => We go over a year’s worth of program design sets and reps that you can literally steal from us and use in your program design. => How to choose exercise categories, organize them, and create regression, baseline and progression models. => What is the perfect session checklist for our coaches.  => The R7 and P4 lens of designing training programs.  => How to develop internship models that build great coaches to run your system.  LINKS & RESOURCES: Built To Last Mentorship  www.BuiltToLastGym.com Built to Last Gym - Austin Mastermind  https://go.builttolastgym.com/austin-2025 Download Our 3 Powerful and FREE Gym Playbooks https://free.builttolastgym.com/ BCI Sports Performance and Fitness  https://bodycreationsinc.com/ Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

I decided I wanted to start sharing principles and skillsets that build the greatest coaches and careers in the fitness industry. This is not a list from 1 to whatever. This is my personal insights, notes from other great coaches, books, things mentors shared with me, and much more. This will be an ongoing series of at least 3 episodes (if not more) as I want there to be something anyone can come back to and use as a resource to develop their skills, get a refresher (“we need to be reminded more than we need to be taught”), or direct someone to that wants to build successful coaching skills. Developing these skills is a lifelong purpose and after 20-years of being obsessed with coaching, I can still see how much better I can get at many of the skills I share.  These episodes are for the coaches (and by the way, everyone will be in a coaching role in their life so it applies to everyone!) who want to be in the elite category. I have been fortunate to stand on the shoulders of giants and invested an enormous amount of time, energy, and money, to learn from them over the decades. Most that were grateful to help, asked me for one thing in return - to pay it forward. These episodes and this podcast is a way for me to pay it forward like the greats did for me.  IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: => Why training in all planes of motion is a must and how to add it to every clients program => How to add an “assistant coach” with constraint based coaching. => Why everyone should do plyometrics and what to do with beginners.  => Why you must learn how to “speak coach” and the boost it will give your business.  => How strong is strong enough and some standards we use for clients at Vigor Ground.  => Sometimes good movement doesn’t fix every problem, you may have to check _______. => 3 rules for mobility and how I categorize clients and what I do with them. => Why you shouldn’t be a “one tool trainer.” => The right mix of giving clients what they need vs. what they want.  => The coaching habit and the 7 question framework that will help you coach your clients and team. => The difference between a trainer and a coach. => The list of mistakes coaches make that take them out of the “pro” category in my eyes.  LINKS & RESOURCES: Book: The Coaching Habit https://a.co/d/5wgWMT0 Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

Explore the journey of self-improvement and emotional skills vital for success in fitness coaching. Discover why communication truly matters and the importance of trust in the supplement industry. Learn techniques to enhance coaching effectiveness, including adaptability in fitness programming. The discussion highlights maintaining focus on goals and offers coaching principles for engaging with clients effectively. It’s a treasure trove of insights for anyone looking to excel in coaching roles!

Uncover the principles that distinguish great coaches from the rest. Explore the essential skills required for elite coaching and learn why caring and effective communication are pivotal for client success. Delve into practical techniques that enhance demonstration and engagement during training sessions. Discover the power of clear communication and the importance of seeking feedback for continuous improvement. This insightful discussion is a goldmine for anyone aiming to elevate their coaching game in the fitness industry.

Discover the five common training mistakes that can sabotage your progress and how to avoid them. Learn why striving for too much too soon can stall your results. Uncover the truth behind muscle and strength gains, even for beginners. Explore the dangers of misguided calorie reduction and excessive training frequency. Find out which cardio methods to focus on for optimal results, as well as practical four-week cardio program suggestions. Finally, delve into the significance of structured workouts and recovery for long-lasting gains.

Every once in a while I like to do an episode on program design and share insights on writing better programs. Whether you’re a coach or you’re a fitness enthusiast that wants to get better results, I share a process of how to design a program that will improve your looks, performance, help you feel better, while being able to give you longevity in the weight room (this is about the long game). IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: => The questions we MUST answer first before creating a program (if you don’t do this you’ll waste your time). => Why what people like does matter when it comes to writing programs (it has something to do with compliance).  => The 4 goals I bucket clients into and the Athlete For Life bucket and how I determine it. => The understanding of the neural-metabolic continuum and how it will help you write more effective programs. => My 8 primary variables of program design and how to use them as you change up programs.  => How I progress and regress exercises and why I’ve bought ______ pieces of equipment.  => Helping clients become savage comes along with addressing their movement limitations (or you’ll beat them up over time). => The 4 buckets of exercises and different program design examples to show you how to use them. => The myth of structural balance and should you row 3x more than you press (you’ll be surprised by this one!). => The value of testing and which things I test at Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance. => Should we REALLY change the program every 3-6 weeks? => Why “slow cooking” is one of the best way to get clients incredible results over time. => Here’s how being a lazy coach has got my clients better results.  => How I use modifiers, different stances, and other tools to improve the results of my clients. =>  The simple breakdown of set and rep ranges to use in your programs.  => What does “touching intensity” mean and why you shouldn’t push your general population clients too often.  I’m excited to say I’ve now partnered with the highest quality supplements I’ve been using for years - Live Momentous. It’s hard to trust supplements today, which is why I use the most rigorously tested supplements out there. What they say is in them, is in them. It’s also the only whey isolate that hasn’t upset my girlfriend’s stomach (she has ulcerative colitis). Get my favorites here: https://www.livemomentous.com/collections/luka-hocevar and use promo code “LUKA15” to get 15% off any order.  Ten Thousand makes The World’s Best Men’s Training Gear And the ONLY Training Shorts You’ll EVER Need. Upgrade your training gear and get 15% off everything at www.TenThousand.cc/VIGOR If you need to replace your energy drinks (like I did in September of 2023) with clean energy, with no caffeine, no sugar, and no crashes, check out the KetoneIQ, my go to shot to give me focus, energy, and no crashes for when I’m working, coaching, and training. Get a 6-pack free and 30% of your subscription at www.KETONE.com/LUKA LINKS & RESOURCES: Vigor Ground Fitness and Business Summit 2024 https://www.vigorgroundfitness.com/vigor-summit-2024 Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

I was so glad to finally connect with Brad at the Evolve Conference where we both spoke. We had dinner and realized we were both hoop fanatics, loved the fitness industry and were obsessed with our craft. It was is important that we did this episode and it was an absolutely packed episode of value! Brad Dieter is a scientist and entrepreneur whose goal is to help address preventable disease. He completed his PhD and Fellowship in diabetes and metabolism where he examined how diet and exercise can affect the initiation and progression of disease. His entrepreneurial career has been focused on building businesses in the nutrition, fitness, and wellness industries from initiation to scale. He has also worked alongside NASM as a key contributor to their certifications, including the NASM-CNC, NASM-WLS, NASM-CSNC, NASM-VCS, NASM-PBC, and NASM-CWC and am presently serving on the NASM Scientific Advisory Board.  Brad is the co-founder and COO of Macros Inc, a company on the Inc 5000 in 2022 that has coached over 25k clients and has built a community of over 400k people. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: => 25,000+ clients later, the top 3 things that have helped them transform their health and body are ______. => Consistently prioritizing nutrition is one of the most difficult things for most people. => When life stresses come up, nutrition is the first thing that drops off (and this is how the top coaches help change that). => Why investing in your coaching prioritizes it as a focus and accountability supercharges it. => A peculiar habit that most successful clients have (that involves sharing their failures). => Decision making tools and problem solving are the skills that great coaches help you develop, that end up leading to long term success. => Prioritizing means planning is part of your habits, which is why this is my clients #1 habit.  => How to hold your clients accountable while giving them the space to be imperfect => Developing REAL relationships with clients are the foundation for successful coaching (get curious and discover how they operate) => Being proactive with communication is KEY to a retention and a successful long term business. => Why clients many times think that they are a burden to you as a coach => An invisible strategy that helps you adapt to your clients as they evolve throughout their life (you can’t coach them the same when they’re 20,30,40+….). => Insights on who Marcos Inc hire and why (the 2 things you should be thinking about).  => Shifting from coach to manager to executive, the changes of skills and focus (you can learn a lot from this!).  =>  Your role on the team is not what you’re capable of doing, but what the team needs to win! => How our life in sports helped us develop character and value that carried over to business.  => Is it necessary to hustle the first part of your career? (THIS is a must hear for anyone building their career in fitness). => What you MUST condition yourself for to be a successful entrepreneur. => The road less stupid and how we make better decisions for our businesses.  => Why part of “getting smarter” involves surrounding yourself with smarter people and aggressively seeking feedback.  => How Macros Inc generates an endless stream of leads and how you can “steal” their strategies.  => Brad’s secret strategy to building skillsets at an accelerated rate (it only takes 15 minutes per day) => Luka’s learning strategy that helps him accelerate his learning.  => BIG insights on growing and scaling a successful nutrition coaching company.  LINKS & RESOURCES: Macros Inc website: https://macrosinc.net/ Brad Dieter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brad.dieter/ Vigor Ground Fitness and Business Summit 2024 https://www.vigorgroundfitness.com/vigor-summit-2024 Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA