It’s obviously been a while since I’ve blogged, so I figured you guys deserve an update so you know I’m not just sitting around twiddling my thumbs 
Well, technically, I was doing that last week, but it was expected. My wife, daughter and I took a vacation to re-energize and re-boot, but now I’m back and ready to finish the second half of the year strong!
Here’s a massive update as to what’s going on not only with Robertson Training Systems, but IFAST as well.
Hopefully you don’t think I’m too self-absorbed by writing all this up!
Robertson Training Systems
Speaking
As you guys know, this is the consulting/online side of my business. To say this year has been awesome would be an understatement!
I think it all really started when I wrote my Personal Manifesto blog – that really set me straight as to what I wanted to get out of life and business, and I firmly believe that it set the course and helped me create my own reality.
This year has definitely been my most prolific as a speaker. I’m not totally sure how many engagements I’ve had this year, but I can tell you that in July alone I’ll have three opportunities to work with coaches and trainers to help them get better.
It started at the NSCA National Convention in Las Vegas, where I discussed core and low back training. It’s an honor to speak at the national conference of your certifying body, but it was also nerve racking, as there were well over 500 people in my lecture alone!
Needless to say, it was a great experience – even the heckler that badgered me during Q&A as to why I don’t draw-in when I squat and deadlift!
A few weeks back, I went up to Purdue for a day and gave an in-service to their strength and conditioning staff. Former San Francisco 49ers strength coach Duane Carlisle is heading up the program there now, and needless to say, he’s assembled an awesome staff.
Finally, the month wraps up with a presentation this weekend at the IYCA Summit on building better athletes from the ground up.
So July was crazy, but going forward, speaking will continue to be at the forefront of what I do.
The 2011 Midwest Performance Enhancement Seminar has come together better than I ever imagined. It’s amazing what happens after you run 2 or 3 of these things – slowly but surely they tend to get better!
We have a great line-up again this year, and I’ve been extremely pleased with sign-ups. I think this is something we’ll definitely look to grow and expand on from year-to-year, and I have no doubt it can become one of the premiere events in our industry.
Going forward I have a handful of one-day coaching focused seminars, and I really hope I can continue to impact people in a powerful way.
Writing
As I’ve mentioned for a while now, the focus and scope of the blog is changing. I’m not blogging nearly as frequently, but I’m trading that quantity for quality posts. My recent Deadlift post is far and away one of my most popular, and it definitely made some waves via social media as well.
My goal is to get approximately two of these posted per month. It’s kind of like reinventing the wheel now, but once I get in a groove things will be more consistent. I’m actually hoping to have the next big post ready to rock early next week.
I’ve also been doing more writing for various websites and blogs. If you’re signed up for my newsletter, you’ll always get updates on my guest blog posts and articles, so be sure to sign-up if you haven’t already!
Products
Finally, one of the reasons I’ve decided to cut back on the blogging is because I don’t want people to simply get “Readers Digest” versions of my thoughts on programming, coaching, anatomy, etc..
Instead, I need time to develop products that can truly deliver on the scope of training and how to get more out of it.
The first product to be released is actually a joint venture between Eric Cressey, Pat Rigsby, and myself. It should be ready to launch in a few weeks, and I’m not sure how much I can talk about it just yet.
Needless to say, if you own a fitness business, or you’re considering starting a fitness business, you’ll want to check it out!
Once I get through this stretch of seminars, I have two webinars that I’d like to create (they’re already outlined, just need time to pull the PowerPoint’s together and get them recorded), and I’m going to develop my first e-product as well.
Needless to say, lots of cool stuff coming in the very near future.
Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training (IFAST)
Some of you may not even know this (especially if you’re new), but I actually own a gym here in town as well!
IFAST is currently 2,250 square feet of semi-private training facility. Well, at least for the next two weeks!
On August 6th (tentatively), we’re scheduled to move to a new set of suites where we’ll expand to over 4,700 square feet.
In the new space we’ll have dedicated office space, a separate room for assessments, a semi-private training side and a group fitness/bootcamp/speed and agility area. The new space will be turfed out and looking awesome, so needless to say, I can’t wait until we’re in there!
There are some logistics to line-up before we move in, though. We need fresh paint, I’m not sure what kind of condition the cement floors are going to be in, etc. Basically, I have my work cut out for me over the next couple of weeks!
The downside of running a business is you rarely get to do what you enjoy most. I love coaching and training people – I could spend hours upon hours in a gym and never feel like I’m working.
Unfortunately, what you “do” is only one small component of running a successful business, and as such, I simply haven’t gotten to coach as much I’d like here lately.
One thing I’ve been working diligently to dial in are systems and procedures for our gym. You would think this is a one-time thing, but the more time you spend in your business, the more you see how little issues can have a profound impact on how well it runs.
It’s constant refinement and improvement that really makes a gym successful – not just sitting down once and writing up a procedure manual!
Finally, a few weeks back we had Pat Rigsby come in and do a 2-hour in-service on sales to our staff. Like it or not, if you own a training business, at the end of the day, you need to be able to sell your services to your customers.
The thing I love about Pat’s approach is not one single time did he talk about drop selling, high-pressure sales, or anything of the sort.
Instead, he talked about making a connection with your clients.
Constantly reaching out to them to make sure they were comfortable in your gym.
And obviously, showing them that you are a kick-ass trainer and that you can help them achieve their goals faster and more effectively than anyone else.
I think it’s safe to say that we all left that day with a renewed enthusiasm and vigor to help build IFAST into the business we all know it’s capable of becoming.
So there you have it – a very long-winded update on what’s been going on with me.
As promised, I’ll be back next with a big-time blog – and trust me, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it!
All the best
MR
(Lead Photo Courtesty of HTTP2007)
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