How Three Personal Trainers Built the Most Downloaded Fitness Podcast in History — The Origin Story

Key Takeaway

Stop searching for a shortcut and commit to the fundamentals for the next four weeks: train your full body three days per week, eat enough total food and protein to support your goal, and protect an earlier bedtime. The hosts’ biggest regrets came from overtraining, poor programming, neglected mobility, and using steroids before mastering these basics. Keep the plan simple enough to repeat, then use your energy to become more consistent—not more extreme.

Episode Overview

Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, and Justin Andrews trace their paths from insecure young athletes and inexperienced gym employees to fitness-industry leaders and hosts of Mind Pump. They reflect on early training mistakes, the value of learning from others, and how building teams around complementary strengths—not identical personalities—created more sustainable success.

Full Transcript

Transcript of How Three Personal Trainers Built the Most Downloaded Fitness Podcast in History — The Origin Story from Mind Pump Show. Auto-generated from episode audio; may contain minor errors.

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All right, real quick, if you love us like we love you, why not show up by rocking one of our shirts, hats, mugs, or training gear over at mindpumpstore.com. I'm talking right now. Hit pause. Head on over to mindpumpstore.com. That's it. That's the show. Look, we've been doing this for decades. Now, I don't just mean professionally, definitely not the podcast. This has only been on air for a little over 10 years, but I mean personally. We've been in fitness since we were kids, and so we thought we'd do an episode where we talked about how it started for us, the mistakes that we made, when we learned how to do things the right way and what that did for us, and maybe even get into how we got into the fitness industry.

So we're going to talk all about that right now. Let's go. I feel really old when we think about this. Decades. Is when we have trainers and staff that work for us now that are younger than the amount of years that we've been doing this. Like, oh, man, that's great. That's wild. Isn't that wild to think that? Yeah. Some of our top trainers are younger than the amount of years that we've actually been doing this. Well, dude, I've been personally into fitness for 33 years. So for 33, it sounds like crazy.

That's counting like when you started. Started. Yeah, even as like a 15-year-old. Yeah. In fact, I was telling this story to my son the other day because he's like, how did you start? And so I remembered exactly actually how I started. The first thing I did, I asked for dumbbells, and I don't remember what it was for, Christmas or my birthday or something, and I got these two plastic green dumbbells, the sand-filled ones, and it came with this sheet that had like six or seven exercises on it.

So I'm maybe 13 1⁄2 years old, and I just practiced the exercise. I just copied the pictures in my bedroom every single night. And then when I was 14, my dad had a weight set in the backyard, which that's a great story in and of itself. He had this guy that worked with him who lifted weights, who bragged about how much he could bench press. My dad, you know, he's a Sicilian immigrant, never heard of bench press, but this guy talked about it so much that my dad wanted to try it.

So I actually went out and bought a weight set, practiced bench pressing for a few months, was able to bench press 300 pounds. I'm the one that spotted him, so picture a 13-year-old kid spotting his dad at 300 pounds on the bar. At that time, you weighed like a buck 50. Yeah, dude, I'm not going to be able to save you. And so then when I was 14, I started working out in the backyard, and that's kind of how it all started for me. How did you guys start?

I mean, I was lifting weights a little bit in high school, but not really. You were interested in sports. Yeah, I was more interested in athletics and performance. I mean, there came a time where when I was lifting in my buddy's garage, started in my buddy Ryan's garage when we were in high school, I cared about the way I was skinny, and so I was insecure about being a skinny kid, and so I wanted to lift, but I had no idea what I was doing. I was nowhere near obsessed about it like you were, where I was like reading magazines yet or anything into it whatsoever.

I was definitely more into sports. I really kind of fell into fitness. Really, of the three of us, I mean, you guys are the better trainers by far, far more knowledgeable, done more clients than I have. I'm where I'm at today because I've had the privilege of leading a lot of brilliant trainers for a really long time, and so I learned along the way, but it really wasn't like this crazy passion for me that like, oh, I want to train people, and I was so like, I fell into it when I moved to the Bay Area in with my grandmother.

Now, I liked kinesiology, and so that's what I had fallen, but I thought it was going to be like physical therapy, chiropractor. At this point, are you like lifting weights? Kind of. Okay. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I am, but not like. At a gym at this time? Yeah, yeah. So remember the first gym we ever shot at? Oh, that's the one. Yeah, yeah. So right before I had moved here, so that would put me at 19 years old. I'm in junior college. Big basketball guy. Yeah, yeah.

I'm playing basketball. I'm wakeboarding. I'm doing snowboarding. I'm doing a lot of like things like that, and I'm lifting weights sporadically, trying to build a little bit of muscle, not having a lot of success with it, you know, because I'm not really doing a lot of things the right way, but I'm interested enough in it that like, okay, I want to learn a little bit, but I wasn't like, oh, this is what I want to do, you know? And when I came to the Bay Area to come finish my degree, I walked across the street because my grandmother lived across the street from a 24-Hour Fitness, and I went to get a membership.

And when I was filling out the application, there was a place in there like, how do you hear about us or something like that? And I knew that at that time I was looking into like national search and stuff like that, and I had heard about 24-Hour Fitness. I went and I kind of wrote that down. And like right away, the manager came over and was like, oh, you want to be a trainer? I'm like, oh, no, like I don't have any certifications. I'm trying to go do my degree, and this is what I – this is, you know, maybe that would be something I would do in the future.

And they're like, well, we can train you. Back then, they had the 24-Hour Fitness. They had their own search. Yeah, so like that's kind of how I fell into it. And even when I like said, okay, I would take this test. He's like, take this test. If you pass the test, then come back for an interview type of deal. The thought process was really, oh, I get a free membership, and I could finish school, and this is something I could do part-time while I go finish my degree.

I didn't know that – how much I was going to fall in love with the culture. Like I just – it fed a lot of things about me that I was aware of. Like I was competitive. I loved, you know, moving the body and exercise. I loved improving myself. I was definitely growth-minded. I was like a lot of those things. And personal training kind of checked a lot of those boxes. And even though I wasn't very knowledgeable, I was pretty successful, like right out the gates.

And it wasn't, again, because I was knowledgeable. It was because I was personable. I like people. I like being around people, comfortable talking. Likeable. Yeah, and so, yeah, I just – people gravitated to me. As soon as I did learn something, I loved to give it out and teach it. And so, even though I didn't know a lot, the few things that I did know, I could communicate to people like, hey, I just learned this. I always think back. You know, like I remember I didn't know what the core was.

That was a big thing. It was a big thing. Core training. Yeah, yeah, yeah, late 90s, early 2000s, like core training. It was everything. Yeah, yeah. And so, you know, I had this whole spiel of like, you know, it's the most important muscle in your body besides your heart. Besides your heart. Yeah, yeah. Without your heart, you're dead. And then I go on this whole thing on like, you know, most people, they don't even know what it is, much less know how to train it. Your pencil analogy, which I stole a few times.

Oh, yeah. I did the whole pen analogy I had. You know, I wish I could credit the person who first shared all that with me, but that's what I was good at. I was good at somebody would teach me something, and I was like, oh, I understand this. Sure. And I could communicate it in layman's terms to the average person, and it was helpful. And so it just kind of took off. And honestly, the only reason why I dropped out of school was I came from the Central Valley where I made $4.50 an hour and worked my way up to $7 an hour.

So I've never at this point in my life made more than $7 an hour. And personal training back then, you made like $25 an hour plus commissions and sales. Yeah, yeah. It's a fortune. It would take me a summer to make what I could make in a paycheck. And every paycheck for those first few months grew. And it actually got to numbers that were more money than what my parents made. And I was like, maybe I should consider this. And the boss at that time is telling me like, hey, I think you'd be really good at this.

You should do this full time. It never even occurred to me that this could be a career. And I was drawn to it. I was drawn to that aspect to it. But more so the business side of it, the financial ability, which is ironic because personal training is not something that we tell people normally is that you could make a lot of money in. And then shortly after, I realized another side of me that would really favor my success early on. Again, not anything to do with the typical things that make a successful trainer.

Wasn't knowledgeable. Wasn't good at any of the things really related to being a personal trainer. My natural business acumen. As a young kid, I had an entrepreneurial spirit. I read Entrepreneur Magazine. I was into that stuff. I was drawn to that. And back when we all started, making money and being successful in fitness was kind of taboo. In fact, it was looked down upon like, you don't do this to make money. You do this to help people change lives. And that's the type of people you want to attract.

And I was naturally drawn to being successful with business. And I wanted to be good at business. And I wanted to make money. And I was starting to see I was making more money. And so I kind of like really gravitated to that. I hung out with like all the sales guys, the GM. Even though I was a fitness guy, I was attracted to more of the sales side and the GM side, the operations. The business side. And I had a knack for that. And I had the ability to help my peers with their business.

And I knew my lane. I didn't try to act like I knew more than you or the next guy. I was like, oh, yeah, he's way smarter than I am. And she's way more knowledgeable. I was comfortable with asking you questions. I'm like, hey, I got a client. And they've got this problem. And how do I help them? I don't know what that is. And that's how I learned was just being open to doing that. And I became an okay trainer doing that. But I quickly moved up to management and leadership and fell in love with that side of the business, which explains a lot about how all of this happens because I know sometimes I get roasted on the podcast or on content that we do.

I never thought of myself as like this brilliant, great trainer. That's not what I hang my hat on. I hung my hat on like if you were a trainer and you worked for me, you made more money and you were more successful working for me than you did anywhere else. And that being said, the gym culture is such a great, fun. If you love it and you love business, you love fitness, it's a fun culture to be in. Yeah, and there's so many directions you can go with it too.

Totally. Now, how did you start? You were in football. Did you start lifting because of football? Well, yeah. Initially, really getting after actual weight training was because of football. But before that, I was just addicted to sports in general. I was so competitive. I've thought about this because we've all done individual podcasts where we kind of tell our story and whatnot. I kind of add to it as I'm like, what really was the root for me? And the root for me was my dad's 6'7". He's a big guy.

My brother is 6'3". I was like this skinny kid too. It wasn't like I – I think you guys tell your story a lot, like you're these skinny kids that became – Well, in your family, you were the runt too. I was the runt in my family, yeah. So I was like the small guy, and I got picked on a lot. And I was always like just trying to prove myself. I was like that classic kind of younger brother syndrome where it was just like I just felt like I had the whole world to prove.

I had this chip on my shoulder that was huge. And I just – that kind of led me towards like I wanted to be stronger because I felt like if I'm not going to be taller, I got to be stronger. And so that just kind of like – and I took that energy with me into every sport that I did. I was just like I want to just figure out – I'm not – I wasn't like – I was naturally gifted in terms of like movement and ability.

Like I was never like I was like the star player because I worked my ass off to become the star player You know and I knew like I kind of started to figure out certain things And of course, I didn't last, you know forever There's a limit to that like especially when I got to college. It was like, oh, yeah Everybody's genetically gifted and they work And now you're fucked You know that that was definitely eye-opening for me. But like yeah, I it was really like once I get to high school I started taking lifting weights seriously because I was intimidated I was very intimidated because a lot of my friends even like in junior high I was playing basketball and I was friends you know with a lot of athletes and They're all doing pop Warner and everything and I you know My dad wouldn't let me play and and so they already had like a good understanding of the sport and they were all like, you know Getting muscular and and bigger and I was like man Like I was just super intimidated getting into freshman year and like behind everybody else so I just stayed in the weight room and I was just like all I knew was like from Arnold and from you know that era of like You gotta eat a lot of protein.

I listened all the like the WWF wrestlers All my information came from TV and so I was just drinking like every protein shake I could like pouring eggs in it and You know peanut butter and whatever I could to get calories and So yeah, I just I started to kind of figure out how to get stronger and then they would they would group you up For football and so I was like I started out in kind of the the smaller skill position group worked my way to more of like the linebackers and the the running back group and then actually moved out of that and now I'm working out with like the biggest guys on the team and So I just I took a lot of pride in that and I was always like I wanted to be stronger than you know The strongest guy in the team which you know It was just something I just had this like angst and that that angst turned into anger and all the stuff I had to work out Thank God for football because it was a great outlet for that and so I could come back home and I was calm and you know, but but I really did have like a lot to prove and even when I got into To college that was like that I I was like, this is what I have to do when I work out I have to have this kind of like Anger every time and angst in my workouts to get any kind of like progress So, you know, it was a big learning curve after that to realize like oh you you don't have to destroy yourself And you don't have you don't really have to like maintain this and and honestly, it's not even beneficial to me To keep pulling that lever Doug.

I want to know when you could you actually have a long history of strength training, too I mean we talked about how you hired me to train you But you I was not the guy that introduced you to lifting weights. You had a history of the yes so when I believe I was 16 or 17 my dad purchased a Membership at a local club a lifetime membership for a club that didn't last very long. You know, those are illegal now. Yeah So I started working out at this club, I think I was 16 years old and I really started getting into it I ordered muscle and fitness magazines.

I Ordered a bunch of the supplements out of the back of the magazine I mean I took my savings and did that and then around that time I believe it was Rocky three that came out or maybe it was Rocky four I can't remember it's probably Rocky four actually that came out and I saw Stallone and then I Went back and watched Rocky three and to me that was like the ideal physique. That's what I shredded That was like totally shredded But for me first sight dog, I don't like that physique was Attainable, you know look at market muscle and fitness and those bodybuilders were not attainable physique It's not one night really was that interested in having but the Rocky three Stallone look was definitely that And so I started doing my best to build my body Unfortunately, I was following the routines out of the magazines and I hit a plateau.

So from that point forward my my working out You know as far as strength training was concerned I'd be a few years on a few years off and so I went back and forth with that over the years and then when I Was in my 30s. I did the muscle for life Challenge. Yeah, and that Phillips. Yeah, and that actually went well for me. It's three month I think it was three months. I I was living in you know in Tahoe and There was snow out during that time, so I'm out doing the sprints and everything in the snow My lungs are burning but yeah in three months.

I did some good transformation there for sure But then again, you know, I hit this hard plateau every single time. Yeah, that's It was some of the most brilliant marketing was oh, they did so good such a good I mean he did such a good with all the transformation photo You know, he was the first supplement company to do $100 million. They killed it was the first they killed him when you guys look back and like You know the whole path, right? if there was one thing or that stands out to you that like that was the biggest regret or mistake or If I could go back and change how I did that like what comes to mind for you?

Like when you go back like one you only get one. It's the biggest Mistake or regret that you have on your training journey. I know how important the journey is I recognize that the one that comes to mind for me Has given me the ability to communicate certain things and because of it I've turned it to a good thing But if I could go back and tell myself I would have done this thing different like what what comes to mind for you? Well, that's tough. That's really hard because it all led to I'd say the You know not taking advice from a wise Bodybuilder who told me exactly what I should have done I've told this story many times, but he was a jacked guy was a chiropractor friend of the family I couldn't wait to take him aside to ask him.

How should I work out at this point? I'm probably 16 years old and he said I remember my dad told him Hey, you know Sal wants to meet with you to talk with you about like how to build muscle He's really into it. My son's really into it. He's been working out for two years So he came over Had dinner with us and then we sat in the in a separate room And he like sat down to give me attention and I'm like this guy's gonna he's gonna tell me the secrets He's and he goes I'll never forget he goes.

This is what you're gonna do. It's like you want to build muscle I said, yeah, dude, I want to build muscle. He goes this what you're gonna do Train your whole body three days a week Eat a lot of food and a lot of protein and go to bed early every single night and I was so angry I'm like my dad told you to tell me that you are you're not telling me the truth like that's That's not how you build a lot of muscle and I took didn't take his advice Had I taken his advice I would have written maps anabolic 15 years earlier Yeah, I would have figured it all out earlier But I just didn't take his advice because I thought it can't possibly be that it was so huge mistake It's kind of well somewhat similar because you know That's what led you to write maps anabolic and then you know for for mass performance Like if I'm to kind of dissect like the biggest regret or like something that I should have incorporated was mobility practices and in mainly because of my movement ability like while I was Gaining strength and size like I I remember having to deliberately gain It was somewhere of around like 30 pounds to play inside the backer in college And it was like over a period of how long drastic summer, right?

That was a prescription He's like a year back 30 pounds heavier, right? Yeah. Yeah, so such terrible advice. There's like three to four months, you know I had to like they're just you have to get bigger and that was the only parameters like in I didn't realize how much that was gonna affect my Speed athleticism speed like the movement ability agility. You name it all the things and I just I was so mad at myself because I was out on the field I Literally felt like flat-footed slow.

I could still hit hard, you know, yeah, but if they only only if they came to me So it just it's so frustrating because I the potential like you know, I could have done so much better and like like finished my years out like feeling More accomplished. I remember finishing my years out feeling like I lost the love of the game and I felt like pathetic You know and that sucked. So but it's again like I learned a valuable lesson and I learned a valuable lesson Again like I learned a valuable lesson like once I started to work with these other trainers and and You know really started to understand like there's all these other Things they count for and there's there's ways to train to build better movement patterns and I was like, wow It's just like unlocked all these.

Yeah, you have a regret. Oh, yeah I mean I could totally relate to the I didn't even think about the Athletic thing but I can relate to the wishing I knew what I know now like with basketball and wish I would have swam I wish I would Yeah, I mean I was I was like an okay athlete with just the effort I put in not having zero knowledge Right of both what I should have been doing and then both what sport I should be doing and how I should've been trained For basketball, but the one that comes to mind for me for sure is I took steroids at a really young age And it was it was shortly into my training career When in the arrogance of thinking I knew, you know So obviously when I talk about I know that I know I knew nothing is that's hindsight I look back right that like I wasn't that knowledgeable I wasn't that good of a trainer But I thought I knew like I thought like and I believed at that time.

This is like my early 20s. I'm probably 23 ish maybe 24 when I when I first messed with steroids and I was convinced That the reason why I couldn't look like the cover of men's health all of us were that those guys took steroids Is and that's not the same difference. I trained hard. I ate I ate the food, you know I did all the things I thought I took all the supplements, you know And they looked that way because they got steroids and I don't and that was the answer and you know again It was for reasons of the podcast and education and helping others There's I can put a positive spin, but I really did a lot of disservice to myself I changed it didn't just start with me taking some it to me was some and then I was oh the answer must be anything more or a different thing and You know what?

I what I learned the hard way was They're they're not as magical as people make them think you think like if you don't have good programming and you don't eat properly You get shit results, you know And that's what I got I got shit results I saw strength like immediately like you pump a young kid something Yeah you pump a kid full of you know double or triple the testosterone you should have and like instantly I was like felt stronger in The gym and I'm more anabolic But the my body wasn't which is what I wanted.

I want my body to change. I wanted to build I wanted to have this this impressive physique and I didn't get any of that at all and I spent a lot of money and took a lot of different things In pursuit of that and it wasn't till significantly later probably my late 20s mid to late 20s Did I really start to hone in and understand diet and nutrition and it was so ironic because at that point I'm like coming off of taking the steroids and I'm like dialing that in and realizing how much my body is starting to change when I really started to figure out like oh I Was so over trained so under fed not hitting protein take poor programming I mean, I checked all not sleeping Well, like I mean I checked all the boxes of all the things what not to do and I was athletic and fit But I wasn't building a body that I wanted to build and I really thought steroids were the answer and then Really ended up doing so much harm to myself because later on in my early 30s I already had you know testosterone of a 60 year old because of all the anabolics that I'd taken and so If I could go back, you know, I would go back and tell that kid differently and for sure of dialed it in now granted The hard thing is would you have listened?

I know right because I'm sure somebody probably tried to tell me that otherwise And I didn't listen. So what I have listened to myself. I don't know Has it helped me like be able to communicate like that? Yeah, I think it's like I can spin it on why it's it's been positive. But yeah, if I go back again I've got some like really interesting as we're talking I'm thinking of like some like moments in my you know, strength training career workout career or whatever That were just standout like I remember I was a kid.

So I'm 14 years old I'm in the backyard working out and I did not know that working out to music Made a difference. I had no way so I'd work out just to just nothing and work out Yeah, and I'll never forget this. I got a boombox for I don't remember It was for a birthday or something or maybe I already had it remember the old ones where the speakers attach and the middle is like a tape deck, okay, and you can you know, you can listen to radio and I somebody gave me a cassette tape.

It was a single so back, you know back remember back in the day You get a cassette and I have one song on it because it was really cheap. So you just buy a single and I listened to Metallica Master puppets. Yeah, and I put it on and I started working out and I remember being like what? This changes everything and I just listened to it over and over and over again. Yep, and I made the connection between Working out and listening to certain kinds of music and it was just it was so incredible You know, it's funny about that.

I really do feel like that's where my love of metal came from lifting weights Yeah, it was because it started out as a CDC back in black then it was like Metallica then it became like sepulchre And then it just progressively got like the anger Put like more weight up Yeah, you know when I work to that I worked in the gym, it's so fun I was literally telling my son all this this whole origin story like literally two nights ago I you know my first day so I walk in by the way the guy that hired me Sean What's his last name Sean winters?

the guy that hired me recently Came to a Bible study that I had at my house. Yeah, I was walking Where was I was in Campbell and I ran into him and I'm like, oh my god, and you know He looks the same which is why all the guy doesn't age and so I remember I was telling him the story and I'm like Did you remember this? He was oh, yeah, I remember I walked into the gym and what's what's funny about this story. I Don't know where I got I don't know if you want to call it confidence or ego or just ignorance.

But I walked in to this gym, I'm 18 years old, I love lifting weights, I'm like, I want to work here. I walk into the gym, I walk up to the front desk and I said, I want to talk to your manager. And they're like, oh, is everything okay? I said, yeah, yeah, no, I just want to talk to your manager because I want to work here. So they're like, okay. Out comes Sean, I'll never forget, he's wearing shorts, he looked like a runner, and I go up to him and I give him this like, right off the gate, I go in and I shake his hand like this.

I said, I want to work here. I want to be a trainer here. He's like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second. Do you have any experience? I said, no, but I'll do it. I'll do whatever you tell me. I love fitness. And so I must've, you know, my energy must've been, you know, must've sold me. So I said, yeah, I'll hire you. So he hires me. And as soon as he got hired, I remember what it was like, maybe the week after when I could start, there was their top trainer had me shadow him throughout the, so that was how I got trained.

So Sean goes, hey, follow. This is the guy's name. I remember he had long hair. It looked like native American dude. He goes, follow this guy around. He's going to do fit starts. So back in the day at 24 hour fitness, the fit start was if you bought a membership, you were with a trainer and the trainer showed you how to use a bunch of machines. That's all they did. And now the idea was maybe hire a trainer, but that's what you did. So I followed him around for three fit starts and all I did, I was quiet and I watched the whole time and he's showing them how to use this machine, that machine, this machine.

So at this point, this trainer is like, I want to bounce. So he looks at me and he goes, do you, can you, do you think you could do this? There's two more appointments. I said, yeah, I'll do it. Oh, I didn't know this part of your story. Yeah. And so I said, yeah, I'll do it. So this kid comes in, it's an appointment. He's a young kid. He was probably my age, comes in and I take him around. I take him to the desk and I tell him that, you know, basically sell him that he needs to hire me.

So he's like, okay, I think I want to do this. He goes, my mom's about to come pick me up. I'll be right back. Walks out, comes back up with his mom, buys 10 sessions. I don't even know what the price is. I scurry. I find a sales guy. Hey, how much is personal train cost? Brings it out. I sell him 10 sessions. Hey, can you write this up for me? I don't know how to do any of this stuff. Writes up to 10 sessions. Kid leaves.

Next person that comes in is a woman. Same thing. I take her and show her maybe two or three extras. I bring her back to the desk, sit down. She hires me. I think it was 10 sessions again. The next day, this was a day one. Okay. And Sean remembers this. Found it immediately. Next day, the guy that had, that I had shadowed comes in, looks up on the board and I'm ahead of him for the month. And he's like, what happened? I'm like, oh, these two people came in and they signed up.

And he's like, I knew I shouldn't have left. These people came, he thought people came in and just wanted to buy a training. Right. Yeah. I knew I should. That same day I sold another three packages of training. The general manager, Darcy, Darcy Klein, that was her name, brings me in the office. She goes, Sal, can you come to my office real quick? What are you doing? She goes, what are you saying to these people? And I'm like, oh, I, you know. What are you promising them?

I just want to, you know, I just want to train people. By the way, I had no certification. I had to wait. These people had to wait a couple of weeks for me to go do the 24-hour fitness cert and hopefully pass. She's like, what are you saying to them? I'm like, oh, I'm just telling them to hire me as a trainer. She's like, yeah, but what are you saying? I'm like, oh, I'm just excited. I have a lot of energy. I have fun. I don't know what else to say.

I just enjoyed talking to these people. And that month the top trainer ever, I think, had sold like, remember this is 1997, so these numbers are not very impressive, but the top trainer would sell like $3,000. Yeah, yeah. Big deal. Like the whole club's goal. So the whole club's goal was $13,500. That was the AAA club, like $13,500, three grand was like a big deal. That first month, and it was like two and a half or three weeks left in the month. I think I sold $7,000 or $6,000 and everybody was like, what are you, what are you doing?

Like, what are you saying? Like what's happening? Yeah. And I was just like, and I felt like I belong here. I love this. This is the best thing ever. Like I never want to leave and I just felt this feeling like, like this is the best place I've ever been. It trips me out that we've been doing this for so long together and you still tell a story that I, it's, there's so many parallels that you and I have in our story that always trips me out.

Like it's, it's almost identical. We talk about our college dropout, the whole thing we went through. Even the way you, your, your experience at first starting, and it's so funny that, that I've never heard that part of your story. So the, the, I, same thing, I'm, I'm being trained. I'm shadowing a buddy of mine, Rick, Rick Wade, and he is taking me through the fit starts. And I'm just, same thing, just sitting back watching, I'm in the fifth start card. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm, I'm, I'm watching the big purple.

And so I'm watching how he's doing everything. Just kind of, kind of figuring it out and stuff like that. And, uh, he, the next day he's got, uh, he's got a 6 AM fit and he don't want to take it. He's like, Hey, you think you're, you think you're ready to take this? And you're like, yes. Yeah. Yeah. I'm like, I'm excited. And he's just like, yeah, I get to sleep in and I'm going to get this free appointment. Right. And so I, and it was a, you know, she must've been 24, 25 year old waitress that I took at six o'clock in the morning and gave the best fit of my life at that time.

You know what I'm saying? And I didn't know, I didn't know packaging. I come back and I had sold her like 36 sessions and I, and I, and I come back and I had to have the, the AGM sign it all up and like, Hey, yeah, she needs, she wants 36 sessions and this and that. She can afford this much today. And then I come back and tell him all that and he's like, Oh, okay. So he goes and he signs her up. He rolls into work at like nine in the morning, gets on the computer and looks up because in the computer you could see all the people that signed up for the day.

And he sees my name on there and like a, you know, 36 sessions is a big, is a big rip. That's a big rip now. Yeah. And I'm like, Oh my God, that's a couple thousand dollars coming from a 20s, 24 year old waitress or whatever. And he's like, what did you do? I'm like, well, I just took her on a same thing. You know, I just took her on a thing. I didn't know what I did. I didn't have like some sales pitch or something like that.

I was excited to teach her the two, I taught her core, I taught her the one thing I learned. She didn't know what the most important muscle in her body was besides your heart. So I sold her, I sold her on that. I sold her on, I can help her with that and how important that was. And she signed up and, and like, I remember him being so pissed off that he did that. And I had no idea at that time either. I was naive what he was really doing.

Like he was really like the closing rate on fits are so low. This girl knew she was young and he's just like, I ain't getting up to take this free appointment or whatever, six o'clock and I'm like, I'll do it. But it was the best lesson as a new trainer because, because of that, the way that I experienced at the beginning, I took everything. So I, I gladly, uh, would take Saturday, Sunday, early morning, late night, like you guys don't want to take the appointment. I'll take it.

You know what I'm saying? And you know, I didn't get them all. I trained people at 3am. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't get them all, but I got a lot of practice and I learned a lot and I wasn't afraid of that. And it was like, and I loved it. I really, I really, uh, I really enjoyed it. I'm remembering the first person I ever fired just right now. I was, I was, uh, I just became a fitness manager. So it's just four months into becoming a trainer.

So I was a trainer for four months and they made me a fitness manager, which by the way, was irresponsible of them. They promoted me cause I could sell better than anybody. I had no idea on anything. I'm just four months working in the gym. They're just like, this guy is selling more than anybody. Let's make him the manager. So I'm like, let's go. So I get in there and I, again, I don't know where I think back to, I'm like, who did I think I was?

I'm like going in there like pissing vinegar, ready to go. There was this trainer there that was probably in his late twenties, bodybuilder looking guy. He'd been there for a long time. Super resented me, did not like the fact that this 18 year old kid is his boss who just started working here and I'll never forget. I gave a meeting and I stand up on the desk, I do my thing. So I'm just hyped. I give this meeting and he's kind of like doing this thing where he's kind of rolls, whatever.

So everybody leaves. This was no joke. This was my first probably week working there. So I say, Hey, we're all done. I say, Hey, come on in, sit down for a second. I said, do you have a, literally I said, so do you have a problem with what I said? He's like, yeah, you shouldn't be a manager. I said, Oh, I really, really, how come? And so he tells me why I said, well, I'm glad he said that cause you're fired. And I didn't even know I could fire people.

I didn't know I could fire people. He's like, you can't fire me. I said, I just did leave. So he left and then I told the general manager, Hey, I just fired so-and-so. He's like, Oh, we need to document some stuff. Yeah. We need paperwork. You need to document this kind of stuff or whatever. But I got away with a lot because of how much I could sell in terms of, Justin, you have a different story when you started, cause you started and you were not like the typical, like Adam and I very loud.

I got it. Yeah. No, you guys, it was like fish in the water, you know, right away for you guys. It took a little bit for me to kind of break out of my shell, but like what started that was me leaving my comfort zone here in California and going to all the way to the Midwest and like I knew nobody. And so it's like, for me, like the, the, the main story for me is like this entire, like reinvention. Like I totally reinvented myself. I went out there, I had to make all new friends.

Uh, and, and then like, as far as training goes, I always, I was always passionate about, you know, improving myself and getting strong. And I love the gym, dude. I would live in the gym all the time. And it was funny cause like, uh, I had a roommate who's like my lifelong friend now, but like he would never go to the gym cause he was just like this genetic freak. I'm like, he's huge. You know, he, he just like, didn't even need to work out. He was just like incredibly strong, you know?

And so my entire job from the coaches was to get his ass in the weight room. And so I was trying every move I could to like pull him in there and like, I would like take his food and like, you know, try to entice him, you know, into the, into the weight room. So, you know, half of the time I was, I was already, and I was managing the weight room sometimes. So I lived, I lived a lot in the weight room and like knew all the athletes on campus and all that.

Uh, and you know, of course it's a good way to meet girls and all that kind of stuff. And, uh, I found there, there's this one that's like an exercise lab. Um, and so I was going through the whole kinesiology stuff and got the opportunity to, uh, test everybody out. Like, you know, reach and like, you know, circumference measurements, body fat testing and all this kind of stuff. And, you know, I had a kind of a knack for that and like, you know, the actual like statistics and like, you know, I was charting everybody's progress in the gym and like, you know, doing all kinds of, I was like geeking out and all that.

Uh, and I thought for a minute, like I was going to be like a physical therapist and like, I'm like, maybe I'm good in the clinical setting and like, but then I got to the clinical setting and I was doing my internship and like, God, this is so boring. It was awful. Yeah. Uh, so I just like, was like, wow, I don't know if I want to do this. Like I, I really thought I was going to come back home and, and, you know, do construction because that was like, kind of like there for me.

Like I knew just enough, you know, to kind of jump into that. Uh, but I, I came back and, um, I didn't know where I was going to go. I didn't know what I was going to do. I, uh, thought, well, sports management, like I have like some in with trying to get into like a, I, I'm, I think there was this ad for, you know, some agency that would, um, it was like for the sports team and like, you had to, I didn't really know what it entailed.

And so I'm like, I put the suit on, like it was a suit that didn't even fit me. Right. It was like wool. Like it was like super hot. Right. I'm like, I show up this interview, just like super decked out, like a three piece suit that was like old. It looked like probably like a homeless person, like trying to look nice, you know? And I get there and this guy's just like, wow. All right. I like, you know, he's like commenting on my suit. Like, Oh, you're all dressed up for this.

This is great. Yeah. Like, yeah, I'm, you know, trying to make a good impression. And, uh, turns out dude, this, this job was basically, he had all these flyers and he just gorilla marketed. That was your job. You showed up in a suit. I probably didn't tell you guys. He's into a stack of paper. I had go door to door. Literally had like, you know, dress shoes and everything. And he's like, just keep up. I'm like, Oh, he's flyers. And he's going into like, you know, uh, like, like a mechanics place.

And he's like, here, he's like handing him all these like flyers. And he's like, Oh, it was so, and you know, me, dude, like this is so uncomfortable for me. Like, I'm like, I don't want to hassle people and just like, you know, hand them flyers and try and like pitch this guy when I'd pay to have a video. Oh, I was, I was so pissed off and I was, uh, I was fresh. I'm like, I went to college and I'm going to do this. And so, you know, I got home and I'm fresher.

I've told my parents about, cause I had to go back home. I'm living at, at my parents' house and I was just like, I don't know what I'm going to do. You know? And then I saw like there in Santa Cruz is a 24 hour fitness there. And it used to be like this car lot. And so I just kind of randomly walked by and like, they had like a job opening. And so, you know, I got ended up getting a job there and worked there maybe for like a week and they're like, you know what?

We don't really have a lot of business coming through here, but we know, you know, if you're willing to commute, like you can go over the hill and, you know, you can make your way over there and, you know, there's some business for you and we'll set you up. And so I ended up going over the hill and that's where I connected with Adam and I, you know, started training out of Hillsdale and, uh, and so from then on, it was like, I was just like, and of course I was very reserved.

Like whenever I start something new, I'm very quiet, reserved. Like I'm very observant. I'm like, just trying to like, take it all in. And I don't want to say the wrong thing. I don't want to fuck things up. Uh, and so that was like, and I'm sure Adam was like, Oh my God, dude, this guy doesn't even talk, you know, this is like a personal business. Like you have to like interact with people. Like he's like, he's like, he's not going to last. No, I didn't feel that way.

I was, I was hopeful for Justin. He had, you know, he was sports management. He was knowledgeable. Um, he was professional. Um, I saw that stuff right away. Like I wouldn't, I wouldn't, he wouldn't have lasted if I, if I thought he was going to be bad. I admittedly talk about how I thought the other guy was going to be, but the other guy hired him with another guy. Yeah. So Justin and him, Nick, Nick came on the same time. And granted, by the way, I mean, this is what, 25 years ago or whatever.

25 years later, Nick has his own studio in a Bay area and still, so he's a, he was a good trainer. So it's not like I was comparing Justin to somebody who's like some, you know, I thought, Oh, Justin, I'm going to be better. Like this guy was good too. But he was way louder, more charismatic. And so Justin was quieter and more observant. And so I just naturally judged like, Oh, this kid's probably going to do better than this guy. And it wasn't true. I mean, it wasn't, but they were both really competitive early on.

And so it was like this, I mean, yeah, I mean, justice started to be, Justin just was always consistent. Like, well, I mean, Nick was like, you know, would have, would be decent. Uh, but then Justin was just getting better and better and better and was consistent and quietly consistent and not loud about it and just, you know, and then it was, I can't remember how quickly you became. My assistant it was pretty it was it was pretty quick. It's probably a year was it a year in yeah Because I remember I was just like I'll take any appointment.

I'll do like I was staying I just basically stayed there because it's like I remember I had to commute and so it was like wasn't even worth me like taking Any time off in between or anything? I was just like bell to bell, you know, and I'd get there even earlier I was taking 6 a.m. Appointments all the way till you know, it closed down You Justin really shattered my paradigm on what I thought like a really successful trainer needed to be like, that's right And that was what was he?

He played a very pivotal role in my in my journey and leadership because at this time, I'm already this I'm at Hillsdale so I'm already Three four. I'm four years experience. Yeah, I'm experienced at this point in management and and had good success to be at Hillsdale If you're running Hillsdale, you're probably one of the you know top guys to get that club and So I've seen a lot of trainers I've had a lot of great trainers work for me at this at this point had some great teams.

I had a great team there And I really hadn't had somebody who would become a top guy. That was like Justin Mm-hmm and so it really reframed how I looked at there is like and at that time still I I'm still I'm I have some experience and I'm mature, but I'm still immature in what I think of building a really because I Don't come full circle till Santa Teresa and the team we build there like when I win it all kind of aha moment for me I'm still running from a place of I'm trying to find a bunch of me's or build a bunch of us Yeah that's kind of how I had success was just like I find characteristics in you that were like like me and I would lean into that or turn you into a me and If I only needed a few of those and we could go go and be successful and that was exhausting exactly Yeah, and but it got me far But it wasn't until him and I and he this is when he's fully my and then again He was a bit this is why he was such a crucial piece to my story is Because I'm starting to learn that and he was the first like door that opened that for me of like Oh, like maybe I shouldn't be looking for a bunch of me's maybe I need guys that are actually different than me that complement My strengths and maybe that's a way better team to build and like man.

We built a team later on It was a powerful team and it's it's funny because it like that sports background for me It was like I I knew guys like you like I like, you know Every team I had like I was around killers all the time And so I and when you when you're around like winners, like it doesn't matter what it is in business or whatever It's very similar You know that dynamic and like the way that you can weave in and out and take on Responsibilities and pick up slack where people are leaving it You know, that was something that like we had a lot like when I was playing and so anyway, so that was kind of The first thing I was attacking I try to tell our trainers this whole time and we're bringing it up a lot now Was I was attacking those phones like I was calling all those cold leads and in you know One thing that you know, I always like to reflect on is like those first ten calls I made I had as lifers Like I had them forever Wow.

Yeah, the very first ten calls I made Wow, that's incredible Yeah From then on out. So that's rare. Yeah, it was and I was tripping on that because in two well, one of them was, you know turned out to be my wife, but Yeah, so that's a full-on life It might not be selling, you know the the craziest record But but to I did break records and I did do you know in the sales world and all that but like, you know, obviously You know some of the stuff we teach them like it's so great because yeah, it comes so easy from you guys And that's like your strength and so it's like you we have to like lean on strengths And that's the thing highlight the strengths and then you know Push it out or different kinds of trainers that can be very successful different personalities different kinds It can be very successful and it's important to know that because I did the same thing you did Yeah, I would hire and train develop a bunch of me's and we did really well until we got exhausted Yeah, because all we did was run All we do is run and burn and energy and hype and whatever and when that would burn out It was like I got to go to a new club or change the environment because I'm losing steam it's so crazy that that light bulb didn't go off sooner for me because I had the athletic background like Justin and just like he's alluding to is like that's exactly how sports are like a football team doesn't work if everybody looks and plays like the quarterback or looks and plays like like you need position players and that's what Makes a team so successful and so hundred percent.

I'm used to that cool, yeah, I I at this time this is also why like one of my favorite books is Mark Cuban's a book on business and it's like that I think it's a book title is like the sport of business or something and And that like that's the whole message behind that which of course I read way later I wish I were back then is just like how much like that like business is like sports and I wish I would have looked At my team like that of like oh, I don't I don't care that This person isn't very good at sales or I don't care this person maybe not be knowledgeable nutrition I don't care what this person may not look the most Jack It's like I need someone who's great at this and he's always great at this That's right great this and together if we can leave the machine Yeah, we lean into those strengths which again to the when I talk about the best advice ever given to me Was given to me by my buddy Mark Baker before we were buddies and I've told this story long ago Before and it was after I had one of my first Very successful months as a fit early on.

It's like month two And I crushed goal and the bosses could come in to come see me the next you know, the VP was coming down the district manager We're coming in to come see my club and I was like all you know, just just puffed out there They're coming down to tell me how good I am. This is gonna be great I'm saying I'm young and I'm like all ambitious and excited and They did like a full audit on me and they just tore me apart, you know, it's just like I'm not doing this I'm not doing that.

I'm not doing this and I was just like, you know, and and I'm This is back to my athletic background. Like, you know, tell me I suck tell me I'm not good It's like I'm not the type tuck my tail and go home and be like For me, I'm like, okay, I can fix this right, you know So like next day, I'm like back there building the systems and highlighting the books and doing all the things I'm not good at but I'm like I'm gonna I'm gonna solve this problem and I'm doing it in the middle of the day or Like primetime hours 5 6 7 p.m.

At night and mark comes back there. What the fuck you doing? I'm like, well, they came down and they told me I didn't do this man I'm getting my phone and he looks at me like and he just he clears my desk off Throws it off Listen you're in this position for a reason at this young of an age You were good at what you do stop focusing on the shit that you're not good at Focus on the stuff that you're good at and be great.

That's what I want you to do. And that was like That's a that's a that's a key brow coaching thing mind-blowing key mind-blowing for me to Get that permission for somebody I respected because he was already a killer at that time in business great advice and for him to see That in me and to give me that freedom as a leader of like I don't need to Worry about a lot of these things like that I need to really lean into the the few things I do well and be turn that into and be great and that permission Allowed me to be like, okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna double down on the things I like to do and like I'm out on the floor Now I'm talking to everybody I'm being like and like man we crushed.

I mean we just crushed I you know, I loved the you were talking early about not leaving. I love the gym. Yeah, so Much that going home sucked leaving suck. All I wanted to do was be there all day long I had no I had very little concept of Money or what was good or not based. I just knew that there were goals there were numbers Even how much money I made so I wasn't really Super conscious of like is this a lot of money or not because I didn't never grew up with Necessarily needing we were we were not by any means stretch the means of imagination wealthy We were you know, you know immigrant family, but I didn't grow up with that kind of like, you know They did they saved their money.

They worked hard. They didn't spend a lot of money I live with my parents and so I get my paychecks and it was almost like just numbers and I Deposited in the bank and it wasn't about that for me, which is a little different than your story for me Was I loved selling period I love selling ideas. I still love selling it I just on the podcast like if I have an idea I love to communicate it so that you're as excited about it as I am So I just loved doing that and then when I got into management, I love to inspire people This is what this is how I manage is I love to inspire my staff I love to build things with them and this is what drove me the whole time But I literally had no concept of and this is this is how I stopped I decided not to go to school is I was a fitness manager I was about to maybe become move into sales because they were they wanted me a general manager and I'm like I need to work less hours I'm gonna start going to school and my at the time my manager was Don Cardona what you guys know and he goes Why would you do that?

And I said, well, I just want to be a physical therapist because you're making more than a physical therapist is now And I had no idea what that meant So we he's like, can I connect and I'm like my parents want me to go to school? It's really important. Neither one of them went to college and he goes, can I come over to your house for dinner? So I said, okay, so I invited Don over to my house and he literally Sold my parents on why they should let me take a year off of school and he brings out my paycheck and he shows them and that was one of the first times my parents saw my paycheck and Their face was like and I mean, I'm 18 years old at that point.

I'm still a fitness manager I think I'm projected to make like 80 or $90,000 which in 1997 was a lot of money. That's like 300,000 I think if you control for inflation, it's like 300 grand. It's like 200 grand something like that And so my parents were like, oh my like you make this much money and then my mom was used to was asking a question She was like, well, what if you need something to fall back on and then you know, Don you guys know Don?

Don's like fitness industry is growing. This is the fastest growing company in the fitness industry there's so many opportunities and the experience this and that and he said if just give him a year and then he'll know and my Parents said and it was my paycheck that sold my parents because they saw obviously they support a family So they saw how much money that was. Yeah. Okay, you get a year. Yeah, and I was like, yeah, let's do this you know, I've thought long and hard about like because we share we all share this too with the like I stayed till 11 o'clock midnight.

Oh god, like every night. Okay long after I had my last client could be at like 8 p.m 9 p.m And I hang out hang out in the back and I'd be Talking to my peers and trainers and stuff like that and like, you know, what what was that? First of all, I love the culture I love that and it's like I also really like different than you where like you love to inspire others I felt so appreciative of any of the anybody who ever spent time and taught me or gave me something I was so appreciative that I wanted to to pass that on and I loved it like because I appreciate it so much It was like man someone get like would like mark giving me that that bit of wisdom like I love to share that because it was It was life-changing for me And so I feel like man if I could gift that to somebody else that's so rewarding for me to do that And so I know that's what always that's what like drove the the late-night share Like if I learned something that worked on a presentation with a client or I learned a new thing Whether it's related to nutrition or you know Saw anything related to science that someone taught me or was a sales thing.

It was like man I immediately I wanted to teach it to somebody else and and then it then it's dawned on me After doing that for like years like that. I had kind of hacked into something too It's like oh the more that I gifted this and and gave to others and taught others the better I got at understanding it and communicating really learn it though. And and so it was like oh, this is like a Like a hack to like really sharpening my own skills.

And so then just lean to do even you have any I have a couple embarrassing I just just pop it on my head like when I first did started doing body fat test You guys remember the old body fat? I don't know if they change it by this point because later on the body fat test was the same for both men and women Yeah, yeah But there used to be is the woman Yeah, there used to be a body fat test for men and a body fat test for women and the one for men was upper Peck.

Yep scapula. I don't remember. It was like three points, but one of them was upper back Yeah, I had a woman. Okay, she was fit and she wanted a body fat test and I'm check I'm testing her boob because I put upper back and I'm testing her and her body fats coming through the roof And I keep looking I don't want to tell her something There's no way she's 35% like she's weird, dude, and I keep going up and pitching up here. I'm 18 year old kid And I'm looking at the number I'm like this doesn't make any sense and then I flip the page and I saw that it said Men and I got hot and embarrassed and I immediately went, you know Oh, oh, I got to try a different way and I never told her but man that was Such an embarrassing moment Though for me, I think it was one of my clients like it.

She's a sweet lady, but like and she warned me ahead of time but we're doing crunches and like and you know, and she's a big lady and She started doing crunches she totally just blasted one at me and like I'd I'd never like and she's like, oh honey You're gonna want to leave It's like what do you mean? And so I'm like coming in closer It was so bad, you know, what'd you do just pretend like I just stayed there trying to pretend like it didn't affect me My eyes were like tearing up, you know Yeah, well that was gnarly but like yeah, she warned me at a time and everything But I it's funny like interacting with people like more on a personal level Like there was a lot more to obviously stories and things and like struggles people are going through that They're just like unloading on me.

I wasn't ready for that. Yes. I don't get to that level with even my friends Yeah, and so that that totally like threw me off. Like that was somebody's that was another like there's so interesting First time a client cries. Yes that to me cry, you know, there was there was a period of time And so I don't know if I've ever shared this with you guys So when I was some when I was working in the dairy again, I'm in like mid teens mid to late teens The husband and wife which is so funny because I think they were I thought they were so old They're like 30 like they were yeah, yeah, so 30 was so old right and Of course because of my history with my family and stuff like that I had a lot of experience in therapy and counseling and some of that and they were having like marital problems And I remember like sitting down with the husband and the wife and like helping them through like a reply Yeah, and so there was a period of time where I thought I wanted to be a counselor And so I never pursued that but I I know that I felt like oh, maybe I you know I've got some experience in this and obviously if these older people are listening to me and I'm like a teenager Maybe I have a thing here.

I had no idea that personal training would be such a big part of that Oh, yeah, and so it was like another one of those like so it had to tick so many boxes with the the sales thing the competitive side to it the energy and culture and being around people the Counseling like how much the job is like therapy and counseling I just I didn't know any of that was gonna be a part of the job And so it was never a thing that I was like, oh wow There's a lot of things that I love or I've naturally kind of gravitated to that It checks all those boxes and then later really falling.

I've fell in love of all the things of those things I leadership I love the most like there's nothing that I'm Nothing makes me more excited than like running a team or running an operation Like I've always said even on this podcast like I'd be the first one probably to bow out on being in front of the camera and live like like I get my Thrills off of how the thing goes, you know what it does and everything and so That that became like the next layer or level for the business for me.

It was like I love training It ticked all the boxes. I love figuring it all out I liked all aspects of it and then it became like another thing to be like, oh man I love you have like a you guys have favorites. Were you only ever at Santa Teresa or do you go to other club, too? Do you guys have like a favorite club that you guys worked out well I'm partial to Santa Teresa because of yeah because of the team that Justin and I built we built a team Like I it was it was wild to experience As many years as I did Leading teams and I mean I probably had I mean I had hundreds of trainers over the course of my career have worked for me so I've had a lot of trainers and You know, you know that when you run a big-box gym They have kind of a standard number of trainers that should run Yeah should run that place and we broke the mold at that facility so for a triple-a box, they typically want 15 to 20 plus personal trainers there and We broke records with eight.

Mm-hmm. You just have eight good trainers eight master trainers all masters. Yep, and and but we built we cultivated that team like we I Use the I had a couple trainers that were going that go to school for their doctorate They were brilliant And again, this is this is post Justin like learning like like how to lean into these like I had these trainers that were terrible Sales, but man, they were brilliant educated So what I do I I paid them to teach my other trainers and educate them to get them better and higher certification Such a hack.

Oh, it's one of the greatest hacks there and it was breaking the rules by the time by the way, too like I Matter of fact, it was there's a great book. I read at that time It was called first break all the rules and it reminded me of like, you know Here's one of these situations where it's like better to ask for forgiveness than permission Like we had you know We had a fit budget which was I had an allotted amount of money that I had to distribute amongst all my trainers which was floor hours that they were to work and Try and get new business and I sacrificed that for like three months We took a hit of not generating a lot of new business For me to pay my trainers to get educated and if they would have found that out they would have kiboshed that for sure But what ended up happening was they all leveled up inserts.

They all started making more money they were all educated and better trainers and then all of a sudden we were just like and that was the Like that time of my life was the easiest time I ever had from that point on to be honest like I went from being the guy who was grind took like I took a lot of pride in like grinding and like hustling and like Energy and like oh, dude, I coasted. I just I just cruised and just had this badass team That's sustainable.

Oh, man, and it would just it was a new unlock in business for me of like Oh, like this is how to become a better operator. This is how to scale you can't do it Do it like I came from a class of like speed of the leader early on and find other guys that were like me And and like, you know, but it was boy exhausting. Yep, you know and not scalable. That's right It's exhausting and it's not scalable. But this new unlock of like building cultivating a team And that was scalable and that that taught me so much.

So those were my favorite time I have such good memories from all the different clubs that I that I worked in the Salinas was the first So Hillsdale's where I started as a trainer And so I have different experiences with Hillsdale because the original Hillsdale was not where it is now It's where the Home Depot is. That was the original Hillsdale. So that's how I started as a trainer I've got great memories there as a trainer a fitness manager and then a senior sales counselor When I worked under dawn so that that's a great memories there.

I just fell in love with it I had so much passion just so new it was exciting the team I don't remember a lot of the team, but I remember the atmosphere and I remember my own excitement Then from there I became his assistant manager at Sunnyvale and Sunnyvale was Really developmental for me. This is when I was an assistant general manager I wanted to become a general manager and Don and I were Insane it was like who can work the hardest and the longest is Essentially what it became and Don and I are very similar in a lot of different ways and we would butt heads And a lot of different ways and we have some great stories of like like I was not the most organized I know you guys it's hard for you guys to believe that but I was not the most organized And he used to piss Don off because we would have these sales meetings and we used to have these planners That 24 fitness gave us and he would this is how you manage your sales team and you bring out your planner Well, I'm the AGM.

I'm the top guy below the general manager and my planner. I don't even have it I don't know where it is Okay, and so it made him look bad and I'm the top guy So and Don he would sit me down Sal you have to do this You're leading the guys you got at least do some of it to show them and I was like hard-headed and I'm like, yeah I'll do it. I just forget and you know scatterbrained or whatever and I remember one time we were in the meeting and he's like That's it.

He got so pissed off of me stood up. He's like, that's it You're not gonna get any walk-ins You're not gonna get any guests The only people you see are people that come in because they say your name at the front desk and I was like, oh So mad I pissed that went downstairs. And so I figured out how to get people to come ask for me by Dave So next thing, you know people are walking in with guest passes that say Sal on them and I'm taking one And I sign them up and I take another one I sign them up by the fourth or fifth one Dawn's like were these guest passes coming for both.

I was in the parking lot See I could see what somebody was not a member because they don't have a gym bag So I'd hand it to them and then you're good to the front desk and he threw a calculator at me He got so mad at me He threw a calculator at me and I ducked it and I left and then we made up and became friends again But that my had crazy memories there Then Salinas was my first club because that's when mark the master off who you know The founder of 24 fitness he came in because he sees this kid at the time I'm doing like 40 to $45,000 in commissionable sales and at that time the top that they'd ever seen was like 25 So I'm doing like that didn't make sense.

So he comes in he wants to see what I'm doing. I give him a tour again I don't know where I get this Confidence from I think I was just ignorant. I'm like, oh the founder I'm gonna show him how I do this and I give him this crazy tour. He comes up because you did a great job I'm like good. I'm like awesome. Thanks mark. Make me a general. That's the way I talk to mark Mastroff Make me a general manager and he's like he kind of laughed a little bit like well, I can't do that Yeah, you know, you'd have an experience.

I said mark. I'm beating everybody. I beat everybody in your company You should definitely make me a general manager and he goes Sal, you know, you're young. I said it's cuz I'm young I said I'm gonna beat them so bad that you have to make me a general manager And so I did I don't remember how much longer it was after that and they said fine You want to run a club you can drive your ass over to Salinas and take that girl. Sure I'm like give it to me.

So I drove my ass to Salinas. This was a club across from the rodeo Oranges for I've got six oranges. Can I get a membership the whole club's goal the good or do you know what the club goal was the whole club $60,000 was a club goal. Do you know we were hitting? $120,000 so we were just yeah We were doing great. And so then they gave me I went from Salinas to Sunnyvale, which was like their big Flagship club and I had such great memories there and that's when I quit ran out and came back to Hillsdale That's when I regrind open it.

That's why I met Larry Evans and you know more coochie You know we worked on it and it was just such Great memories and each time was so different because I had to learn how to be different I started out as just all this energy all this excitement this confidence that didn't come from anything other than who knows because I Don't know what I was doing and then little by little it turned into Experience and knowing what I was doing and it was just this whole process and it was just I never didn't love Working in gyms always I mean, we all probably got Offers from clients to go do things All the time jobs where I could make double the money I was making I remember like it was I mean It was really what the there was a big number that made me finally Leave fitness because I'd get offer these jobs that were really good jobs It'll be more money But I was like now I love what I do so much like it'd have to be a number that like I'd have to be crazy Yeah, like yeah, that was finally what it took because it was like man I and I look at I still found my way back because of how much I love this, you know, it's seen our Our team now, it's it's really cool I feel that energy like I feel the I mean these these guys and stuff are in here till You know seven days love it seven days a week here.

I'll come roll in here sometimes on a Saturday 5 or 6 p.m They're in here working out together and on the computer working on stuff like it's I get a little bit I'm gonna be honest with you guys because I still love doing this. Love you guys. Love what we do, but I'm a little envious I could not imagine Being a trick. I love the gym so much as a young trainer Working in here because this the integrity in here so much better early days fitness.

Let me tell you It was like working in a different culture different culture, but there was good parts to it, too But like I I'm like man, could you imagine because a lot of these trainers live together and then they come here and they work together Oh, yeah, how fun? Oh, no We really we'd lucked out that Like I was just had a meeting last night I had a dinner with some other like entrepreneurs and stuff and we're talking business and I said, you know They're asking me all about the podcast and are kind of the origin and everything like that and like the training side You know how that's I said man one of the things that I feel so lucky and blessed I had no idea how that like this was gonna play I wish I would if I would have known I would have leaned into it sooner with the business Was that the podcast would serve as this culture building Side before we ever like yeah, like everybody who works here Was a fan of the show most of them fans the show for years Because it takes it when you when someone works for you, it takes months.

Oh, it takes a year Yeah to build a culture and then and then you're always putting out fires Like so as you're as you're creating this this beautiful culture And you learn how to do this and that's why you cut it out You had to cut like as soon as you like you learn like oh he or she's not gonna fit this Don't let him attest. Yeah, I gotta cut them out before they poison the culture And that's that's a journey in itself learning the hard way that you got to do that I went through a process of trying to save y'all me too and I end up losing me too so like like learning that is already a skill like building a culture is hard it takes time and No matter what there will be people that come in and potentially poison it and you're gonna be fast to cut them out and then And so it could take years to cultivate like this beautiful culture and then you got to protect it with everything Right, and that's difficult and I think few entrepreneurs get there and the podcast It like automatically builds it So we have we have we have kids that work for us or young men and women that work for us That are in their mid to late 20s that have been listening to us since they were 16 yeah, you know 19 years old like and Like every Every episode and and they're there they might only be a one year or two years into being a personal trainer now But I listen to them communicating to a trainer and I'm like our client me five years and I'm like that sounds better than me Yeah, yeah That sounds so like they like you they have they have Taken in everything that we have put out for so long and it's like man What a blessing and a superpower that is for cultivating a team what I love I love the fitness industry so much.

There's so much potential in the fitness industry you know, we used to say this early on in the podcast, but If you think of the so many of the challenges that people face today from anxiety to depression to obesity Poor health or whatever a lot of the answers lie and that may be not the perfect answers I don't think it's the answer to everything but there are a lot of answers in the fitness industry Now the problem is the fitness industry is also got a lot of poison it's got a lot of lies It's also body obsessed.

It's also, you know, it's also sex obsessed It's also all this but there's this beauty in the fitness industry and the in the in the in the culture That you can run into when you go into a good gym that for me I have such a passion That I want to spread like I really wanted to spread like if the average person who could care less about working out But just wants to feel better Walked into a gym with that kind of culture would change your life It would change your life.

And so I feel like I have such a passion for I mean I feel like we're watching this unfold right now. I mean these gyms that are starting to turn into like these places of hanging out and Yeah, I mean the industry is only growing. It's it's a hard industry to make a lot of money But it's an incredible industry to work for and it's incredibly rewarding And the potential is huge and it's only getting better. And so it's it's been an incredible ride Very few things in my life I've done for this long and have enjoyed it as thoroughly It's it's still I pinch myself and I think man, I still still my favorite thing.

I Mondays, I can't wait. How wild is that? I can't wait for Monday. Yeah, I can't wait for work. Can't wait to see everybody I hope that never ends And I hope Everybody finds that right and you know if you ever thought about You know working in this industry. It's hard It'll take a lot of work. You may not make a lot of money at first or ever But it's extremely rewarding. Thank you for listening to mind pump if your goal is to build and shape your body dramatically improve your health and energy and Maximize your overall performance check out our discounted RGB super bundle at mindpumpmedia.com The RGB super bundle includes maps anabolic math performance and maps aesthetic nine months of phased expert exercise programming designed by Sal Adam and Justin to Systematically transform the way your body looks feels and performs with detailed workout blueprints and over 200 videos The RGB super bundle is like having Sal Adam and Justin as your own personal trainers But at a fraction of the price the RGB super bundle has a full 30-day money-back guarantee And you can get it now plus other valuable free resources at mindpumpmedia.com If you enjoy this show Please share the love by leaving us a five-star rating and review on iTunes and by introducing mind pump to your friends and family We thank you for your support and until next time.

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