The PT Roadmap

A weekly newsletter for personal trainers to guide you to become a better coach and build a better business.

Hey!

Thanks for opening up today's newsletter. I appreciate you being here. I re-watched The Biggest Little Farm a few days ago. I still love it. Such a feel-good watch. It’s about two people, John and Molly, who try to create a sustainable farm.

This week, I launched a new service: Monthly Social Media Templates.

If you struggle with:

• knowing what to post

• and/ or posting consistently

These templates are designed to help.

Every month, you’ll get sent five done-for-you templates you can fill in and post.

The cost is £12 each month.

I wish I’d had something like this available to me when I was trying to train my clients, support them outside of their sessions, educate myself on training & coaching, run my business and market myself on social media.

I was lucky if I managed one post a week, which isn’t enough.

Here’s an example of one of five templates you’ll be sent when you sign up:

I’m planning on selling the first 20 spots at £12. Once those are sold, the price will go up.

Sign up for the monthly templates HERE.

*You can cancel at any point. 100% money-back guarantee. I will refund you with no questions if you aren’t delighted!

In today’s issue:

✅ One business tip

❌ One coaching tip

✅ One exercise recommendation

✅ One coaching cue

✅ One social post worth your time

Let's get into it!

Better Business

How to steer clear of burnout as a personal trainer.

Burning out is a real risk for PTs.

You’re in a profession that cares deeply about the people it helps.

Your hours are often unsocial and all over the place.

And your income is unstable.

All of these added up, plus the fact a lot of you have no colleagues and do this completely solo puts you at risk.

I’ve burnt myself out three times. The first one was easily the worst. I cried in front of a client and had to take a week off. I wish I could say taking time off was the cure, but it wasn’t.

Burnout goes deeper than simply having to rest.

It’s part of it, but it’s not the only part.

How much control you have over your schedule, how well rewarded you are (both financially & socially), how much your work aligns with your values, whether you can manage the work you have on your plate and whether you have professional relationships you can call upon - all of these contribute.

So, based on my experiences, here’s some advice that goes beyond “take a holiday” for preventing burnout:

Burnout Tip #1 - Plan Your Schedule

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: you must (at least roughly) plan your schedule.

When you don't, your days happen and disappear.

When you do, you feel more in control because you have a plan.

This is why it’s an important burnout prevention tip. Because it gives you a sense of control and allows you the space to step back and look at what’s important.

I do this every Friday.

I time-block each day into 30 or 60-minute blocks. I use Laura Vanderkam’s three categories of self (things I’ll do for myself), career (work things) and relationships (date nights, catching up with friends, time with my son, etc.) to turn my tasks into blocks of time dedicated towards that thing.

My week rarely works as planned, but it does mean I walk into each day knowing I’ve got time aside for the things that matter to me.

More on planning your week in this newsletter issue.

Burnout Tip #2 - Well-Being Activities

This means different things to each person, but find time for activities that support your well-being within your day and week.

Most days, I make time to read, walk, strength train, and play keepie-uppie with a football.

The nice thing about each of these activities is they don’t take a huge amount of time to affect my mood. I can start kicking a football up and down and feel better 5 minutes later.

Take a minute to consider what these things are for you. Anything that makes you feel more yourself is what you want to ensure you’re making time for regularly.

Burnout Tip #3 - Talk About Your Struggles

If you’re struggling, the worst thing you can do is bottle it up and hope it goes away.

If only that worked.

But we all know we feel better when we share our struggles.

My wife is my person for this. But I’ve also used a therapist to great effect in the past.

Burnout Tip #4 - One Day Completely Off

I started this section by saying burnout isn’t just about rest…

But, anytime I’ve spoken to a PT on the verge of burnout, one of my first recommendations is to take one day completely off per week.

No social media. No emails. No sessions. No client messages.

This creates a real chance to recharge.

To step away from the crazy world your phone sucks you into and read, watch a movie, walk, talk to your people or nap the day away (unless you have kids, in which case, good luck 🤣)

Try it.

Take one full day off.

One Exercise Variation

This Week’s Exercise: Bottoms Up Kettlebell Press (BUKBP)

I remember the first time I tried a BUKBP.

I held a 16kg bell straight up for all of 3 seconds before it fell onto my wrist.

“Harder than it looks” is what I remember thinking.

It requires focus, lots of it.

And because it’s so unstable, you work more stabilising muscles than a standard press.

The other reason I like it is how much it forces you to work on your overhead positioning. Veer outside of the vertical path, and it’ll fall. Plus, you get a hell of a grip and core challenge.

One Coaching Cue

Recommended Cue:

What is it for?

I love this cue!

You can test it right now.

If you create tension in your stomach (“Imagine you’re about to be punched by Mike Tyson” is another favourite here), you’ll naturally find your t-shirt wrinkles more than it did before.

It works well for most supine exercises (deadbugs, hollow body holds, etc.) but also for squats, presses, and pullups where you want your client to maintain a solid core position.

One Social Post Worth Your Time

I enjoy most of Jeff Nippard’s work (his YouTube is excellent if you’re into learning about muscle building and fat loss).

This video caught my attention because I love tricep kickback variations.

They are one of those exercises you really feel, and I’ve never understood why they get a bad rap.

Nice to see someone wayyy smarter than me detailing exactly why they aren’t a bad exercise.

And why they might be a perfect addition to your tricep training.

Also - it just blows my mind the quality of Jeff’s content. I can only imagine how long this video must have taken to edit and put together.

Thanks so much for reading.

Until next Friday, Stuart.

Here is how I help in-person PTs like you build businesses they love:

Monthly Social Media Templates

Get sent five done-for-you social media templates each month. These are tried and tested templates, allowing you to post better content consistently.

Try a month for £12

1-1 Mentoring

I work closely with in-person PTs to help them fix & grow their business so it’s profitable and with a schedule they don’t hate.

This is 1-1 mentoring where I work with you just like you do your 1-1 clients.

I’ll get to know you and your business before I offer any advice, and we’ll work together to make a plan that gets your business looking and feeling how you want it.

Then, we’ll talk on the phone every single week. And I’ll support you on WhatsApp, so you’ve got a place to ask questions and receive feedback.

Many PTs just need someone to listen to their problems and goals, tell them what to do, and help them stay accountable. This is why it’s 1-1 and not a group. Talking 1-1 is essential to staying accountable and receiving individual advice.

If you’re interested in chatting about 1-1 mentoring, hit reply, and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation.