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
INDIA Cricket-to-Fitness | Cricketer Jay SUF-CPT
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Listen to IPL cricketeer Jay IG: im_jayasurya and Devang talk about the life of a personal trainer in Chennai India.
What happens when a cricket career ends due to injury? For Jaisurya, it became the beginning of a transformative journey into the world of personal training. In this captivating conversation, Jai reveals how his path shifted from representing Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry in cricket to becoming a certified personal trainer helping others transform their lives.
The turning point came after completing his MBA in data analytics when Jai ventured into sports event management, working with prestigious tournaments like IPL. During this time, he experienced a moment he describes as "speechless" – witnessing MS Dhoni enter Chennai's stadium to thunderous applause that literally shook the building. Despite these exciting experiences, something was missing until a friend introduced him to Show Up Fitness CPT.
Jai offers a candid look at the fitness industry in Chennai, where many trainers lack proper education and focus solely on workouts without understanding fundamental anatomy or movement patterns. He contrasts this with his experience at Show Up Fitness, which created a supportive community where continuous learning is valued. "This industry is all about patience, constant learning, and consistency," Jai emphasizes, noting how these qualities transfer perfectly from his sports background.
Perhaps most touching is Jai's story about his parents' journey from skepticism about his career choice to pride when they witnessed firsthand the impact he was making on clients' lives. For anyone considering a fitness career or looking to understand what separates successful trainers from those who quit within the first year, Jai's insights provide invaluable guidance.
Whether you're a cricket fan, fitness enthusiast, or someone considering a career transition, this episode delivers powerful reminders about the importance of communit
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Have you ever met Virat Kohli? So yes, to be honest, I have seen all the players, but I'll be watching them in the distance and in IPL. To be honest, I didn't work in every venue. I worked in Chennai, where I met Dhoni for the first time.
Speaker 2: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 showoffitnesscom. 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.
Speaker 3:Namaste and welcome to the Show of Fitness podcast India. Today we have our first professional cricketer turned into a personal trainer, jai, all the way from Chennai. Today we are going to talk a lot of interesting stuff with him, so next voice you'll be hearing is from Jai. Hey Jai, how are you?
Speaker 1:Hi, devang, I'm fine. Thanks for having me here. I'm really excited to talk a lot about your fitness here.
Speaker 3:Then let's keep up the excitement and tell us more about yourself.
Speaker 1:Hi guys, I am Jaisurya. I have been playing cricket since my school days and over the years I have represented my university, district level, even state level tournaments for Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. Cricket has always been more than just a sport for me. But cricket, like people, get injuries right. I got an injury in my hamstring and that didn't let me play cricket after my MBA. So I did my MBA in data analytics, then I stopped playing cricket and then I started working in a sports events field where I was a sports event manager for the past two years, where I worked in lot of tournaments like, for example, I did my internship in IPL, then I worked in Legends Cricket Trophy, Then I did my CM Trophy in Chennai and National Para Athletics Games and also I did some of commentary stuff for cricket in fan code. Then one day I was like wondering what I am doing here and then I am jumping Is it the right path for me, like all the 20 teenagers 20 year old to get that thought right. So I got that. Then I was thinking one day I should do something related to fitness. One day I was working in gym it is near my home and I met my friend who's sujin. He already has a fitness center. So I spoke to him.
Speaker 1:After around Six, seven years, I think.
Speaker 1:So he told me he has this fitness center and he did a certification in Suf CPT. So I was more interested in that because I was already having a thought of going into strength and conditioning like I was always passionate into training people, like because I was a cricket coach also and I used to play cricket. So I wanted to teach people and I wanted to learn about this CPT thing more. So I was keep on asking Sujan, what is it? And Sujan gave me a brief and I took up the trial classes that SUFCPT gave and then I loved it. I thought it is more practical and I was interested in learning for the first time because I am a person where I love doing things practically more than learning theoretically. And that's where SUFCPT stood out. To be honest, I was not a biology student or anything, but SUFCPT curated their CPT program in such a way that everyone could understand it. Now, if you would ask me any muscle in the body related to fitness, I would be easily naming it, and that's all because of suf CPT.
Speaker 2:And then I finished my.
Speaker 1:CPT. So then I started working as a fitness trainer along with fifth realm, which Sujan has, and I'm coaching people there and changing their lifestyle. Through our personalized fitness programs we help people in fat loss, general health and getting them pain-free. That's our goal.
Speaker 3:Really cool story, man. So before we move on, since you mentioned IPL, I couldn't resist I have to ask this have you ever met Virat Kohli?
Speaker 1:So, yes, to be honest, I have seen all the players, uh, but nothing, uh nothing personal with them as I was working there. It was. It was always a professional thing, to be honest, like I'll be watching them in a distance and in ipl, to be honest, I didn't work in every venues. I worked in chennai, where I met doni for the first time, and so I have always.
Speaker 1:To be honest, I have always seen a lot of players from my cricketing days, but no player has given me that goosebumps. But when Dhoni entered the field in Chennai, man you, it was the moment of my life, to be honest, to see him and the crowd cheering and the stadium was shaking. That was like I am speechless now to talk about that moment.
Speaker 3:And that is my favorite moment in that field. On TV they show us that it is 129 decibels when Dhoni enters M Chidambaram Stadium, ma Chidambaram Stadium. Yeah, ma Chidambaram Stadium. Yeah, a Chidambaram Stadium, ma Chidambaram.
Speaker 1:Stadium. Yeah, you are more fond of Bangalore Stadium, I think.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And to say about Virat Kohli it's such a pleasure to watch him play all this. He is such a elegant player. You can say right and this year they won Totally. Yes, and your favorite team got the cup.
Speaker 3:Finally, isala Cup yours most important thing was that they came to my city and they won here, and I was there on the ground to witness that oh, how did you feel seeing that?
Speaker 1:I am still celebrating every day is a celebration, till the next IPL starts, I think.
Speaker 3:Yeah, All right. So I think we should move on now when we talk about fitness industry, as we see that almost 90 to 80% trainers 80 to 90% trainers quit within the first year they enter the industry. So is there something like that in Chennai also? Yes, To be honest in Chennai.
Speaker 1:You, if you see most of the trainers, they I don't say they will quit uh, but they lack of education here. Mostly they are not certified, or even if they are certified they are, they are not, uh, that much competent enough as a cpt, suf cpt trainer to train people, I feel uh so what could be the reason behind it?
Speaker 1:most of the certifications here focus on the focus on the workouts. I feel like, for example, if you, if you take a, if you, if you go to a general gym even I was like that, two years, two, two years before, if you ask me any, any workout, I'll I'll give a bro split for you. I I won't have the knowledge, like I won't have the anatomical knowledge to teach people they don't go through the core movement patterns. I feel.
Speaker 3:They only train their clients as bodybuilders.
Speaker 1:Yes, and most of the trainers. They want the results to be fast and they want their clients' results to be fast. They are not adapting to be fast and they want their clients results to be fast. They are not adapting to the lifestyle and moving on to it, they just want quick, quick results in everything. But this industry is all about patience, constant learning and consistency. I feel you should keep doing it every day, like we do in sports. You have to give the whole 120 percent. You have to keep putting the efforts and people will start coming to you. But you have to give the whole 120%. You have to keep putting the efforts and people will start coming to you, but you have to have that patience, I feel, and that will be the thing to hold on to this field. If you don't have that, it will be really difficult and in this generation it is easy to lose directions right as we are in our 20s.
Speaker 3:Coming to that point, how young you are. I am 24.
Speaker 1:Very young man. Coming to that point, how young you are. I'm 24, very young man, I'm feeling old. Not so young for me, better than 28, at least so, but when it comes to working out or fitness, there is no age. I feel like, uh, we have clients who is aged around 62 to 70 and they are racing it. It's all about your willpower and consistency in this field, and when it comes to trainers also, anybody can roll at any time. That's what is more amazing about our SUFC PTI field.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I tell this to my clients about age that I know many 40 years youngsters and many 20 years senior citizens as well. So it's all about your lifestyle. If you keep going on every day in, day out, week in, week out, and if you are consistent with your routine, age is just a number and that's true.
Speaker 1:Most of the trainers. They lack of this support system, to be honest a community where they can learn and the mentors they need. They are not getting that.
Speaker 3:If they have the right mentors, I feel they will not quit this trainer's profession and that's why we say that textbooks cannot produce qualified trainers Exactly, you need that circle, you need that community that is there to support you. You can go to them whenever you want to learn something and you keep yourself upgraded every day. And that was the core principle behind Showoff Fitness CPT. We are not generating fitness certification. It is not like a personal training machine where there are tons of trainers who are getting certified every day because anyone can pass 70 mcqs and get the certificate. But what after that? What is after that? I mean, how will you survive in this industry? What is the longer picture you're looking at?
Speaker 1:and that's where show fitness dpt makes the difference and you can clearly see, as you have already done, that yes, and one more thing I would like to add is like, even in our live calls I used to attend Tori's classes or Chris classes if they, if they know the thing, they will explain. If they, if they don't know, they won't tell whatever is like comes to their mind, they will just say I look into it and let you know. Many people like, for example, tori and mel I think she took, she takes nutrition classes. So these people I love the way they accepted it and if they will, they are ready to learn from others. It's like more of a community than teaching people like, for example, if a professor is teaching, he won't take what we say. Right here, I felt the community is open to learning when it comes to fitness or any field.
Speaker 3:In this world there is no one who knows everything. I mean, the knowledge is too vast to grasp it at once. So you are always learning something, and that's why it is important to accept. When you don't know about something, you can always say all right, I'll get back to you once I do some research and I get some data on my hand, and then I'll get back to you and I'll explain it to you. And that's how you build your repo, and when your clients see this thing in you, they start trusting you because they know you are not going to sell any BS to them. You are not going to lie to them. If you know about something, you will explain it. If you don't know, you will go do your research and you're going to tell them what is required to solve their problem. And that's why your clients will start trusting you more, and that's how you build a good book of business that's what we also do here in fifth realm.
Speaker 1:whatever taught us by the mentors, like chris, for example, to sujin and sujin passes on, passes it on to us. It is a protocol, it is all the protocols, and the book which Chris wrote it helps us a lot. To be honest, I have just started reading it. To be honest, I am, I just started reading it. Yesterday, I just borrowed it from Jitesh and I started reading it and I want to finish it as soon as possible. I am not more of a reader.
Speaker 1:I don't read, I have not read any books before, so this is my first book and I'm going to read it you made the right choice as your first book. Yeah, it's really gonna help you, sure I wanted to help me out in a lot of. Like you said, every day is a learning right all.
Speaker 3:Right now, tell me one thing how did your parents feel about your career? I mean, when you decided to become a trainer, what was their reaction?
Speaker 1:Okay, to be honest, my parents… I told you I was in a sporting background from my childhood, so they were open to all the things I choose. Like, from my childhood, I was a. I was not only a cricketer, I was also a karate professional where I got my black belt, so they were. So they were like okay, do it, okay, do it. That's what they have always told me since my MBA and when it, when it came to my, when I finished my UG, ug was a sports quota. So when I came to my postgraduate, they were little picky. They were like you should do MBA, you should do this, like that. So I was like I chose a college and I wrote an exam, I got a good rank and I got into the college through my education. Only then they were like, okay, he will survive, he got into an MBA. And then I finished my MBA. Then I put a bomb like I'm going to go into sports events field. They were like what is sports events field? Because no parents know what is sports events field. When I finished my MBA, to be honest, in 2020s and 2023, they were not aware of that much. So they were like, okay, what is that? And then I had an aunt who was helping me out in this field, so she got me a job and I explored it a lot.
Speaker 1:I explored a lot of cities in India. I was in Sri Lanka too. I explored a lot. They were happy that I was doing something in sports, but again I came to them and told this field is not working for me, I'm not getting anything out of it. I want to do something in fitness and you know about indian parents when it comes to fitness trainers or anything related to gym, for you, you, you are an example. I feel in that, as you said to me, yeah, yeah, yeah. They were like um, no, this won't have a career, this will not this, that they said all the possibilities, but I was sure on what I do and I told them this is my passion and everything, like they always did. They were like okay, do it. We trust you. They gave that full freedom to me. Not every parents will do that, to be honest. And they gave that freedom to me, and here I am making them proud.
Speaker 1:I feel Now earning my you are doing great and luckily you got good company there I mean sujan and his team is more than what you need yeah, yes, yeah and one incident happened to me today where my dad actually joined our fitness program and, oh, wow, my one of my client came to my dad and he told, uh, that your son is inspiring us with his food, with his lifestyle. He told all the things that I'm teaching them and my dad was inspired about it. My dad was like keep on telling my mom oh, he did this, he did that. And I was like that is what we live for, right?
Speaker 1:yeah, that must be a proud moment, yeah so today that happened and here we are talking in a podcast about it and I feel happy to share it.
Speaker 3:I'm happy for you, man. Thanks, man. I mean, yeah, that's what parents want. They want stability in your life. They are just protective about you. That's why they tell you not to enter this industry Because, as we discussed earlier, 80 to 90% people quit the industry within the year or two. That's the sign that there is no stability in this field, but that the industry within the year or two. That's the sign that there is no stability in this field. But that is for general trainers, average trainers. We are different than them. We are highly qualified, we are highly skilled because we invest time in our knowledge, we invest in mentorships, we invest in collaborations, we work with the teams of professionals and that's why we are not in that crowd who is quitting in one or two year. We are making a separate field for ourselves so yeah, when you are on the right path.
Speaker 3:There is no limit in this industry. I mean you can make tons of money as well if you want to money.
Speaker 1:Money is one side, but I feel this, this field, is we are helping the people to change something in their life, and when you do that to people, we don't need to chase money. I feel money comes to us. Yep, because when we provide that quality to people, as chris says it, it will come to us. We don't need to chase behind money. I feel like it will automatically come to us when we provide that much value in our services.
Speaker 3:I feel so, basically, we are here to help people and that is the mindset that will help you to grow further. Yes, so business side is there, but, uh, when you are starting your career, helping is everything you should focus on, only just to help people. And that will make you curious. Let's say, if you have a client who is suffering with knee pain or lower, he's coming to you, he's asking for help to get that pain away and you don't know about knee pain or lower back pain. What you are going to do, you are going to do your research, you are going to learn how to treat that and you will be going back to him and start helping him to cure that pain.
Speaker 3:Exactly so yeah, first step is always helping people, and that's how you gain knowledge.
Speaker 1:Here in show fitness know what we learned is about all these injuries. In every live classes we were getting something or the other information from the fellow teacher who is teaching us from their client experiences, and they were open to listen to my own experiences with my clients. Like, for example, they didn't have much knowledge about indian clients and when I told them our indian clients are like this, like that, they were like, open to listening it and they were giving suggestions and it helped me a lot. Like, like you said, I had an problem with this knee pain or back pain. I used to go to sujin, but when I was doing the cpt live calls even I asked this to tyson when he was taking anatomy classes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was asking Tyson and Tori, she has taught me a lot about exercise variations. We discuss a lot and Wayne, to be honest, he is one of the person who connects in the call like he is also a CPT, I feel, and he is also giving a lot of information about his own. He stays in Poland, I think so. It is a platform where I can learn from many people around the world. He is also giving a lot of information about his own. He stays in Poland, I think. So it is a platform where I can learn from many people around the world about their own clients.
Speaker 3:That was good. Exactly that's why you need a network of professionals where you can help each other. Tell me more about your big, hunky, audacious goals for your career.
Speaker 1:When it comes to that. My biggest goal is to become one of the top strength and conditioning coaches in India, where I can train a lot of athletes. Even I had an injury that stopped me playing cricket. I had a hamstring grade 2 and I couldn't play cricket after that properly. Every time when I play I had a small niggle or something. So I want to train people in that way, but I need to learn more for that. I need to do the CSCS of show of fitness I feel in future, and then I will start doing that. But that's my ultimate goal, and I also want to make the general population aware of how much strength training has helped me to who I am in this life. Now I want to influence them in that way.
Speaker 3:So you have already taken first step towards your goal. If you meet a new trainer who wants to become a trainer, what would you advise them.
Speaker 1:When I meet a new trainer, I'll tell them to focus on the fundamentals anatomy and exercise, physiology and main thing is the movement training cues. If you are doing a dead lift, you have to know how to cue a client. Not everyone will know with the basic sayings that we learn, right, they have to know from the basics. So you need to know the cues. That is the main thing. And one more thing is I would I would tell the trainer to practice what they preach. Practice what you preach is a term which I keep to myself or in our fifth realm we keep to all the coaches.
Speaker 3:Whatever we practice, we teach the people yep, that is important because these days I see a lot of coaches I mean, I'm not fat shaming anyone, but there are a lot of coaches who are standing on the floor with that big bellies and cuing their clients to do squats or do that lift, and that I mean okay, I get it that you're not getting time to work out, but at least you need to be presentable. Your client should get motivated by just looking at you. I'm not asking you to have a ripped body where you are having six-pack abs and 16 inches bicep, but you at least need to look fit. I mean, we are in the business of Fitness, so you need to preach that exactly what you say exactly is what you preach there is a standard that we should keep on for ourselves, right yeah, yeah, in show of Fitness, we have standards for trainers, you know that I'm trying to.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to get through it, bro. You won't believe. I am getting there soon.
Speaker 3:I'll be posting videos great, great, and that's why you need your stories.
Speaker 1:You are getting there too, I feel you are already there.
Speaker 3:I feel no, no, no, I'm still getting there, I am. I'm also struggling with a lot of injuries right now Lower back injury, shoulder injury, many things are going on. But I'm trying my best, as much as I can do. Is there anything you are struggling with right now in your career or in terms of knowledge or education?
Speaker 1:A lot are there, to be exact. Sometimes I deal with self-doubt, wondering if I'm good enough or like am I moving fast enough in my career? Wondering if I'm good enough or like, am I moving fast enough in my career? But when I get those thoughts, no, but I always remind myself that progress takes time and if I keep learning and putting the work, the consistency will take me there and everything will fall in place, I feel that's how you go.
Speaker 3:I mean, self-doubts are going to be there always. No matter what you achieve, no matter where you are, at what stage of your life you are at, there will always be some type of doubts in your mind. I don't know if you have heard about imposter syndrome. Chris talks about it a lot. I'll share you some things. I mean basically what you are saying right now. You feel like you are not, you don't deserve what you are doing right now. You don't deserve where you are at. Let's say, for example, you are a certified personal trainer now, but deep down, you keep telling yourself that, no, I am not worthy of this, I am in the wrong room, I don't deserve this. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.
Speaker 3:So, in short, there are some self-doubts in yourself. It is going to be there. But, as we say, when you go through this same routine, day in, day out, week in, week out, when you are doing it consistently for years, you will start believing in yourself, you will start building that confidence and once you are confident enough, these things don't bother us that much, because I have been in the industry for last eight years and, uh, sometimes I also feel that I'm not enough. Now that thing doesn't bother me that much because I know it is part of process and every time you are going to do something new, as I said, I'm opening up my own studio, so there are all. Also there are some doubts in my mind will I be able to get all the every money that I am putting in as a return, or is it going to be in loss and many things? But that's a part of process and you need to deal with this. You have to go through it exactly, so that is totally fine.
Speaker 1:So I am also learning these things slowly as.
Speaker 3:I'm aging fine, I feel that's what we call ants automatic negative thoughts you can't stop.
Speaker 1:Actually it helps, to be honest. When you have that, only you can self-talk and you can come up. If it is not there, only you will be like, okay, going in the same direction. If it is there, you will be going up and up, I feel it keeps you grounded as well.
Speaker 3:I mean you, the day, you, the day you start thinking that you know everything, that is the day you stop becoming great. I mean that is the day you will start your career will start declining. The day you think I know everything, now, I don't need to learn anymore, that is the day your career will stop. So that thing is also important. Yeah, it will keep you grounded and it will keep you on your toes. So you have that hunger to learn more and more every day. All right. So since you have done show of fitness, cbt recently, what do you think what we show of fitness can do better to serve indian market in more efficient way?
Speaker 1:I feel we can have a lot of the workshops which they conduct over there in India, like live mentorship and like local training places where we can go and learn in person, and sometimes, when it is online, it will not be that great for all the people, right? So I feel that in person workshops or live mentorship programs. Those will raise our standards in India and luckily we are working towards that.
Speaker 3:So to see it will be having our yeah, we will be having our first Center in Ahmedabad. Nice, so yeah yeah sure, sure we yeah, sure, sure. We are planning to do it all around across India, pan India Looking forward to it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we are taking steps towards it. It is slow, but we are making sure that we provide that quality and we provide more and more qualified trainers like you to the Indian market, because it is highly needed right now, because fitness industry is at its peak not at its peak, but it is going up and up every year. Since AI has introduced in the market, our job is getting more and more. I mean, what do I say? There is a lot of potential that is unlocked by AI people. People think AI is a danger for us, but I don't think AI is not in danger. Ai is going to give us more clients because people are getting lazy All the time. They are on their couch or on their bed. Ai is doing their stuff, so eventually they'll come to us.
Speaker 1:And when it comes to AI, we had clients who who, for example, they get the workouts from AI and they try to ask the different routine and variety from it, but it gives the same again and again and over the time they will understand that it is not giving what they want. It is not specified for them.
Speaker 3:That personalized way will only come when you come to a trainer yes exactly yes, as you said, he is giving us a path opening up a lot of fortune, all right, so it was night or nice talking to you, man. I mean we can do many things like this in future as well, but for now we'll stop here. So before going, if you want to give a short message or anything to our audience, be fit train every day, and fitness is not about doing it for a month or so.
Speaker 1:It is about doing it consistently over the years and it doesn't come tomorrow or day after.
Speaker 3:You have to work for it and you have to do the hard work nice talking to you, man, it was great talking to you, and all the best for your future thank you so much and it was lovely talking to you and thanks for the opportunity to show fitness.
Speaker 1:Yes, in learning, as well as this podcast. I have always been grateful for you guys, thank you so much and all right with that.
Speaker 3:We close this episode with saying keep showing up.