The Show Up Fitness Podcast

Chris Hitchko, CEO Show Up Fitness
  • 5.0 (277)
  • Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

Join Chris Hitchko, author of 'How to Become A Successful Personal Trainer' VOL 2 and CEO of Show Up Fitness as he guides personal trainers towards success. 90% of personal trainers quit within 12-months in the USA, 18-months in the UK, Show Up Fitness is helping change those statistics. The Show Up Fitness CPT is one of the fastest growing PT certifications in the world with partnerships with over 500-gyms including Life Time Fitness, Equinox, Genesis, EoS, and numerous other elite partnerships.This podcast focuses on refining trade, business, and people skills to help trainers excel in the fitness industry. Discover effective client programming, revenue generation, medical professional networking, and elite assessment strategies. Learn how to become a successful Show Up Fitness CPT at www.showupfitness.com.  Send your questions to Chris on Instagram @showupfitness or via email at info@showupfitness.com."

  1. 5d ago

    How to Train Clients With Shoulder Pain | Assessments, Exercises & Programming

    Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why! A client comes back from vacation with a shoulder that’s “acting up” and the real question isn’t which exercise is best, it’s whether we should be training at all. We walk through the simple screening process we use to decide if something is within a trainer’s scope: quick range of motion checks, a brief strength hold, and the red flags that mean we refer out immediately. No guessing, no diagnosing, just a clear decision tree that protects the client. From there, we get practical. We talk about why pain is multifactorial (yes, you can lift heavy all weekend and still tweak something from a sneeze), how we set expectations, and why soft tissue work can help by calming the nervous system. Then we lay out the training flow: isometrics first, then controlled dynamic work, then progressive loading. You’ll hear how we choose step-ups to keep training momentum, scale push-ups on a bar, use planks with active coaching, and apply a “pain ceiling” rule so discomfort doesn’t turn into a setback. We also dig into what real professionalism looks like: texting the client the next day, dosing work instead of chasing fatigue, and bringing in a DPT for a second opinion when it increases safety and confidence. We share how to build a referral network with physical therapists, why you respect their guidance as gold, and a cautionary story that shows what happens when intensity replaces process. If you coach clients with shoulder pain, rotator cuff irritation, or persistent “tweaks,” this will sharpen your screening, your programming, and your referral instincts. Subscribe, share this with a coach who needs it, and leave a review with your go-to rule for when you refer out. Want to become a SUCCESSFUL personal trainer? SUF-CPT is the FASTEST growing personal training certification in the world! Want to ask us a question?  Email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Website: https://www.showupfitness.com/ Become a Successful Personal Trainer Book Vol. 2 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/1aoRnqA NASM / ACE / ISSA study guide: https://www.showupfitness.com

  2. Oct 19

    Does Training With a Personal Trainer Build More Muscle? | Supervised vs. Unsupervised Training

    Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why! Instructor Adam Baldwin breaks down the following article from Dr. Brad Schoenfeld website Look Great Naked:  https://www.lookgreatnaked.com/blog/does-supervision-during-resistance-training-enhance-increases-in-muscle-strength-and-size/?utm_source=chatgpt.com If you’ve ever wondered whether personal training is “just accountability,” the data might surprise you. We dig into a Brad Schoenfeld lab study that tests a simple but loaded question: do trained lifters get better strength and muscle growth when they’re supervised during resistance training? The program is basic, the difference is the coaching, and the results have big implications for anyone who lifts and anyone who trains clients for a living.  We walk through how the study is set up, what changes between supervised and unsupervised groups, and what actually moves the needle: effort, technique, and adherence. We talk about volitional failure, the Hawthorne effect (people try harder when they’re being watched), and why so many lifters stop when it burns instead of when they’re truly close to their limit. If you coach, you’ll hear practical ways to gauge reps in reserve, keep form honest, and help clients train hard without turning every session into a grind.  Then we zoom out to the real-world payoff: accountability reduces dropouts, consistency creates results, and that’s the foundation of what clients are buying when they pay premium rates. We also cover smart guardrails for beginners (don’t bury new clients with failure training), plus a point many trainers miss: enjoyment is a programming variable, because people push harder and show up longer for lifts they actually like.  If this helped you rethink coaching, share it with a trainer friend, subscribe, and leave a five-star review so more lifters find it. What’s one thing that makes you train harder: supervision, a partner, or pure internal drive? Want to become a SUCCESSFUL personal trainer? SUF-CPT is the FASTEST growing personal training certification in the world! Want to ask us a question?  Email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Website: https://www.showupfitness.com/ Become a Successful Personal Trainer Book Vol. 2 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/1aoRnqA NASM / ACE / ISSA study guide: https://www.showupfitness.com

  3. Oct 17

    Couples Training - How to Program Workouts for Different Clients CROSSFIT | Personal Trainer Road to $10K/Month

    Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why! How to Program Workouts for ANY Client | $10K/Month Personal TrainerWant to become a successful personal trainer making $10K per month? It starts with learning how to assess clients, write effective workout programs, and confidently deliver results. In today's episode of the Show Up Fitness Podcast, we're breaking down how to program workouts for two very different clients: a CrossFit athlete and an intermediate fitness client. Most personal training certifications teach you anatomy, terminology, and how to pass a multiple-choice exam. But can you actually build a personalized strength training program for different clients? What you'll learn in this episode: How to assess clients before writing their workout programs.How to program for a CrossFit athlete versus an intermediate client.How to use the SUF Core-Core-Accessory (CCA) programming model.How to select exercises, sets, reps, intensity, and progression based on client goals.Common programming mistakes personal trainers make.How to become a more confident trainer, charge $100+ per session, and build toward a $10K/month personal training business.The difference between a certified trainer and a qualified trainer is the ability to APPLY what you know. At Show Up Fitness, we teach aspiring and experienced personal trainers how to assess, program, sell personal training, and build successful careers through hands-on education, live mentorship, and our three certifications: SUF-CPT: Certified Personal Trainer. Learn anatomy, assessments, programming, sales, and business development. SUF-STM: Soft Tissue Mobilization. Learn how to assess and program for clients experiencing pain while collaborating with physical therapists. SUF-NC: Nutrition Coach. Learn nutrition coaching, behavior change, and how to create additional revenue streams with registered dietitians. Whether you're studying for NASM, ACE, or ISSA, working at Life Time or Equinox, or building your own independent personal training business, this episode will help you become a more confident and qualified fitness professional. Ready to become a $10K/month personal trainer? Explore our certifications, hands-on seminars, and mentorship at ShowUpFitness.com. SHOW UP FITNESS — Where Qualified Trainers Are Made. #PersonalTrainer #WorkoutProgramming #PersonalTrainingCertification #StrengthTraining #NASMCPT #ShowUpFitness #PersonalTrainerBusiness A client texts the night before and asks a simple question that can wreck your plan: “Can my friend join tomorrow?” That moment exposes whether you’re following a script or whether you can actually coach. We talk through what it looks like to stay composed, set expectations, and deliver a great personal training session even when you’re walking in cold with a brand-new person.  We share a real scenario from the gym: a long-time client brings a friend who does CrossFit, trains hard, and shows up with a totally different engine than the regular client. From the first quick intake question to the assumptions we all make about “CrossFit conditioning,” we explain how to gather the right information fast and avoid getting intimidated by high-intensity training culture. We also dig into the practical coaching problem that matters most: two bodies, two fitness levels, one room, one session goal.  You’ll hear how we use simple programming principles to scale on the spot by progressing or regressing movements, adjusting load and volume, and keeping the workout coherent. We also explain why you don’t always need to force every piece of the plan and how a framework like CCA helps you adapt without losing the point of the day. If you coach clients, train in a group setting, or just want smarter workout scaling, this conversation will help you think like a professional.  Subscribe for more real coaching lessons, share this with a trainer who’s always rewriting workouts at the last minute, and leave a review telling us: what’s the toughest “surprise” you’ve had to program around? Want to become a SUCCESSFUL personal trainer? SUF-CPT is the FASTEST growing personal training certification in the world! Want to ask us a question?  Email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Website: https://www.showupfitness.com/ Become a Successful Personal Trainer Book Vol. 2 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/1aoRnqA NASM / ACE / ISSA study guide: https://www.showupfitness.com

  4. Oct 15

    Can Personal Trainers Train Clients in Pain? When to Stop & Refer Out by Dr. Rob Letizia

    Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why! A trainer's guide to the "I tweaked my hamstring" Monday By Dr. Rob Letizia, PT, DPT, Owner, Spectrum Therapeutics, Wayne, NJ Article from Rob on Show Up Fitness Website to become a personal trainer: https://www.showupfitness.com/blogs/blog/when-do-we-stop-when-can-we-train-around-it-when-do-we-refer-out Your client walks in at 7 a.m., points to the back of their thigh, and says the line every trainer eventually hears: “I tweaked my hamstring.” You’ve got about 30 seconds to decide what today looks like, and the wrong default either loads a real injury or teaches your client you’re useless the moment something hurts. We lay out a clear, repeatable hamstring injury management framework that keeps you in your scope while still delivering real value. We break down the four questions that drive the whole decision: the exact mechanism, pain behavior patterns, current load tolerance, and whether symptoms are better, worse, or flat since it happened. Then we add fast “load checks” you can run in minutes, comparing the injured side to the good side using bridges and hinge patterns to find a safe entry point for training. You’ll also get a binary red flag list that ends the session immediately, plus practical language for explaining a referral so it feels professional instead of scary. From there, we give you a trainer-friendly return to training plan built on a pain ceiling (keep it mild and stable) and a 24-hour check (back to baseline by next morning). You’ll learn a four-stage progression from settling symptoms and staying active, to mid-range strength, to long-length eccentric work that prevents repeat tweaks, and finally reintroducing speed and the exact sport movement. We also zoom out to the bigger advantage: building a relationship with a physical therapist, paying their hourly rate, staying involved during treatment, and turning “injury moments” into long-term trust and referrals. Subscribe, share this with a trainer friend, and leave a review so more coaches stop guessing and start doing right by their clients. Want to become a SUCCESSFUL personal trainer? SUF-CPT is the FASTEST growing personal training certification in the world! Want to ask us a question?  Email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Website: https://www.showupfitness.com/ Become a Successful Personal Trainer Book Vol. 2 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/1aoRnqA NASM / ACE / ISSA study guide: https://www.showupfitness.com

  5. Oct 13

    The Pallof Press aka Belly Press invented by Physical Therapist John Pallof

    Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why! John Pallof Physical therapist, orthopedic specialist and strength coach. Credentials: PT, OCS, COMT, CSCS. Graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1997 with a physical therapy degree. Worked with collegiate, Olympic and professional athletes. Pallof worked at South County Physical Therapy in Auburn, Massachusetts, and collaborated with strength coaches at the College of the Holy Cross. His background combined rehabilitation, manual therapy, biomechanics and performance training. His credentials include an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist designation and Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist certification. He is commonly described as a physical therapist (PT), rather than specifically a DPT Chris Hitchko CEO of Show Up Fitness reviews the Pallof Press with trainers at Show Up Fitness going through the 2-month internship to become a qualified personal trainer. Your core doesn’t fail because you’re “weak.” It fails because you can’t stay organized when something yanks you off center. That’s why we’re obsessed with the Pallof press, the deceptively simple anti-rotation core exercise that exposes real stability fast and builds it even faster when you train it the right way.  We start by clearing up what this movement is (you might’ve heard it called a belly press) and why it works: resisting rotation forces the external obliques, QL, and deep trunk stabilizers to do their job while the hips fight to stay stacked. We talk through how the lumbopelvic hip complex and frontal plane control show up immediately, especially when the cable line tries to drag you into hip internal rotation. If you want functional core training that carries over to lifting, sports, and day-to-day movement, this is the lane.  Then we get practical and a little opinionated. If your Pallof press always looks the same, you’re leaving progress on the table. We run through better progressions: single-leg stance, tempo control, changing angles, and adding reactive cues like “push” versus “press” so you train Type II speed without turning the rep into chaos. We also touch on how intent and recruitment (including the Henneman size principle) connect to what you’re trying to build, whether that’s endurance bracing or fast, clean reactions.  If you got value from this, subscribe, share the episode with a training partner, and leave a quick review so more people find the show. What Pallof press variation are you trying next? Want to become a SUCCESSFUL personal trainer? SUF-CPT is the FASTEST growing personal training certification in the world! Want to ask us a question?  Email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Website: https://www.showupfitness.com/ Become a Successful Personal Trainer Book Vol. 2 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/1aoRnqA NASM / ACE / ISSA study guide: https://www.showupfitness.com

  6. Oct 8

    Slow vs. Fast Metabolism: The TRUTH About Calories In vs. Calories Out

    Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why! Someone at the gym says, “I’ve got a fast metabolism, I just can’t put on size.” You’ve heard it, you might have said it, and it sounds convincing until you look at the two things that actually move body weight: training stimulus and total intake. We dig into the slow metabolism vs fast metabolism debate without the internet yelling, and we bring it back to what you can measure and change. We walk through why calories in calories out still holds up, and why people hate hearing it. Not because it’s wrong, but because it forces honesty. I lay out a simple 30-day experiment: weigh your food, track consistently, cut the “invisible” liquid calories, stop guessing from restaurant portions, and watch what happens. If you’re in a caloric surplus, you gain. If you’re in a caloric deficit, you lose. The nuance is real, though: activity level, daily movement, and training volume can make two people with the same “diet” get totally different results. Then we get practical with a true hard-gainer case study: a 6'9" Division I basketball player eating around 3,000 calories a day and wondering why he can’t gain weight. When you account for hours of practices, lifts, and extra workouts, that intake isn’t impressive, it’s insufficient. We break down what a real surplus can look like, including high-calorie, repeatable food choices and simple snack tactics that make hitting numbers doable. We also talk coaching and communication, because calling someone wrong rarely helps them change, and we close with the reminder that legitimate medical issues like thyroid problems deserve a real doctor and an endocrinologist, not a label on social media. If you want a clearer plan for muscle gain, fat loss, and metabolic health, listen, subscribe, and share this with a friend who blames their metabolism. After you listen, what do you think matters more for results: tracking accuracy or training intensity? Want to become a SUCCESSFUL personal trainer? SUF-CPT is the FASTEST growing personal training certification in the world! Want to ask us a question?  Email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Website: https://www.showupfitness.com/ Become a Successful Personal Trainer Book Vol. 2 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/1aoRnqA NASM / ACE / ISSA study guide: https://www.showupfitness.com

  7. Sep 29

    Pain Science - Biopsychosocial Model of Pain

    Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why! Pain can make smart people do weird things: avoid a squat they used to own, chase random mobility drills, or assume an MRI finding is the whole story. We want to cut through that noise with a coaching-first, pain science grounded framework that actually helps clients move again. We start with the biopsychosocial model of pain and why the way we show up matters, from being on time and setting expectations to letting a client finish their story without getting interrupted. That “front end” changes threat, trust, and outcomes more than most trainers realize. From there we dig into how pain works, including the evolution from a purely biomedical model to gate control theory, and why pain intensity doesn’t always match tissue damage. We talk about nervous system sensitivity, central amplification, and how stress and context can turn the volume knob up. Along the way, we share practical language shifts like using “discomfort” and avoiding scary labels that can lock a client into fear-based movement. We also walk through a knee pain case and the step-by-step process: check low-hanging fruit like terminal knee extension, use soft tissue mobilization strategically to calm guarding, then lock in the win with 60-second isometrics, exposure therapy, and progressive overload. We close with what professionalism actually looks like in the fitness industry, why anatomy matters, and how to stay in scope by knowing when to refer out to a physical therapist or doctor. Subscribe for more conversations on pain science, soft tissue work, rehab-informed strength training, and coaching skills, then share this with a trainer who needs it and leave a review. What’s the biggest pain myth you want us to tackle next? Want to become a SUCCESSFUL personal trainer? SUF-CPT is the FASTEST growing personal training certification in the world! Want to ask us a question?  Email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Website: https://www.showupfitness.com/ Become a Successful Personal Trainer Book Vol. 2 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/1aoRnqA NASM / ACE / ISSA study guide: https://www.showupfitness.com

  8. Sep 25

    Does CORTISOL make you fat? The Cortisol Myth: Stress, Fat Gain & What Actually Matters

    Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why! Cortisol gets treated like the boogeyman of modern fitness: the stress hormone that supposedly wrecks your gut, destroys your sleep, and plants belly fat no matter what you do. We’re not buying the oversimplified story. We walk through real-world reality checks like shipwreck survivors, endurance athletes, and classic starvation research to ask a blunt question: if cortisol is the main cause of weight gain, why do high-stress, low-food scenarios reliably lead to weight loss instead?  From there, we break down what cortisol actually does during training. We talk about the “cardio cortisol trap,” why aerobic exercise consistently ranks high for reducing body fat percentage and visceral fat, and how the HPA axis and normal exercise endocrinology work across life stages, including peri and postmenopause. We also explain the key distinction people miss: transient, pulsatile cortisol spikes versus chronic, non-pulsing elevation seen in rare pathological disorders.  Then we bring it back to the day-to-day coaching problem: fear marketing sells because it gives people a simple villain and a product to buy, while the real “elephant in the room” is often a chronic calorie surplus paired with stress-driven cravings, alcohol, and nighttime snacking that never gets reported. We share practical ways to build momentum with clients, set the bar low, stack small wins, and use exercise as a stress outlet rather than something to avoid.  If you’re tired of hormone panic and want a clearer, evidence-based path to fat loss and better health, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s afraid of cardio, and leave a review with the biggest myth you want us to tackle next. Want to become a SUCCESSFUL personal trainer? SUF-CPT is the FASTEST growing personal training certification in the world! Want to ask us a question?  Email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Website: https://www.showupfitness.com/ Become a Successful Personal Trainer Book Vol. 2 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/1aoRnqA NASM / ACE / ISSA study guide: https://www.showupfitness.com

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About

Join Chris Hitchko, author of 'How to Become A Successful Personal Trainer' VOL 2 and CEO of Show Up Fitness as he guides personal trainers towards success. 90% of personal trainers quit within 12-months in the USA, 18-months in the UK, Show Up Fitness is helping change those statistics. The Show Up Fitness CPT is one of the fastest growing PT certifications in the world with partnerships with over 500-gyms including Life Time Fitness, Equinox, Genesis, EoS, and numerous other elite partnerships.This podcast focuses on refining trade, business, and people skills to help trainers excel in the fitness industry. Discover effective client programming, revenue generation, medical professional networking, and elite assessment strategies. Learn how to become a successful Show Up Fitness CPT at www.showupfitness.com.  Send your questions to Chris on Instagram @showupfitness or via email at info@showupfitness.com."

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Hitchko, CEO Show Up Fitness
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    419
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Show Up Fitness Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Show Up Fitness Podcast

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