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.

Hi!

Thanks for being here.

Let's get into this week's PT Roadmap.

One Social Media Post Worth Your Time

I've revisited this post from Brad Stulberg a few times now.

I like the idea of having some non-negotiables for my days, weeks, months and years.

I suppose I already have, but I've never formalised them.

There's plenty of overwhelming information about health & wellness. Having non-negotiables you know make a difference can be a simple way to make things feel less daunting.

Here are my daily ones. They are similar to Brad's, just personalised to me:

• Minimum of 60 minutes physical activity per day. This can be a workout or a walk.

• Minimum of 1x45 minute block of deep, meaningful work.

• Minimum of 60 minutes of intentional, undisturbed time with both my wife & son.

• Minimum of 15 minutes of reading.

One Coaching Cue

"If I'm looking at you from a birds-eye view, I should see an arrow and not a T."

H/T Bret Contreras

When to use it?

Push-ups!

A common error I'm sure you've encountered when coaching the push-up is that clients will push their elbows out to the side. Cue them to get their arms into an arrow position. It's a more advantageous position for the shoulder to be in and leads to more EMG on the pecs & triceps!

Another one to test here (as not all cues work for all clients) is to get your client to imagine there is a laser on their elbows. The lasers should aim behind them and not to the side.

Got a coaching cue you love using that works like a charm?

Hit reply, as I'd love to hear it!

One Business Tip

Here's a simple way to increase the percentage of your consultation attendance: send the lead a selfie-style video 1-2 days before their appointment.

Smile.

Introduce yourself.

Show them exactly where you'll meet.

Tell them how excited you are to meet them.

Explain what'll happen, what to wear and how long it'll take.

It's easy to forget that attending a consultation is anxiety-provoking for someone who may not have stepped foot in a gym in years.

Sending this video helps to reduce those anxious feelings and gives you a chance to underline your level of service before you've even met them.

One Coaching Tip

Finish your session on a high.

The peak-end rule teaches us that the final moments of an experience are more heavily weighted in our memory.

Our evolution has evolved in this way. There is no way we can remember everything, so we remember the most pleasurable and painful moments. This way, we can either seek them out again or remember not to.

What this means for us personal trainers is that we want to finish our sessions on a high.

What this high looks like depends on your client.

The simplest question to ask is: "How would you like to feel when you walk out of the gym today?"

For some, they'll want to finish having beaten themselves into the ground. So, maybe you do a few rounds of a circuit of sled pushes, push-ups, hollow body holds and med ball slams.

Or they love working their core, arms, glutes or shoulders. So, you take a few exercises, create a tri-set, and give them the pump of their lives in that muscle group.

For others, they'll want something more chill (like me). This is why I finish every workout with 10 minutes of easy walking on the treadmill. I put on some Deep House and finish feeling all zen.

Thanks so much for reading.

Until next week,

Stuart.

Whenever you're ready, here are two ways I can help you:

1. Join Lift the Bar for free for 14 days to access resources to help you develop as a PT, write better programmes, improve your service, get clients and become an incredible coach.

2. Listen to the LTB Podcast. Latest episode: Dan Smith on Why Selling 'Online Coaching' Doesn't Work.