I answer 4 questions in depth from in person clients, DM’s I received, comments to some of my posts, as well as a nutrition coaching scenario from a client I’m coaching. I love doing these episodes and sharing real world examples, programs, and coaching that I’m doing in the real world. 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

=> If you had a period of time where you could train more (3 months) to build strength and muscle, here’s the program I’d create for you. 

=> Why at times a mix of body split AND full body may be the vest way to go. 

=> The 4 day split and which days I’d train on (and what modifications I would make).

=> What I would do for conditioning to maintain athleticism, get fit, and still being able to build size and strength.

=> The exact exercises I’d use with most of my clients if I was doing this program. 

=> Why the most elite athletes (as well as coaches and gym owners) are “gym rats.”

=> 4 traits of elite athlete, coaches, and gym owners (do you have them? And how do you build them?).

=> Why it’s so important to have the apprenticeship approach and be a student even when you’re far along in your career. 

=> Why squatting double your bodyweight before doing plyometrics is not a great peace of advice.

=> I share the different forces associated with jumps, depth drops, etc (and how to progress the exercises safely).

=> An example and breakdown of the coaching strategies to help a client lose 20 lbs while maintaining their muscle. 

=> Why is it better to give clients ranges of calories and protein rather than hard numbers. 

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Built To Last www.BuiltToLastGym.com

Download Our 3 Powerful and FREE Gym Playbooks https://free.builttolastgym.com/

Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

It was great to catch up with Dean as we haven’t talked in a while since he was busy being fully booked as a coach 40-50 hours a week (and what he’s been doing for 20 years!). We talk about how to become a great coach and build a successful career in the industry. 

We’ve hosted Dean for seminars and workshops both at my Vigor Ground location in Seattle, as well as our Slovenia locations (one of the few presenters that have been in both). 

Dean Somerset, CSCS, a personal trainer and post-rehab specialist in Edmonton, Alberta, is owner of Somerset Fitness Ltd. He has a degree in kinesiology from the University of Alberta and is certified by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He’s written articles for the PTDC as well as T Nation and Bodybuilding.com, and contributed to Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness, and many other magazines and websites.

Dean also has a new book coming out called “Rock Solid Resilience.”

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

=> What does Dean’s schedule look like with a 40-50 hour coaching week, doing what he loves. 

=> The journey of building up his name and book of business over the 20-years and the biggest lessons.

=> 3 simple but powerful tips to help you improve as a coach right now. 

=> Thoughts on 1:1 personal training, semi-private personal training, and online; a mix of which Dean does right now. 

=> How to crush it in a big box gym and why this may be the best place for you to build your skills and success (as well as the downsides).

=> Why service should be a huge part of your skill building as a personal trainer (as important as your trainer skills). 

=> 3 books in hospitality that I recommend everyone should read. 

=> This simple tip that will help you stand out to clients right away. 

=> How to make someone feel like they “belong” in your coaching or gym, and how that matters MOST. 

=> The #1 reason you should go watch a coach that has a packed schedule do their thing (hint: you could hire them to experience it).

=> The communication secret Dean shares that most coaches don’t do but will make you stand out from the rest. 

=> Why you have to become fluent in speaking “client” and how the curve of knowledge is hurting your retention.

=> How to set goals with clients and coach them through different stages of life (each client is individual). 

=> Proactive vs reactive coaching in in-person and online training (why you MUST be a good in person coach first). 

=> The phases of growth as a personal trainer and how you should approach your career. 

=> Creating a vision for what you want your career to be like and mapping out your plan to achieve that (as well as preventing burnout). 

=> 3 things EVERY coach should do to build their business (and most aren’t). 

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Dean Somerset Website https://deansomerset.com/

Dean Somerset Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dsomerset1/

Book: Rock Solid Resilience https://a.co/d/9FKg3Nr

Download Our 3 Powerful and FREE Gym Playbooks https://free.builttolastgym.com/

Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

Jason and I have had a cadence of doing a podcast a month talking about program design, both offline and online, coaching, career success in the fitness industry and much more. This time around the conversation to why Jason is leaving social media and focusing on other aspects and laser focusing on the audience that he’s served rather than trying to become “bigger” with a larger audience. This conversation turned into a must listen to any coach, gym owner, or someone working on building a career in the fitness industry. 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

=> Why Jason is leaving social media and what he’s focusing to grow his business and reduce his stress.

=> How Jason’s Crossfit programming business was purely a passion project that turned into a real business. 

=> Why a viral article turned Jason onto a new game that wasn’t beneficial for his mindset or business (and how many people are doing the same). 

=> The power of creating a clear target of what you want to achieve and why.

=> How to put your best foot forward for the people that matter most (and it’s NOT a growing audience and going viral). 

=> The Louie Simmons quote that will fire you up and the people that Jason is focused on serving. 

=> The 4 stages of social media revisited and the 2 stages coaches should live in (offline and online). 

=> Why your content should do two things: help you learn and help you educate your specific audience (and how most people do it wrong). 

=> How Kevin, one of our biz clients built a $300k+ a year online coaching business that serves special operators and military (staying in stage 1 and 2 of social media). 

=> We break down different platforms that make sense for you based on what you’re trying to achieve. 

=> The secret to going deeper with audience topics rather than trying to go wider and losing your sense of self and integrity. 

=> Why some of the most successful coaches and business owners have a very small following on social media (and the lessons you should take and apply). 

=> What our low engagements posts that created more clients will teach you about the truth about “popular posts. 

=> The “Results In Advance” model of content creation you MUST start using. 

=> Our view on “Reaction Posts” and why negativity will lead to more negativity. 

=> 3 ways to get endless ideas on what to share with your audience that will never go out of style and get you clients. 

=> How to play to your strength and stand out and be different than ANYONE else. 

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Jason’s site www.JasonBrownCoaching.com 

Jason’s IG https://www.instagram.com/jasonbrowncoaching/

Download Our 3 Powerful and FREE Gym Playbooks https://free.builttolastgym.com/

Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

I’ve known Jon for over a decade and he’s been a guest of the show many times, and every time we have a conversation he shares a lot of wisdom and insights. Jon has served 100,000+ entrepreneurs, coaches and trainers with his content, whether its his books, articles, courses, or mentorship, and has been a force in helping people impact clients and grow their business. 

He just launched his new book “The Obvious Choice” which I crushed in 5 days and it has so many powerful, yet simple and applicable insights and actions to take from a person that’s built real world businesses. We focus on some of the biggest principles, strategies, and stories that will help you create actionable steps and impact after listening to the episode. 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

=>  What are the actual principles and strategies on building a business (and not ones that get shared on TikTok by folks that have never built a real business). 

=> Why building trust and smaller circles of people that know you will actually grown your business more than social media.

=> How community, familiarity, and specificity are the 3 KEY principles to grow your business the fastest. 

=> Why social media is NOT anywhere close to being the best strategy to grow your brick and mortar business. 

=> The 4 stages of social media for a coach and entrepreneur and when and how to focus on your content. 

=> What is the 1 + 1 = 10 rule and how it can help you excel and stand out as a coach (most don’t know this!).

=> Why becoming better and better at your specific skillset may have diminishing returns. 

=> The 5 skills that will make you stand out and supercharge your craft, regardless of what you do (these are KEY to differentiate).

=> How to let your geek flag fly and be different and incomparable (become the category of 1!). 

=> Jon shares “easy” ways to win rather than searching for the hardest option believing it will be best. 

=> How these entrepreneurs built a very successful business and big impact with small lists, small followings, and no big personal brand (and how you can too). 

=> How likes and social media following does NOT convert to dollars in the bank account of fulfillment of what you do. 

=> You can get clients this week by _______ (it will seem so easy you’ll be blow away how you missed this). 

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Book - The Obvious Choice (Jon Goodman) https://a.co/d/f7Z3xlX

Jon Goodman Instagram https://www.instagram.com/itscoachgoodman/

The PTDC website https://www.theptdc.com/

Download Our 3 Powerful and FREE Gym Playbooks https://free.builttolastgym.com/

Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

Andy McCloy is not only a great coach, the owner of the most successful gym in Huntsville Alabama, and one of my closest friends, he’s also my business partner in the Built To Last Gym Mentorship we launched last year. While in town to work on some projects and our upcoming mastermind in Austin, TX, we sat down to discuss how to build a successful training system for your gym, coaching business; one that can be scaled and taught to your team. 

Your training and coaching are the foundation of your whole business and we have seen more and more people in the industry skip past this with speed to focus on things like brand, marketing, sales, etc. The reality is that training and coaching are the service that everything else is built on and THE most important part. If this ins’t good, nothing else will help you! Tune in to discover the process of building a results based training system that can be scaled. 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

=> Why your coaching program and gym NEED a training system (and not just any training system).

=> What are the best practices for developing a training system (and what NOT to do!).

=> Why your business (long term) will live or die based on the quality of your training and coaching system. 

=> You don’t sell programming, you sell how people feel after participating in a session (and how training systems & coaching play into this).

=> How Andy started his journey of developing his training system and his “Borrow” then “Build” framework. 

=> What do Crossfit/OTF/Orange Theory/Barry’s Bootcamp, etc have in common and what we can learn from them. 

=> How we learned that certain methods don’t work with certain populations (wisdom from 10’000’s of combined sessions).

=> Our influences of who we borrowed from and how we then built our own training systems. 

=> What is the “mixed model” of program design and why we’re big fans of it.  

=> What framework BCI Sports Performance and Fitness use with athletes and general population clients. 

=> What we learned from Mike Boyle and how it influenced some of our programs (both in different ways). 

=> We covers BCI’s rules and frameworks of the training system.

=> We go over a year’s worth of program design sets and reps that you can literally steal from us and use in your program design.

=> How to choose exercise categories, organize them, and create regression, baseline and progression models.

=> What is the perfect session checklist for our coaches. 

=> The R7 and P4 lens of designing training programs. 

=> How to develop internship models that build great coaches to run your system. 

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Built To Last Mentorship  www.BuiltToLastGym.com

Built to Last Gym - Austin Mastermind  https://go.builttolastgym.com/austin-2025

Download Our 3 Powerful and FREE Gym Playbooks https://free.builttolastgym.com/

BCI Sports Performance and Fitness  https://bodycreationsinc.com/

Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

I decided I wanted to start sharing principles and skillsets that build the greatest coaches and careers in the fitness industry. This is not a list from 1 to whatever. This is my personal insights, notes from other great coaches, books, things mentors shared with me, and much more. This will be an ongoing series of at least 3 episodes (if not more) as I want there to be something anyone can come back to and use as a resource to develop their skills, get a refresher (“we need to be reminded more than we need to be taught”), or direct someone to that wants to build successful coaching skills.

Developing these skills is a lifelong purpose and after 20-years of being obsessed with coaching, I can still see how much better I can get at many of the skills I share. 

These episodes are for the coaches (and by the way, everyone will be in a coaching role in their life so it applies to everyone!) who want to be in the elite category. I have been fortunate to stand on the shoulders of giants and invested an enormous amount of time, energy, and money, to learn from them over the decades. Most that were grateful to help, asked me for one thing in return - to pay it forward. These episodes and this podcast is a way for me to pay it forward like the greats did for me. 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

=> Why training in all planes of motion is a must and how to add it to every clients program

=> How to add an “assistant coach” with constraint based coaching.

=> Why everyone should do plyometrics and what to do with beginners. 

=> Why you must learn how to “speak coach” and the boost it will give your business. 

=> How strong is strong enough and some standards we use for clients at Vigor Ground. 

=> Sometimes good movement doesn’t fix every problem, you may have to check _______.

=> 3 rules for mobility and how I categorize clients and what I do with them.

=> Why you shouldn’t be a “one tool trainer.”

=> The right mix of giving clients what they need vs. what they want. 

=> The coaching habit and the 7 question framework that will help you coach your clients and team.

=> The difference between a trainer and a coach.

=> The list of mistakes coaches make that take them out of the “pro” category in my eyes. 

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Book: The Coaching Habit https://a.co/d/5wgWMT0

Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

I decided I wanted to start sharing principles and skillsets that build the greatest coaches and careers in the fitness industry. This is not a list from 1 to whatever. This is my personal insights, notes from other great coaches, books, things mentors shared with me, and much more. This will be an ongoing series of at least 3 episodes (if not more) as I want there to be something anyone can come back to and use as a resource to develop their skills, get a refresher (“we need to be reminded more than we need to be taught”), or direct someone to that wants to build successful coaching skills.

Developing these skills is a lifelong purpose and after 20-years of being obsessed with coaching, I can still see how much better I can get at many of the skills I share. 

These episodes are for the coaches (and by the way, everyone will be in a coaching role in their life so it applies to everyone!) who want to be in the elite category. I have been fortunate to stand on the shoulders of giants and invested an enormous amount of time, energy, and money, to learn from them over the decades. Most that were grateful to help, asked me for one thing in return - to pay it forward. These episodes and this podcast is a way for me to pay it forward like the greats did for me. 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

=> The 5 critical core emotional skills you need to be a 51%-er and develop greatness in coaching. 

=> Why what you say matters a LOT and how you can’t “fix people” (and don’t say it!). 

=> How being a “bucket filler” will help you improve your programming and results. 

=> How to not stray away from the clients goals while giving them training they like. 

=> The secret to making exercises and programs feel different when they’re really the same (you MUST learn this).

=> Why I think about Murphys Law when I’m training clients (especially groups) and how I prepare to avoid problems.

=> Should you do deload and rest weeks and your general population clients.

=> The power of “if/then” and having regressions, progressions and lateralizations ready ahead of time. 

=> Why you should ask “What do WE have next” during the sessions often. 

=> A tip on how I check “readiness” of clients at the beginning of a session so I can adjust it (and makes them feel special).

=> How to use the “sprinkler method” in group and semi private coaching that will differentiate you from the rest. 

=> Why you should ALWAYS leave personal problems at home when coaching. 

=> My “coaching energy system” that will always have clients loving your sessions. 

=> How you can always show clients progress through different means and keep them motivated (even when they’re not losing weight). 

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Book: Setting The Table (Danny Meyer) - https://a.co/d/7Y7eKHS

Book: The Language of Coaching (Nick Winkelman) - https://a.co/d/2wg3tId

Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

I decided I wanted to start sharing principles and skillsets that build the greatest coaches and careers in the fitness industry. This is not a list from 1 to whatever. This is my personal insights, notes from other great coaches, books, things mentors shared with me, and much more. This will be an ongoing series of at least 3 episodes (if not more) as I want there to be something anyone can come back to and use as a resource to develop their skills, get a refresher (“we need to be reminded more than we need to be taught”), or direct someone to that wants to build successful coaching skills.

Developing these skills is a lifelong purpose and after 20-years of being obsessed with coaching, I can still see how much better I can get at many of the skills I share. 

These episodes are for the coaches (and by the way, everyone will be in a coaching role in their life so it applies to everyone!) who want to be in the elite category. I have been fortunate to stand on the shoulders of giants and invested an enormous amount of time, energy, and money, to learn from them over the decades. Most that were grateful to help, asked me for one thing in return - to pay it forward. These episodes and this podcast is a way for me to pay it forward like the greats did for me. 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

=> What makes a great coach, the principles that will stand the test of time. 

=> The anchor that you need to be a great coach. If you’ve been doing it for a while, you need this reminder.

=> The power of 3 - which 3 things you should do with every client every session.

=> What is PAF and why should you know it for every exercise you coach. 

=> Why you should steal smart people’s s@*t (and never stop). 

=> How videoing your own coaching sessions can be a catalyst and mirror to build the best coaching abilities. 

=> The reason feedback loops are so powerful and how to make sure you’re getting better and not worse, daily. 

=> What habit that we teach our clients is critical for your own coaching success.

=> What should you be doing 100% of the time on the training floor (this differentiates the good from the great).

=> The reason using jargon, abbreviations, and acronyms makes you a “smart ass” and not a great coach.

=> Why you should be practicing demonstrating exercises (yes, even if you’ve been at it for a while).

=> The superpower of communication and why you still need to get better at it (even if you’re good). 

=> Do you need to give clients “more s@*t or more ice cream”?

=> Why you should be “flipping it more often” and why you shouldn’t talk about yourself in sessions. 

=> Your body language may be the thing stopping you from building your book of business. 

=> Don’t program exercises you can’t do, demo, or aren’t confident coaching. 

=> Not too quiet, not too loud, just right (what does this mean for you as a coach). 

=> Tony Robbins, David Goggins, Brene Brown, Gary Vee, Mel Robbins,…who are you emulating and how should you be as a coach.

=> The one sentence that is a big NO to say to a client (and so many coaches still do it).

=> And much more….

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Book: Set Your Voice Free (Roger Love) - https://a.co/d/5RLslRh

How To Speak So That People Want To Listen (Julian Treasure TED Talk) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIho2S0ZahI&t=18s

Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

I take down notes when I talk to clients or when people reach out to me asking for advice. I created this episode from the questions I get and the struggles people have when reaching a plateau, and seeing what they do that gets them in “trouble.” Most people make these training mistakes that hold back their progress. 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

=> Why trying to make great progress when it’s already good is the reason your results are stalling. 

=> The truth about how much gains you can make in muscle and strength (even as a beginner).

=> The mistake you make that makes you think you’ve had a huge progress from week to week (this is an insight most don’t know).

=> You should be on a program, but you already know that. Structure and tracking are your missing link to gains!

=> One of the biggest training mistakes people make when trying to lose fat (this will kill your muscle gains AND you won’t get leaner).

=> When lowering calories your program should do this.

=> The best way to know your training frequency is too high (and you’re likely creating the wrong splits for yourself). 

=> Abusing stimulants to mask fatigue (I used to do this often) will lead to a crash and reverse your results. Here’s why.

=> What difference types of cardio are there and which ones should YOU focus on and why.

=> Why trying to do all types of cardio together doesn’t usually get you the results you want. 

=> Examples of 4 week cardio programs I’d add to strength training. 

=> Why the “boring” aerobic cardio is so important to your health AND performance. 

=> The biggest mistakes people make when it comes to their cardio training. 

I’m excited to say I’ve now partnered with the highest quality supplements I’ve been using for years - Live Momentous. It’s hard to trust supplements today, which is why I use the most rigorously tested supplements out there. What they say is in them, is in them. It’s also the only whey isolate that hasn’t upset my girlfriend’s stomach (she has ulcerative colitis). Get my favorites here: https://www.livemomentous.com/collections/luka-hocevar and use promo code “LUKA15” to get 15% off any order. 

Ten Thousand makes The World’s Best Men’s Training Gear And the ONLY Training Shorts You’ll EVER Need. Upgrade your training gear and get 15% off everything at www.TenThousand.cc/VIGOR

If you need to replace your energy drinks (like I did in September of 2023) with clean energy, with no caffeine, no sugar, and no crashes, check out the KetoneIQ, my go to shot to give me focus, energy, and no crashes for when I’m working, coaching, and training. Get a 6-pack free and 30% of your subscription at www.KETONE.com/LUKA

Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

Every once in a while I like to do an episode on program design and share insights on writing better programs. Whether you’re a coach or you’re a fitness enthusiast that wants to get better results, I share a process of how to design a program that will improve your looks, performance, help you feel better, while being able to give you longevity in the weight room (this is about the long game).

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

=> The questions we MUST answer first before creating a program (if you don’t do this you’ll waste your time).

=> Why what people like does matter when it comes to writing programs (it has something to do with compliance). 

=> The 4 goals I bucket clients into and the Athlete For Life bucket and how I determine it.

=> The understanding of the neural-metabolic continuum and how it will help you write more effective programs.

=> My 8 primary variables of program design and how to use them as you change up programs. 

=> How I progress and regress exercises and why I’ve bought ______ pieces of equipment. 

=> Helping clients become savage comes along with addressing their movement limitations (or you’ll beat them up over time).

=> The 4 buckets of exercises and different program design examples to show you how to use them.

=> The myth of structural balance and should you row 3x more than you press (you’ll be surprised by this one!).

=> The value of testing and which things I test at Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance.

=> Should we REALLY change the program every 3-6 weeks?

=> Why “slow cooking” is one of the best way to get clients incredible results over time.

=> Here’s how being a lazy coach has got my clients better results. 

=> How I use modifiers, different stances, and other tools to improve the results of my clients.

=>  The simple breakdown of set and rep ranges to use in your programs. 

=> What does “touching intensity” mean and why you shouldn’t push your general population clients too often. 

I’m excited to say I’ve now partnered with the highest quality supplements I’ve been using for years - Live Momentous. It’s hard to trust supplements today, which is why I use the most rigorously tested supplements out there. What they say is in them, is in them. It’s also the only whey isolate that hasn’t upset my girlfriend’s stomach (she has ulcerative colitis). Get my favorites here: https://www.livemomentous.com/collections/luka-hocevar and use promo code “LUKA15” to get 15% off any order. 

Ten Thousand makes The World’s Best Men’s Training Gear And the ONLY Training Shorts You’ll EVER Need. Upgrade your training gear and get 15% off everything at www.TenThousand.cc/VIGOR

If you need to replace your energy drinks (like I did in September of 2023) with clean energy, with no caffeine, no sugar, and no crashes, check out the KetoneIQ, my go to shot to give me focus, energy, and no crashes for when I’m working, coaching, and training. Get a 6-pack free and 30% of your subscription at www.KETONE.com/LUKA

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Vigor Ground Fitness and Business Summit 2024 https://www.vigorgroundfitness.com/vigor-summit-2024

Luka’s Courses and Workshops  www.LukaHocevar.com

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber