Physical Preparation Podcast Archives - Robertson Training Systems

Today I sit down with my good friend Stephen Calarco to talk about what really helps gen pop clients make progress. We unpack a few key items in this episode: Why more gym time isn’t always the answer, How to get clear on what a goal actually requires, and Why nutrition habits, sleep, and life outside the gym matter just as much as the workout. We also dive into the human side of coaching: How your words can build confidence or reinforce negative self-talk, when a coach should listen versus refer out, and how to cut through the noise of social media. If you listen to this entire episode you’ll come away with practical strategies to coach with more empathy, hold clients accountable, and help them build fitness that supports a better life. Quotable Quotes: You can’t negotiate with what your goals require The three hours you see me every week isn’t going to compete with the hundred and sixty five hours of noise you’re getting elsewhere I would rather you only come in the gym three days a week and take those extra two hours to go home and meal prep This Week on the Physical Prep Podcast: Stephen Calarco: Husband, father, and owner of The Strength Spot in Hartford. The foundational basics of general-population training: clarity, intent, and what really moves the needle Thoughts on body recomposition, and why your clients have to understand what their goals REALLY require Why meal prepping is such a critical piece of the body comp puzzle How small comments can give you big insights into how your clients think about themselves Where to draw the line between coaching and therapy How to hold clients accountable without shame or guilt (and why EVERY client is unique here) Cutting through the noise of social media as a coach How to maximize your continuing education time and budget How fatherhood changed his Stephen’s training priorities, and what “strong enough” means to him now. And last but not least, Stephen hit ME with a lightning round where we talk coaching, smoked meats, and training music! Connect with Stephen: The Strength Spot on IG Related Links: 5 Love Languages Book Grow Your Fitness Business or Gym with Push Press! Gym owners and coaches, have you heard about PushPress? It’s the best gym management software company and it’s revolutionizing the fitness world. So check this out: PushPress is built BY gym owners. They understand the ins and outs of running a fitness business because they’re “in the trenches” in their own gyms every single day. Key products like Core, Grow, and Train are designed to help you with everything from billing and scheduling to lead generation and progress tracking. Built on the “help first” ethos, PushPress places an exceptional focus on prioritizing client needs, listening to feedback from their community, and using it as the impetus for its ever-evolving, innovative features. And here’s the strongest plug I can give them – I’ve actually switched to PushPress for all of my clients and athletes. Getting things set-up and running smoothly is not only easier, but also far more intuitive than many other solutions. So if you’re interested in learning more, just head over to pushpress.com/ppp. Subscribe, Rate & Share Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Physical Preparation Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts and leave your honest review. I’d also love to connect via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit our website. Thanks so much for your support – love and appreciate you! The post Stephen Calarco on Earned Empathy, Accountability, and Moving the Needle with Gen Pop Clients appeared first on Robertson Training Systems.

Today, I’ve got my good friend Joel Jamieson back for his final stop on the podcast! In this episode, we explore the science and practice of training for a longer, healthier life. As the title implies we spend a great deal of time covering cardiovascular disease, but we also discuss the differences between high- and low-intensity cardio, how to optimize your training schedule, and the differences between training men and women. Joel brings decades of coaching experience and a research-driven perspective, and after listening to this episode I’m confident you’ll have a better understanding of what actually moves the needle for performance, health, and longevity! Quotable Quotes: Exercise is a powerful tool because it helps prevent cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer risk and millions of other things – but it doesn’t stop the plaque. If most people train 4 days per week, they think they’ll do 3 lifts and 1 cardio session. But if your goal is health and longevity, or you want to live as long as possible, and be as healthy as possible, you have to invert that. The earlier you treat your progression of cardiovascular disease, the better off you are. This Week on the Physical Prep Podcast: Joel’s journey from strength coach to healthy and longevity mastermind Why he built Morpheus, and why it’s designed to help you optimize YOUR personal fitness The family history that changed Joel’s view of heart disease Why fit people are NOT immune to cardiovascular disease Joel gets a little nerdy on the types of cholesterol, and what to look for if you’re worried about tracking your numbers Why exercise helps stabilize plaque—but may not stop it High- vs Low-Intensity Cardio: Which is best? And how might both fit into your program? The EXACT weekly schedule Joel would use if he wanted to promote longevity and healthy aging Why most people probably need LESS strength training than they think (and the research to support it) Should men and women train differently? Why individual data beats aone-size-fits-all fitness advice Connect with Joel: Train with Morpheus Website Joel on IG Level Up Your Program Design with Train Heroic! Are you tired of using clunky, antiquated program design tools like Microsoft Word or Excel? Are you ready to level up your programming, and make it far more engaging to your clients and athletes? If so, you need to check out Train Heroic. I’ve been using TrainHeroic for years now both here at RTS and at IFAST, and I can tell you the user experience both as an athlete and coach is truly second to none. To learn more and start your free 14-day trial, just follow this link to learn more about Train Heroic. Not only will you get your first 14 days free, but it’s just $10/month to get started officially after that. So don’t wait any longer – head over trainheroic.co/rts and start crafting beautiful programs your clients and athletes will love TODAY! Subscribe, Rate & Share! Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Physical Preparation Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts and leave your honest review. I’d also love to connect via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit our website. Thanks so much for your support – love and appreciate you! The post Joel Jamieson on Cardiovascular Disease, Longevity Training, and Avoiding the Law of Averages appeared first on Robertson Training Systems.

Do you want to build a better coaching business? Level up your gym? Or simply take your game to the next level? If so, you need to listen to this podcast NOW! While I’ve had both Luka and Andy on numerous times before, it definitely takes it to another level when they’re on the show together. And in this episode, we’re going to dive into the three core competencies that every high-level business must develop to achieve greatness. So without any further ado, let’s dive in! Quotable Quotes: If you become a great coach first, it transfers really well into every other area of running a business Operational excellence is the management and organization of the people, the processes, the performance and outcomes that are created Your product is THE MOST important thing This Week on the Physical Prep Podcast: Quick intros from Andy and Luka, and props to Andy for hitting 25 years at BCI and Luka at 20+ in Slovenia! The importance and power of becoming a great coach FIRST And a corollary: Why even great marketing can’t save a weak product The “trip over your own truth” moment – when numbers expose the real problem in your business What is “Operational excellence?” And why is it the hidden engine behind real growth? Real Talk: Most gym owners don’t know what they don’t know Dream gym, Dream life: How to build backward from the life you actually want The power of personal leadership, and becoming the person the business requires Why your business will only grows as much as its leader Connect with Andy and Luka: Andy on Instagram Luka on Instagram Built to Last Gym Website Books Mentioned: Extreme Ownership The Hard Thing About Hard Things Radical Candor 10-25 Turn the Ship Around Level Up Your Program Design with Train Heroic! Are you tired of using clunky, antiquated program design tools like Microsoft Word or Excel? Are you ready to level up your programming, and make it far more engaging to your clients and athletes? If so, you need to check out Train Heroic. I’ve been using TrainHeroic for years now both here at RTS and at IFAST, and I can tell you the user experience both as an athlete and coach is truly second to none. To learn more and start your free 14-day trial, just follow this link to learn more about Train Heroic. Not only will you get your first 14 days free, but it’s just $10/month to get started officially after that. So don’t wait any longer – head over trainheroic.co/rts and start crafting beautiful programs your clients and athletes will love TODAY! Subscribe, Rate & Share! Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Physical Preparation Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts and leave your honest review. I’d also love to connect via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit our website. Thanks so much for your support – love and appreciate you! The post 3 Core Competencies You MUST Develop to Build a Gym That Lasts (with Andy and Luka) appeared first on Robertson Training Systems.

I’ve got a good one for you today my friend! Bill Hartman brings 35 years of experience, and more importantly, a totally unique way of thinking about rehab, performance, and movement. In our conversation, we take a deep dive into how he moved from standard, rule-based systems to a principle-driven framework called the UHP that helps him make better decisions with less guesswork. Along the way, we get into the bigger ideas behind his model—why shape and position matter, how the whole system influences performance, and why the best solutions often come from understanding movement in context rather than chasing isolated fixes. It’s always great to get Bill back on the show, and I promise this one won’t disappoint. Let’s dive in! Quotable Quotes: I got frustrated because I kept hitting dead ends – so I scrapped everything and started from scratch The minute you start adding resistance, you’re adding a challenge where the load becomes the constraint It’s not just about “pushing this thing” – It’s like “hold this position as you do something” This Week on the Physical Prep Podcast: Bill’s background and how he got started in the PT and S&C worlds His shift from rigid rules to principle-based thinking, and why frustration pushed him to build a new model. Why the goal of training or PT is better reasoning, NOT perfect prediction How the model has evolved over time, but the core principles have stayed the same Bill’s approach to evaluating in the return to play process Why you MUST know and understand the injury, the constraints, and the specific demands of the sport A big consideration: Injuries are rarely isolated, and why you have to look at all the pieces of the puzzle when creating a RTP program How external load can become a constraint – and that can be a good OR bad thing (depending on how it’s applied) Table Tests: Why Bill uses them, and what he wants to get out of them How to take the information from table tests and apply it to your standard gym exercises (squats, lunges, etc.) Why all table tests are inherently “dirty” The power of consolidating change and stabilizing an athlete before progressing them How manual techniques and mobilizations fit into Bill’s treatment programs these days Final thoughts, and how you can learn more about Bill’s work! Connect with Bill: UHP Network Recon Programming Level Up Your Program Design with Train Heroic! Are you tired of using clunky, antiquated program design tools like Microsoft Word or Excel? Are you ready to level up your programming, and make it far more engaging to your clients and athletes? If so, you need to check out Train Heroic. I’ve been using TrainHeroic for years now both here at RTS and at IFAST, and I can tell you the user experience both as an athlete and coach is truly second to none. To learn more and start your free 14-day trial, just follow this link to learn more about Train Heroic. Not only will you get your first 14 days free, but it’s just $10/month to get started officially after that. So don’t wait any longer – head over trainheroic.co/rts and start crafting beautiful programs your clients and athletes will love TODAY! Subscribe, Rate & Share! Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Physical Preparation Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts and leave your honest review. I’d also love to connect via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit our website. Thanks so much for your support – love and appreciate you! The post Bill Hartman on Movement Models, Return to Play, and Playing the Probabilities appeared first on Robertson Training Systems.

Okay my friend, we’re back for Round #2 this week! Last week, I had some AWESOME questions for the show, so that made for a fun episode that got a ton of positive feedback. But I got so many good questions about assessments and return to play, I wanted to put all those into a second Q&A episode for this week! Here we’ll not only cover my assessment process for both gen pop clients and athletes, but also take a deep dive into return to play – and how to navigate those waters with both a ton of OR minimal technology and resources. There’s a ton of ground to cover here so let’s dive in! Quotable Quotes: If you don’t have the mobility and you’ve got extra fluid in your knee, you’re not going to have optimal strength Start with a CMJ first, and then, when they’re ready for it, the better test for return to sport is the CMJ rebound Don’t let a lack of resources hold you back. If you can dial in the details, I think in a lot of cases, you’re gonna get 90% of what you need to out of the rehab process without a ton of tech. This Week on the Physical Prep Podcast: How to get assess and get GREAT results in return to play (RTP) with minimal tech and resources The 6 “steps” every RTP athlete needs to go through to get back to 100% An overview of my assessment process with both gen pop clients and athletes How I’ve evolved my basketball assessment to dive in to the specific needs of hoopers The technology and tools I use to evaluate my athletes Specific tests and metrics I use for clearing athletes on my end in a RTP setting The cadence that I’ve found works best when collaborating on an athletes injury How to make an RTP collab work when the practitioners aren’t in the same location The Stack, Slide and Swivel approach to bulletproofing knees What changes when I’m writing an R7 program for basketball versus a “standard” program The physics of lateral movement, and why the medial heel and arch are such key pieces to the puzzle Related Links: Mike on the Informed Performance Podcast 3’s for Stronger Knees: Stack, Slide and Swivel Knee Article Complete Coach Certification Optimizing Movement Workshop Recordings Supercharge Your Decision-Making and Program Design with Hawkin Dynamics Force Plates! Hawkin Dynamics designs and builds performance hardware and software the right way. Their dual wireless force plates give you the most accurate, real-time data on athletic performance. You’ll have the ability to performance test your athletes in a matter of seconds, and give them immediate feedback on their strengths, weaknesses and readiness for that day’s training session. Their software is designed in house and continually updated to ensure the interface is clean, intuitive and easy to use, so both you and your athletes can visualize what’s going on and how to improve their performance. And Hawkin Dynamics is built around their customers and provide industry-leading support and training services to ensure you get the most out of their solutions. With options to lease or buy, coupled with a 5-year warranty, Hawkin Dynamics force plates can take your performance facility to the next level. To learn more, head over to HawkinDynamics.com or follow them on Instagram @HawinDynamics. Subscribe, Rate & Share! Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Physical Preparation Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts and leave your honest review. I’d also love to connect via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit our website. Thanks so much for your support – love and appreciate you! The post June Q&A #2: Performance Assessments, Return to Play, and Optimizing Knee Health appeared first on Robertson Training Systems.