In today's episode, Stuart welcomes back Mark Council. Mark owns a gym called Platform Performance, which he opened with a business partner in 2017. This is the first proper episode of a new podcast instalment we're trialling called 'gym owner corner' where I'll bring Mark on to discuss the realities and challenges of being a gym owner. In this episode, we discuss a range of topics including what he's doing to manage his mental health just now, keeping members engaged, retention strategies, thoughts on gyms reopening and much more.       Timestamps: [03.20] - What he's doing to manage his mental health just now? [08.00] - Why Mark has his own online coach. [13.40] - Did he have any reservations around paying for coaching/ therapy? [19.20] - Experiencing the frustration at being stalled. [20.05] - How his gym is keeping his members going through lockdown? [23.20] - What about the members who aren't engaging with his online workouts and challenges? [25.57] - Is his gym trying to bring in new members at the moment? [27.40] - Plan for moving forward and reopening. [28.40] - The angle he'll be using to advertise his gym. [31.15] - Bringing more people towards health and fitness. [32.25] - How well he knows each new member who signs up to Platform.   Find Out More About Mark: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.council Platform Website: http://platformpt.co.uk/      Find Out More About LTB: Website: https://liftthebar.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/

In today's episode, Stuart welcomes Eric Trexler. Eric is a pro natural bodybuilder and a sports nutrition researcher. He has several years of University-level teaching experience, and has been coaching athletes with a wide variety of backgrounds and experience levels since 2009. Eric is now the Director of Education at Stronger By Science, and a reviewer for Monthly Applications in Strength Sport (MASS). For the first half of this episode, they discuss how he handles comparisons in the fitness industry, increasing exercise frequency during quarantine and making time for your most important task. We then move into discussing all things related to caffeine. Timestamps are below!       Timestamps: [01.45] - Has he struggled with the identity aspect of not being able to exercise how he likes to exercise? [09.47] - How he's getting on with his 2021 goal of exercising for 20 minutes per day. [14.57] - Making time to write by putting a 2-hour slot into his day first thing in the morning. [22.34] - What we know about caffeine and performance. [25.27] - What we know about caffeine and health. [28.27] - Recommendations for caffeine and your gen pop PT client. [30.52] - Feeling tired after having a cup of coffee. [33.27] - Individual variation in how individuals respond to caffeine. [38.04] - How he consumes caffeine? [38.20] - Removing caffeine and reintroducing it to improve performance? [42.02] - Caffeine and sleep. [45.52] - Supplements he's intrigued by for the general population.   Find Out More About Eric: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trexlerfitness/  Website: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/      Find Out More About LTB: Website: https://liftthebar.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/

In today's episode, Stuart welcomes Yusef Smith & Jonny Watson. Jonny and Yusef have two main businesses - Propane Fitness, where they help people get lean, and Propane Business, where they help trainers move online and create functioning business systems. They have a wide-ranging discussion about lessons they've learned about business, marketing, branding and productivity.       Timestamps: [01.20] - A discussion about favourite cereals. [07.15] - What their approach to getting better/ learning has been. [15.37] - How to work out what works and what doesn't when you're trying to improve an aspect of your business. [19.48] - Marketing lessons. [24.45] - How their brand has developed? [28.30] - What they wish more people knew about business? [34.18] - Yusef's productivity system/ a discussion about productivity. [48.40] - Lifestyle currencies. [49.45] - Using a website blocker to improve focus. [51.15] - Task management - capture, review, do   Find Out More About Jonny & Yusef: LTB Listener Link: https://propanefitness.com/ltb IG: https://www.instagram.com/propanefitness/ Website: https://propane-business.com/       Find Out More About LTB: Website: https://liftthebar.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/

In today's episode, Stuart welcomes Dr Col Robertson & Mel Spooner.  Together, they run a company called CAWS. CAWS is a company that is helping trainers and coaches navigate the tricky waters of working with clients who have had COVID-19. As well as that, CAWS has a ton of great content for trainers on their website, Youtube and Instagram. They discuss some fitness industry predictions for after lockdown and long covid. They talk about long covid is, what trainers need to know to about training a client who has had covid and why trainers are absolutely essential for helping society get out of this whole we're in.   Dr Colin Robertson has been involved in human performance and sport science his entire professional career. He has worked in every aspect of Strength and Conditioning from rugby to wrestling to wheelchair basketball, and countless sports in between; at national and international levels of competition. He has prepared numerous global adventurers to undertake unimaginable challenges, from climbing Everest to rowing the Atlantic, "Dr Col" has become a go-to specialist. Mel brings to the business a 15-year career history handling global responsibilities for some of the biggest brand names in the sports and fitness industry and having consulted for many of the top 100 health club chains in the world. Mel is known for her roles at major brands including Technogym, TRX and MYZONE, and most recently overseas projects for Stages Cycling and David Lloyd Clubs through the work she does with TPN International — her first company set up in 2014.           Timestamps: [01.58] - How do they feel about the career of personal training just now? [10.35] - How can trainers position themselves for the boom that may be coming for the fitness industry? [15.45] - Why personal trainers/ coaches are essential for helping people with their health and fitness goals now more than ever. [27.20] - What is long COVID and what do we know about it? [32.35] - COVID infection numbers broken down. [40.00] - Considerations when working with a client who has had COVID.   Find Out More About Mel & Dr Col: Website: https://www.trainwithcaws.com/  IG: https://www.instagram.com/cawsdaily/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkYAK9D9Ng_EVOPOL-G0Cjw      Find Out More About LTB: Website: https://liftthebar.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/

In today's episode, Stuart welcomes Mark Council. Mark owns a gym called Platform Performance, which he opened with a business partner in 2017. We discuss a wide range of topics including how he's staying optimistic amidst the chaos of lockdowns and uncertainty of COVID, why he prioritises professional development & mentorship, and how he ensures he gets the most out of what he invests in, how his gym delivers an 11-star service to their members and much more!       Timestamps: [01.25] - How his lockdown is going? [06.32] - Why other people's success does leave clues. [08.10] - Business biography recommendations. [10.15] - Why he's been so willing to ask for help and mentorship today. [14.40] - How he manages feeling like there's too much to do in his business. [16.00] - Business key performance indicators (KPI's) [18.00] - An 11-star service. [23.53] - How he applies the professional development he goes through. [25.00] - Lateral thinking. [29.10] - Mark discusses the harder times he's had as a gym owner. [34.25] - Why he has always focussed on delivering an excellent service and experience to his clients. [38.30] - How his gym, Platform Performance, recruits new personal trainers. [43.35] - Why gym ownership is not a natural step for most trainers.   Find Out More About Mark: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.council Platform Website: http://platformpt.co.uk/      Find Out More About LTB: Website: https://liftthebar.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/

In today's episode, Stuart welcomes Claire Winter. In the episode, they have a conversation around creating a more inclusive fitness industry. They touch on what Claire learned interviewing fitness professionals for a piece she created on prejudice in the soon to be released LTB magazine issue 11, why it's so common to feel like you don't belong in the fitness industry as a PT, why every client deserves the blank slate treatment and steps everyone can take to create a more inclusive industry.       Timestamps: [03.30] - Some of the things Claire learned in process of speaking to a bunch of fitness professionals about prejudice within the industry. [15.05] - Why is it so common for personal trainers to feel like they don't belong in the fitness industry? [21.40] - Why every client deserves the blank slate treatment. [24.40] - Why all forms of exercise are good forms of exercise. [33.10] - Steps to create a more inclusive fitness industry. [41.20] - How you can read the LTB magazine.     Find Out More About LTB: Website: https://liftthebar.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/

In today's episode, Stuart welcomes Olly Jones. Olly is a trainer who has been working with clients since July 2004. Currently, he is the personal training co-ordinator for a gym called The Marlow Club where he mentors trainers and trains his clients. They discuss what it would be like starting as a PT today, why it's ok to change who you want to work with throughout your career, how to improve your client retention rates and defining the term client results.     Timestamps: [01.50] - How he got started in the fitness industry. [09.35] - Starting online as a new personal trainer? [16.55] - Why remote coaching through zoom is a viable method for new personal trainers to use to get started. [19.05] - Why it's common to change the direction of who you want to work with in personal training. [27.15] - Why he's managed to achieve such high retention rates. [37.56] - Personal trainers defining client results too narrowly.     Find Out More About Olly: Email: pt@themarlowclub.co.uk IG: https://www.instagram.com/olly_jonespt/      Find Out More About LTB: Website: https://liftthebar.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/

In today's episode, Stuart welcomes Andy Morgan. Andy is an online coach and author who lives in Japan and runs RippedBody.com and Athletebody.jp. He's been an online coach for over 9 years. Stuart and Andy discuss how he got his first few clients and how he gets them today, why it's worth creating blogs, how to create your first one and imposter syndrome.     Timestamps: [02.34] - How Andy found starting as an online coach without doing any in-person coaching beforehand? [07.01] - Did he have any mentors or coaches who helped him when he first started? [10.52] - How he handles imposter syndrome? [15.36] - How he got his first online coaching clients? [22.42] - How he gets clients now? [27.55] - Is a blog a worthwhile thing to do? [33.16] - What should you write about if you start a blog? [37.22] - Has he always liked writing?     Find Out More About Andy: https://rippedbody.com/ https://www.instagram.com/andy_rippedbody/     Find Out More About LTB: Website Instagram Facebook

In today's episode, Stuart welcomes Cody Hill. Cody is a trainer who works mainly in large group settings. He's run large group outdoor sessions for a number of years for a company called Camp Gladiator. They talk about how he got started, some of the misconceptions that large group training holds from the world of the Bootcamp, how to create better large group sessions, getting more interaction when running zoom workouts, why you should watch your recorded workouts back and much more.      Timestamps: [01.33] - Why he started lifting weights? [05.08] - How he ended up starting in the fitness industry? [10.20] - When he realised a Bootcamp wasn't just burpees and train-till-you-throw-up type workouts. [18.12] - What a sample outdoor workout looks like? [21.43] - How he started doing 1-1 PT off the back of running his group sessions? [25.28] - Increasing interaction and a community feel over online platforms like zoom. [33.00] - How important is the quality of trainer in large group training? [39.53] - Would he go into large group training if he didn't have the job he does just now? [47.43] - Skillsets for group training and 1-1. [49.23] - Why you should watch back your recorded online group workouts. [51.23] - Characteristics for doing well in group workouts.       Find Out More About Cody: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cody.hill.4      Find Out More About LTB: Website Session X: https://sessionx.com/  Instagram Facebook

In today's episode, Stuart welcomes Nik Handley and Anthony Park from PT Mentor Academy. Together they've got nearly 40 years of experience in personal training in a variety of roles and lots to teach. They discuss a range of topics from the world of personal training including what you should be focussing on right now, what they were they both like as new trainers and what it's like looking back, what their message would be to a struggling trainer, turning knowledge into action and a bunch of other lessons.     Timestamps: [03.26] - Ant's experience as a new personal trainer. [05.54] - Nik's experience as a new personal trainer. [10.21] - When Nik found his place in the industry. [12.51] - When Ant found his place in the industry. [17.21] - What their advice would be a trainer who is struggling just now. [22.41] - Bridging the gap between getting knowledge and information and turning it into action. [32.41] - Does personal training have an apprenticeship phase? [45.34] - How they would start in the industry if they were starting tomorrow but had all of their knowledge and experience?       Find Out More About PTMA: Website: https://ptmentoracademy.com/  Ant's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antptma/      Find Out More About LTB: Website Session X: https://sessionx.com/  Instagram Facebook