In Part 4 of the interview I did for Craig Ballantyne last month we discuss training females and a few random business tips for trainers and strength coaches.
Craig Ballantyne: Let’s transition back into some training stuff. Now, your gym isn’t just for guys, right? There are girls that train there also, correct?
Jason Ferruggia: There are a few girls, but that’s not my focus or main specialty. My first priority and focus is getting guys bigger, stronger and faster and just improving their overall performance. That is my true passion. We really only try to appeal to males and any marketing we may do is always done with guys in mind. But if high school or college female athletes want to come in and train for improved performance, and they can hang, they are more than welcome. In fact, they often earn a lot of respect from the guys when they do.
In our old gym we had only one female athlete in more than a dozen years, that was able to hang and actually made it more than three months. She went on to have great success. Others came and went but none made it more… …continue reading.
Here are a few random tips that will help you get more done and probably enjoy your life a little more in the process. I can’t take credit for “inventing” these tips but they are very useful and have helped me to be more productive.
Get your most important tasks done first thing in the morning- Do this before you check email or voicemail or anything like that. When you start getting sidetracked with other stuff ten minutes can turn into two hours and before you know it it’s time for your lunch break. Get the important stuff done first.
Don’t answer every phone call or text you receive- You are not required by some odd law to do so. You are not required to be at the beck and call of everyone you know. Many friends and acquaintances get upset if you don’t immediately pick up or text them back.
“That bastard! I know he has his phone with him right now!”
But these people fail to realize that a cell phone is a luxury that you have for your convenience and it is meant to make your life easier; not more difficult and more stressful. It is not… …continue reading.
Question: Jason, I just wanted to let you know that I have been following your stuff since 2003 and am a huge fan of your work. I am thinking about opening a small, hardcore gym like yours and had a quick question for you. Would you mind sharing with me what kind of application form you use and how you determine who gets to train at Renegade Gym? From what I understand you don’t just accept anybody off the streets, correct? Thanks for all that you do and keep up the great work.
Andy
Answer: Andy, thanks for the comments and the support. Years ago I had a formal application sheet that potential gym members/clients had to fill out as a pre screening measure. After looking over that we would arrange for a sit down interview with them. If I liked what I saw and heard the applicant was granted a short term membership to prove their self. If that worked out they were invited to stay.
Nowadays, in an effort to be more time efficient, and just because I have done this so many times over the last 15 years, we have whittled the application process down… …continue reading.
Saturday we did floor presses and parallel grip chins for our main two exercises and finished with a high rep challenge on the log clean and press. This is probably my number one favorite exercise of all time and definitely creates an awesome atmosphere in the gym. We had nine guys on one log and everyone else stood around cheering and yelling while each guy took his shot. Everyone tried to out do each other and it was a blast. Although it seems like a lot of rest, it really wasn’t a factor. After more than ten reps on the log you need a good five minute break.
Though, the log clean and press is my favorite exercise the reality is that I could be happy doing dips, chins, squats and deads from now ‘til eternity. I don’t need much variety to keep me happy. In high school I watched the same exact porno every single day for four years straight. And it always got the job done. Having access to thousands of other options these days is more of a waste of time than anything. Keep it simple and the results are usually… …continue reading.
Originally written in 2006 by Alwyn Cosgrove & Jason Ferruggia for EliteFTS
Over the past year, we have both received tons of emails and phone calls that go something like this: “I have listened to you for a while now and have purchased several products from you. I’ve watched you and your reputation grow.”
Or like this: “What was the one thing you did or the one step you made that took you from being a ‘personal trainer’ to a more accomplished fitness expert? Basically, what got the ball rolling for you and got you that first break? How did you leap frog the competition? What advice would you give someone aspiring to do the same?”
Normally, we have no problem answering these questions, and we have helped many trainers with their businesses. Recently, however, there has been an alarming trend that we’ve both noticed. People seem to think that the “in the trenches” experience is a step they can skip.
AC: Prior to anyone in the field having “heard” of me through products, websites, or magazine articles, I had been financially successful as a trainer full-time for over 10–12 years. I had opened my own fully equipped gym with… …continue reading.
Last week I had the great pleasure of visiting my very good friend and colleague, Alwyn Cosgrove. Sometimes when you’re close to someone you forget about their level of expertise or start to overlook it after a while.
For those who don’t know, Alwyn is one of the leaders in the fitness industry and one of the most brilliant people around. I knew that Alwyn was the leading expert in the field when it comes to business coaching for fitness professionals but I really had an awakening to just how good he is this week. I visited his training facility, Results Fitness, for the first time to do staff training for his employees. To say I was impressed with what I saw would be an understatement.
From the moment I walked in I could tell that this was a highly successful, first class operation that was run flawlessly by Alwyn and his amazing wife, Rachel. He has systems in place and a business model that can’t be beat. There was a great family like atmosphere in the gym that was noticeable immediately that would make all new members feel welcome in a hearbeat.
Alwyn and Rachel have done an… …continue reading.
Did you know that the UFC/ Mixed Martial Arts is the fastest growing sport in the United States? Every time you turn around there is a new MMA school popping up somewhere. People are obsessed with this kind of training. It’s the hottest new craze sweeping the nation.
The popularity of the UFC has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years. In the early days you would be hard pressed to find a single soul on the streets who knew Ken Shamrock or Dan Severn. Nowadays, guys like Tito Ortiz and Chuck Lidell are household names. The Ultimate Fighter reality show on Spike TV is enormously popular and there is even a new MMA reality show on another network.
Ultimate fighting and mixed martial arts appeals to the bad ass inside all of us. Seeing two warriors go toe to toe, no holds barred really gets the testosterone pumping. I remember several years back when it seemed like no one was watching. Now, nearly everyone I know watches every single pay per view. A good majority of them sit there drinking beer and eating pizza, thinking “I could do this shit.” With a little training I could… …continue reading.
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