Is your FREE consultation enough?

Tuesday, December 7, 2010 4:38 AM Posted by Phill Wright
, 1 comments
Being the festive period all about giving, it struck me as a good time to think about service offerings and the facility we create to entice new clients into using our services.

In my experience, personal trainers offer a free consultation, session, postural appraisal or introduction into a specialist style of training. Whilst this makes absolute sense, afterall, it is a service and what better way to promote a service than to give someone a taste, is it really enough or is it the best way to bring on new clients? Well, only your conversion rates will clarify whether you're getting the results you want. There are a number of challenges with getting new clients. Letting potential new clients become aware of your services, getting new potential clients infront of you and then finally converting them into a paying client. If it is only a free session that you promote to new potential clients, is this enough to differentiate you from your competition??


Without knowing your client fully, how do you know that a taster session is going to be right for them or what to focus on?

This is not the gospel but the following may be things that you want to consider with bringing new clients on board:

  • Pre-taster screening - Get to know your client before you give them a free session. Health and medical screening should be part of this but the more you understand about the person, the more appropriate you can make the taster session for them. Understand their likes and dislikes with exercise, their motivations, their buying strategies etc. If you want to know more about how to find these things out with simple questions, contact info@creatingchaos.co.uk for more detail
  • The taster session - Avoid delivering a template session that you give to everyone. If you work in a gym then this will become very obvious to the by-standers. I'm not saying avoid a template as this will help you structure the session but make the specific content relevant. If nutrition is much the bigger area then focus more on this. Fancy exercises don't impress everyone!!
  • Post taster report - Let people know how they did. If you've looked at posture or function then give the individual a report / some feedback. This should come with a huge caveat. Avoid depressing people with the bad news and be tactful when giving feedback. Using a very typical management style, give some good feedback followed by an area that could be improved followed by some more encouraging feedback. For example "You've got excellent flexbility which will help us achieve great results. We can work on your core strength quite a lot and combined with your lower body strength we'll be able to make waves in your training." Notice that the example doesn't give excessive terminology and this is something I see trainers do constantly - overwhelm the client with irrelevant information. It is fantastic that you can identify reciprocal inhibition of the glutes from the Psoas Hip flexor but this doesn't really mean much to the client. The language of most clients is results and by when...remember this! There are exceptions and if you're clients enjoy understanding about the anatomical elements then meet that demand when you're able to.
  • Offer an incentive that is results based - This shows how confident you are as a trainer. Clients want results and if you offer them a reward for achieving results then this will not only sell and promote your services but it will act as a motivator during the programme which is another challenge for you. This may be in the shape of free sessions or something that is more of a tangible gift. It may be a pair of good running trainers / training gear or indeed anything. This may seem like too much but is it really? Think about it, how much are your clients worth per year? £2,3,4 or 5,000? It would be much better spent money to keep hold of a client than to have to market more for new clients and then find the client of the same value to your business.
A few ideas and hopefully some festive food for thought. Please leave comments and add your suggestions.

Breaking from the rat race

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 4:56 AM Posted by Phill Wright
, 1 comments
I've been self employed for a few years now and it's so interesting to notice the changes in myself whilst seeing the changes in others around me. Let's face it, making a living from scratch isn't easy but the potential rewards are fantastic and for those that do it, the rewards outway the risks.

Whilst my own experiences of self employment have been in the fitness industry, I'm certain that many of my observations would be true for many other industries too.
Delivering courses, I have the honour of meeting trainers eager to start their own project and build a business. Having been there myself, I can completely relate with how it is at the start and it's very easy to see the common habits of trainers starting out. Comparing them against trainers who have been in the industry for a number of years, there are common characteristics and habits that seem to develop and change the way that trainers are; some good and others not as positive.

To explain the way that I see things, I'm going to compare these common observations against specific animals which will become more clear and my hope is that if you're reading this and you're able to relate with them, then look at what things you can change to help take you to the next level. That is of course assuming that you're looking to improve and become more successful.

The rat race

It can be a struggle in business. It can feel like everything is going against you and that can be a lonely feeling. That is of course not the case and it's important to know that. The fact is, the world doesn't revolve around you so it can't be the case. The main reason for things appearing this way is that the world is an established place with systems, infrastructure, routines and agenda. When a new idea is born, if it is to work then the right people need to hear about it. That's fairly straight forward right? If it is something that already has potential competition then the idea not only needs to get the attention of people but also convince them that it's better than the existing solution. This is what you're marketing needs to do.

The Rat

Not intended in a derogitory way but most people starting in business are frantic, opportunist, busy and will go pretty much in any direction to spread the word of their business. Whilst hard work and persistance are absolutely crucial, this can be a hugely delicate period for an entrepreneur. In the madness of running around and doing pretty much anything to get things started, it is rare that 'the rat' will take time out to sit back and see things from a bigger picture. This phase of business is all about survival but in the midst of surviving, opportunties that are quite blatant are often missed. Similar to the rodent, many start up businesses are prepared to walk over other start ups to get where they need to.

The Cat


Upon surviving the rat period, the rat somewhat evolves into a smarter creature. A creature that is intelligent, marks it's prey much more cunningly and has loyalty towards its owners (clients). After all, it's the owners who feed them. Whilst the cat isn't as frantic, it still seizes opportunities but from a few paces back. More selective about when it moves, the cat carefully deliberates where it spends it's time, who it associates with and what it feeds on. However, the cat still makes mistakes, walking on tentitive territory and quite partial to confrontations.

This next point becomes a junction. Those that don't fully graduate from being a cat can become...

The Porcupine

This animal is a rodent as a rat yet not as frantic. It's lifespan is longer than a rat but after trying hard to progress, it doesn't share the optimism, social affinity or hope that once was there. The sparkle and enjoyment of this potentially tough road has gone and a solitary existence with a spikey outlook on the outside world push potential friends or acquaintances away. Slow to move and limited in resources, this wearily looking creature settles for it's share whilst fending off onlookers.

However, if the cat graduates then we have...

The Roebuck

The roebuck is strong, confident and experienced in making decisions. It is respected in the animal kingdom and popular within the masses. Having fought and won battles, the roebuck is a leader that has the trust of many. Successful in it's hunting, the buck provides not only for itself but for others too. Building friends and trusted companions throughout it's existence, the roebuck grows in strength but also in stature. However, still not quite the top of it's food chain, this creature still has to be wary and maintain it's survival instincts.

There are different paths that evolve from this stage in business. The two most typical kinds of business leaders that you get are...

The Crocodile

A successful survivor that spends over 90% of it's existence watching, waiting, studying before diving in. This dominant beast has many worthy habits. It knows the movement of what it wants inside out. It doesn't waste energy on pointless exercises or activities saving it's resources for when really needed. However, despite it's success, it is a fearsome animal that has many running for cover. The crocodile intimidates, is anti-social and is extremely hostile in character. Not the type of business person to work easily with.

The Lion

The most awesome of creatures. At the top of it's food chain, the lion is the ultimate survivor. Whilst many are in complete awe of this physical wonder, the greatest thing that the lion demands is respect. Dominant lions lead communities and make decisions for many. The lion is filled with wisdom, experience and knows it's territory better than anyone. The lion is respected by not only it's own community but it's enemies. Like the crocodile, the lion is not an advocate of waste, however, this creature has the perfect balance of spending time doing the surviving along with being social.

Whilst reading the above, you may have been able to affiliate some of the descriptions with people you may know. You may also be able to see where you fit in. The point is, you should understand where you want to go in the end. How do you want to end up? Spending every hour of every day working like a rat or maybe something beyond. Always look to further yourself and surround yourself with people that you see as mentors who can guide and advise you. Watch the habits of those you respect and decide whether similar habits would support you. Listen to advise but look to decide for yourself and always know where you're going.  

What kind of motivator are you?

Monday, October 18, 2010 2:13 PM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments
I was walking our little Jack Russell last week in the park and experienced something which inspired me to write this blog. My intention is not to pigeon-hole people into categories as motivators but simply to encourage you to deliberately decide what type of motivational message you're looking to give to your clients.

Whilst walking Jaycee (our little dog) I walked past a popular military bootcamp that has absolutely stormed in the UK over the last few years. The group of about 25-30 people were individually being invited to race the instructor up a steep set ot steps and back down again. A small number were accepting the invite only to predictably be beaten by this interesting approach to motivation. Those that didn't attempt this very worth while event had the pleasure of standing, watching and probably getting rather cold in the process, in addition to paying for the privilege through their membership.

Having personal experience of delivering outdoor group fitness sessions with our outfit model, I was both astonished and appalled by this egotistical and selfish display by the instructor. Maybe some of the group enjoyed this and found his display inspiring but I would speculate that for many, his episode was demotivating and another display that creates distance between the instructor and the consumer in an industry that many are trying to make as accessible and achievable as possible.

Whilst health, lifestyle and fitness services / products maybe sometimes seen as aspirational, I don't understand how a voyeuristic approach delivers this in a healthy fashion.

So, what type of motivator are you?

Do you lead from the front?..offer encouragement?..encourage a balanced approach?..empathise?...inspire?

or do you...

Breakdown barriers?..make the unachievable achievable?..educate? enthuse?

Many of the key lessons I've learnt have been through making the mistakes. For me this has always been the clearest way (although not always the quickest) to understand the value of and appreciate best practise. Sometimes, when a lesson is given to us, we fail to value the importance of it. That said, when it comes to peoples lives and making key decisions, providing the most effective guidance is crucial.

When it comes to motivation, using your strengths is key to performing to your best but really understanding how your clients are motivated will be much more valuable to you, after all, it's them that you're trying to motivate. In Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) terms, we have profiles for many traits of our personalities referred to as meta-profiles. For motivation, the following examples are typical:

  • 'Away from' motivation - "I don't want to get fat"
  • 'Towards' motivation - "I'm going to run the London marathon"
People can also share more complex profiles which are away then towards or towards then away but generally, most people are either predominantly more 'away' or 'towards' motivated.

Understanding this will not only help you motivate your client better but really understand them and what makes them tick.

It is worth mentioning that 'away from' motivation can be less powerful as a force for positive intent as it generally includes the one thing that the client doesn't want. The problem here is that the mind is a powerful tool and whenever you put particular focus into something, irrespective of it being in the positive or negative, you increase the likelihood of it becoming a reality. Therefore, it stands to reason to direct the radar at things that you actually want as opposed to things that you don't want.

If you'd like more information on NLP, motivational techniques or persuasive strategies then why not look at our NLP for Fitness Professionals course.

Bodyweight Training

Saturday, October 2, 2010 9:15 AM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments
Its been a manic week of travel this week and all very exciting.


Starting some research on kettlebells with Sheffield Hallam, we've been working with some of the GB olympic strength and conditioning coaches showing them how to use kettlebells properly and discussing the training benefits.

It's very interesting working with coaches from different backgrounds as we all have very unique and different experiences as well as expertise which can often lead to very different opinions but essentially all working towards the same single goal: what works the best!?!?

If you've been tuning into my blogs then you'll already be aware of our unique bodyweight training appraoch that we call Primal Flow. We've arranged to take it to some of the national coaches who'll be giving their feedback on it which will be fantastic.

This week Jenny, myself and two very experienced coaches took on an almighty Primal Flow circuit. James Walker, a Kettlebell Master Trainer and tutor joined in as well as Ben Hockman, an MMA and kickboxing conditioning specialist who runs Martial Arts Company Beyond Fighting. Both coaches have years of both competitive and coaching experience behind them and have a wealth of experience in having sampled many different types of fitness training. With their seasoned expertise, we were keen to get their thoughts on our sytem.

The session was simple and had two waves. Both had 4 work stations each focussing on different areas - upper, lower, core and movement. The first wave was geared towards stability & strength and had 4 layers, each progressive to the last in movement and duration. The second wave only had 3 layers but was aimed at power and anaerobic capacity. Despite the session taking just 45 minutes, it was fair to say that we were all well worked by the end.

Here's what they had to say:

James Walker "A new era of bodyweight training!, takes what you thought you knew about bodyweight training and flips it on it's head..."

Ben Hockman "Having been a martial artist for 13 years, I've done a lot of bodyweight focussed training. But this is different and you have to try it! The primal movements force you to stabilise whilst also requiring far more strength than you would for the standard push-up or squat. The constant and rapid variation between exercises also ensures a great functional conditioning workout without exhausting one particular muscle group to the extent of needing days off to recover. Great system and if you still believe in the need for equipment to get a good resistance and cardio workout, think again!!!"

Very kind words and obviously, they were both well paid for that. If you'd like to become qualified as a Primal Flow specialist then look at our next course dates and if you'd like to experience this type of training then look at your nearest class of our OutFIT sessions.

Succeed with Video

Thursday, September 16, 2010 3:09 AM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments
Recently we've put a lot of work into video and it got me thinking about how in business we communicate with our clients.

With the nature of fitness coaching, it is extremely practical. It is difficult to fully explain your speciality through a poster, a flyer, or a descriptive email. Even photographs can look unclear and vague. Video is by far and away the most accurate and clear form of marketing that explains what we do. It allows you to get your personality across, your specialist knowledge and if pictures paint a thousand words then videos paint a million.

Here are some tips for making any video work that you do effective:


  • Plan your content but more importantly, plan what you want to achieve with the video. If you want to showcase something then sell the benefits and make sure that you are communicating with your target market.
  • Get quality. Ok, this comes down to price and affordability but if you can, get a professional to do it for you. As long as they're worth their salt - they'll support you with formatting and make the end product a lot better looking than looking like it's been filmed from someones mobile in a bedroom
  • Be clear on what you're saying. Keep the messages simple and very clear. Too much waffle will lose the attention and lose the impact of the video.
  • Always pilot the content with a trusted group of colleagues or friends before going live with it. Use their feedback to help polish the video up. Be wary over feedback from friends. Not always but often, friends may feel that they're being kind in giving positive feedback but honesty is what you need here. Getting a complete stranger or a third party to offer feedback will be potentially much more reliable.
Ok, very brief but then, keeping the message short maintains the impact doesn't it?!!?!

corporate team building day

Sunday, September 12, 2010 10:50 AM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments

KB squat

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 4:32 PM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments

Kettlebell High Pull - Learn Kettlebells

4:26 PM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments

Kettlebell Clean - Learn Kettlebells

4:20 PM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments

Kettlebell Swing - Learn Kettlebells

4:15 PM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments

Kettlebell Deadlift - Learn Kettlebells

4:03 PM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments

OutFIT - outside fitness the fun way!

3:44 PM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments

Are you using kettlebells properly

Sunday, August 29, 2010 1:01 PM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments
Now that kettlebells are well launched in the fitness industry, it's incredible as someone extremely passionate about them to see so many people using them and enjoying the great benefits. However, it is our jobs as coaches to help people use them safely and not just enjoy them but respect them.

10 years ago, blank faces would appear at the mention of kettlebells but nowadays, most have heard if not actually experienced them.

This is great news as a coach as you don't have to continually explain from scratch the entire concept. However, it does mean that the influences are now much more diverse and vast and invariably fuelled commercially.

The danger being that there are good influences and examples out there but equally, there are bad influences and examples. Due to the nature of kettlebells, this can be particularly dangerous.

The question is, how do you ensure that you remain a good influence on your clients?

Well, here are some top tips to keep you in the good books:

1. Whilst your clients are learning or if they haven't used them in a while, muscle test! Specifically look at the glutes in hip extension. If the glutes aren't firing then use PNF or glute focussedpatterns to activate. Using kettlebells with inactive glutes is asking for injury.

2. Get clients to breathe abdominally. If clients aren't setting or bracing whilst using bells, then again, the risk of injury is higher. Breathing is the most fundamental function of living and breathing abdominally is natural to us, it primes the inner core, protects spine and sets hip alignment. The problem is that for most of us, we learn how to breathe higher in the lungs as we become adults.

3. Make sure your technique is spot on by regular practise and a commitment to learn and develop. Kettlebells is an art form as well as an excellent conditioning tool. Regularly using them will ensure you keep your teaching points fresh and current whilst carrying that all important enthusiasm. Be selective over who you follow the example of.

If you'd like to find out more about becoming an instructor or an advanced instructor visit www.teamchaosuk.com


- Posted whilst adventurising using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Leeds, UK

Do you want more clients?

Monday, August 23, 2010 7:02 AM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments
It's a competitive market, more and more trainers are coming on the scene and the demand to be better than the rest continues to grow. Would having a few more clients make your life easier?

Well, you have a number of options:

  • Advertise in local media
  • Leaflets, posters and hard copy print work
  • Blog posting
  • Newsletters
  • Social media (facebook - twitter)
  • Existing clients
  • The list goes on
Well, looking at the list, which ones are realistic for you? They're not all super expensive but it's worth pointing out that even the free ones cost in time and be aware of how much time is required to make them effective. How much time can you commit to regular input? How much time do you want to commit to it?

Coming from someone who has spent thousands on local media with very little results, I have no harm in saying that making huge mistakes has led us to understand which avenues are most appropriate for us.

With advertising, I would say that to get a worthy return, you need to really invest into numerous types at the same time with an effective marketing strategy. Each string needs to be clear with a call to action and always test your adverts before going live with them.

As a small company, sole trader or technician, the most realistic option to be effective is getting the biggest fans of you to do the advertising for you. Adverts aren't living and breathing. Unless you can afford TV adverts nationally, then get your customers to bring your message to life to new people. Being creative, inventive and having the confidence of your own conviction, offer your existing clients reward or incentive to refer new people to you.

It is human nature to want to help people. Clients love feeling like they had a part to play in supporting and assisting you. As long as you are making sure they feel valued, thanked and are recieving the personal appreciation for their support, they'll stick with you.

Putting a referral system in place mid way through a client relationship can be a little tricky. From the moment you meet a client, the relationship parameters and expectations are being built, every communication in face, email or by phone adds to this and therefore presenting a referral system way into an existing relationship can be a little clumsy. Presenting this at the very start is the best way to clarify expectations. Why not have it as part of your consultation, screening forms or even t & c's.

If you'd like ideas on what the most effective incentives for referrals are, drop me a line phill@creatingchaos.co.uk

Do you value your clients

Thursday, July 22, 2010 3:44 AM Posted by Phill Wright
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In business, we talk about marketing, advertising, promotion and trying to communicate with prospective clients / customers to our business. This is an absolute must in business - if you're not growing then you're shrinking! That's just the way it goes.

However, something that I've learnt the hard way is that actually, the vast majority of income comes from existing customers. Therefore, why is it that most of our time and energy goes towards trying to entice new customers into becoming loyal champions. Well, probably a combination of things can lead to this mentality. Getting new business is a complete buzz, it is in my opinion one of the most exciting aspects of business. When we're desparate in business, it is often easy to see new customers as the only hope to help solving dismal situations. The reality is though that all the while, existing customers are there and often forgotten about. What would you do if someone you purchased from didn't seem to care and only delivered the minimum. I know what I would do and it wouldn't include putting my hand in my pocket.

By valueing your existing customers - showing them that they are the most important aspect of your company and spending every moment of your working life striving towards adding value, improving service and generally delivering as you would want to be serviced, you can be sure to have some extremely loyal customers and advocates to your business.

If you'd like more detail on the specifics of how to add fantastic value to your clients or personal training business and winning the most loyal set of customers then contact us at info@creatingchaos.co.uk

Hope this is useful

How to get excellent testimonials

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 2:52 AM Posted by Phill Wright
Labels: , , 0 comments
Having someone else describe how fantastic your services or products are has long been known and used as a tool in marketing, advertising and raising awareness for your business.

It speaks volumes for your services when someone recommends or refers you and it's quite staggering at how many businesses operate exclusively on referral schemes or referred marketing methods.

So, it stands to reason that having some testimonials will go a long way to help promote your work. The real trick though is getting the wording correct within what is said to ensure that the testimonial maximises on impact. Knowing the right questions to ask your clients will help massively in getting this right every time.

Here are 4 simple questions that get those key answers from your clients:

What solution were you seeking when you first hired us?
What do we provide that you value the most?
What has been the result of working with us?
What would you tell others who are considering using us?

By taking the repsonses and putting it into a neat and flowing testimonial, you will be answering all the major questions that potential clients have: namely what does this product or service do for me?

If understanding more about how your clients' minds work, how to motivate and be more effective in your coaching then why not look at our Professional Fitness Presenter course.  The PFP is a 2 day course that leaves trainers confident in knowing how to improve rapport, instruct more effectively, use influential language and engage professionally for both 1 to 1 and group level instruction. Click here for more

Are you expressing the benefits of your business

Thursday, June 3, 2010 9:55 AM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments
Having had some great feedback from my last blog, I wanted to touch more on the business side of things. After all, with so many of us trainers self employed, we don't have that line management system that guides us. In fact, the biggest way we learn is by making the mistakes. Having spoken to a lot of hugely successful people in my time, one of the greatest common features to each conversation has been 'making lots of mistakes and learning from them' - it seems it's practically a crucial part of success.

Well, in my relatively young life in business, I've made some absolutely monstrous mistakes. Ones which have felt like they've almost sunk everything that we've put our heart and soles in - the key is to see the mistake not as a mistake and as an investment. The investment you take is not to repeat the same mistake again.


One of the greatest lessons that invariably all businesses must learn is that marketing has to be shaped by benefits. Unless you are selling an absolute essential like petrol, people need to know what is in it for them.

Do people purchase personal training because they enjoy spending a lot of money to hang out with you? No!

People have varying buying strategies and generally purchase for different reasons, however, generally speaking, people buy for what they get in return. With this in mind, it stands to reason to have these clear benefits listed all over your marketing / leaflets / websites / Business cards rather than just listing your services or features. Features and services are important but not to the level that the benefits are.

When it comes to shaping your own marketing material, answer some of the following questions and include these answers. Make them clear, impacting and very visual:

  • What benefits do people receive as a direct result of spending money on your services / products? (3 or 4 is often enough)
  • How will this make them feel?
It's as simple as that. Speaking to people on benefits and feelings is communicating to them on an emotional level and this is often where people make decisions. Consciously or subconsciously, people buy on emotion.
Hope this helps

Primal Flow - ground breaking system of functional exercise

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 2:22 AM Posted by Phill Wright
Labels: , , , , , 0 comments
After more and more interest being taken with Primal Flow, I thought I'd write a little more about about what it is, how it came about and how it can benefit both you and your clients.


Looking back at my coaching career so far, even from the very first courses I attended, I remember always thinking that repeating the same movement over and over again can't be that good, however, in the early days, I really didn't know any better and so just went along with the trends that were and very much still are instructed. As my confidence and understanding of the body grew, I started to experiment more with different ways of challenging and conditioning the body.
When it comes to exercise, for me, there are a number of absolute musts with any exercise or pattern:

  • It must be functional - if the movement doesn't serve a purpose then isn't doing the body, posture or alignment any favours
  • It must be safe - understanding the internal workings of the core, inner stabilising units and outer global units ensures that all the movements work with the flow of the body and not against them
  • It must be progressive and effective - challenging the body is the only way that exercise truly benefits, by knowing your level, ability and making the programme progressive, you can rest assured that your programme will be hugely effective
  • It must be interesting - exercise should never be numb, mindless or a duty. Looking at primal man, exercise was purposeful, demanded thought and deliberation and always had an objective be it hunting, building or escaping danger.
Having been working on PF for a a number of years, many clients will have experienced numerous sequences and flows without knowing but now, the concept is completely formed and ready to take flight.

The benefits of this type of exercise can be shaped in pretty much any direction:

  • Physiological - Strength, power, conditioning, endurance, balance, agility, alignment and flexibility
  • Goal driven - weight loss, shape, reduce body fat, increase size, build shape or tone
  • General wellness - Increase bone density, improve cardiovascular fitness, improve posture

The list goes on. The reason it is so effective is because it brings together all 25 natural and instinctive movements of the body, organises them creating stability before mobility and then follows with gradual progression through a very unique method of programming

The 2 day course 'Primal Pattern & Functional Movement Specialist' provides you with all the tools to start using primal flow for yourself, gives you hundreds of brand new exercises and a system for creating a completely unlimited list of new patterns and sequences. Find out more and book your place here

Take your clients off machines into the realms of open body movement. Machines generally speaking distort movement completely, deactivate the core and result in pain, injury and never ending discomfort. Think about it, most people can relate with a bicep curl which serves to isolate the bicep. Ok, fine, however, with over 600 hundred muscles in the body, how can you possibly achieve a balanced work out for all of them by isolating? You can't! Even if you did isolate every single one relative to their function within the body, the body doesn't operate through segmented function, it is a single unit and should be used that way.

Well, that should be enough to give you a brief understanding of the background. Subscribe to stay updated with news, new flows and further courses and workshops.

Is your fitness business actually a business?

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 3:53 AM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments
I've decided to focus a little on the business aspect of development. After all, the fitness industry has a huge portion of self employed individuals including personal trainers, bootcamp instructors, sports therapists, sports massage therapists and much more. The question is - is yours a business or a job.

That may sound crazy and ironic but being self employed doesn't necessarily mean that you have a business. It means that you are taking your own income into your own hands.



In my experience, generally speaking, self employed people in the fitness industry fall into one of the following categories:

  • Highly skilled individuals who are very busy delivering
  • Highly skilled individuals who aren't as busy delivering as they'd like to be

The truth is that neither of those is actually a business. A business is a scalable and leveraged concept that makes money regardless of you being there or not.

Working yourself into the ground trying desperately to fill your diary, see clients and make more money can be a fairly draining life. I know as I've been there. The constant worry over where the next chunk of money is coming from or how you'll pay for your license fee can crack even the most positive people.

The good news is that if you feel like you fall into one of those categories, technology makes it easy for you start making your models and systems more business orientated.
In our industry, people buy people and they buy experiences. Having clients that keep coming back shows that people like what you do and believe in you. There is no difference in principle(aside of a few billion £'s) between the continued custom of your clients and those of Virgin or Apple. Trust, value and service. It's time to start asking yourself some questions.

Do you see yourself doing what you're currently doing in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years time?

What do you want to be doing in 10, 20 and 30 years time?

How can you put your passion, knowledge and focus into something that can provide you with cash flow?

Wouldn't it be great to only do personal training for the love and not for the need of income.

Over the coming weeks, I'll be adding some absolute business musts when it comes to identifying yourself, keeping it simple and making your marketing a magnet for new customers.

Phill

Understand your clients' muscular dominance

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 5:38 AM Posted by Phill Wright
, 0 comments
Just a short blog today but one with great importance when it comes to giving your client the right type of training programme and mechanics.

When it comes to the consultation, this is where you'll make or break success with your client. It's not how many fancy exercises you know or can give your client but how well you understand their body and preference.

Without knowing whether your client is slow or fast twitch dominant leaves you in the dark regarding how their body will best react to exercise prescription. There is a simpple test that you can do to get this information. One important note though is not to assume that just because you get one result from one exercise means the same applies for all. Different patterns and areas of the body have differing balances of muscles fibres and so must be treaten as individual. We suggest that you look at the biggest driving areas for best results. Including squat, push, pull and extend.

Ok, so how do you find this out? There are a number of different ways and ultimately, over time with your client, you'll get the most accurate picture just watching and experiencing how their body moves and performs through different patterns and challenges. An initial way though is to use the following test:

- Determine your one repetition maximum (1RM) on an exercise
- Rest for 15 minutes
- Perform as many repetitions as possible with 80% of your 1RM

Analysis:

- Less than 7 repetitions - fast twitch (FT) dominant
- 7 or 8 repetitions - mixed fibre type
- more than 8 repetitions - slow twitch (ST) dominant

Important to also remember that over time, this can change. Checking on an annual basis can help you stay accurate.

Any questions or experiences, just drop me a line phill@creatingchaos.co.uk

Phill

Motivating yourself and your client

Friday, February 26, 2010 12:00 AM Posted by Phill Wright
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One of the most important aspects when understanding, communicating with and motivating yourself and your clients is knowing how they view and approach the world. People are either the cause of their own reality or the effect. People who are the cause of their reality accept full responsibility for themselves and their situations. They are resourcefful, responsible, in-control and commonly see the bright side of any situation. However, people who are the effect of their own reality often blame external factors, feel out of control and struggle to see the bright side in many situations. The fact is, we can only ever control things that are within our control. This sounds blatantly obvious...and it is, but many people focus on things that are not within their control which often has them feeling miserable, upset and restricted. By looking at things that you can control, you're able to always affect change for yoruself and find ways of creating positive situations. The one constant is that you can always change what you are thinking. We all have the power and ability to do this. One of the most powerful examples of how focussing on a positive I have ever come across was from my days in the forces. I completed a course which was to train soldiers in knowing how to act and behave in the event of becoming captured. We met and were given stories of incredible situations that had occured. Back in the conflict of Vietnam, an american pilot was shot down over a jungle and was taken prisoner by the viet cong. He was stripped naked and help captive within a cage, physically abused, mentally tortured and in a horrible situation. Having found a photograph of his family and some of his details, the captors told him that they were going to abuse his wife, children and family. This went on for not just weeks but years...in fact, almost 10 years. He was completely mentally broken down and conditioned. However, during all this, in his head he decided that a great way to escape the situation was to distract himself. In his own mind, he decided to build and develop a hotel complex in Mexico. He built it brick by brick, hired staff, calculated a rosta, set holiday periods, pay packets, management structure, marketing strategies, client retention programmes and eventually, he turned it into an international franchise. The reality of the situation was horrible, he had very little hope and wasn't aware that the threats against his family were purely loose threats. However, he had full control of what he thought about and mentally focussed on. He knew that focussing on the what he didn't want to know would do him no favours for his own sanity and survival. He knew that getting angry and emotional would lead to further torture and abuse. After over 10 years of being captive, the pilot was eventually released and returned to his healthy and pining family. Remarkably, the pilot was still, after all that horrible exposure, very emotionally balanced on his return and had full sanity.
Needless to say that ideally, being at the 'cause' side and taking responsibility for thoughts, life and reality helps us remain much more focussed on what we want in life and not what we don't want. The mind is an amazing and powerful thing but is something that we are all able to control like a muscle. Before you decide what to think about and spend your emotional energy on, it's always worth while checking that it is what you want. For more on how you can very simply help to motivate or reframe situations for yourself and clients, send me an email and I'd be happy to advise.

Phill

Success in Personal Training

Sunday, February 21, 2010 11:29 PM Posted by Phill Wright
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I've decided to put together a blog that shares some tips and hints that can help people become more successful in Personal Training. After a good few years gaining great success with my own business and then managing a vast number of trainers, I've come across some excellent and some dog poor examples of this thing called PT.
My first hint is one that can save you time. Have a system. One of the greatest trends that I've noticed in personal training is that good trainers spend and dedicate so much time to their clients with programme writing, nutritional planning, writing up reports and much more. However, for some reason, they seem to re-invent the wheel everytime and run themselves into the ground whilst trying to cater for all their clients. Have a system in place that makes your life easier. Not just the consultation as most trainers have at least some format for this. (If you don't already then get one - there are some great examples that you can google to give you pointers). What I mean is, have a structure that has literature that you can just hand to people specific to their goals. It would be quite easy to come up with a set number of general goals that people are looking for: weight loss, increase strength, more energy etc. Why not come up with a starter pack for each of these that discusses nutrition, exercise and how to approach it and lifestyle. This is where the greatest results are made, educating your clients. Not just thrashing your clients or giving them excellent workouts but giving them the information. The more you can guide them towards making the right decisions, the better informed they will be towards making the right choices. However many sessions you have weekly with your clients will not make up for 7 days of bad living. Put the ball in their court and guide them.
Slaving yourself to your clients is risking giving poor service too. The number of trainers who I've seen looking majorly tired is shocking. Turning up tired will almost always result in under performance on the trainers part. Poor coaching won't do you any favours in getting new business or retaining existing business. Having more time to yourself will give you what it takes to feel refreshed and on form when delivering. The best way to do this is through streamlining your systems as much as possible.
I'll chat a little about language patterns and influential ways in which you can get your clients to stick to healthy lifestyle or make the better choices more often.

Phill Wright
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