The Show Up Fitness Podcast

Anytime Fitness Trainer Thomas Level 0 to Level 1

• Chris Hitchko, CEO Show Up Fitness • Season 2 • Episode 102

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Ever wondered how a serviceman can morph into a personal training powerhouse? Our latest guest, Mr. Thomas, lays bare his remarkable metamorphosis from a confused NASM student to a confident, Show Up Fitness-certified expert in the personal training realm. He's not holding back; from his humble beginnings in a hostel to mastering the Client Consultation Assessment (CCA) and empowering clients at Anytime Fitness, Thomas's story is one of grit, education, and undeniable success in the trenches of fitness training. His anecdotes are a masterclass in the life-altering power of immersive, hands-on learning and the confidence it breeds for a flourishing career.

Hear Thomas's ambitious dreams and the strategies he's deploying to become a linchpin within Show Up Fitness and beyond. We peel back the layers on why novices in the gym often vanish before their time, and how equipping trainers with the essential tools and programming acumen can change the game. He envisions a world where the work environment in gyms is synergistic, not cutthroat, and where results and top-tier certification rule. Join us as we get a sneak peek into his future plans, including opening his own studio, and witness the passion and confidence that are shaping the fitness industry one personal trainer at a time.

Want to ask us a question? Email email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show!

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Become a Personal Trainer Book (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Personal-Trainer-Successful/dp/B08WS992F8
Show Up Fitness Internship & CPT: https://online.showupfitness.com/pages/online-show-up?utm_term=show%20up%20fitness
NASM study guide: ...

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Show Up Fitness Podcast, where great personal trainers are made. We are changing the fitness industry one qualified trainer at a time, with our in-person and online personal training certification. If you want to become an elite personal trainer, head on over to showupfitnesscom. Also, make sure to check out my book how to Become a Successful Personal Trainer. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. Have a great day and keep showing up. Howdy everybody. Welcome back to the Show Up Fitness Podcast. Today we have Mr Thomas. First off, thank you for your service, my man. You have served our country well. And now you are kicking ass at Anytime Fitness, so thank you for your time. And now you are kicking ass at Anytime Fitness, so thank you for your time Always welcome Always.

Speaker 1:

You are a big hunk Look at that beautiful beard you have there, but beautiful biceps as well. But you got a really neat story because you are the quintessential image of what this level zero versus level one is. Now so many trainers today they go out there, study textbook whether it's ACE, issa, there's so many of them and then they try to get a job, of which maybe they do get hired because they look the part, but then they have no freaking idea on how to train. And so you were going through that process and you almost got sucked into it. But then, all of a sudden, the magical belt buckle appeared and you came down from Seattle to LA, went through the two month course, you got your level one show, fitness, cpt, and now look at you, my man, you're kicking ass. So let's talk about that whole process, from being confused, going through the level zero and then being confident with your level one and where you're at today zero and then being confident with your level one and where you're at today.

Speaker 2:

So I went and got the. Nasm, of course, seemed like the gold star of every fitness journey. You know, start out with NASM. I flip in the book. I'm doing all this and it was difficult to understand that I did not know where it was going. Your, your job is to tell them nutrition. Your job is not to tell them nutrition. Do this, do that, you know? Uh, I was confused and then, like you said, the golden belt buckle appeared and I followed the light and going through the, the, the internship was huge difference. It just opened up a whole new world for me. Knowing the muscles you're working out, knowing how to interact with clients, knowing what to do, knowing how to speak the confidence boost in that is dramatic from what you learn in a textbook and that is dramatic from what you learn in a textbook.

Speaker 1:

People don't realize that the amount of experience and confidence you get. It'd be like playing a video game, mallory Brothers say, and you keep on dying on level one. It's the first world, first level, and it takes some eight months where you come down into our two-month program. Remember, we have it online as well. But you said you wanted to get more of the hands-on, so you left Seattle, came down living in a hostel. You got a really cool story there. I remember you came in one day and you're like I think it caught on fire or something happened with flooding. There's some crazy shit going on.

Speaker 2:

Flooding flooding.

Speaker 1:

And then you went back home and essentially what happens is you not only conquer level one, world one, but you're literally skipping worlds. You're on world four, level 18. The amount of knowledge and confidence you have is significantly different from the quote unquote saturated market of personal trainers. And so you were working out at the gym and you were talking to the manager there and he wanted to learn more about your journey and he's kind of like where the hell did you go?

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So when I came back, I was just working out. I wasn't even looking for a job at that time. I came back, I started working out at Anytime Fitness. I was approached you know, I was approached to the job found me Just with this knowledge. The job found me. Just with this knowledge of job found me. I was able. I've been speaking to people in this gym like I was a trainer. I wouldn't go up to somebody like you should do it this way. You know. Hey, try my method out. You know. You know the T-way or something you know. Just try this out, you know, and see how you feel. The manager loved how I was talking to people. So, and the next day he saw me again. He's like, let's go for an interview. I was like, okay, let's go for an interview. Day after that hired it was. It was seamless. Seamless the way I carried myself, the confidence I had.

Speaker 1:

The job finds you going through this internship all right, and still this day you're implementing CCA and it's helping you with small group in 30 minute to hour sessions, which you're doing at any time, right? So talk to us a little bit more what that job description is like in Seattle at the Anytime Fitness, because you just told me that there's over 10,000 Anytime Fitnesses worldwide. That's nuts.

Speaker 2:

They got Anytime Fitnesses everywhere in the world, even Antarctica. They have one in Antarctica. Don't want to put too much of a plug out, but you get Anytime Fitness membership. You have access to all Anytime's in the whole world. Again, what was the question? I got sidetracked but did that plug.

Speaker 1:

I like it. You're proud of your brand, but you were able to get hired and I just wanted to learn more about what it's like working, at any time, as a trainer.

Speaker 2:

So the CCAs, that's what it was. The CCAs. I incorporate that into all my training. You know, uh, the incorporate to all the training as in. So I work. Let me see I get so, first of all, the the process of programming a lot easier. I'm able to program in a heartbeat. You know, I listened to what their issue is. I don't ignore their issue is I don't ignore their issue? But bad knees, for instance, wall sit, why not? Why am I going to shy away from this? You know, because you got bad knees. Let me work this out. The core, core, you know, every muscle, the splits, everything I can do with all this with just the programming and it's timelessly changing. It takes me no time to program as for somebody. So I heard one of our, one of our trainer before saying I wish they taught us this, you know, in ISSA, and I wish I could program months out. I have my book full of all my clients already programmed for the whole month. I come into work, open my book up, get right to it work.

Speaker 1:

open my book up, get right to it. It takes away that anxiety of trying to plan for when you are able to critically think and when the client comes in, whether if their ankles hurt and their knees hurt and whatever you're able to adjust on the fly and give them a quality workout on the spot.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, there, there's no trying. You know it's. It's not trying, it's already programmed in my head. While they're talking to me, I'm already programming. You know they're talking to me. Tell me this Okay, we're going to do this, we're going to do this. Why? I'm listening to them? You know I'm going to fix you and then we're going to bump it up. You know.

Speaker 1:

I got you.

Speaker 2:

We're going to get you there.

Speaker 1:

I was just thinking of a. You know the difference between a great trainer and a trainer that is, you know, hung up on the programming is thinking like a chef. And you go to a restaurant and you want pizza. The chef is already making the stuff and you know he's putting the dough out and he's putting the flour on there. If they were to say like I'm allergic to this, then he can adjust on the fly. I really want some mushrooms. He's getting that going.

Speaker 1:

You can do it while you're interacting. So when the client comes in and they're talking about they want to lose weight, you're thinking, all right, so it's probably best to start here. And then you find out their goal is to work on the tone up their arms or the jiggle behind their arms. Ok, I'm going to do a push here. And then you start putting the exercise based on what you're learning. I have shoulder pain and they're 75 years old. They can't do a pushup. I'm going to regress it. Maybe I'll do a band push, maybe I'll do a pushup on a bar. You're able to kind of think on the fly and I think that is what's really valuable, and so you're doing a great job there and we get into this to help people, and your passion behind helping people is really, you know, coming through your your microphone, because you were telling me about one of your clients who's been with you since day one, and let's talk about her a little bit so Martha day, one client.

Speaker 2:

I meet her. She's sitting in one of the studios just waiting for me and I walk in there and I'm like, hey, how you doing. I'm coach Tom. She's like I'm Martha. I look at her, she's got her walker. I'm like, hey, how you doing. I'm coach Tom. She's like I'm Martha. I look at her, she's got her walker. I'm like why do you have this walker? You know, she's like because it's hard to walk. I'm like it's not hard to walk, you can walk, you know. Instantly put that in her head oh, I can walk, you know. I like okay, you're the trainer, no walker. That walker is somewhere in her house next to a bunch of junk. I said you got a cane. She's like I got a cane, bring that cane in.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, this woman went from not thinking she could walk to today, eight months later, having her do her deadlifts. She could do a plank, a minute and 30 second plank, high plank. You know, pushups, pushups. Now she these pushups. I was like I'm gonna see something. After I had her in that plank I'm like let me see if you can do a pushup. She was doing wall pushups. I was like let's progress this to a box. She looked at me and she was like I'm going to eat my words for saying this, but this is too easy. I said I got you. I said I put a barbell out, lowered it and I said do a push-up. Now she did a push-up. I said let me get you on the ground. You know, she got on the ground about, did one push-up, fell and then she was like hard. I said okay, we'll start almost to the ground.

Speaker 2:

She's amazing. She's trusting the process. She's trusting the process. She's getting results. She started at seven pounds curling. She's at 20 pounds curling three sets of 12. You know this. This woman is amazing, you know, and it's all her. She's pushing herself. I'm giving her the exercises in a certain order. She's trusting the process. She's making progress. She could walk without the cane. She told me a funny story. I go on and on with Martha, but she told me a funny story. She was like I thought I should tell you this. I spent all day looking for my cane because I lost it in the house, didn't realize I didn't need it because I was walking around without it, looking for it. I tell you.

Speaker 1:

And that's why we do it right.

Speaker 2:

We do it because of that.

Speaker 1:

And so that's your experience at any time. You're really prideful in telling everyone about all the gyms worldwide, and what would you say are some of the best experiences and perks working at any time?

Speaker 2:

Just the so like when I got out of the Army, I lost my sense of belong and stuff like that. This place, the clients in here, the members in here, the community that's built. It helped find myself again. I'll get choked up talking about this, but it feels like you belong. You know the clients, the bond you build with them. That's my best part the bond, the work and seeing results amazing.

Speaker 1:

You're coming up on that year and it sounds like you've already been a trainer for over 10. And so maybe in the future, someday, you'd like to maybe go out on your own or do your own thing. What does the future have for Thomas?

Speaker 2:

The future has for me. Staying here, building my knowledge, building my skills base up, you know, gotta gotta have a sturdy foundation before you build on top of it, uh, but I do want my own studio uh to be in the top 10 of show up fitness up there. You know, just uh, teaching people one-on-one sessions, uh, results driven, you know, results driven, that's what I'm looking for.

Speaker 1:

So you just have to make me a promise when you open up your own studio you only accept show fitness CPTs.

Speaker 2:

That's already my plan. That's already my plan. I will only accept show up fitness in my studio. I will hire you, but you have to go through this course because there's no, no level, zero certifications allowed in it. It is only straight show up fitness, Unless you can prove you know something more than show up fitness, which I you know. There's only show up fitness in this.

Speaker 1:

I appreciate that, man, but you're the one who's doing it. But I do find it interesting when the proof is in the pudding and so you were talking with your manager and he's like I never heard of this before, and then when you start kind of coaching them up, then they realize that wow, this is. This is crazy. Where in the past I may have suggested, you know, issa or Nesta or NASM, because they have partnerships and that's my job is I focus now on building more partnerships. And you know, we secured lifetime with 170 gyms and we've worked with a lot of equinoxes, and now we're working with EOS and that number is going to be in the thousands. And that's what's going to give us leverage, because people will begin to understand the difference between a qualified trainer and then the trainer who's likely to quit Now already, in your experience, how often do level zero trainers make it at your gym?

Speaker 2:

So I've seen two go so far In eight months already. Two go so far.

Speaker 1:

And your gyms aren't that big. Though you have what? Three trainers there now?

Speaker 2:

Three trainers here now due to one leaving.

Speaker 1:

Yep, and so it's very common and I'm sure that you see it and you're like that's unfortunate, because they weren't given the tools for success. They were kind of misled and they probably had a passion, just like you, and they want to have their team of Marthas and people who they're helping. But the fundamentals weren't there to understand programming and to have the confidence to be in front of someone and let them know that, no, you're with a professional right now. I'm going to be in front of someone and let them know that, no, you're with a professional right now. I'm going to be able to help you get to where you want to be. And if you have an injury or something, I have a team you can work with. I have therapists, I have apps that I can use and you are in the best hands working with me.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, best hands hands down. You know it's. It's not pulling anything off the web pages or anything, it's all in your head. You know programming seamlessly, knowing what to look for, knowing what not to look for. You know, put you through the movements and then setting you off, setting you up for success.

Speaker 1:

That's what it's all about. You know what is the highlight of your job, what's the number one thing that keeps you showing up? I know you said the community.

Speaker 2:

But is there something else that really fires you up? The what fires me up is not having to battle other trainers here. You know, for clients, the floor pulls, all that stuff. First of all, I don't have to pull anybody. They they approach me after seeing something. There's no floor pulls, I'm getting approached, you know. Or word to mouth. Word of mouth is huge. You know this person, go see this person, you know. Um, that that's what I'm loving, not the competition between other trainers. Uh, if I have somebody who needs some a certain timeframe, I got a coach for you. I hook them up with the next coach I'll sell and I'll set them up with that coach where they meet with that coach and they work out with that coach. Same thing, you know, with the other coaches. They'll put people on my schedule. Hey, I got somebody you think you'll like, you know, let's do it. There's no competing against other coaches that's nice.

Speaker 1:

You got a really good environment there. And what is the town that you're in?

Speaker 2:

I am in Roy, Yelm, more precise, Yelm Anytime Fitness.

Speaker 1:

And that's south of Seattle about an hour.

Speaker 2:

Roughly yes.

Speaker 1:

So we're working on getting into a minimum of eight lifetime seminars. We're going to be in Chicago, we're going to be in Miami, Dallas, also Sacramento, here May 18th, and then we're going to be in Boston, Jersey, but we're working on Seattle. So I'd love to get up there, see you again and hang out a little bit. But you've done so great. I'm proud of you for pursuing your passion, but, most importantly, you're helping people safely. So you're. The reason why we're doing this is because you're out there making your passion really come to fruition. So I can just feel that energy off you. You know we're always here for you. Thank you for your time and do you have any questions for me before we call it a day?

Speaker 2:

No, I just want to say show up fitness. You said mentioned that you could see my passion about it and stuff. But show up fitness brought me to the next level of being confident with my passion, you know. So I don't come in looking like a level zero, I come in looking like you said 10 years experience of this, the interaction, everything it's. It's all because of show up fitness gave me that confidence of showing my passion of it. You know, the passion and the confidence and the knowledge, the knowledge that you guys gave Couldn't have done it. Couldn't have done it without you.

Speaker 1:

You're a walk and talk, an example when I talk about my book Help, Nick. So thank you for doing a great job and remember the most important thing keep showing up, Showing up.