RX'D Radio Podcast

Reduce Friction

By Eric Bugera

Make things as easy as possible, but not easier.

• There are an infinite number of routes to attaining a client’s goal.

• What is correct for your individual client may look different than what a textbook or social media post has taught you.

• Coaching is about reducing barriers to success. 
• Wield your knowledge to reduce barriers, not force a client into the final shape of their goal earlier than they can handle.

Take It Easy

Training philosophies tend to shift with the social media winds. What one person says may resonate and catch fire – soon becoming the standard of practice until the next clever one-liner emerges. What never changes are the underlying principles that drive adaptation. From physiological to psychological or simple behavioral change, there is a steady – predictable – selection of criteria that drive success. Predictability is less eye-catching than a paradigm shifting meme or infographic, but it also is a potent stress re...

The Art of Goal Setting

Wants, needs, and the path forward.

By Devya Fluckiger

• Goal Setting is an artform amidst the science of coaching.

• A client’s wants may conflict with physiological needs.
• Focusing on one health category at a time is efficacious for achieving long-term balance of health, performance, and aesthetics. 

Needs Enable Wants

Committing to a single goal at any one time is difficult for a client to adhere to, without education on priorities. Does the client want to perform better? Feel healthier? Increase strength? Lose fat? Gain muscle? Typically, a coach will hear, "I want it all!" 

Any fitness professional worth their salt knows that, logically, it is not realistic to pursue all avenues simultaneously. It is imperative to educate a client as to the benefits of triaging specific goals over others that may seem more superficially appealing.  

Creating Clarity

Each goal may fall under three main categories of wellness: 

1. Health - ie. "I’ve been under-e...

Training Maturity

By: Eric Bugera

Clarify your approach before aimlessly adding “more”.

• Training maturity is the realization that what has once worked, may not always work.

• Distinguish between working out and training to clarify your path forward.

• Aiming for precision of intensity and volume rather than abundance of stimulation is the next step in your training evolution.

We’re All Guilty

The disconnect between effective training and (perceived) intensity affects us all at some point. Many aspects of training (beyond the physiological) are actually trainable qualities. One of the most overlooked qualities is training maturity. Not to be confused with accountability, discipline, or state of arousal, training maturity is often a result of an epiphany moment. As knowledge and experience increase, self-awareness of incredibly pervasive (and absurd) training practices becomes more obvious. Running through walls won’t effectively achieve your goals. More is not better. ...

Consistency in Chaos

By: Eric Bugera

Striking a balance between fluid and stable working conditions.

• As your business grows, so will small, unpredictable, daily chores.

• Effective housekeeping will keep you from running into entirely preventable stress or problems.
• Find a small block of time for daily upkeep, free from distractions, and triage as necessary.

Out of Time

Time and tide wait for no man. As you age, as your business grows, and especially as your responsibilities mount – time seems to speed up. No one stage of life is the same, but consistency appears in the acceleration of time. As you continue to live, life seems to rush by. Everything takes longer than anticipated, interruptions or unexpected problems arise, and your to-do list keeps getting longer. The risk of overwhelm is high, but these are the costs of being a coach or trainer. You are solely responsible for the success of your business. You are also solely responsible for staying on top of your daily ta...

The Enigma of Stuart Locke

An Unassuming Leader in Online Service

By Eric Bugera

• Online coaching is a low barrier to entry gig, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be given the same level of respect and effort as in-person.

• Skill, relatability, and communication are huge (but neglected) aspects of being a successful coach.

• Building these traits should be the highest priority for properly training your clients.

You Can’t out Troll a Troll

Operating within the online fitness space can be a lot like the wild west. There aren’t many quality assurance tools or guarantees that keep the consumer safe; and likewise, there are few prevalent business models to guide new entrants into the market. Coaches wade blindly just as often as their prospective clients. As the industry rapidly saturates with new and inexperienced coaches, a similarly new predatory service has started nipping at their heels. While the coach trolls for their first client, “fitpro” business coaches troll ...

Creator vs. Trainer

By Eric Bugera

A delicate balancing act.

• Marketing and promotion is an inescapable part of an independent business.

• Trainers often fall into the trap of becoming “content creators” rather than actually training.
• Strike a balance that allows you to train predominantly and content create as an adjunct – not the other way around.

An Evolving Landscape

The world of training has grown tremendously over the decades. Now, a new trainer has seemingly endless possibilities to establish and hone their craft. A lot can be learned from the commercial gym space, where the corporate entity is acutely aware of and tied to your success or failure as a trainer. Yet there are other entire wings of the fitness industry where you are solely responsible for your own performance. Being a standout trainer is only one prong of your job security, but marketing, promotion, and sales often supersede your training prowess. For a new or struggling trainer, it can be difficult to ...

Only the Committed

By Eric Bugera

A branding model for client-based service.

• Branding is the first entry point for potential clients.

• Aligning your core values with your brand establishes trust.

• Living your brand streamlines your life, business, and connects you with those who would be most successful working with you.

What’s in a Name?

Choosing a brand or company name should not be taken lightly. Branding serves as a potential client’s first impression. This surface level assessment immediately acts as a front line filtering criteria for their decision to work with you. Although it's easy to get caught up in flashiness or attention grabbing clickbait – being as authentic as possible is your best strategy. It’s easier to maintain a consistent front when your branding is a literal representation of self – and “Only the Committed” embodies this flawlessly. Pre-Script® coach James Macintosh does not need to think about how he works, speaks, acts, or presents his p...

Reverse Dieting Appetite Suppressed Clients

By Devya Fluckiger

About the Author

Devya Fluckiger is a Registered Nurse & Holistic Nutrition / Wellness / Fitness Coach from Calgary, Alberta. She enjoys books, picking up and putting down heavy items, and being outside. 

• It’s common to meet clients in a prolonged caloric deficit, often with a poor appetite.
• Protein is the most satiating macronutrient. Consider this when prescribing macro ratios and reintroducing calories (reverse diet). 
• Use carbohydrates, caffeine, & food volume as tools to rehabilitate their appetite..  

45 million Americans go on a diet program annually. (1) The average intake during a deficit for women on these diets is 1500 calories, for men it's 2000. (2) 

Caloric deficits for longer durations lead to an increased risk of metabolic adaptation (3) / adaptive thermogenesis, and subsequently low appetite. Hence, the importance of reverse dieting, diet breaks and re-feeds. 

Prescribing too much protein at th...

Identify Your Resources

Careers progress in stages, and so does your value. 

By Eric Bugera

• Stages of your career will offer distinct resources for you to leverage and provide.

• Work, knowledge, and time are resources that you accumulate, master, and give back.
• Identify where you are in your career, what resource is the most scarce? What can you reasonably give to keep advancing and helping others?

Why Are You Here?

The common thread amongst coaches, clinicians, and trainers entering the fitness space is the overarching desire to help people. Whether you aspire to inspire, want to raise the bar on the standard of training, or seek to completely revolutionize the industry – you want to help people. There are countless people to help, but the degree to which you are qualified to do so may seem disjoint. The desire is there, but the qualifications? At base you are ready, willing, and able to help those you set out to help. As your career progresses, you will develop multiple...

Create Progression Maps

Life is easier to navigate with a map.

By Eric Bugera

• Client’s may present with similar goals but have unique challenges en route to accomplishing them.

• Training parameters and exercise selection are your tools for problem solving.
• Progression maps based upon previous experiences can help eliminate randomness and funnel clients towards their success.

Avoid Randomness

Specificity is the training principle that states your body will generate specific adaptations to the applied demand of exercise. While any movement is beneficial for a new client, randomness will only serve to confuse the issue once early gains have been exhausted. With that in mind, finding your own way to organize and standardize each next step with individual clients can be extremely powerful for future programming. Coaching can enter the elite echelons simply by eliminating randomness; however, experience and pattern recognition can help formulate repeatable and predictable patte...