The Whirlwind Week

Whirlwind

We're going to go off the beaten path a bit here today, as I give you the past week's recaps.  It's been a busy one, but there's a ton of great stuff going on that I want all of you to be aware of!

Tomororow we'll get back to formal content, and I'll  be writing up our "Rock the Vote" winner in the coming days as well.

Tuesday

I kid around about it, but I always say that the NFL Combine is one of the few reasons that anyone knows about Indianapolis (the other main reason being the Indy 500!) 

Regardless, the combine kicked off last week, and as a result, some really great coaches came into town.

Last Tuesday Bill and I went to dinner at Fogo de Chao with physical therapist Charlie Weingroff.  First off, Charlie may be one of the smartest guys I've ever met - Dewey Nielsen calls him a "brain with arms and legs." 

Regardless, we had a fantastic dinner and got to talk powerlifting, vibration training, and a whole host of other topics.  Needless to say it was great stuff, and I can't wait to get Charlie on the phone in the future to pick his brain.

Wednesday was busy running around all day, in lieu of....

The Weekend

I flew out to Los Angeles this past weekend for the Cosgrove Business Seminars, which were hosted by Perform Better.

To say this was a fantastic seminar would be an understatement of epic proportions.  This seminar has literally changed how I look at our gym, and how we have to run it.

The people around me are probably tired of hearing this, but here goes:  I feel we have a great gym.  More than just a gym, I feel we've developed a great community of clients who are serious about getting results.

But that doesn't pre-qualify us as being a great business.  Bill and I would both rather be in the trenches working with clients than designing procedures manuals, phone scripts, and marketing pieces.

In that same breath, though, those are the things that have to be done for us to enjoy long-term success.

I walked away from the seminar with not only page after page of notes, but also just a ridiculous amount of ideas in my head that I had to get on paper.  I can see how this seminar is going to revolutionize our gym and our business.

To Alwyn and Rachel - thank you guys so much for putting on such an amazing seminar!  I know this is only the start, but I can't thank you enough.  I wish every gym owner would take this course so they can start to envision what their facility can be like.

As well, to Chris Poirier from Perform Better - thanks for always putting on first-class seminars.  Alwyn jokes that people just assume PB is a seminar company, because they put on such fantastic events.  PB is actually an equipment company, so be sure to check them out when you need supplies.

Coming back Sunday night, sleeping was not an easy thing - between jet lag and the numerous ideas bouncing around in my head, sleep wasn't the best

This all leads me to yesterday...

Monday

I worked in the AM on all sorts of gym stuff, and then coached at IFAST in the evening.  Last night, Bill and I headed downtown again to meet with Chip Morton, head strength coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.

I have no qualms saying Chip is an extremely intelligent guy, and it's very cool to hear about some of the plans he's got for training his players in the upcoming months.  Dinner topics ranged from assessments and evaluations, all the way to football-specific training and conditioning.

(Random Side Note: Sitting in Shula's, I turn around last night and was forced to do a double-take:  "Neon" Deion Sanders was sitting right behind me!  Luckily I didn't shriek like a little school girl, but that was crazy.  It got crazier when 2 minutes after that, Rex Ryan walked in as well.  That dude is a BIG guy!)

Needless to say, it's been a hectic (yet exciting!) week.  Hopefully over the course of the next few days we'll get some traction and start cranking on the content again.

One last thing - every time I get to travel, train people at my gym, or just hang out with like-minded individuals, I'm reminded how lucky I am to do what I love every single day.

Thank you all for supporting me.  I sincerely hope that my work is benefitting you in some form or fashion!

All the best

Mike

Comments (5)

Exercise of the Week: External Rotation on Knee

External Rotation on Knee

In today's edition of "Exercise of the Week," we're going to cover a simple, yet effective, rotator cuff exercise.

The external rotation on knee not only helps develop strength in the shoulder external rotators, but can also help you discern the difference between actual shoulder rotation and scapular motion. 

Finally, training in the scapular plane just feels good to many who have a previous history of shoulder issues.

To begin, here's the exercise:

Some key points with regards to execution:

• Use a slow, controlled tempo throughout.  It doesn't always have to be as slow as the video, but this isn't an exercise where you want to use a lot of momentum and stretch-shortening reflex.
• Many will have a tendency to substitue scapular anterior tilt for shoulder internal rotation.  To counteract this, place your non-working hand on your shoulder/scapula.  When you are lowering the weight, make sure you're only moving from your shoulder - not your shoulder blade!  Your off-hand can help cue you until you become more aware. 
  
• I typically use higher reps for these - the lowest I'll go is generally sets of 8, but most of the time I'm working in the 8-15 rep range.  Try using a 2-0-2 or 3-0-3 tempo to begin.

Once you've mastered the isolative stuff, feel free to progress to higher level (and more integrated) exercises such as PNF patterns and more "reflexive"  'cuff work. 

You've got to start somewhere, though, and this is a great exercise to develop some basic strength, stability and body awareness around the shoulder.  Enjoy!

Stay strong

MR

Comments (4)

Opening a Fitness Facility

Under Construction

Below is a Q&A response that I wanted to post up.  Hopefully it will help those of you out who are hoping to open your own gym/fitness facility someday!

Hi Mike,
 
I really enjoy reading your level headed and erudite advice on your newsletter, Fitcast, Mens Health, etc.
 
I am an aspiring entrepreneur, not unlike yourself, and looking into starting up a gym in the XYZ area. I am emailing you to see if you have any advice to get me started in the right direction, specifically:
 
1) What resources did you utilize when doing market research for your gym?
2) What mistakes did you make in the planning process that would be easily avoidable?
3) Any resources I need to be looking at regarding starting a gym?
 
I really appreciate any time you could give me, if only to simply point in the right direction.
 

1 - Here are the things Bill and I looked for when opening our gym:

• Price per square foot (PPSF)
  
  You could go a few hundred feet towards the primary road in our area and literally triple your PPSF. We didn't need visibility, as we're not your typically "drive-by and join" gym.
• Travel Location
  
  We wanted to be near major intersections and highways.  This was critical, as it would get people to and from our gym faster.  I think the general rule of thumb is people are willing to drive about 20 minutes max to go to your gym.
• General Location
  
  This jumps off the previous point.  If people are only going to drive 20 minutes to see you, you don't want to be in a horrible part of town.  We're in a fairly centralized location that's not only easily accessible, but right in between several affluent communities.
• Competition
  
  I'm assuming you also want to know how we scoped out competition.  In all honesty, I didn't care who was around us.  Bill and I know what we're capable of, and what we bring to the table.  I think other fitness facilites will have to plan around us, versus the other way around.  We're in a unique demographic, have a higher price point, and offer much more customized services than anywhere else near us.
  
  (Yes, I realize this may sound a little arrogant, but I feel we're the best place in our area.)

2 - As far as planning goes, I'm not so sure we made major mistakes.  Instead, what was more evident was that we simply hadn't run a business before!

The training/assessment side is actually easy for us in the grand scheme, because Bill and I are both technicians versus managers or entrepreneurs.  The hardest part for us is on the repeatability/systems side of things.  If you haven't picked up the E-myth yet, I would do it immediately.  Too many of us are technicians for life, and we wonder why our gyms fail.

3 - I would start off with the E-myth, as well as attending a Cosgrove Business seminar or mentorship.  I'm actually heading to one this weekend, as I know it will take IFAST to the next level.

4 - You didn't ask a fourth question, but I'm going to give you a piece of advice that has really paid dividends for me.

I have tried a lot of direct marketing stuff, and not really seen the result.  This is costly in two ways - first off, I'm spending money and not seeing a return.  Second, I was designing a lot of the stuff up front as well.  So I was wasting time and money (yes, I'm sure AC is having a fit as he reads this.  It's just my experience up this point.)

That said, we've had a huge ROI from our website, Facebook pages, etc.  The book Guerilla Marketing talks about all the things you can do for free to promote your business, and it's even more true now than ever before.  There are so many platforms out there to help you promote your business, you absolutely must take advantage of them.

Build a blog.

Create a Facebook fan page.

Start a Twitter account.

Anything you can do to generate interest and "buzz" will help you build your brand, and therefore your business.

That's not to say I've given up one direct marketing, as I haven't.  I just have to become more disciplined and focused to really make it work.  In the beginning, however, you can save a lot of cash and still develop a ton of momentum without breaking the bank on marketing.

I hope that helps.  Good luck!

MR

Comments (7)

Building Olympic Caliber Legs

Apolo Ohno

If you want to see some amazing hip and thigh development, you need not look any further than the athletes participating in this years c Winter Olympic games.

Whether it's speed skating, ice hockey, or even bobsled, these guys and gals have the hip and thigh development that would make a lot of your average gym-goers jealous.

How do they do it? 

While I've only worked with a handful of elite athletes from the above-mentioned sports, I can tell you there are a few common threads:

Hard work.

Regardless of their sport, discpline, or the exercises they choose, they all worked their asses off.  If you don't do this, don't bother reading any further.

Big, compound lifts. 

Whether it's squats, deadlifts, RDL's, or any variations of the sort, virtually all of these athletes realize that big, compound lifts are where it's at with regards to improving their strength and size.

Single-leg lifts used as supplemental or accessory exercises.

With many of these sports and events being played on one-leg, single-leg lifts are also incorporated into the programming as a supplement to the compound lifts.

I hope you can see the irony here, especially as I work on a single-leg training DVD and manual!  But when you dig into the research and anecdotal evidence, it's pretty clear that single-leg training is more effective for improving stabilizer function and mobility than it is for developing prime mover strength.

The hips and thighs are the functional centerpiece of your body.  Take the time to build balanced levels of mobility, motor control and strength, and you'll be quite pleased with the results you can achieve.

Good luck and train hard!

MR

Comments (7)