Becoming Ronin

In today’s episode, Smitty shares how he creates an environment and mindset that allows him to be extremely productive. He outlines best tips for preparation, accountability, brain dumps, and list making to ensure you stay on the right path to getting things done. OB gives away his gyms process for recruiting the highest level of coaches. In it, he explains some of the surprising things they look for in their coaches and what makes a great trainer stand out from good trainers. *For a full list of show notes, timestamps & important links from this episode visit: Becoming Ronin Podcast TIMESTAMPS [0:00] Intro [5:09] Mindset for Productivity [9:23] Productivity Starts the Night Before [10:51] Planning Small Wins [11:29] Morning Mindset [12:57] “Limbic Friction” [14:37] Light Exposure [16:55] How to Use Brain Dumps to Increase Productivity [20:10] Do, Delegate, or Dump [23:55] The 20/20 Split For Productive Work [26:20] Taking Action to Avoid Building Negative Habits [29:40] Being a Person of Value [31:27] Your Training is as Good as Your Training Partners [34:28] Mentors Are the Training Partners of Life [37:40] Smitty’s Efficiency Hack [42:20] What OB’s Gyms Look For In a Good Coach [45:42] Warm Up Flow [47:29] Coaching Body Language [48:48] The Tow Cue Coaching Rule [52:00] How to Give Feedback to Clients [53:17] 3D Coaching [58:17] Picking an iTunes Review Winner RESOURCES CPPS Certification

In Episode 9, we are honored to bring you Joe DeFranco as Becoming Ronin’s very first guest.  Joe starts by talking about his early career and the major influences who shaped him as a trainer and how he approached training athletes. He also covers the big shifts in his training mentality and how it has evolved over the years. He also discusses becoming a father and how he has introduced fitness for his own daughters. Smitty asks Joe, what sparked him to create what is now regarded as one of the most popular programs in the fitness industry, Westside for Skinny Bastards (WS4SB). Joe explains that how being an “Observational Trainer,” leads to recognizing the results from your training styles and using this experience to make an impact in the industry. Joe gives his thoughts on three forefathers of performance training and his inspirations from each pioneer. Smitty, Joe, and OB discuss the evolution of the CPPS and the its direction for the future. *For a full list of show notes, timestamps & important links from this episode visit: Becoming Ronin Podcast TIMESTAMPS  [0:00] Intro [2:15] Rapid Fire Questions for Joe [11:44] Joe’s Biggest Influence and Why [14:00] Early Training Memories with George DeFranco [18:45] Joe’s Approach with Training His Daughters [25:08] The Foundation of Joe’s Early Success in Training [31:17] What Sparked one of The Most Popular Training Programs in The Industry [39:30] How experimentation leads to good coaching [41:22] Best Way to Be Observational With Your Training [46:30] Beta Testing Your Program [49:00] A Vetted Program vs. Online Programs [52:32] The Forefathers of Performance Training (Franics, Poliquin, Hatfield) [1:11:25] The Best Letters to Have After Your Name in The Fitness Industry [1:18:19] Application of Training Knowledge RESOURCES Defrancostraining.com Joe's Instagram Industrial Strength Show CPPS Certification

In today's episode, OB is back from seeing Jordan Peterson in Texas and gives a recap on some amazing takeaways with the main topic being "Maintaining the Romance in your Relationship."  The guys also reflect on advice from Peterson on raising kids and a very common and accepted mistake most parents make. Smitty and OB discuss the problems with sticking with "basic" exercises and not inlcuding variety in training. OB shares ways his team of trainers is gamifying programming to make training fun again, including HR training and team challenges. *For a full list of show notes, timestamps & important links from this episode visit: Becoming Ronin Podcast TIMESTAMPS [0:00] Into [0:26] Ronin Game Shoutout - Brad Laska [3:30] Seeing Jordan Peterson Live [7:30 ] Patterns That Prevent Growth [10:20] Voluntarily Suffering Is Transformative [12:17] Being Vulnerable [15:48] How To Easily Make Your Relationships Awesome [18:08] Attention is Currency [24:45] How to Make Your Programming Exciting [27:50] The Super Simple Way To Injury Proof Your Training [32:50] Why Fitness Dogma Can Hurt You [37:20] How to Gameify Your Heart Rate Training [44:52] Effective Way to  Incorporate Challenges into Your Training [47:05] Developing Systems in Your Training

In today's episode, OB and Smitty discuss a recent study on why willpower isn't a great strategy for success and the two science backed characteristics that truly help you succeed. Next, how the importance of including regular mental stress in your life and then they compare their experiences with their recent cold plunge endeavors. Smitty talks about Dr. Andrew Huberman's recent post on garlic's affect on LDL. Smitty and OB give their advice on how to build your brand on social media. *For a full list of show notes, timestamps & important links from this episode visit: Becoming Ronin Podcast TIMESTAMPS [0:00] Intro [1:18] The Best Mindset for Stress [5:55] Is Everything You Know About Willpower Wrong? [8:15] Is Gratitude the Key to Achieving New Goals? [9:23] How Compassion Plays a Role in Evolving. [10:30] Connecting to your Future Self [13:25] Taking a Compliment [15:25] Take Care of Yourself to Give the Best Version of Yourself to the World [22:15] Including Mental Stress in Your Life [25:27] Smitty’s Initial Failure with a Cold Plunge [30:00] OB’s Breakthrough to the Stress Response [32:54] Is Anticipation Holding You Back? [35:30] Becoming Ronin Cold Water Challenge [38:00] A Simple Fix for High LDL LISTENER Q&A [45:44] How to Build Your Brand With Social Media @fierce_phoenix_fitness_ [46:40] Keeping Social Media Social [50:33] How Frequently Should You Post to Social Media? [52:09] Documenting Your Brand @breakthroughsc [53:58] Pick Your Social Media Platform and Run With It! [54:50] Social Media Advice from Strong NY @kennysantucci [55:30] Pick Your Social Media Voice @jayferruggia

In today's episode, Smitty and OB discuss Robert Glover's "Toxic Nice Guy Syndrome." They continue on to discuss ways to become an integrated man, that relies on his own moral compass to guide his life to success. Smitty gives tribute to his mentor Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Monk who recently passed away, but through his amazing teachings, lives on.  Smitty and OB then answer some listener questions, share some of their funniest client stories, and talk about how OB almost didn't make it out of his first Strongman Saturday workout with Smitty. *For a full list of show notes, timestamps & important links from this episode visit: Becoming Ronin Podcast TIMESTAMPS [0:00] Intro [0:16] Personal Thank You [2:16] What is “Nice Guy Syndrome” [5:50] How to Avoid Toxic Nice Symptoms [6:54] Liking Yourself First [7:44] Taking Action to be “Worthy” [8:23] Empathy through Suffering [9:46] What is an “Integrated” Man? [10:10] Wimp Push Over vs. Arrogant Jerks [14:33] Consistent messaging to kids [17:50] Why people try to break you down [18:29] Tribute to Thich Nhat Hanh [20:11] What led to Smitty’s Awakening [22:55] The message that changed Smitty’s life [26:35] The lesson in meaning [29:21] Mindfulness practice [30:10] Listener Q&A [30:20] Dream Cars - from Chris Caputo [34:07] Group Training vs Individual - Camaco [36:20] What is a “pre-warmup?” [38:00] What do you use as a moral compass? [40:17] Funny Client Stories [46:20] The time OB almost died during a strongman workout RESOURCES CPPS Certification The Ageless Athlete Series

In this episode, Smitty and OB tackle some listener questions. One question sparked the telling of the most memorable CPPS certification (CPPS), which Smitty calls, "The Infamous Torchi Experiment." Smitty's brush with death in the Austin Texas Airport and his harrowing journey home are written in the scrolls so all future generations will never forget. Then the guys give their thoughts on the how to make gym friends and why that might be the most important component in your fitness journey. Smitty and OB weigh in on if leg extensions are a "good" exercise, if there's a time and place for them, and things to consider if you do use them. They finish the episode by talking about how passion evolves over your career and how your relationship with fitness changes for the better. *For a full list of show notes, timestamps & important links from this episode visit: Becoming Ronin Podcast TIMESTAMPS [0:00] INTRO [0:40] The Most Hilarious CPPS Story Ever [0:41] No spoiler alerts on this one Q&A [25:18] How To Approach New People in a Gym [30:17] The Basic But Brutal Program [35:31] Do Smitty and OB Disagree on if Leg Extensions Are a Good Exercise? [37:10] The Types of People Who Can Benefit from Leg Extensions [42:53] Better Way of Thinking About Programming Exercises [45:40] How Passion for the Fitness Industry Evolves Over Your Career RESOURCES CPPS Certification The Ageless Athlete Series

In today’s episode, we announce our very first winner of our custom Becoming Ronin Yeti water bottles. Smitty and OB share the Weekly Words of Wisdom and lay out a lesson in identifying success. They continue with a warning about how the “fear of success” is holding you back and how to overcome this to manifest your goals.  Then Smitty and OB take to Instagram Q&A listener questions, which sparks discussion about mistakes they both have made when training in the early years, how to auto-regulate your training, a huge hack for when you’re feeling run down, and much more. *For a full list of show notes, timestamps & important links from this episode visit: Becoming Ronin Podcast TIMESTAMPS [0:00] INTRO [0:14] Picking a winner for a custom Ronin Yeti [1:36] Weekly Words of Wisdom [7:25] The Fear of Success is Preventing Your Success [10:34] Earning Success vs. “Deserving” Success [12:29] How To Remove Yourself From the Procrastination Loop [14:15] Allowing Yourself to Be Inspired By Others [16:21] Begin The Process of Healing to Manifest Your Goals [17:21] What is your motivation to help others? [22:00] Mistakes Smitty and OB made when they started training clients [26:00] Biggest Discrepancies Between Text Books and Real World Training [30:00] Patch Your Leaks Before Adding Horsepower [31:00] The Emotional Disconnect between Education and Application [34:00] Smitty’s Hacks for Autoregulating Your Training [38:10] Don’t Ignore This Warning Sign When Training [39:43] A Huge Training Hack For When You’re Feeling Run Down RESOURCES CPPS Certification The Ageless Athlete Series

In today's episode, Smitty and OB discuss a quick update on 'The Ronin Game,' and share some tips for being a better student. OB gives away his best free marketing strategy that he has used in his gyms to get more clients in the doors. Smitty talks about the critical strategies you need to help your morning training sessions be safe and effective and how training in the morning is different than training at night. Finally, the episode finishes with a powerful message about cutting people out of your life. *For a full list of show notes, timestamps & important links from this episode visit: Becoming Ronin Podcast TIMESTAMPS [0:00] INTRO [3:00] Updates on "The Ronin Game" [8:15] Tips for Being a "Better Student" [18:35] The Single Best Marketing Strategy [29:25] Critical Tips If You Train In The Morning [34:45] Should You Load The Spine In The Morning? [35:20] How to Train If You Have Pain or Injury [39:00] Ways to Make Morning Sessions More Effective [41:47] The Problem With Cutting People Out of Your Life RESOURCES CPPS Certification The Ageless Athlete Series

What does the student do when they feel discouraged? They go out and encourage others. This is the true intent of the Ronin game and giving of yourself to ease the suffering of others. Learn how personal accountability will completely change how you look at life. Specifically, when you don't see your role in a situation, you can never see things from someone else's perspective. OB reveals his "Decision Making Matrix," that he uses to guide his life decisions. Finally, to achieve absolute greatness in your life, you must forego all else and jump into the abyss. *For a full list of show notes, timestamps & important links from this episode visit: Becoming Ronin Podcast TIMESTAMPS [0:00] INTRO [2:07] Rapid Fire Questions for Smitty [4:48] What is The Ronin Game and Random Acts of Kindness [15:05] Madness in Excellence [18:00] Reflecting on Your Personal Accountability [22:20] Accepting Criticism and Developing a Sense of SELF [26:00] The Importance of Self-Forgiveness [28:21] The Biggest Problem That Plagues Trainers [32:35] A Better Approach to Injury [42:10]  The Importance of Unloaded Movements in Training [43:00] Common Problems with Mobility Exercises [44:07] Use This Decision Making Matrix to Make Tough Decisions Seem Easy [53:45] The Rules of the Ronin Game RESOURCES: CPPS Certification

In Becoming Ronin's very first episode, Smitty and OB deep dive into the origins of "Becoming Ronin." We discuss Smitty's recent sweat lodge experience and how the ceremony and prayer can be a 'reset' in your life. Smitty talks about what it took to leave his corporate job and go all-in on fitness. Finally, learn the importance of a complete training system if you want results for clients and how the world-renowned CPPS certification has changed over the years. *For a full list of show notes, timestamps & important links from this episode visit: Becoming Ronin Podcast TIMESTAMPS: [00:00] - INTRO [2:00] - What is the origin of “Becoming Ronin?” [10:30] - Raising children and self-love [13:30] - Parallels of parenting to business [18:40] - Smitty’s recent sweat lodge experience [29:07] - Evolution of the mind [34:03] - Dynamics between happiness and success [44:45] - Recognizing your patterns in order to change them [48:05] - Madness in excellence [55:10] - How the CPPS certification changes lives RESOURCES: CPPS Certification What is a sweat lodge? Mike Desanti - Instagram Jay Ferruggia's Renegade Podcast