The PT Roadmap

A weekly newsletter for personal trainers that'll guide you in your career to become a better coach and build a better business.

Hey!

Thanks for opening up today's newsletter. I appreciate you being here.

I took last week off to enjoy a trip to Scotland to see family and attend my best mate’s wedding.

I got sunburnt, barely slept, ate my body weight in Percy Pigs and had to keep a toddler entertained for 20 hours of travel on the way home…

Never again, but I did have a great time.

Let's get into today's PT Roadmap.

One Coaching Cue

What's it for?

Super simple cue for overhead press work. It helps the client be aggressive on the way up, which I’ve found helps to get a few more reps out of each set.

Better Business

Long-term client retention

Clients that stay with you beyond one year are the lifeblood of a Personal Training business.

They allow you to take on challenging and/or fun clients because you’re covered financially by a core group of long-term clients.

Let’s talk about a few things that’ll keep your clients around for years, not months:

• Exercise enjoyment over need.

Retention is directly linked to exercise enjoyment.

So, give them exercises they enjoy over ones you think they ‘need’. You can sprinkle in ankle mobility work, but look out for the exercises they enjoy and get a lot from.

• Remember, you’re their coach, not their best mate.

It’s so easy to become more of a friend to long-term clients than a coach, but remember; they are paying you to be a coach for them.

You can become their friend, but it’s worth having times when you go into coach mode.

• Ask for feedback regularly.

Long-term clients are usually ok. But you don’t want to take your eye off the ball and forget they sometimes need more support.

Make a point of asking for some feedback every couple of months. Just to ensure you’re both singing off the same hymn sheet.

• Novel challenges.

I’ve got a couple of clients I’ve worked with for 7+ years.

We’ve tried our hand at handstands, Turkish get-ups, dragon flags, single-arm push-ups, pull-ups, pistol squats and more.

Giving long-term clients the occasional novel challenge can bring a new focus to their sessions.

• Positive attitude.

You are a beacon of positivity for your clients. This should be (almost) unwavering.

However, for the most part, your attitude should be positive, humorous (if that’s who you are) and encouraging.

• Keep learning.

You’re never too experienced to learn new ways to coach, programme or run your sessions.

Your current clients will appreciate seeing you testing new ideas, updating your methods and continually investing in your craft. It’s probably one of the reasons they’ve stuck with you so far.

Better Coaching

How many cues should I use?

The fewer, the better.

More information when performing a lift isn’t always helpful.

Especially if you’re teaching someone new or for a heavy lift.

I usually aim to give one cue, ask the client to put it in their own words (so I can check whether it made sense) and assess whether it affects their movement.

If it does, I bank that cue.

If it doesn’t, I try something new.

This is the opposite of what I used to do.

I’d throw out cues like a wedding DJ trying to get the guests amped up after a 3-course meal.

Hoping that one lands.

Few would land as my client would have no idea what to focus on.

A nice way to analogise this is to consider what you do when you’re driving in a busy city or trying to park in a busy supermarket.

You turn down your radio or music.

You want fewer things taking up your attention, not more.

So, with coaching cues, aim to use as few as you need for your client to perform the exercise effectively.

Here are some general rules from Juggernaut Training.

• Upto 70% 1RM = 2-3 cues

• 70-90% 1RM = 1-2 cues

• 90+ 1RM = 1 cue

The heavier the lift, the less you should be saying.

One Social Media Post Worth Your Time

I've been enjoying watching Jason and Lauren Pak’s Instagram Reels recently. High quality and great information. Their studio looks amazing as well.

This Reel, in particular, was a good watch.

A huge piece of the core puzzle is helping your clients develop awareness and intention.

A deadbug is a great example of this.

We’ve all had that one client who flails their arms back and forward, thinking they are doing it perfectly, when what we really want to see is a slow, controlled movement that’s fully focused on maintaining control through their core as their limbs move.

Personal Instagram Growth (week 7)

Well, I didn’t hit my June goal of 500 followers.

No big deal.

My big thing was to get back into the swing of posting consistently.

I have been consistent, and I’m enjoying the creation process.

I’ve changed up my content type to be more illustration based. This is after doing Janos Ozolins Visual Frameworks Course. I don’t know whether I’ll stick with this as I’m just trying it on for size, but the feedback has been good, and I’m learning new things every time I create something.

One of the reasons I did Janis’ course is because I wanted a new way to present my ideas.

Janis’ illustrations are incredible. Simple, clean and instantly understandable.

That’s what I’m going for with mine.

Thanks so much for reading.

Until next Friday, Stuart.

Whenever you're ready, here is the main way I can help you:

1) If you’re looking for a place to help you gain knowledge & develop your skills as a personal trainer, I’d recommend joining Lift the Bar on our trial for free for 14-days. You'll get access to courses, actionable webinars and time-saving downloads, and a community of PTs who have achieved what you're struggling to achieve.

2) Listen to the LTB Podcast. Tune in to interviews with trainers who have been where you are and built what you’re trying to build. Latest episode: Gregg Slater - How to Programme For Hypertrophy