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Q: What area of fitness are you currently
working in?
I have just finished working as the Strength and Conditioning
Coach for the Australian Cricket Team and the past 4 years
I have also been working with the NSW Cricket Team.
Now a big chunk of my time is presenting at conferences and
running Switched On corporate workshops on performance and
productivity.
I don’t actually do a lot directly related to fitness
apart from a few of our corporate challenges. I am really
enjoying PT Plus though – a consultancy we recently
started that supports other fitness trainers to make more
money, have better control over their time and grow their
business. The focus is all on ‘heads up’.
Q: How did you get into the fitness
industry?
In was always involved in sport, especially Track and Field
from a young age. I started doing some coaching during high
school and after completing my fitness leaders certificate
began taking aerobics and circuit classes at RSL Bodyline
in Dubbo. Scary, but Personal Training was only just beginning
back then.
Just before I finished Uni my coach started working at the
AIS and a bunch of us followed him to Hobart. I worked in
gyms for a while and then just fell into PT and running a
corporate health business.
Q: Your reason for being in the fitness
industry?
I have always loved being fit and healthy and I suppose this
passion rubbed off and I eventually found ways of making money
and doing what I love at the same time!
Q: Any gripes about the fitness industry?
3 main ones
1) We need to focus more on the well being market and not
just on fitness – this will then appeal to a much broader
market and allow so many trainers and business to really grow
their slice of the pie, and profits.
2) I think too many trainers get bogged down in ‘heads
down’ thinking and focusing primarily on technique,
exercise selection. Most fitness professionals know 10 times
more than they need to know on the ‘stuff’ but
need to learn a lot more about business, brand, sales, marketing,
communication platforms etc. This is the ‘heads up’
approach.
3) Professionalism. We are getting better but still have
a way to go.
Q: Did you study any areas of exercise
or fitness?
Initially fitness leaders certificate then I studied Sports
Coaching at the University of NSW. I also have a Level 2 accreditation
as a Sprints Coach and have done additional coaching courses
in cricket, swimming, strength training and rehab/massage.
Andrew Richardson and Paul Batman (FIA Lecturers) actually
lectured me at University. So that means either we all got
into the industry together or they’ve been around a
long time… You can be the judge… next year I’m
looking at studying a post grad degree in Coaching Psychology.
Q: How important do you think it
is to update your learning in the fitness world?
It is essential to always keep learning. But it is equally
important to keep a broad perspective and learn about both
heads up and heads down. Balance between fitness and business.
Keep abreast of technology, trends, what’s happening
in the business world – both locally and on a global
scale.
I’m very fortunate that I have the opportunity to present
at a number of conferences around the world each year (both
for the fitness industry and corporate clients). This also
provides me with an opportunity to see a number of other trainers/educators
speak about their expertise and learn from them.
And success definitely leaves clues. Learn from the people
doing what you want to do, find out how they did it and then
set out your own plan for success.
Q: What would you like to see happen
in the industry over the next few years?
More recognition of how people can use health and fitness
in prevention and to improve the quality of their lives. I
think the new doctors rebates for exercise physiologists is
a great idea; now as an industry we need to keep pushing ahead
and gain the credibility we deserve.
But we also need to focus on projecting the fitness industry
as being a lot more professional – that includes the
way we brand our businesses right down to the clothes we wear
when we meet prospective clients. Unfortunately some people
still think we are only about aerobics, bodybuilding and lycra!
Q: Any predictions?
I think there are 2 main areas that will continue to transform.
1) specialization and niche branding
First of all I think there will be more and more specialization
in provision of services. Rather than just getting a ‘personal
trainer’ people are going to start to look for experts
or gurus in respective fields. I think to keep a competitive
edge it is going to be essential to brand yourself as a specialist
and not as a General Practioner in the future. Some examples
of specialist areas include speaking, rehab, exercise for
depression, health consulting, stress management, fat loss,
gender specific fitness, kids fitness, boutique studio specializing
in pilates, etc.
Corporate health has boomed in the past 5 years (Andrew actually
set up Australia’s largest Corporate Health consultancy
and sold it to the ACCOR international hotel group in 2003
for more than 7 figures), I think this field will also specialize
– rather than focusing on health alone bigger issues
like performance, presenteeism and engagement will determine
the make up of future programs. Fitness is just one link in
the big chain.
2) Technology
This will continue to transform the way a lot of small practices
and large business are run. Think back to just over 10 years
ago and people were only starting to get mobile phones and
email addresses. Think of what’s going to happen with
the speed of technology in the next 10 years…
The way we deliver information is changing at a rapid pace.
Forward thinking fitness entrepreneurs realize they need to
deliver their information in a range of different mediums
– one on one, group programs and I see a real buzz around
creating quality information products and resources.
The new fitness market will deliver information via web sites,
webinars, online learning, blogs, audio and pod casting, streaming
and interactive media forums (combining a number of the above
mediums).
It is already reaching a stage where fitness businesses that
understand and implement new technology have a major competitive
edge over their rivals. Plus the right systems can save hours
each week and really leverage your time to focus on what you
do best.
Q: What advice do you have for anyone
wanting to learn more about fitness?
Roll up the sleeves and get ready for the hard yards. To
be successful in any industry you need to work really hard
and maintain discipline to build momentum and sustained success.
This is an amazing industry and if you are prepared to work
hard (and smart) the rewards are amazing!
Never stop learning and stretching the brain – continue
to study and aim for a higher level, especially if you are
new in the industry I’d recommend you aim for a minimum
of Cert IV or a Diploma in Ftness. See the guys at FIA they
were my lecturers/mentors and are the leaders in fitness education
in Australia.
Get a mentor or a coach. Learn from others who are doing
what you want to do, and they’ll also guide you to avoid
making the same mistakes they made. And don’t just get
mentors from the fitness industry. I think everyone should
have mentors both in and out of the industry. This has made
a massive difference to the way I run my business.
If you’d like to learn more about how
to make more money in less time – go to www.ptplus.com.au
Members
please note: Andrew will be presenting at
the next FIA Members Fitness Forum 28/9/06, contact the office
for details.
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