Stuart MacDonald is the owner of True Fitness Personal Training in Solihull, England. He comes on to the podcast to discuss how he approaches programming for small-group personal training. Topics covered include: how his programming has changed since he opened his gym, what he learned from our Programme Design Mentorship, how he ensures it flows from one 4-week block to another, the specific framework he uses that you can replicate and how he went about moving his clients to a small-group model.          Find Out More About Stuart:  Website:  https://truefitnessstudio.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aminousma20     Find Out More About LTB:  Website: https://liftthebar.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/? 14-Day Free Trial:  https://liftthebar.thrivecart.com/ltb-membership-49 Programme Design Mentorship: https://liftthebar.activehosted.com/f/14   

#346 Stuart MacDonald: Small-Group Program Design

The Lift the Bar Podcast is a place where personal trainers can gain education, insight and knowledge from other personal trainers. It's aim is to provide personal trainers with the know-how and inspiration to build the kind of career they want to build.

Every week the show will feature interviews with fantastic guests who are at the top of their game in different areas specific to helping personal trainers.

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Welcome to what may be the last episode of the Lift The Bar Podcast. Stuart will soon be departing from his position at LTB, so on this episode, let's take a stroll down memory lane and hear his final thoughts. The LTB podcast may appear again soon in a different guise, so keep your eyes peeled!  Find Out More About LTB:  Website: https://liftthebar.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/? 

#404 The Last LTB Podcast?

 Is it time for you to open a personal training facility? Before you leap into the unknown, you might want to learn from someone who has been there and done it.     In this episode of the Lift  The Bar podcast, Stuart talks to Daniel Mee, the owner of MeeFit. Listen to Dan's journey, from repurposing a spare changing room into a personal 121 PT area to owning a mammoth 7500 square foot facility with 5 PTs, serving over 200 dedicated members.    Please tune in for a hearty dose of wisdom as Dan shares all  lessons he wished he had known earlier. This includes how to successfully market trial packages, handle client disappointment when modifying your services, and even whether opening a gym is really the best career decision.    Timestamps  1:48 - Introduction to Meefit    4:33- The Meefit Client Journey Trial Packages    10:54- Trial Packages Continued    19:10- What Dan wishes he knew as a PT    23:31- The importance of shadowing facility owners.    26:40- The early days of a PT business.      30: 25 When did Dan know he wanted a facility?    32:50- The transition to Semi-Private    34:55- The importance of service delivery     Find Out More About Dan:  IG: https://www.instagram.com/meefitpt  Find Out More About LTB:  Website: https://liftthebar.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/? 

#403 Dan Mee: Lessons Learned Going From 1-1 PT to Facility Owner.

   Most personal trainers want to have a steady income. They also want to make a meaningful impact on their client’s lives. Focusing on one specific population of potential clients might help you do both.  Can you guess who it is? It’s our mums and dads. Our grandparents and maybe even our great-grandparents! The elderly are hugely underserved by the fitness industry. So, you’re not going to have much competition. More importantly, it’s incredibly rewarding to spend your time helping people maintain their ability to walk, see their friends and, ultimately, their independence.     Today Stuart welcomes Dr Janet Withall from the University of Birmingham. Dr Withall is an expert in healthy ageing. She focuses on helping elderly people maintain their activity levels and strength. In this episode, expect to learn how to attract elderly clients to exercise services, how those services should be designed to maximise results, and how physical activity can affect people’s disease risk.         Timestamps  2:00- Why focus on older adults?  3:08- Exercise participation rates 7:20- Can PT help the older population to exercise? 9:55- Changes to governament guidelines 10:47- Marketing exercise for older populations 15:05- The importance of community for older population 17:30- The ReACT study: Introduction 21:57- Building a client base of older clients 24:08- The effects of aging and how exercise helps.  30:52- The ReACT study: Results   Find Out More About Dr Withall:  Email: j.withall@bham.ac.uk   Find Out More About LTB:  Website: https://liftthebar.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/? 

#402  Dr. Janet Withall: How to Start Working With The Elderly Population (Repost)

 We often equate "learning" with our school days. It basically just involved being able to memory a lot of facts. But what if your capacity to learn extends far beyond that, influencing everything from your clients' results to your business's success? And…what if you could...learn to...learn more effectively?         In this episode, Stuart is joined by an expert in this very field. Dr. Barbara Oakley is a distinguished educator, author, and engineering professor. Her work spans a multitude of disciplines, but she is particularly recognised for her research in learning practices.         In this episode, they delve into the heart of effective learning strategies. They discuss the crucial role of 'chunking' information, finding the right balance between focused and diffuse modes of thinking, tackling procrastination head-on, and why experiencing imposter syndrome might not be as negative as it seems...         So, whether you're striving to remember the content of the courses you watch, the books you read, or simply to recall the distal insertion of Semimembranosus (it's the horizontal groove on the posteromedial surface of the medial tibial condyle, if you were wondering), then this episode is a must-listen!         Don't miss this opportunity to learn…about learning… from one of the leading experts in the field.         Timestamps:         1:50- Career Advice: Why imposter syndrome might be helpful.   8:17- What is learning?      12:53- Why is learning important?    14:45- Is it good for people to learn?    18:05- Is learning practical information better for people's mood?    19:36- Learning and problem solving.    24:11- Diffuse and focused mode.    27:02- How long should learning blocks be?    30:35- Reviewing Notes    32:30- What is a chunk?    35:10- What is retrieval practice?    36:53- Why does procrastination occur?    39:36- The Importance of getting started.  Find Out More About Barbara  https://barbaraoakley.com/    Find Out More About LTB:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/  Website: https://liftthebar.com/  Free Trial: https://liftthebar.com/free-trial     

#401 Dr Barbara Oakley: Upgrade Your Learning. Upgrade Your Career.

Welcome to the 400th episode of the Lift the Bar podcast!  To celebrate this milestone, we’ve got every staff member at LTB to share their top personal training career tip.   Expect to learn the significance of setting boundaries, how to prioritise what's most important for your clients, and why you might need to take advice from your local mechanic…   Timestamps 1:58- Great ideas are meaningless without action. 3:07- Find new exercise methods. 7:22- Ensure that your advice is tailored to your clients' needs. 10:25- Create a business that aligns with your personal values. 14:55- Have a clear understanding of your potential earnings. 20:24- Set your boundaries. 22:20- Listen to your clients.  26:10- Remember, your career is special.  30:40- Become the best mechanic in town.   Find Out More About LTB:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liftthebar/  Website: https://liftthebar.com/  Free Trial: https://liftthebar.com/free-trial         

#346 Stuart MacDonald: Small-Group Program Design

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