In today's episode, Bret Contreras "The Glute Guy" joins us. Bret is the inventor of the hip thrust and many other great ways to train the glutes you've no doubt used in your programming. He's a researcher, S&C coach and someone who spends just as much in the trenches experimenting as anyone else in the fitness industry. We discuss programming, glute training, tips for personal trainers and much more.          Timestamps 5.50 - How he has approached personal growth as a fitness professional 18.30 - Why and how he has changed his approach to using social media 22.05 - How he goes about designing gen pop training programmes 25.20 - Why most people don't have problems with glute activation 27.50 - Why telling clients they have a weak core is a dangerous thing to say 33.20 - Why your words and demeanour matter as a personal trainer 37.25 - Why you should educate your clients when they are training with you 39.35 - How to get more word of mouth referrals 42.50 - Where he starts when a new client wants to grow their glutes. Volume, frequency etc 46.50 - His advice to personal trainers for making more money 50.35 - What's exciting him in his trials in the glute lab currently     Find Out More About Bret: Website Instagram New Book     Find Out More About LTB: Website Instagram Facebook

In today's episode, we welcome on Jack Lovett. Jack is the owner of Spartan Performance, a gym that works with people from all walks of life but that specialises in getting its clients strong. He's also an athlete who has won the British Natural Strongman competition and competed at an international level, and he's also an author of the newly released Spartan Strength book. In this episode, we discuss his love for strength training, what he's learned coaching people and running a gym business for 10 years now, and what he wishes more personal trainers knew about becoming successful in this industry.       Timestamps 1.20 - What Jack loves about strength training 5.35 - Why most clients approach the gym to improve their aesthetics 9.30 - Why success leads to more success 10.15 - Qualities that have transcended from the gym to his life 13.00 - What were his first few years of owning spartan performance like 14.30 - What he did right during that time 16.00 - What he did wrong during that time 23.00 - How he sold personal training in a warehouse gym 10 years ago 27.30 - Whether or not he believes walking the walking helped him grow his business 36.30 - Lessons he's learnt from shadowing other trainers in the US 40.00 - Why he decided to write a book  44.15 - Why application is where the greatest lessons are learnt 48.20 - How he has found finding staff and what he looks for in a coach 54.45 - Closing messages   Find Our More About Jack: Website Instagram Email = jack@spartanperformance.co.uk   Find Out More About LTB: Website Instagram Facebook

In this episode, Stuart and previous guest Alex Pearson have a conversation about the newly launched Weight Watchers (WW) app for kids and how to help clients who are overly focussed on the scales. They are going to aim to do a minimum of one of these Q&A type episodes per month so please feel free to send over any questions you have to stuart@liftthebar.com and they'll get to them next time!   Topics Covered: What role PTs can play in discussing something like the WW app The positives of the WW app The problems with it What parents can do to help their kids with nutrition The problem with moralising food into good/bad labels How to help a client who is using good/bad food labels How to help a client who is overly focussed on scale weight   Find Out More About LTB: Website Instagram Facebook Resources mentioned: Yoni Freedhoff, Ellyn Satter, Balance356 Podcast    

In today's episode, we welcome on Edward Hall. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation at Northumbria University, UK. His research interests focus on the relational, (micro)political and emotional complexities of sport coaching. His work explores how networks of social relations influence the thoughts, feelings and (inter)actions of sport professionals, and how sense is made of experiences, relationships and the self. He is also a rugby coach and coach mentor, currently working with professional and elite coaches in various sports to support their continuing development. We discuss what Edward's father taught him and how this has shaped the kind of coach he is, tips for improving your interpersonal skills, what reflective practice is, why to use it and how to integrate it into your professional development.   Timestamps   2.35 - How Edward's Dad taught him to drive and how this shaped the kind of person he is 5.35 - Why trust, care and consistency are some of the foundations of how he coaches his athletes and teaches his students 10.35 - Why he coaches and teaches using a "freedom within limits" environment 12.30 - Why he feels that relationships are a huge part of coaching people 20.10 - Some practical tips for improving interpersonal skills 23.30 - What reflective practice is 26.00 - An example of how a personal trainer can reflect on their practice 29.50 - His initial internal response to seeing himself on video as part of his reflective practice 33.40 - What did he spot from using reflective practice that allowed him to develop 36.40 - Should trainers and coaches engage in reflective practice? 38.30 - How to go about using reflective practice and how often? 42.40 - Some examples of questions to ask yourself when reflecting on your practice 48.45 - Edward's closing messages Find Out More About Edward: Northumbria University Bio Research Papers Twitter   Find Out More About LTB: Website Instagram Facebook Stuart's Email For 30 Day Free Trial + Reflective Practice Document - stuart@liftthebar.com

In today's episode, we welcome on Josh Hillis. Josh is the author of Fat Loss Happens on Monday (2013) and the upcoming Lean and Strong (2019) for OnTarget Publications. He has been writing his blog, losestubbornfat.com, since 2004. This ended up being a really cool conversation about a load of different topics mostly related to the world of coaching. We covered how he sets up nutrition coaching in a Personal Training setting, why it's ok that a lot of clients will start without any want to change their nutrition and workaholism.   Timestamps 2.20 - Is Personal Training set up for effective nutritional behaviour change? 4.00 - how he sets up and runs his phone coaching nutrition service 5.10 - where does he have nutrition conversations with his clients? 6.20 - what do clients need when it comes to nutrition support? 8.40 - what would Josh tell himself if he could go back in time when it comes to coaching nutrition? 10.25 - the difference between values and goals 14.55 - why looking for the gold in your client's lives and relating that to fitness/nutrition can help them understand how behaviour change takes time 18.00 - how often does he work with clients who start from an extrinsic/external place? 19.40 - how to help clients work our their values 24.40 - how he helps the clients who can't seem to be helped 28.40 - why it's normal to start working with clients who have no interest in changing nutrition but do in training 31.40 - Dan John's traffic light system for lifestyle behaviour change 36.00 - how he likens his workaholism to what his clients go through with their eating behaviours 40.45 - the difference between grit and self-compassion 46.40 - why it's ok that you can't manage as many sessions as other trainers 47.55 - why the cult of positivity is a big driver for emotional eating   Find Out More About Josh: Website Facebook Group Book   Find Out More About LTB: Website Instagram Facebook Stuart's Email For 30 Day Free Trial - stuart@liftthebar.com

In this episode, we welcome on Cameron Cummings. Cameron has built up a fantastic business inside of a commercial gym in Edinburgh and is the man who is running our commercial gym trainer group at LTB, and filling it weekly with ideas and insights on becoming a successful commercial gym PT. In this episode, we dive straight into how he built up his business and started getting clients, what's worked and what hasn't for lead generation and where he feels commercial gym trainers go wrong.   Timestamps: 0.50 - How he got busy in his first commercial gym using a "seeing what sticks" strategy 6.50 - How his second time in a commercial gym differed to his first 8.50 - How his time management played a big role in getting more clients 15.50 - Why you need to double down on the strategies that work for lead generation 17.20 - Why free sessions do work 17.55 - How to go from conversation to paid client 23.50 - Where do commercial gym PTs go wrong? 31.20 - What has he done when he's in phases of not knowing what to do? 33.30 - Why not having to worry about paying his bills has helped his enjoyment of being a personal trainer 36.10 - What Cameron's message to a struggling PT would be   Find Out More About Cameron: Facebook Instagram LTB Commercial Gym Trainer FB Group   Find Out More About LTB: Website Instagram Facebook

In this episode, we welcome on Tom Morgan, Dai Lees and Alex Gibilaro from Hy3rid. We cover bodyweight training, what it's like working as three mates who are business partners and why it's ok as a PT to lose your motivation for training. Hy3rid provides online coaching with the primary aim to help people fall in love with training by making it fun again and providing a ridiculously positive and supportive community. They also run workshops that explore movement and bodyweight skill training. Hybrid are running a workshop for us at LTB in Maidenhead on the 1st of September 2019 where they'll be covering warm-ups and then breaking down the handstand as well as loads of other bodyweight drills you can use with clients and in your own training. Head here to find out more about that!   Questions/Timestamps 2.30. If you could only do one exercise for the rest of your life, what would it be? 3.50 - Why do they love and enjoy bodyweight training so much? 8.35 - How can a trainer go about introducing more bodyweight training into a clients programme? 15.05 - How much of their programming is bodyweight based? 15.50 - what is it like being 3 good mates and business partners? 23.05 - do they think they put people off as they are all in great shape and put a lot of topless photos on social media? 27.35 - losing your motivation as a trainer for your own training. 35.35 - why spending time with other trainers is invaluable for both your own growth and love of being a PT.   Find Out More About Hy3rid: Website Facebook Instagram LTB Seminar   Find Out More About LTB: Website Instagram Facebook

In today's episode, we welcome on Mark Tregilgas. Mark is a 40-year-old personal trainer with 13 years of experience. He founded 30 Plus Men's Fitness in 2010 and has Bootcamp locations across the UK and an online membership and community of over 30s men from across the globe. There are some episodes of the podcast that completely catch me and I think the guest by surprise, which is one of the beautiful things about having conversations with cool people. This is one of those episodes - Mark discusses a part of his life where he lost someone incredibly important to him and how this encouraged him to push on and form his entire business mission. Alongside this, we delve into the success of his bootcamps and what he wishes more personal trainers knew.   Find Out More About Mark: Website Facebook Youtube   Find Out More About LTB: Website Instagram Facebook

This podcast episode delves into semi-private personal training, featuring interviews with 7 trainers who share insights on SPPT benefits, program design, pricing, and client management. Topics also include coaching tips, nutrition support, pricing models, booking systems, and transitioning into SPPT. Listeners can learn about structuring workouts, client progress tracking, and the transition from 1-1 training to semi-private sessions.

Have you ever wondered how to improve your communication skills so you can better connect with your clients? In this from the archive episode from back in February of 2017, guest Cathy MacDonald from The Art of Communication answers this question and many more about improving and understanding communication.  Find Out More About Cathy: Website Facebook   Find Out More About LTB: Website Instagram Facebook