💪S.S. 53 We're all just making it up as we go

1. We’re all just making it up as we go – Jonathan Goodman

In the first episode of the Online Trainer Show, our new podcast, my cohosts and I make a lot of jokes about how we have no idea what we’re doing.

It reminded me of a very expensive marketing event I attended a few years ago. The last speaker of the day, who was much older and more seasoned than the others, didn’t have a slide deck. He just grabbed a handheld mic and started talking.

He began by chiding the previous speakers for talking about the secrets they discovered at the culmination of heroic journeys filled with trials and tribulations.

It’s all BS. "Truth is, I don’t really know what I’m talking about," he admitted. "I’m just kind of making this up."

Then he said the most radical thing I’d heard all day: Everyone in the room can do what he does.

The speaker was Michael Gerber, author of the E-Myth series and a legendary business leader. In just five minutes of his 45-minute presentation, he taught me the difference between information and wisdom.

You can find information anywhere. It’s free. But if you don’t know what to do with it, it’s worthless.

Wisdom, on the other hand, is worth paying for. It’s not what to think, it’s how to think. It’s knowing what question to ask before you presume to know the answer.

Sometimes there’s no answer to the question you’ve asked. That’s when your only choice is to make it up as you go.

I just hope you have as much fun as my cohosts and me.

2. What matters most in personal training – Alex Cartmill

Alex is head coach of the Online Trainer Academy.

I’ve worked with a lot of personal trainers, in a lot of different capacities, and taught them everything from anatomy and physiology to business structure and client retention.

My core messages remain the same:

1. Your client doesn't care about origins and insertions.

Put yourself in their shoes, and speak their language. How would you want something explained to you if you had no background or experience in that subject?

2. Every exercise you prescribe should have a purpose.

That purpose should be directly linked to your client's goals.

3. Don't try to crush your client every workout.

Pain, either during or after the workout, is one of the most common reasons a new client quits after the first session.

4. "Why" is among the most important questions you can ask your client.

Why do they want to lose 10 pounds? Why do they want bigger arms? Finding the true reason they want to change is often the key to consistency, and consistency is hands-down the most important factor in your client's long-term success.

Get really good at the things that never change.

3. Last week on the Online Trainer Show

If you’re a health, fitness, or nutrition professional who’s just starting your career, or struggling to get traction, you really need to check out the Online Trainer Show, the official podcast of the PTDC and the Online Trainer Academy.

Cohosts Jonathan Goodman, Carolina Belmares, and Ren Jones share hard-earned insights, actionable advice, and jokes that may or not be 100 percent appropriate.

In Episode 1, The Importance (and Power) of Imperfect Action, Jon explains why it’s better to launch a business than to wait while you figure out all the details, Carolina talks about those moments when you need to light a fire under your butt, and Ren quickly makes everyone regret using that particular metaphor.

In Episode 2, Building Resiliency in Your Business, Jon shares the moment he realized his personal training career was unsustainable, Carolina describes the ups and downs of a fitness business, and Ren reveals the culinary potential of squirrel tails.

Come for the knowledge, stay for the laughs!

--> The Online Trainer Show