Episode overview
In this Trainer Spotlight, Brandon Schultze breaks down how he uses first principles of biomechanics to solve pain, individualize training, and keep clients consistent for the long haul—whether they are day-one lifters or NFL/NHL vets. He shares how obsessive “hobby guy” energy turned a failed backcountry trip into a lesson in embracing messy first attempts, the path from box-gym trainer to international educator, and why simple exercises done well usually beat flashy Instagram drills. Listeners also get a peek behind the curtain at how Brandon uses tools like TrainHeroic and Squarespace to streamline client experience, communication, and business systems.
About Brandon
Location and roles: Brandon is a personal trainer, strength coach, and educator based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, coaching in person locally and remotely worldwide.
Who he works with: He trains general population clients alongside NFL veterans, college football players preparing for the combine, and NHL athletes during their off-season.
Education & teaching: Brandon is an educator with Pre-Script®, focusing on first-principles biomechanics and anatomy, and he has developed education around breathing and its application in training.
His Training Company Atomic Performance: Through Atomic Performance, he applies a principles-based approach: break down how each individual moves, find high-leverage limitations, and use simple but precise interventions to improve performance and longevity.
Key takeaways
Principles first, person always: Brandon repeatedly comes back to the idea that the principles of biomechanics are universal, but the expression must be tailored to the human in front of you—their training age, history, and current limitations.
Shoulder–hip–spine as anchors: When troubleshooting pain and “mystery” issues, he starts with the big three—shoulders, hips, and spine—then looks for where clients are overexposed or underexposed to specific positions and loads.
Train the root, not the symptom: Low back pain is often a hip, foot, or center-of-mass problem, so he prioritizes improving movement options instead of only hammering the painful area.
Simple beats flashy: Brandon encourages clients to send him social media exercises and then deconstructs them into primary, secondary, and tertiary benefits, usually swapping overly complex drills for simpler, better-fitting options.
Reframing goals to “move better”: When clients show up with a laundry list of goals—lose fat, gain muscle, get strong—he starts by getting them moving better so training is pain-free and sustainable enough for those outcomes to actually happen.
Consistency as the real stimulus: Across fat loss, hypertrophy, and performance, the through-line is consistency over time; his job is to remove roadblocks (pain, poor movement, confusing programs) that disrupt training streaks.
Experience > formal letters: Brandon’s path did not include a kinesiology degree; instead, he leaned on a two-year personal training program, 30–40 certifications, and big-box-gym reps to build pattern recognition with real people.
Curiosity and mentorship: He emphasizes curiosity, doing continuing education, and seeking mentors as non-negotiables for coaches who want to provide a high level of service.
Tech as a force multiplier: Tools like TrainHeroic (for in-person and online programming) and Squarespace (for scheduling, payments, forms, and email) free up his time so he can coach more and admin less.
Top quotes
“Diving into something new, whether it’s hard or messy or ridiculous, is just kind of my default setting.”
“Even though the person is going to be different, the principles of biomechanics are going to remain the same across every human out there.”
“At the end of the day, consistency is going to be the most potent stimulus for people to make a change in their life, regardless of what their goal is.”
Connect with Brandon
Instagram: @brandon.schultze
Website: Atomic Performance / coaching info
His Podcast:
