The other day I was having a conversation with my guy Shelton Matsey on LinkedIn, and he was asking how my Complete Coach Seminar had gone back in June.
Now for some context – Shelton is one of the most successful fitness business owners I’ve come across in my day, so I love catching up with him and seeing how he’s doing.
But with regards to the seminar I told him it went great – but the numbers were definitely lower than I expected.
Now keep in mind I’m kind of an old-head in the industry these days.
Been coaching for 24 years now.
Wrote for T-Nation during it’s prime of the late 2000’s and early 2010’s.
Have been hired to speak on multiple continents about strength and conditioning.
And owned/operated IFAST for 16 years now.
So needless to say, I’ve seen a few things in my day.
But you want to know what truly makes me sad about our industry?
I see fewer and fewer people willing to invest their TIME into becoming a better coach or program designer.
Now there’s a reason I highlighted the word time and not money.
Because if I’m being honest with you, it’s easy to throw money at a problem.
Not good at writing programs? Buy a course and never go through it.
Struggling to coach and cue effectively? Watch a few short videos while doom scrolling on IG.
But you want to know what actually makes you a better trainer or coach?
Investing the time to really learn something.
Take the time to really dive in and learn what that person is teaching you.
Don’t listen in your car when you’re distracted.
Lock in at a coffee shop.
Take notes.
Make a real effort to take your game to the next level.
Now back to my conversation with Shelton – you see us old heads remember a day and age where people did the following:
- They PAID TO ATTEND a course IN REAL LIFE.
- They PAID MORE MONEY to drive/fly there, stay in a hotel, etc.
- When the day came, they actually WENT TO THE COURSE and learned stuff from real experts who had had success for years or even decades.
- When the course was over at night, THEY WENT AND HUNG OUT with their fellow attendees, and sometimes even the presenters who they learned from earlier that day to talk shop.
- When they left the course, they were probably EXHAUSTED BUT ALSO ENERGIZED because they’d learned new things that challenged their thinking and would ultimately help them take their game to the next level.
So here’s some hard truth for you today my friend…
…if you’re not getting better, it’s because you’re unwilling to make yourself uncomfortable.
Driving around and listening to a podcast? That’s easy.
Mindlessly scrolling “fitness experts” on IG and TikTok? Easy.
Buying a course and then never watching it? Easy.
Now I’m not saying those things can’t valuable – after all I create content across multiple platforms to help people learn, and I’d like to think I’m not wasting my time in doing so 😉
But don’t confuse “tips and tricks” with deep and meaningful learning.
Now if you’ve followed my work for any period of time now, you know I like to be positive and upbeat.
You can ABSOLUTELY do this – whether you’re a total newbie who is just getting started, or a seasoned vet who is just going through the motions.
But if you want to get better, you have to invest both your money and time to get to the next level.
Attend that live, in-person seminar.
Buy the online course but treat it like you’re really there – lock in, take notes, and make a concerted effort to get better.
Connect with gym owners or high level coaches you respect to help guide and mentor you in the process.
It doesn’t happen magically, and I can promise you, it won’t happen overnight.
But if you sprint in the short-term while playing the long game, I can assure you that success is on the horizon.
All the best,
MR