The FITSPRO Podcast Annie Miller

In strength training, you’re training skills. You’re entering into a practice with asymmetries, past injuries, weak points and more. Whether you were an athlete or have never played a sport in your life, very people have perfectly balanced muscular and joint function.







To be clear, that is not the end goal of training. And you’re not failing if your body is not yet in perfect balance.







BUT - a massive use and benefit of strength training can be to improve weaknesses. And that, as a byproduct, also improves our strengths. 







Aka why strength training is the GOAT in my opinion for longevity in a physically functional life.







So how do you go about improving movement patterns and gaining strength in areas we have weakness? Just keep going? Add more weight? More reps? That's what we answer today.







I share my process below - what to focus on if you're a trainee or a trainer.







Find the leaks







Both of these are most easily identified through simply videoing lifts. And typically they'll become more prominent as load increases. We lose efficiency and it shows through the movement, in one way or another.









* Energy leaks where you break position









This happens when you see an area of the body "give" during a movement. Think knees caving in (valgus) coming out of the hole in the squat. Or elbows flaring out during bench press. There is a weak part of the mechanics within the movement.







The point here is to identify the weak point - where is it happening? And what is actually happening during the energy leak?









* Sticking points where your velocity slows









You'll be able to see this in video. Velocity slowing as volume increases is normal. That should happen through the WHOLE concentric phase. A sticking point typically manifests when the load increases and velocity slows through a specific portion of the concentric phase - think half way up from the squat, or at the start of a pull up for many people.







This differs from an energy leak as form doesn't break. The movement simply SLOWS and then picks back up.







Break the skill down into parts & train the parts







Once you've identified the actual weakness, you'll need to TRAIN in that specific position and portion of the movement where either the energy leak or the sticking point happens.







We can gain strength in 15 degrees in either direction of an isometric contraction at a given joint angle. Ie: You have a sticking point half way up in the pull up. So, you add in isometric holds at or just before that 90 degree position. And then reap the gains in 15 degrees above and below that point.







In general you're going to ADD capacity before load. That comes through adding time under tension holding the proper position (energy leak) and then "powering out" of said position if working past a sticking point.







Train the actual skill under less load, with more control







The goal here being to NOT break position or to keep speed consistent depending on what form of weakness you're training.







Train weak points often 







Like any other area of the body, if you want to make gains, we need to CHALLENGE the movement and the tension placed on said movement from a muscular standpoint.







I say these drills or adaptions (adding 1 and 1/4 squats, or isometric holds in pull ups) take the place of your normal prescription. You can then add in extra work (say clamshells or abduction ...

My business has generally increased revenue on a trend for the past five to six years. This year (2023) that won't be the case. And today, I want to share WHY. Because this is not simply happening to me, I am CHOOSING it.







For some context I'll dive into:









* No monetary goal this year 







* Monetary goal in 2-5 years - decisions this year help set that up.







* Big life change NEEDED SPACE







* Just wanted to see life with baby 







* Investing in new strategies 







* YouTube







* Big web project for maximizing profit and client experience









My current focus is alignment of life and biz which led to dropping all 1:1 services (fitness, power hours and biz). Yes, these are my most expensive offers and I let them all go.







It's a trade of less money (for a season) in order to have MORE TIME to generate more PASSIVE income down the road.







We also discuss profit vs revenue and how that $80k loss last year from FB ads plays a roll in comparing this year to last.







And what would an episode on making less money be if we didn't talk about comparison. I am HELLA focused on not getting caught up on revenue comparisons or any comparison at all other than alignment.







BIG THOUGHT / TAKEAWAY after chatting for months with fellow multi 6 and 7 figure colleagues:







In entrepreneurship, security comes through continual growth. This is the feeling - the thought. Versus someone who finds security in the SAME income for YEARS via a 9-5. If you're generating the same revenue month after month in your biz, you've built a sustainable business and yet, it perpetuates the feeling that without constant growth, it's all going to fall apart, your clients are going leave and it will all come crumbling down.







Tell me I am wrong. Entrepreneurship is weird like that. Please know that though this feeling is common, it's not rooted in truth. So, I'll ask...







Even if you’re doing less or the same, what other factors are at play? 







I’m currently working less than I ever have, lifting the most consistently I have in literal YEARS, am full on raising a child, and making damn near the same amount as I was previously. Within $80k of that number annually. That’s a win. And it took a lot of processing to see that.







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After working with gen pop, college athletes and online clients, I believe there are four main types of plateaus that take place within long term strength and hypertrophy training:









* Mental







* Seasonal







* Actual Physical performance







* Muscle growth 









We're diving into all four of these plateaus and what you can possibly implement as a coach or trainee to work through them.







Mental:







I bring this up first because I think this can initiate other types of plateaus we experience in training AND can be a result of, or byproduct of other plateaus.







This is when you’re just out of it, not feeling it, in a “funk” - maybe motivation to train is lower, efficacy is lower, perhaps you even have a negative connotation with training when it’s normally something you enjoy.







Seasonal:







Sometimes there are cycles we see once we’re training for the long haul. It could be summer for you, or maybe the fall. Finals season - some time of the year that tends to bring upon inconsistency or a lull in your training. And it throws you for a loop every time. You plateau - physically, mentally, etc.







The earlier you can get in front of this the better off you’ll be.









* change up expectations (lower frequency or intensity) but keep modality the same







* take on something new that you enjoy







* Accept a maintenance phase but be intentional







* Actually choose a new goal to work towards so you have a joyful and purposeful focus during this time.









Actual Physical performance







Strength or power output comes to mind for me. This could be with one exercise or across the board. I am thinking more across the board. Overall plateau in your performance. 







First off - this IS a sign of overtraining (not taking enough deload weeks and going from supercompensation and over-reaching to actual over-training) and/or under-recovering.









* consider a deload week or two (lower the intensity and volume by 30%. Meaning complete 70% of the work you normally do - weight and volume. Let your body TAKE A BREAK.







* You may even need a COMPLETE break from the gym. Yes, do less. Much less. Your body will not lose gains. In fact it might just THANK YOU.









Point of these approaches is to come back REFRESHED & RE-ENERGIZED (your mind and your body).







If it’s not a reload we need, you can look back at programming. If you’ve been doing the SAME THING (variations, sets and reps, weight etc) it might be a good time to switch things up a bit more than you normally would. 









* Try new exercise variations or take a season to drive up work capacity (if you’ve been working near maximal loads for a hot minute).







* Get specific - you’re plateaued. Work your weaknesses and sticking points with whatever lifts you’re currently doing.









Muscle growth 







Along the same lines as physical performance.







Nutrition is going to be a factor to evaluate here as well, though that’s not my area of expertise.









* Take a deload (count on feeling deflated - you’ll be carrying less water in your muscles. don’t worry, it will come back upon lifting. You haven’t loss muscle with taking a week or two off).

I say that I wish I started YouTube 5-7 years ago. But fact remains, it would not have been the best use of my time in that season.







Like many people, I started my business because I was DEPENDENT on it generating revenue for me. Youtube was no promise of that. And IG was a much quicker route to the income I wanted.







Guess what…still is.







Yes, I believe that with all the social apps that have come and gone, or even stuck around, IG is the place to be if you have an online service based biz and want to build brand awareness, relationship and make that money.







Without further ado, 5 reasons why Instagram is still the best platform for starting your biz:







Reason 1:







High frequency posting  - reps for you, brand awareness, messaging, trial and error with little downside, exposure to trying different approaches and seeing what sticks or doesn’t (youtube - you try one thing on one video and have to wait weeks or months to do it again for more data)







Reason 2:







Daily exposure to audience







Builds trust, and likeabiliity. Possibly expedites trust.







means you can do direct or DM sales much more frequently because it’s sandwiched with normal day to day free BTS and goodies.







Reason 3:







Consumers are prepped to buy







Swipe up, click the link, link in bio, sponsored posts. People are primed to purchase and find products and services they want to invest in on Instagram.







Someone commented on a post the other day and said she’s mentioned/launched 1:1 twice and no one has signed up.







I have SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.







What does “launching” look like? What is her offer? What are the details? What is the actual sell? What is the onboarding process? Do they have to apply? etc







If you don’t know these things and can’t articulate them confidently, you won’t have sales. And if that’s you, join FitsPRO Foundations.







Reason 4:







Kind of a piggy back off number 1 but it exposes you, as the creator to different forms/mediums of content. You can find your groove and how YOU best convey your message.







It’s rare that on one social app you have text, graphics, photos, short and long form video, live video, real time video etc.







Instead of viewing that as overwhelming, view it as an opportunity to try and see. I follow people who have built entire businesses on twitter or swipe graphics and have literally NEVER posted a video. 







Now - they are VERY clear with their messaging and its highly shareable content. Which brings me to number 5.







Reason 5:







Ability to either go viral or be shared organically at high volumes AND frequency. Good luck going viral on Pinterest or YouTube. And even if you do on TikTok, let me know what it does for your actual sale numbers…nada.







Once you have systems in place, you have a much better chance of getting those new followers onto a mailing list or even into an offer. Might not be RIGHT AWAY, but in 3-9 months time.







It’s the best way to organically grow the top of your funnel for most health and fitness pros in the online space. Period.







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I know it's August, but it might as well be fall. What I want you to get from this episode is the clarity you need an order to follow the program that makes the most sense for you come September, October November through the new year. Aka your fall fitness goals.







The season is one of my personal favorites to train during. It’s always a chaotic season. And training can give you something to focus on, and bring you into the new year feeling really great about your past decisions, and where you’re at. 







I always tend to get my strongest in the fall. It’s just what happens in the type of training that I choose to do during that time. So the season just has a special place in my heart. 







I like to encourage people to push through the fall. To really own this time of year and whatever it is that you want from your health and fitness. 







If that’s you, then this episode is going to serve you well. I want to go over some possible goals and types of training so you could explore from September through the new year. And how you can reach those goals and enjoy the focus that you have, the autonomy that you have through the next four or five months. 







In this episode I dive deep into the possible goals listed below and what it ACTUALLY looks like to go after these in your training.









* Strength







* Skill(s)







* Something new







* Something you’ve enjoyed in the past 







* Adding in cardio to your normal strength training







* Hitting a given load on certain lifts







* Adding reps each month to certain exercises







* Lifting 4 days per week (choose a frequency and stick with it no matter the intensity).









Just remember that the goal has to have a strong why, and you need to understand why you are going after the goal. We need a clear goal, and a clear why. And then a process we can enjoy. You know that I am all about the process. But the process only exists based on a clear goal. That is why I wanted to talk about this episode. 







Leave the FitsPRO Podcast a review



























If you find value here, on The FitsPRO Podcast, then pretty please head over to iTunes, subscribe, rate and review the show. It means the world to me when you spread my message to more humans.







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Have you thought about outsourcing for your biz? If so, today's post is for you.







I’ve mentioned this another podcast before, but your first hire does not have to be full-time. And hiring can seem so overwhelming to so many entrepreneurs who are going at it alone. I remember being at the cheer gym and training one of the cheer moms. She was an entrepreneur, and a very successful one at that. She would always talk about the beauty that comes with hiring people. And I always told her that I just wanted to go it alone. I never wanted to hire or manage people. Which is still the case. I have one right hand woman. But I also have several contractors that I pay to do certain tasks in my business. We called this outsourcing.







Outsourcing is not having an assistant or other coaches underneath you.







By definition from Oxford Languages, outsourcing is 







• contract (work) out or abroad."you may choose to outsource this function to another company or do it yourself"







This is different than hiring an employee.







I like to think about this as one off tasks, or specific duties within your business that someone else can do, that you are not required for. Your goal in business should always be to move closer and closer to the spot where you are only doing the tasks within your business that demand you to do them, or task that you personally enjoy doing, and are fulfilling to you. So, even if someone else could do the task, you enjoy it, and there’s no current downside of you doing it. 







I think about things like formatting emails for you, or doing design work, or editing a piece of media for you. Someone on boarding your clients if it doesn’t need to be you. There’s lots of different tasks that we can outsource in business depending on the business model that you have 







How do you know when it’s time to outsource?







Some people begin outsourcing very early on in business. Others wait 5 to 7 years to outsource. There is no one-size-fits-all equation for this. But I hope that I can give you some questions to ask yourself in order to determine if it might be a good time for you to pay for someone to do something in your business for you. This, either frees up time for you to do more in your business or just frees off time PERIOD.







Oh, my first answer is just before or when you hit your ceiling. I waited to the point of being at my ceiling to hire. And I should’ve hired just before that. So I was busting at my seams before I brought someone on to help me. I had reached the point where I literally did not have a single extra second in the day to grow my business. I was just trying to take care of all of the tasks in my business that keep it going. I do not suggest waiting to this point to hire help. Because when you do hire, you may need to have time to create systems for a person to follow, or loom videos, and trainings for that person. And that requires time from you as well. Again, that depends on what task your outsourcing. But it’s something to keep in mind.







Do you feel like you are starting to reach your maximum with your client load, or just the task that you have to complete within your business? 







If you feel like you are approaching that, then I want you to determine what tasks you might be able to outsource. Ideally, these are tasks that are either very time demanding for you, or task that you don’t enjoy doing, and or you are bad at. These are the categories we want to outsource first. 







You might also go down the route of outsourcing for whatever new thing you are wanting to create. So if your business is for one on one capacity and you stil...