Blog | Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance

EP137: The 3 Keys To Client Results and Retention, & How To Have Real World Success As A Trainer w/ Ben Bruno

Vigor Life Podcast · EP137:The 3 Keys To Client Results & Retention & How To Have Success As A Trainer w/ Ben Bruno

It was about time I had my friend Ben Bruno on the Vigor Life Podcast. Ben went from starting of in the industry working for Michael Boyle and putting in the work day in and ay out, eventually moving to LA, and with time becoming one of the most well known celebrity and elite athlete trainers in the country. Throughout all this time he has remained humble, a great voice in the industry, both for how to get results, treat clients, conduct yourself with integrity, and also how to succeed as a trainer.

We dive-in and talk about many topics, ranging from his beginnings in the industry, what it takes to stand out, how to get results and retain clients for over a decade, and how to have success on social media while staying yourself. This is truly a MUST listen to episode if you’re a coach (or anyone for that matter!).

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

What triggered Ben to choose becoming a trainer in the fitness industry.
The back surgery that got Ben into “back bootcamp” and strength training.
Why you shouldn’t be a trainer just because you love training and why you should train a LOT of general population to be a great coach.
The philosophy of “the medicine is in the dose” and what makes many trainers take too far.
What made Ben change his mind about the conservative rule of “just don’t hurt them” when it comes to training clients (he used to think it was BS).
Train smart BEFORE you hurt, the mindset behind joint friendly training for clients from the start.
How Ben has been very successful with getting very few new clients.
Why Ben is “not the hardest trainer” and why that has made him successful with clients results AND his career.
The simple questions and assessment Ben takes every new client through.
The 3 key things that will have you be successful in the fitness industry – must listen!
The 2 things you need from a client to create a great, and the RIGHT training program for them.
How to coach different client personalities differently, feel them out, and what language and approach to use.
Why most assessments coaches do are overrated, and how you can train a new client on the fly and give them a great experience.
Why many clients don’t care care about the reason behind the exercises and approach, and why you shouldn’t try to force it on them.
How much did Ben train and work the first 5 years of his career, and how much does he train now – his thought about the 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.
Why Ben doesn’t recommend doing other people’s program if you’re a coach.
Ben’s blog and why it taught him more than it taught his readers, and why you should do the same as a coach.
Ben’s rules of success on social media and his recommendation that will surprise you.
Sharing your workouts is less helpful but sharing your clients workouts is more helpful!
And much more!

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

Ben Bruno website: https://benbruno.com/

Ben’s 6-week Starter Program: https://benbruno.com/starterpack/

Vigor Life Podcast (iTunes) h

Vigor Life Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0gp1uXtwfRUcBkfS1P1uim?si=kcUu2vhPRwuxdV5kTzQrug

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

Luka Hocevar Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lukahocevar/

EP136: The Athlete For Life Program Design Structure & Insights

Vigor Life Podcast · EP136: The Athlete For Life Program Design Structure & Insights

A lot of the programming that I do these days falls into this category, and it’s essentially what I program for myself and many non-pro athletes I coach (even though the way I coach my pro athletes has so many overlaps, just some minor tweaks) who want to have “the show and the go.” They want to look, feel, perform like an athlete, while not being beat up, getting rid of nagging pains and joint issues, and have the energy and cardio to do everything they want in life.

I’ve come to this way of programming through 30 years of training myself, doing that from high school to the pro’s in basketball, and then later working to be the fittest possible and constantly striving for top performance. It’s also from having a 17-year career in coaching, training thousands of clients from every walk of life, elite athletes to everyday people wanting to improve their life through fitness. I’ll be doing more episodes like this on training, coaching and program design, to help you get the most out of your training and coaching clients.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

The 5-step process I use to write any program, in-person clients or online clients.
The what NOT to do programming rules!
4 Caveats in programming most don’t think about but are important.
The R7 lens of programming and how I use in the Athlete For Life method.
How I determine who needs more or less plyometrics, power, and explosive training.
Why everybody should train athletically.
The different templates I pick based on the amount of training days people choose.
The structure you can steal for designing a training day and examples of it.
The “reverse workout” and my rules for applying it into your program design.
The importance of doing daily “Movement Hygiene” and why it delivers such great results.
The cardio systems that are a MUST to be more athletic and recover faster.
My thoughts about mandatory lifts and what we barely do with clients after 30-years old.
How my training has changed and how I follow these principles.

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

Small Group Personal Training Mastery: https://lukahocevar.com/product/small-group-personal-training-mastery/

Becoming A Super Coach Event: https://donsaladino.samcart.com/products/supercoach/

Vigor Life Podcast (iTunes) h

Vigor Life Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0gp1uXtwfRUcBkfS1P1uim?si=kcUu2vhPRwuxdV5kTzQrug

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

Luka Hocevar Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lukahocevar/

EP 135: From Addict To Serial Entrepreneur, Chef & Fitness Fanatic One Habit At A Time w/ Michael Chernow

Vigor Life Podcast · EP135: From Addict To Serial Entrepreneur, Chef & Fitness Fanatic w/ Michael Chernow

Michael is a restaurateur and chef, entrepreneur, TV host, wellness leader and founder of Kreatures of Habit, an in-your-face lifestyle and wellness brand reimagining how you establish healthy habits in your life. Honoring his 17 years of sobriety by launching his newest venture on August 17th, Michael’s goal with Kreatures of Habit was to create easily accessible nutritional products that are rooted in adopting the positive habits that transformed his life and allowed him to replace alcohol with the nutrition and fitness he needed.

Michael channeled his fire for culinary and community by curating and building some of New York City’s beloved restaurants including The Meatball Shop in 2009 with childhood friend Daniel Holzman, which has now grown to five locations across New York City and resulted in the release of The Meatball Shop Cookbook in 2011, co-authored by Michael and released by Ballantine Books. In 2015, he founded SEAMORE’s, a Manhattan restaurant that combines Michael’s love of fishing and culinary expertise, expanding to five locations peppered across New York City.

Michael Chernow, who has founded hospitality ventures The Meatball Shop and Seamore’s, appeared on Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay, Kitchen Casino, and Chopped, co-authored cookbooks and landed magazine spreads for his Olympian-like physique, possesses a resume with marathon-like momentum. A poster child for how to live a life well-lived and reach business mogul status, Chernow adopted positive habits that allowed him to replace alcohol with nutrition and fitness and propel his ascent in the New York restaurant scene.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

Michael’s current fitness journey and how he went from Muay Thai to running, bodybuilding, and now the Crossfit games.
The power of going all in on your commitments.
5 targets to focus on and how to attack them every day for success.
What does discipline = freedom mean and how it can change your life.
The origins of Michael’s entrepreneurial journey that started with a challenging family environment.
How Michael got into using and selling drugs, and his first true entrepreneurial venture.
The encounter that nearly ended Michael’s life and started the catalyst to a transformation.
How friends, accountability partners and Muay-Thai helped Mike on a path to success.
The re-invention and building of two of New York’s top restaurant brands The Meatball Shop, and Seamore’s.
Lessons from a serial entrepreneur.
Why happiness is FAR more important than cash in the bank and capital.
The powerful story of the origins of Kreatures Of Habit.
Michael’s daily success habits and the “rising before the sun” philosophy.
How to stay healthy, stay in amazing shape year round, make things happen in business, AND prioritize family.
A message for anyone that is struggling, is down, and feels like they can’t make it.