Being in the fitness business these past 15 years, I don’t think it ever gets easier being a trainer. You try to always become more knowledgeable, because the more you’re on top of your game, the more you learn what works. It’s important to stay open-minded and realize that you’re always learning—the smartest trainers always know that they don’t know everything.
Our business card is the way our clients look after we’ve worked with them. The message every good trainer should instill in his client is to train smarter, not harder.
Whether you’re a celebrity or an athlete, or any other client, every person is unique and equally important, and their workouts need to reflect that. It’s why I’ll never train two clients alike. As a trainer, I promise to give you the best one-hour personalized workout possible. But what happens during the other 23 hours of the day—that’s up to you.
Everyone’s fitness levels are different. And so is their motivation. We have to motivate clients sometimes. It’s why I encourage them to adopt the attitude of an athlete to reach their fitness goals. But there is no easy route to fitness. It’s going to take work. You have to apply yourself and be very focused toward what the goal is.
My workouts are high-intensity—interval based. It’s working as hard as you can for 30 seconds or sometimes up to three minutes. Once the clock starts you’re going from point A to point B, you have 30 seconds getting from one exercise to the next. It’s not a lot of time to rest.
Having been a two-time world-super-middleweight boxing champion, I’m on the same page with athletes, and that’s why I love to train them. They know what I expect from them, and they know what to expect from me. Whether we’re weight training or going high-intensity, the minute they slack off they know I’m going to be up their butt.
There’s no “I’m just having a bad day” or “I just don’t have it today” with athletes. When they’re doggin’ I will tell them it was a dog of a set. And because of their unique mindset, three sets become four. They’ll do it over because they know it was a shitty set. An example: When I trained a former NFL All-Pro, he originally couldn’t make it through a 30-second boxing drill. Holding his hands up and throwing jabs was a nightmare for him. But as with all elite athletes, every session was a building block. Before long, that 30 seconds became three minutes.
Point is, if you don’t stick to the plan, you’re not gonna see the results. I don’t care about articles or studies that show wine can be good for you. If you’re gonna sit in a restaurant having a steak or two or consume three glasses of wine each night, you’re gonna feel tired and sluggish the next day. You’ll see some results, but they won’t be the best results. And I won’t be getting the best from you when you come to train with me. It doesn’t matter how much I try to motivate you—if you don’t have it, you don’t have it.
On the other hand, an athlete becomes elite because his workout is second to none. He knows if he doesn’t do it, he won’t be the best at his game. So he’s ready. He arrives at the gym 10 to 15 minutes early. He understands the importance of the work. He’s really good with his diet. An athlete knows everything he does affects his performance. An athlete knows he needs to get proper rest. He knows, “Hey, it’s 10 p.m. I need my eight to nine hours of sleep,” and then shuts it off.
I can get you in shape with just a rock and a stick, but if you leave a workout and go have a pizza or a gallon of ice cream, don’t blame the workout. You have to apply an athlete’s mindset and stay focused toward your end goal.
