Who do you follow?

I’m going to take a bit of a turn with todays post.

Typically I write about fitness, nutrition, mindset, and everything that can make you successful in your fat loss endeavors.  However today I’m going to refer to more the business side of growth and development.  I think if you can relate it to your goals you will be able to use this information to suit your own life and help it fuel your goals.

I saw a fellow fitness professional list the other professionals he follows and looks up to in the industry.  More of a black book of professionals he relies on to better himself and to provide a better service to his clients.  So I decided to do the same.  As I was writing this list it became very clear to me how I was able to grow my business the way I have.  The people on this list are highly respected individuals who are at the top of our field and are VERY good at what they do.  While they too are fitness professionals, they are also niched within the profession and within their niche are the ‘go to’ people at what they do.  I have learned so much from these individuals and have become friends with them along the way.  Just rubbing elbows with these professionals is an honor, but to be able to be coached, trained, and mastermind with them has allowed me to rise head and shoulders above all others and be able to transform my business to what it is today.  So without any further delay here is my elite black book of top fitness professionals.

1. Pat Rigsby- friend, coach, mentor, and business partner, Pat has taught me more than anyone I’ve ever encountered.  His business sense is second to none and when you combine that with efficiency in getting things done.  There isn’t a better business coach out there and I am thankful every day to not only have him as a coach and mentor but also as a friend.  Plus he’s a Buckeyes fan, so that helps

2. Alwyn Cosgrove- you may have heard of Alwyn before, but his programming is some of the top in the industry, and when it comes to fat loss, there is no one I turn to first other than Alwyn.  What I have also learned from Alwyn is that I need to constantly evolve, because our industry constantly evolves.  I can’t keep doing the same things in my programming because times change, needs change, and the client changes.

3.  Eric Cressey- one of the smartest fitness professionals I know, Eric, a fellow Mainer, trains mostly baseball players.  However his knowledge about programming, rehabilitation, and body function is bottomless.  Not only that but he knows a thing or two about strength training and programming too.  I picture him as a young Mike Boyle

4. Mike Boyle- you have probably heard his name before.  Mike, like Alwyn, is ever changing and always testing new things.  He reads study after study and then applies them and formulates his own opinion based on what he sees.  He is as close to a mad scientist in our industry that it gets.  Ever evolving, ever changing, and ever reinforcing his practices, a true professional, but brutally honest, Mike never stops teaching.

5. Dave Whitley- Dave is a kettlebell guru.  One of my favorite tools is the kettlebell, so naturally Dave and I get along well:)  However, it doesn’t stop there.  Dave is very knowledgable in the old strongman practices, but also is certified in the Functional Movement Screen through the Russian Kettlebell Certification.  Dave, too is someone who is always evolving and redefining  himself to be a better coach, better teacher, and a more well rounded individual.

6. Brian Grasso- Brian is the founder of the International Youth Conditioning Association.  His passion is youth.  I learned and have had the honor of being in a mastermind group with Brian, who exudes passion when he talks youth fitness.  It is this passion that I have been able to harness into my own pursuits to push my clients harder and further to achieve the best results they can.  Brian has also allowed me to expand into another branch of my business, which is coming soon, so stay tuned:)

7. BJ Gaddour- BJ is one of the top bootcamp instructors, if not THE top bootcamp instructor in the world.  I don’t think you could possibly ever find someone who works harder than BJ on becoming better, growing his business, and helping others.  His passion is apparent and obvious when you see him instruct a class.  His knowledge and passion for growing a business and helping others grow a bootcamp business is second to none.

8. Robert Dos Remedios- his evolutionary Cardio Strength Training will change the way people think about cardio.  I credit 99% of my evolution in cardio training and how I do it as well as how I have my clients perform it to Coach Dos.  It puts long slow cardio to shame.

9. Gray Cook- Gray is brilliant in his approach and his knowledge is bottomless.  I learned everything I know about the Functional Movement Screen from Gray.  Not how to perform it, but how to apply it and make corrections to discrepencies in my clients.  The real world stuff that us professionals need to make our clients better and build a better program.  Gray is on my very short list of professionals that I would trust everything he says.

10. Jason Brown and Pamela Macelree- these two compliment eachother very well.  Their primary influence on me is kettlebell training and certification.  But it goes deeper than that.  Their business is similar to mine, so I have worked with them, masterminded with them on several occasions, and have had nothing but benefit from it.  Their knowledge on training and programming with or without kettlebells is tops in our industry, and on the short list of professionals/business owners who ‘get it’.