The Show Up Fitness Podcast
Join Chris Hitchko, author of 'How to Become A Successful Personal Trainer' VOL 2 and CEO of Show Up Fitness as he guides personal trainers towards success.
90% of personal trainers quit within 12-months in the USA, 18-months in the UK, Show Up Fitness is helping change those statistics. The Show Up Fitness CPT is one of the fastest growing PT certifications in the world with partnerships with over 500-gyms including Life Time Fitness, Equinox, Genesis, EoS, and numerous other elite partnerships.
This podcast focuses on refining trade, business, and people skills to help trainers excel in the fitness industry. Discover effective client programming, revenue generation, medical professional networking, and elite assessment strategies.
Learn how to become a successful Show Up Fitness CPT at www.showupfitness.com. Send your questions to Chris on Instagram @showupfitness or via email at info@showupfitness.com."
The Show Up Fitness Podcast
The DEATH of ONLINE Personal Trainers | AI Predictions
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The fitness industry is on the brink of a massive transformation, and artificial intelligence will be the catalyst. Drawing from twenty years of experience as a trainer and gym owner, I'm making a bold prediction: AI will eliminate more personal training jobs than COVID did in 2020, when over 20% of gyms closed permanently and 1.4 million fitness jobs disappeared.
This technological revolution will expose a harsh truth about our industry – most trainers lack the fundamental skills needed for long-term success. With 90% of textbook-certified trainers quitting within their first year, it's clear that passing a multiple-choice exam doesn't prepare you for real-world success. What's missing? Three critical components: technical skills (proper assessment and programming), business acumen, and effective people skills.
To demonstrate this coming shift, I compared a $100 online program from a popular fitness influencer with a workout I created using ChatGPT in minutes. The differences were shocking. The purchased program offered generic macro splits, potentially dangerous exercise volumes (including "100 sumo deadlifts" after multiple heavy supersets), and no personalization options. Meanwhile, the AI-generated program included appropriate progressions/regressions, balanced movement patterns, and sensible training approaches – all hallmarks of competent programming.
By 2030, when experts predict we'll reach artificial general intelligence, consumers will routinely use AI to evaluate fitness programs before purchasing them. The technology will immediately expose which coaches truly understand exercise science versus those selling glorified exercise lists. The fitness professionals who survive will be those who invested in hands-on experience, internships, and continuous education – and who leverage AI as a tool rather than seeing it as a threat.
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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. Forget to subscribe, rate and review. Have a great day and keep showing up. Howdy y'all. Welcome back to the Show Fitness Podcast.
Speaker 1:Today we're going to talk about my prediction with AI in the personal training industry, with specifics to online online coaching. I predict that AI will kill, not physically, but will crush more jobs than COVID did in 2020. I'm going to read you some statistics which happened during COVID and my projections and what's going to happen in 2030. Permanent closures with gyms, over 20% in the US closed permanently. That's from IHRSA, i-h-r-s-a. More than 1.4 million jobs were lost, according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics. 58% drop in revenue and over 300% of adoption of digital platforms. So what that means is COVID happened. Trainers tried to pivot into the online space. So where we're at today 2025, I predict in the next two to three years, you're going to see a huge change when it comes to the online space, and I'm going to do a little comparison with a program that I recently bought. This is 2025 for $100. I love to do this.
Speaker 1:I'm always serving managers at top gyms personal trainers, those that have gotten certified through a textbook, those that are gaining hands-on experience, where they're at six months in the career, a year, five years later. In volume two of my book, which now has over 75 star reviews how to become a successful personal trainer volume two 90% of textbook trainers quit within the first year. You can go back to a couple of podcasts and you have an expert in the industry 20 plus years and she said 80% quit within the first two years. The statistics are daunting. Trainers are not able to turn their passion for fitness into a career and it's because of the three skills that we're lacking the technical skills, daunting. Trainers are not able to turn their passion for fitness into a career and it's because of the three skills that we're lacking the technical skills, which involve programming, assessments, getting your clients out of pain, whether if it's for general pop or athletes. We do not know how to assess competently and if we can't, then we're not able to sell and get them as a client, which leads us into the business skills. We don't have that confidence in our value proposition. So when you sit your client down after you did the overhead squat assessment and you say sign up for 12 sessions for $1,200, they say I need to talk to my significant other or that's a little expensive. I need to think about it because I want to try out some other trainers or other gyms.
Speaker 1:We don't have the confidence to overcome those objections. We don't have streams of revenue, as seen here with all the jobs that were lost during COVID. If you don't have a couple streams of revenue, you cut that sucker out. You are royally screwed and then you try to pivot into a space that's saturated. You'll hear it all the time on Reddit and all these forums the personal training industry is saturated and, as a trainer of 20 years, a gym owner, we were able to keep our three gyms during COVID. Not many people can say that, yeah, we lost a couple when our rent was increased 50%, but that was a strategic play that I had to make that decision Not an easy one, but I made that decision and we're progressing forward, which allows for more marketing and more online in-person growth as we continue to open more gyms in the future.
Speaker 1:And the last skill people skills. We don't have the ability to communicate professionally. So the commodity of the future I'm projecting confidently, it's confidence and competence. If you're not competent in your value, you're not going to be able to gain a clientele or a book of business, streams of revenue, things that we talk about in my book. 30% of newly certified trainers don't even begin because they don't have that confidence or competence.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go over a program right now and I want you, the listener, to tell me what your thoughts are. I paid $100 for this and I have fake emails when I buy these so they don't know who I am. But this individual sent out an email as the program hey there, hope you're having a great day. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Within the first paragraph. Also, don't forget to tag me at. Here's my handle. Please do not share or post any of these videos. That shows me a lack of confidence.
Speaker 1:Right there we get into a macro split. Right in the second paragraph Carbohydrates should be at 40. Protein should be at 40. Fat should be at 20. Another red flag for an incompetent trainer, because that would be like saying you have shoulder pain, do these exercises. You need to assess appropriately. Do you need to refer out? What soft tissue can you implement? What stretches can you do Correctives and get them out of that discomfort to train properly, out of pain? Trainers don't have that confidence or competence. So when I see a program starting out with very generic recommendations, it's a red flag. Here's a grocery list good foods, bad foods, red flag.
Speaker 1:And then it gets into the six-week program. I'm just going to do one workout. I want you the competent coach, because those that listen to this podcast are absolutely qualified. Workout one stretch and warm up for 10 minutes. Superset one, six rounds quote unquote heavy and bold 10 barbell glute bridges. 20 dumbbell walking lunges Six fucking rounds Circuit two, six rounds. Heavy and bold 10 barbell good mornings into 10 barbell squats to a bench. Superset three, five rounds. 15 barbell side split squats into 15 barbell step ups. Now round four. I'm not joking, yes, round four, five rounds. 15 leg curls into 15 glute kickbacks with leg curl machine. And let's just finish off and annihilate the client, possibly kill them with 100 sumo deadlifts. And now for the cherry on top let's finish off for 15 minutes on the Stairmaster Example one minute level four. One minute level 12, fast, holy moly.
Speaker 1:This program should be called rhabdomyolysis. Where's the accountability? This trainer, in my opinion, should be fined. They should be sued because this program, just from the first workout, is complete dog shit, I feel for the person, the consumer. Oh my God, he or she has an amazing physique. I want to look like them. I'm going to buy their program. This coach generated $100 from this program and it gives you so much information just from that intro around nutrition, the generic template with the macros, and then workout one. I'm not going to read you all the other workouts, but I'll give you a glimpse of week six. You're going to end the workout with 15 jump squats for four sets. That just tells you the competence of the individual. Doing jump squats for time 15, 10 plus is inappropriate. The competence of this coach F. I'll let you take a guess at what certification they had. It was a textbook.
Speaker 1:Now let's flip on over and review a program from ChatGPT. The ability of competent coaches to program ChatGPT, to essentially be in your mind, is phenomenal. And we're not even at general intelligence yet. Grok 4 just came out and Elon said this is one of the best AI versions we have to date and it's still only to 16% of our capabilities. Once we get to 100, they call that general intelligence. Let's not even begin to get into the weird stuff with super intelligence.
Speaker 1:Here's an example of a workout that I programmed using the CCA and programming my chat GPT. So essentially my chat GPT on my phone is my brain. I can program it to think like me. Hell, in the morning I'll ask it dad jokes. Make it more graphic, make it more explicit, have fun, make it more PG. The ability of AI is absolutely insane. Day one so compare this one to the program that I purchased.
Speaker 1:Circuit one CCA full body. Circuit one using the CCA Goblet squat Parentheses. You can use dumbbell or kettlebell, three by 10. Into a dumbbell chest press you can do it on the floor or a bench, three by 10, a dead bug or farmer's carry three times 20 or 10 reps. Circuit two TRX row or a seated cable row 3x12,. Glute bridge or a hip thrust 3x12,. Into the accessory of a face pull or band pull apart 3x15. The last circuit step ups or split stance, depending on the capability of the individual 3x10 for each leg, a dumbbell Z press or landmine press three by eight and finish off into a bike or ski erg three by 30 to 45 seconds. That program right there absolutely crushes, annihilates the terrible program prior.
Speaker 1:So what's going to happen two to three years from now? These coaches that I purchased? They're going to be non-existent. They're going to be wiped out and the great, competent and confident coaches the Brett Contreras, the Megan Calloways, those that have a following but understand programming will be able to use their chat, gpt and AI to make the most obsolete programming possible.
Speaker 1:I chuckle when people reach out to me and say I want to get certified as quickly as I can so I can train online. I don't respond back to them and crush their feelings and thoughts because we're so delicate today, but I know for a fact that trainer is not going to be able to make it If you don't have a couple of years in the trenches training actual people, not yourself. That's the difference between a qualified trainer. You understand the human body. The average textbook trainer understands their body and that's exactly what the program that I purchased demonstrates. This is what this individual does, but it doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone. That is not appropriate for Gen Pop. Sure, you're going to have hundreds, if not thousands because they did have a large following purchased your program. But you're going to have people starting to understand what a good program is.
Speaker 1:The wellness industry is booming and our clients are becoming more aware of what good and what bad is, so they're going to be able to use AI and put that program into the chat GPT and say what are your thoughts on it. If you're thinking about buying a program, reach out to that coach. Can you send me an example of what one workout would look like? That's how I coach up people and I tell you, if you're thinking about buying a program, ask for one workout, put it into chat GPT and compare it and you're going to see chat GPT will laugh Ha ha, ha ha. That sucked with a little winky face. Maybe you'll even throw in an eggplant emoji if you have fun with it, because these programs suck.
Speaker 1:They're literally exercises. There's no critical thought that goes into the programming based off of movement patterns. You don't learn that in a textbook. You're programming exercises based off of models that are extremely outdated, whether it be the IFT model, the OPT model. These are not currently scientifically backed. They're easy to follow templates For a new trainer. You look at it and go, oh my God, this is great. And then you put it into play with actual people and they don't get results.
Speaker 1:There are over 1.1 million trainers in the United States. How many of them are going to be around three to five years from now? That's the question of what AI, in my opinion, is going to crush. And it's exciting because, as a competent coach who's gone through an internship, who's worked in seminars hands-on, that's constantly learning, not using that victim mentality oh my God, a seminar is so expensive I'm not going to go because blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You're not gaining hands-on experience, your confidence is idle, you're not growing.
Speaker 1:So if you take anything from today's podcast I know it's short and sweet this is the time to triple down on your knowledge gaining hands-on experience quote unquote picking the brain from the experts and adopting their style, but putting your own twist to it. If you want to become the best chef, you don't just give out your pizza and say I'm the best because you made one pizza and your random friend who's blacked out, drunk and high says they enjoyed it. You're going to start distributing it to the world. You got to go out there and try all the different types. You're going to go to Italy, you're going to go to Africa, you're going to go to China, try different recipes and then you put your own twist to it Trial and error.
Speaker 1:But what trainers do today is just trial. They don't adjust. You could have 100 people buy your program and three people get results With AI. Those 97 people are going to complain and they're going to start going to the machine because it is superior. When it comes to not thinking if the template is there, there's no template for this program I'm looking at right now. It's just random exercises and a lot of work, calories in, calories out. It's that simple, right Within reason. It can be if you follow. But already, just comparing the two from the two workouts, the program that I designed with ChatGPT is using regressions and progressions. This one's just exercises.
Speaker 1:So you're going to see a dip in your revenue. And what do you do? You're going to change careers because you're not going to be able to sustain making $10,000 one month because you crushed it into eight, into six, into three, into one, into zero. And then you're going to get conned into getting some dipshit business coach to give $10,000 to to say, oh, use this system and it's going to help you. No, it's not, you just wasted more money.
Speaker 1:So this is a pivotal point in the fitness industry. This is an extremely new field. We're less than 30 years old, we are young, we are prime for market change, and what AI is going to do, it's going to manipulate the whole system and just squeeze out all the shit that's out there, so competent and confident coaches that are doubling down on their knowledge and the technical skills that are required, and then you adapt and you learn the business side of the equation. You will be an elite, exclusive trainer and you can drive streams of revenue and this shift is really going to start putting more power into the fitness professional. We will be respected and I really feel that this pivot, this moment that we're at right now is going to start to show that, because trainers who are not competent, it's going to showcase that with programs like this and you're going to be able to fact check it to AI to say what are your thoughts on this program. It's an F minus middle finger emoji, don't get it and you're not going to respond back to that coach and you're going to find someone like a Jeff Nippard and you're going to implement his programming because it works Very similar to.
Speaker 1:Let's look at cars, for example. How many manufacturers are there? The ones at the top, the Fords, the Toyotas, the Kias? They're resilient. It's going to happen with coaches. You can't just say I'm going to make a car and just go out there and start doing it. You got to have the resources.
Speaker 1:People think that you can just get into this industry. Take a simple textbook multiple choice test and all of a sudden you're qualified. I cannot tell you and I'm not sitting on my high horse here. I've projected this numerous times in the past. We will be respected. You will be able to tell your parents I'm a personal trainer confidently and they're like, wow, that's a great career because you did what everyone else is not doing investing into internships and hands-on learning. If you really for a moment think that reading a giant textbook without supervised experience is going to set your career up for success, you're delusional and that's why so many trainers quit and not able to turn this into a career. But those that invest into learning the fundamentals of movement, biomechanics, mastering nutrition, building your team out with physical therapists and RDs, you will become successful.
Speaker 1:I'm really excited to see if my projection for the next two to three years stands true Definitely 2030,. There's going to be a humongous shift because that's when they're projecting that general intelligence getting into super intelligence is going to take place. So if you're a trainer listening to this right now and you're thinking about becoming a trainer, you need a qualified certification, one that's going to separate you from the masses. And if you buy some programs, start looking at those acronyms behind their names. If you go to a gym and you see a trainer on a BOSU ball, go look at the acronym they put in their bio and you're going to see a bunch of the marketing companies as their certification. Where are they going to be 10, 20, 30 years from now? Similar to what I was saying with the automotive industry, you're going to have the key players stick around. The automotive industry has been around for 100 plus years. The first Ford model, ford Model A, came out in like 1903. Now, 2025, ford is still around. So if you look at the certifications, they're 30 years into this. 20, 30 years from now it's going to be a whole different ballgame. So the time to act now, from my standpoint, from an educational viewpoint, is to solidify competence and to make your certification qualified so the trainers are competent and can go out there and help clients safely.
Speaker 1:Because so many trainers are producing bullshit like this Random exercises, no thought, no supervised experience, no board or team that you can go to to review. And that's what shows the incompetence of a trainer is when they say stuff like don't share this, because they're not confident in what they're doing. They're scared. They have those same ants that everyone has getting into a new industry. But if you throw a bunch of shit to the wall and you don't show anyone what you're producing, you're not going to be critiqued.
Speaker 1:We need that. You need to go to a seminar and write out a program and have a coach who's an expert saying well, why are you doing this? Okay, so you're going to do 100 walking lunges into 100 jump squats yes, I'm reading that off this program. Why Don't you think that's a little excessive? Why are you doing a super set, seven times 10 leg press into seven times 10 hip thrust? That's in this fucking program. There's no accountability.
Speaker 1:In the future, with AI, there's going to be a lot more accountability. So buckle down. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you can use AI to your advantage. I can write programs with AI in two seconds. I can look at the program, put it into play for my client, but my competence allows me for the regress and progress. Accordingly, competence allows me for the regress and progress. Accordingly. I'm going to get into the next part of AI and in-person and what my thoughts are and what the future is going to hold for trainers, and I'm going to go out on a limb and I'm going to say some pretty crazy stuff. So make sure to stay tuned.
Speaker 1:If you enjoyed today's podcast, throw it into your story.
Speaker 1:You got a few more days before all of our certifications the Certification for life, that's the SUF CPT, soft tissue and assessment protocol that we teach, suf STM and our nutrition coach certification. That will be going up to $799. Where are they going to be a year from now, five years from now, I don't know, because it's all about supply and demand and we have the best certification out there and we have the proof in the pudding. Thousands of trainers are going out there driving business with proper results, safely, and building streams of revenue, making 10, 15, 20 plus thousand per month with streams of revenue and the right partnerships. So get on board now, before it's too late. It's like when you're waiting in line and a new line opens up next to you at the grocery store and if you wait and then you take a step over, all of a sudden you're further than when you started. Your time is now to show up. Leave that five-star review, keep on working on those. Show up standards and remember big biceps are better than small ones. And keep showing up.