Browse > Home / Business, Muscle Building / The Business Implications of the “Fun Factor”

The Business Implications of the “Fun Factor”

April 27, 2009

n608192568 428592 608 The Business Implications of the Fun FactorSaturday 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 faster to come. So to speak…

The truth is that none of us really need much variety in our training. Most people would actually get better results from focusing on fewer exercises and doing them better. Then, of course, the fun/entertainment factor of running a training facility and/or training people comes into play and that rule kind of goes out the window.

Not everyone that comes in to my gym or somewhere else similar has read The Way to Live by George Hackenshmidt. They haven’t memorized what Paul Anderson ate for breakfast every day. They don’t know that the squat is “the king of all exercises,” and they don’t take the ghosts of Arthur Saxon, Perry Rader and John Grimek with them every time they approach the squat bar. I do. But they don’t. They don’t know the history involved and the reverence the squat commands. And I can’t expect them to. Nor can I expect them to keep giving me money if we do the same four exercises from now til 2015. They might end up stronger that way. But they will be bored to tears and hate my guts. And it doesn’t take much for people to hate my guts.

So to run a successful training center and have guys who aren’t all about old school strength training still enjoy it enough to keep coming back week after week you have to add a “fun factor” to every workout. This is the reality and the art of coaching that a lot of people don’t understand. This fun factor usually comes in the form of an odd lift that they can’t do anywhere else or some kind of competition. The log took care of that for us on Saturday.

While chains do very little for the raw lifter looking to improve one of his big lifts, they can be added to assistance work for the “fun factor.” Are dips or chin ups or pushups any more effective with chains than they are with a weighted vest or a dip belt on? Of course not. But they look cooler. And when you are looking to run a successful training business you always need to consider these things.

In the age of the internet, many trainees’ minds have been warped. They have been led to believe that there is surely no way you can get results from just… squats, deads, militarys and pull ups!! You need to do reverse band squats with chains and weight releasers and Mardi Gras beads on the bar, and you need to squat to a box while standing in a sandbox, with a pale and shovel approximately 27 inches directly in front of you. Be sure to vary the tempo on every rep and do an eccentric quasi isometric static hold and dynamic pre stretch before the concentric, but for exactly .87 seconds and no more.

Because in the age of YouTube nobody gets excited about a basic barbell exercise that some loser did back in 1906. It’s sad. It breaks my heart. But it’s reality.

In my opinion this is probably the most important value that chains, bands, sledgehammers, tires, sleds, sandbags, kegs and logs add to any training center. They make it unique and they keep it fun for everyone who didn’t grow up watching Pumping Iron on repeat and reading The Keys to Progress by John McCallum as their bed time story.

I will always train guys with five or six basic exercises for strength but for assistance work and finishers you have to incorporate fun stuff and exercises that everyone can easily compete on. If not the atmosphere will suffer and so will your finances.

Jason Ferruggia

PS. My buddy Mike Geary has a lot more great business advice for small gym owners and trainers that you can check out at http://www.SmallBizSuperProfits.com/ if you’re interested.

Please leave your comments and questions below.

  • Share/Bookmark

Related posts:

  1. The Single Most Important Factor
  2. The Business
  3. Death of the Back Squat?!
  4. Bands and Chains

Written by jasonferruggia · Filed Under Business, Muscle Building 

Comments

15 Responses to “The Business Implications of the “Fun Factor””

  1. pnw fitnessNo Gravatar on April 27th, 2009 8:07 pm

    LOL.

    “In high school I watched the same exact porno every single day for four years straight. And it always got the job done.”

    Can’t believe you wrote it, but I it’s funny as hell!

  2. NiaNo Gravatar on April 28th, 2009 7:04 am

    Great article again. A lot of trainers still ignore the fact that people want to be entertained. In my experience it’s easier with women, however, because most of them just used to do “cardio” and very minimal weight training.

    In the future I am definitely going to come hang out at Renegade Gym.

  3. Andy CampbellNo Gravatar on April 28th, 2009 7:42 am

    I cannot believe I missed the log’s on Saturday – sounds like it kicked ass.

  4. Bill DavisNo Gravatar on April 28th, 2009 9:52 am

    As always, great article. I like how you just tell it like it is. The porno line was funny and the line about getting people to hate your guts was funny, too.

    But you hit the nail on the head! Thanks to TV, we have the attention span of 30 seconds (if that) and so we require “variety” that is ineffective rather than what works best.

    Perverse at best, a complete waste of time at worst. But you’re in a business that dictate that you have customers, and you have to supply the customers with not only what they *need* but also with what they *want* (often two very different things).

    Thanks again for another stellar article!

  5. ScottNo Gravatar on April 28th, 2009 4:14 pm

    I totally agree with focusing on a few exercises and perfecting your form and 1-rep max. What are the best muscle building exercises you can do? Deadlifts, squats, rows, pullups/chinups, bench, dips. Good enough for me. They are all time tested, proven exercises to gain muscle. No one has come up with better exercises, so if they aren’t broke…..don’t fix them.

  6. Brian EskowNo Gravatar on April 28th, 2009 5:40 pm

    haha thats downright hilarious. I like to cycle out 2-3 pornos to keep it fresh.

  7. adminNo Gravatar on April 28th, 2009 7:02 pm

    pnw fitness,
    I can literally replay every scene from that video in my head perfectly to this day. I watched it that many times. I will never forget the day that VHS broke. It was a sad, sad day.

  8. adminNo Gravatar on April 28th, 2009 7:03 pm

    Nia,
    You are more than welcome to come by .

  9. adminNo Gravatar on April 28th, 2009 7:03 pm

    Thanks for the comments Bill. Much appreciated

  10. adminNo Gravatar on April 28th, 2009 7:05 pm

    Bri,
    It’s 2009, kid! Two or three?! How about two or three hundred? I was working with one back in ‘88. Times have changed, my friend.

  11. shotsNo Gravatar on April 29th, 2009 6:47 am

    The log presses were tremendous on Saturday. Come on in and test your manhood.

    I have porno ADD, unfortunately…I skip through around 30 clips in a five minute session. I vow to be a more efficient jacker in the future.

  12. Mike RNo Gravatar on April 29th, 2009 8:02 pm

    Thanks for putting in words what I have been thinking about workouts. Keep those pearls of wisdom coming. Well maybe that is not the best choice of words….

  13. Rob DugganNo Gravatar on April 30th, 2009 7:48 am

    Great post, Jay! I can’t count the number of times we have had this exact discussion!? But, being a gym owner – I couldn’t agree with you more. Having all that variety and creating a fun, challenging, and awesome training enviroment is where it’s at! Talk with u soon, brah.

  14. CrookNo Gravatar on April 30th, 2009 6:05 pm

    F Fun— I just want to lift heavy weights and be pissed off for an hour.

  15. adminNo Gravatar on May 1st, 2009 6:30 am

    Thanks Rob. We have definitely discussed this more times than I can remember.

    Crook, that’s all I want too.

Got something to say?





Anti-Spam Protection by WP-SpamFree