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 PT Roadmap.

Let's get into things.

One Social Media Post Worth Your Time

This section is currently under construction.

I'm contemplating whether I keep it, so I'd love your help deciding. My reason for this potential change is that I don't love how I'm pushing you onto social media here. I'm sure you're similar to me in that you spend more time than you'd like on socials, so I'd prefer this section to be something that keeps your attention on the newsletter.

Do I:

• Keep it (maybe your perspective is that you like being pointed towards good content)?

• Or replace it with either:

  • A quote of the week or

  • An exercise of the week

No pressure to reply at all. But if you have an opinion, I'd love to hear it :-)

One Coaching Cue

"Explode towards the ceiling like a rocket launching into space."

When to use it?

I used this one to good effect earlier this week when coaching a client who is working towards a full pull-up.

We want to see clients being aggressive on the concentric, especially if they need that bit of drive to get past the sticking point of a pull-up. This cue helps with that.

One Business Tip

I feel like I’m forever bringing up the importance of following up.

But it is an essential piece of your client acquisition strategy.

Because people are busy, they forget, and the timing isn’t often correct.

Here’s a recent example from my life that underlines this principle:

⬇️⬇️

Last March, I stuck my details on a Facebook ad on my feed.

It was to have a company audit an episode of my podcast for free.

Their feedback was good, but I wasn’t ready for what they were trying to sell me (coaching)

Since then, they’ve followed up with me every 6-8 weeks.

Just a simple: “Hey Stuart, Justin here from [company]. Great to see you’re still podcasting. I hope all is well and if I can help answer any podcast growth questions, let me know!”

Typically, it’s over email.

But they also send me the occasional text (interestingly, lots of US based companies do this now).

Sometimes, I’d reply and say thanks all good.

Sometimes, I’d ignore it.

And then in February just gone by, Justin reached out again.

But this time I was in a place where his coaching interested me. I’d been thinking about ways I could reach more PTs with the podcast and I had some questions about my plans.

So, I replied, we set up a date to talk, and I’ve just started paying them a fee for support.

12 months on since I first showed interest.

But it never would’ve happened had their follow-up process not been on point.

It was personal, friendly, short & concise and low-pressure.

If you’re not following up with people who have put up their hand and said “I’m interested in your service”, you’re leaving money on the table.

I used to think I would be annoying people.

but now I think about a great follow-up process as part of the excellent customer service standards I'm sure you're aiming for.

Make sure you’re putting time aside at least once a month to follow up with ex-clients and leads who have gone cold.

Go personal if you can and veer towards the friendly/ helpful side. This isn’t the time to do a big sales pitch. It’s more about awareness and continuing to stay top of mind.

Lastly, track it in an excel spreadsheet or wherever works best for you so you’ve got a way track the outcome of your contacts.

One Coaching Tip

13 programme design lessons that will teach you more than a £1,997 PT course:

1. Your programmes probably shouldn’t end in a “day”. Each muscle can tolerate only so much quality work within a session. For most gen pop clients, this is pretty low (4-6 sets maximum). This means leg, chest or arm “days” are often overkill—more frequent exposure to a smaller stimulus.

2. Know 2-3 progressions and regressions for every single exercise you plan. Some clients want harder and seem need easier.

3. Remember that no one exercise is necessary for a client (unless they compete in Powerlifting or Olympic Lifting).

4. Be flexible. You might have a session planned out that needs changed the minute your client walks in because something has happened. Always have a plan B.

5. Don’t programme exercises you’ve never tried yourself.

6. You don’t need a cooldown (unless the client wants it).

7. Utilize end of phase reviews. Sit down with your client at the end of a phase of training and discuss how they found it.

8. Maximise training density and maintain quality by incorporating non-competing paired or super-sets. Think upper and lower or push and pull.

9. Use what the Peak-End Rule teaches us. People judge an experience primarily based on how they felt at its peak, and it’s end. Try to give your clients a win (peak) and finish on something they enjoy or feel is important to their goals

10. Technique matters, but how an exercise feels to the client also matters. Don’t become a zealot for technique perfection, as everybody moves and is built differently.

11. Don’t change all exercises in the plan just because it’s been 4 weeks. Changing all your exercises every month is a surefire way to get your client spinning their wheels.

12. Think subtle not abrupt. Adjust the grip, ROM, loading position or support without completely changing the exercise

13. Because your client f*cking loves it is an exceptionally good reason to include an exercise or method into their plan.

Thanks so much for reading.

Until next Friday, Stuart.

Whenever you're ready, here are two ways 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 struggling with & working towards the same things you are.

2) Listen to the LTB Podcast. Latest episode #382 with Cathy MacDonald: How to Talk to People in The Gym