I believe that the CrossFit Level 1, 2, and 3 courses are among the best certifications out there for coaches.

CrossFit’s simple definition of fitness, their ability to teach coaches how to see, cue, and correct, and their formula of constantly varied, functional movements, at high intensity, is invaluable for all coaches to understand.

But there are still many things that I wish were taught at the L1-L3 courses that haven’t quite found their way into the curriculum.

In CrossFit’s own definition of what makes a great coach, they talk about 6 components of effective coaching.

• Teaching

• Seeing

• Correcting

• Demonstration

• Group/gym management

• Presence and attitude

As someone who is a current Level 3 coach, I’ve found it interesting that so much time is spent on the first 4 attributes (Seeing, Teaching, Correcting, and Demonstration), but very little time is spent on the last 2 (Group/Gym management, Presence and Attitude).

As a gym owner, it didn’t take long for me to realize that it didn’t matter how good our coaches were at seeing and correcting, if they weren’t great at group management, presence and attitude, building relationships, and communication, then they weren’t great coaches.  It's that simple.

In this episode, I sit down with Austin to discuss what we think the biggest pros and cons to the CrossFit certifications are. 

To join my Rockstar Coaching Group, head over to https://www.facebook.com/groups/rockstarcoach7

Pat Barber is a former CrossFit Games competitor and gym owner, and currently owns Warm Up and Workout, a programming and lesson plan company for CrossFit Affiliates.  He is also a CrossFit Level 4 Coach and continues to work as part of CrossFit Seminar Staff.

Pat's desire to help people and live a values-based life is something that I believe all coaches and gym owners should aspire to.  Pat has left previous positions because it didn't align with his values, and he currently optimizes his work and life to maximize the amount of time he gets to spend with his wife and kids.  

In this episode, we discuss why the soft skills of coaching are so important, and how coaches can start to develop those skills.  We talk about his views on CrossFit programming, and what he would change about CrossFit's certifications in order to make them better.  

The purpose of this episode is to talk about the pros and cons of personal training as well as group classes for getting people the result that they want, as well as when to know when clients are a better fit for PT versus group classes.

 As Sean Pastuch has said, group classes are great for well-rounded atheltes, but most athletes have corners.

When most people think of a leader, they think of someone is loud, outspoken, and very demanding of the people around them.  

Often this leader will have a title like business owner, head coach, manager, CEO, or captain.  But leaders come in all shapes and sizes, and you don't have to have a fancy title in order to have influence over the people that you interact with on a regular basis.  

Most great leaders weren't born as leaders, they learned, developed, and refined their  skills over years of working with people, and working on themselves.  In today's episode, Layci Nelson joins the show to talk about all things leadership.  

I especially loved the exercises she shares on how to define your core values, set a 10-year personal vision, and map out the 27 things you want to experience before you die.

Most gym owners have a clear idea in their head on what their business needs to look like in order for it to be successful and reach it's potential.  But we often struggle to get our business partners and employees to work towards the vision that we see in our heads.  

This is often because we've never done a great job of spelling out what that vision really looks like. We may share elements of the vision, or create roles or tasks that we think will move us closer to that vision, but rarely do we provide a written-out and detailed vision for where the business can be in the next 5-10 years.  

In today's episode, I show you why no one can see and feel the vision, and how important it is for you and your team to have a clear and written out vision in place.

When we design career opportunities for our coaches, we think of it as a 3-pronged approach.

Group Classes

1-on-1 Training 

Non-Coaching Business Roles

We believe that by balancing these 3 areas, we give our coaches the best chance of making coaching a sustainable career, where they can make at least $70K per year, in their first 5 years as a full-time coach.

In part 2 of this 2-part episode, we discuss why 1-on-1 training is the most likely path for most coaches on the road to $70K.  We'll share our favorite high value skills for increasing your value in 1-on-1 and group training, and why sales is the x-factor for most coaches.  

To get our free 20+ page guide on how to get to 70K as a coach, head over to sevenfigurebox.com/roadto70k

We believe that full-time career coaches should be able to earn $70K per year within their first 5 years of coaching full-time.  

Why $70K?  

Because this is a number that will allow coaches to make coaching a long-term and sustainable career where they can cover all their basic needs, buy a house, and support a family in most areas of the world.  

In order to get to these numbers, coaches need to have a basic understanding of math, an appetite to develop their skills, and a whole lot of patience along the way.  

Having a love for fitness, and a passion for helping others is the bare minimum.  

In part 1 of this 2-part episode, we discuss how to go from a brand-new coach, to a full-time coach making at least $40K per year, to a career coach making at least $70K per year.  

We talk about why it's so hard to make fitness a sustainable career, and why patience is one of the most important traits you can harness along the way.  

To get our free 20+ page guide on how to get to 70K as a coach, head over to sevenfigurebox.com/roadto70k

As we are currently in the process of hiring our next coach at FitTown Jupiter, it's become obvious that I have a very specific standard for what we are looking for in that next coach.

We want someone who is a team player, we want someone who has experience and perspective, but most importantly we want someone who is psyched to work for FitTown for the next several decades.

Similar to an intimate relationship, we're only looking to date you if we think there's a chance we're going to marry you at some point.  If you want a short-term fling, you can look somewhere else.

Most of our excitement in wanting to hire you as a coach, is derived from your excitement of wanting to join our team.

For those of you that know you love working in the fitness industry and believe that coaching could be a career or calling for you, do the hard work to create clarity on what that ideal path might look like for you.

In today's episode, I elaborate on what it means to create clarity, find your calling, and separate yourself from the pack when your dream job shows up.

Many gyms have nutrition coaching as an option for clients, but most struggle to gain clients or to retain them once they’ve signed up.

Danielle Bettigrew has been our nutrition coach at FitTown Jupiter for the past 3 years, and has helped hundreds of our members transform their bodies and lifestyles through nutrition.

Recently, Danielle decided to up her game by signing up for her own 1-on-1 nutrition coach.  What she found is that her experience lacked a personal feel and accountability.  That disappointment she felt as a client has already helped her become a better coach. 

Today, Danielle joins the show to discuss the approach she takes in coaching her clients, why she doesn’t advise counting macros for everyone, and how she builds honest and personal relationships with her clients.

She discusses how a client may evolve in their first 90 days, why it’s important to celebrate small victories with them, and how to recognize when a client is going off track or losing enthusiasm. 

Most gym owners are trying to wear too many hats, and end up doing a mediocre job at most things.    

The owners who realize they are taking on too much will often offload a lot of these administrative tasks to their coaches, only to realize that their coaches are even worse than they are at most non-coaching tasks.     

The owner ends up wasting a ton of time and energy trying to micromanage their team, instead of getting the right people in place that will excel in these roles.    

In today's episode, I talk to Josh and Scott from VAs for gyms, to talk about how gym owners can leverage virtual professionals to run their social media, take over their admin, and remove their most time-sucking tasks.