Vigor Ground Fitness & Business Summit Recap
After attending my second Vigor Ground Fitness and Business Summit last week, here’s my recap of the event and a reminder of the power of showing up in-person. by Hayleigh White
“After attending my second Vigor Ground Fitness and Business Summit last week, here’s my recap of the event and a reminder of the power of showing up in person.“
Here is my Vigor Ground Fitness & Business Summit Recap
First, the lineup of speakers was absolutely insane. Each day’s value alone was worth the price of the entire three-day event. Second, there’s just something special about being in a room with 200+ coaches from all over the world, investing time and money to level up their craft. You can’t put a price on the connections made with other coaches, whether they lead to friendship, collaboration, or simply staying in touch through social media until the next event. That’s precisely how I met George in person at Raise The Bar earlier this year; now we’re here!
This year’s Vigor Ground Fitness & Business Summit theme was “Brick by Brick,” but the phrase that echoed even louder throughout the event was, “We need to be reminded more often than we need to be taught.”
Day 1: The first day of the Summit was hands-on and held at Vigor Ground Fitness & Performance.
This day was limited to Early-Bird Registration and VIP Attendees.
Jason Brown & Luka Hocevar - Fitness Programming Simplified: 3 Ways to Write Programs That Produce Better Long-Term Results
We kicked off the weekend with a live programming workshop led by Luka and the King of Programming himself— Jason Brown. I’ve been doing Jason’s programs for the last couple of years, so getting a chance to meet him in person was a highlight for me! Jason took it away, sharing an in-depth process of writing better programs to get your clients' results that last. After breaking down his research-backed full-body approach, we split into groups to put our knowledge to the test. We were given a case study to create our own program and the opportunity to share and receive feedback from Jason and Luka. In case you missed it, or if you still think Sally, a busy mom of 3 with a nagging knee injury, should be on a bro split - you can find a ton of free programming content on both of their YouTube channels.
Join us on TrainHeroic or level up your programming skills with Jason – Jason Brown Coaching
For more on programming from Luka, check out his workshops – Luka Hocevar
Lee Boyce - The Trainer’s Toolbox (Lee's Website)
Next, Lee Boyce gave us practical training tips to take home to our clients. He had a few barbells loaded up to demonstrate how to best coach and cue the deadlift. He strategically picked coaches with vastly different body types to illustrate how the setup and cues will change based on the individual. Next, he walked the whole group through a series of mobility exercises and movement prep for the squat. Coaches volunteered to practice cueing each other through these movements.
Mike Robertson - Using Force Plates to Drive Assessments, Program Design, and New Business (Mike's Website)
Mike is a legend, another coach I was really excited to see in person. He shared his knowledge on implementing force plates (specifically Hawkins Dynamics) into your business. Hawkins had a rep come out, and Mike gave us a demo of how he uses the equipment to assess his athletes. Although it may not have been as relevant for those of us who aren’t in the sports performance world, it was still pretty cool to watch and see the value of investing in this technology.
Martin Rooney - Coaching Magic (Hands-On)
In order to be a great coach, you have to be coachable.
If you don’t know who Martin Rooney is— you should. If you’ve never heard him speak at an event you’re missing out. The enthusIASM Martin has for coaching is unmatched, the type of coach you would run through a brick wall for! He just makes you want to be better. He started with quick talk on his 3 pillars of coaching then led us through a workout, highlighting the importance of communication and leadership to get the best results. I don’t think anyone was expecting to sweat or work as hard as we did but it was the perfect energy to round out the hands-on portion of the event.
After a much needed shower, Day 1 concluded with a social back at the hotel. I love this part of the event since it gives everyone a chance to loosen up a bit, have a drink, and get to know people in a more casual setting.
Day 2: By 9:00 am on Friday, presentations were underway in the Hyatt Lake Washington Ballroom.
Breakfast was served beforehand in limited quantities (at least that’s what the schedule said; I took advantage of a little extra sleep without early morning clients).
Mark Fisher - How to Get Your Next 5 Clients Without Paid Ads (Even If You Hate Marketing) Mark Fisher’s Little Book of Gym Marketing Secrets
“When people can buy things whenever, they buy things never.”
Mark’s presentation was filled with actionable steps and marketing tactics to help gym owners and coaches attract clients. His tips included specific timelines for following up with former clients and unconverted leads– to playing the ground game and driving referrals. He’s also pretty entertaining so that’s a plus.
Vernon Griffith - Lessons Learned & Things I Wish I Knew (Vernon's Instagram)
You may know Vernon Griffith by his mobility routines on Instagram, but his talk went much deeper than that as he shared more about his life, being a father, why he started coaching, and the lessons he’s learned along the way. One of the most significant being– “Don’t take their superpower.” I had to fight back a few tears as Vernon shared stories of coaching double and triple amputees to their goals of deadlifting and box jumping again.
Andy McCloy - Blueprint of a Great Gym Business (Andy's Instagram)
“Don’t Play Business”
Andy McCloy is the owner of BCI, the best gym in Alabama– I’ve never been but I’m taking his word for it. Andy shares with us some of the lessons he’s learned over the past 24 years in business and the 8 P’s of a Gym That’s Built to Last. People and Performance were two P’s that stood out as he emphasized the importance of building the right team of people and then keeping a close eye on the team’s performance using very specific metrics and KPI’s. Andy and Luka also announced something they’ve been working on for gym owners, so keep an eye out for that.
Sohee Carpenter - Building Lifelong Habits to Improve Your Relationship With Food, Fitness, and Your Body (Sohee's Instagram)
I’ve seen Sohee on social media for years, inspiring and advocating for women in the fitness space. She took us on a deep dive into habits, educating us on the science and psychology of creating healthy habits and breaking the not-so-healthy ones.
Joel Jamieson - Art of the Launch (Joel's Morpheus Training Device Website)
Training for Longevity and Zone 2 Cardio have been all the rage lately, but this is nothing new for Joel. He explains how our health & longevity are determined by 3 things: fitness, genetics, and lifestyle and how to optimize them the best we can. He emphasizes the importance of Zone 2 work and 10 ways to get people to do it, including assessments, tips for making it more fun, and holding people accountable. Joel also created Morpheus for those who are interested in tools to track your heart rate training and recovery.
Dr. Andy Galpin - Advanced Methodologies to Enhance Human Performance (Vitality Blueprint Website)
“Don’t assess something if you can’t do the rest”
Dr. Andy Galpin shared his key to better coaching– Solving the right problems and producing better results through 4 steps: Assess, Evaluate, Set Target, and Design Solutions. There are a lot of tools out there to assess, but if we don’t know how to use the data to create a plan that produces results, the test may be useless. He drove the point home by encouraging us to pull out any recent blood work and then walking us through some of the flaws in how results are interpreted. To bridge the gap, Andy has co-founded Vitality Blueprint, a system that uses blood work as a foundation for understanding physiology as a whole and optimizing individual performance.
Day 3: Final day of the Summit!
Eve Guzman - Launch Lessons: Turning Mistakes into a Profitable Strategy (The Macro University)
Eve shares the struggle she faced when launching her online business. If you’re an online coach, her story will probably resonate with you the most, but I still found her “Launching Blind Spots” valuable and can be applied to any business. Eve gave us Email/DM templates clearly outlining how to communicate with potential clients and the art of following up.
Martin Rooney - Coaching Magic (Lecture)
Coaching: The most important job in the world.
I filled an entire page with gems from Martin as he blessed us with another day of Coaching Magic. I’m just going to leave a few of my favorites here:
Don’t want the product, want the process
It doesn’t matter if you know it if you can’t get anyone to do it
If you’re not sold, you can’t sell
To be the best of the best, you have to have ENTHUSIASM
A coach: knows motivation is one of his or her main responsibilities
A coach: must first be on fire in order to get someone else to burn
A coach: knows the greatest gift he can give a person is to believe in them
To coach: You need the ability to get more excited about someone else than you are about yourself
Highly recommend picking up his books: Coach to Coach & High Ten
Andrew Coates - How to Succeed w/ Social Media, Make An Impact, Grow Your Business, Without Selling Your Social (Andrew's Instagram)
The King of the Voice Message! Andrew breaks down social media philosophy and the benefits of having a strong social presence. Coming from someone who overthinks social media regularly and struggles to stay consistent, here are two points I needed to be reminded of:
Be of Service - Make your free sh*t better than their paid sh*t
In the midst of all the status games, it’s good to be reminded that as a coach we’re here to help people and we can do that through our content.
Imposter Syndrome doesn’t stop the fakes
We need to take up space. While you’re overthinking and not posting, someone else is confidently spreading misinformation.
Jeremy Hills (& Luka) - Fireside Chat Kollective
Jeremy and Luka sat down in the middle of the stage where Jeremy shared his story starting with the end of his football career to how he built Kollective, his own social performance club in Austin, TX. I was inspired to say the least and if there’s one key takeaway I learned– it would be to compete always!
A few other reminders:
Never miss an opportunity because it wasn’t on your timeline
People know you as they know you, not who you’re trying to become
Be dedicated to the goal, not the timeline
What it takes to get there, will not be the same thing it takes to stay there
Never compromise your morals
Jordan Syatt - How to Build An Audience on Social Media Jordan's Instagram
Jordan Syatt is just one of those coaches you get excited to see in the line-up. He’s not a powerpoint guy so he usually takes a seat on stage, gives us his backstory, then opens up the floor for a Q & A– which is a nice change of pace. The conversation is mostly geared towards social media and the story of how he ended up being Gary Vaynerchuk’s personal trainer. “You never know what piece of content will change your life.” At this point I’ve heard Jordan’s story over a dozen times but it doesn’t get old and like I mentioned earlier, I need to be reminded more often than I need to be taught!
Last but not least…
Luka Hocevar - Unreasonable Coaching: The Difference Maker
Luka closed out the event with what was essentially a blueprint to being a 51%’er. The concept comes from Danny Meyer’s book, “Setting the Table” (You can always count on adding a few books to your amazon cart when Luka takes the stage). The 49% consists of your training knowledge and technical skills– things that can be taught. Meanwhile 51%’ers are set apart by their emotional skills. They possess optimistic warmth, intelligence, work ethic, empathy, self-awareness and integrity.
He shared a lengthy checklist of consistent habits of elite coaches. I’ll remind you of a few:
Plans for the day and each session (the night before)
Greets clients with energy, uses client’s name often
Coaches at all times, works the training floor
Is in charge of the room with presence
Is a social personality chameleon
Gives and asks for feedback (from clients & team)
Does a “readiness” check-in with clients each session
Gets help from a 2nd brain (notecards etc)
Ends session on a “high” (power of moments)
Reflects on each session (What went well? What didn’t? Where can I improve?)
“Be a learn it all and teach others to do the same.”
Additional Comments and Thoughts From Me
I did not register for the VIP experience, but if you’d like to drop an additional $700 here’s what you’ll get: access to a brand building workshop prior to the hands-on day, two additional VIP dinners/events on Friday and Saturday night, and reserved seating at the tables in the front of the ballroom.
(PROS)
The Hands-On Day. Having a full day of education that also allows us to move around was helpful to stay engaged. I’ve always found it ironic putting people who spend the majority of their day running around the gym, into a dark room to sit and stay focused for multiple hours. My brain always feels a little fried by the end of each lecture day.
I found value in every single presentation, even with such a diverse line-up. I’ve been to events where some of the speakers and topics feel a bit irrelevant, but everyone at the Summit felt relatable in some way even if they were out of my wheelhouse.
The venue. The event is held at the Hyatt Regency at Southport sitting right on Lake Washington. The ballroom where lectures were held, the restaurant inside of the hotel, and the rooms share beautiful lake views.
(CONS)
No panels! In 2021 we had an all men’s panel and all women’s panel get together for open discussion and Q & A with the audience. I personally enjoy listening to other coaches' questions and hearing the speakers collaborate and feed off of each other while answering. I would love to see them bring that back at the next one!
Seating with tables is only provided in the front for VIP attendees. S, if you’re not spending the extra $$$ on VIP,n you’ll be taking notes in your lap.
Staying at the Hyatt is alittle pricey, but you definitely get what you pay for. If you’re ballin’ on a budget,t you might want to look at other hotels nearby.
Fun Fact: Before I moved to Texas, I was a member at Vigor for three years and had the privilege of being coached by Luka. If you follow him, you know how much this guy pours into the industry; this event was no exception. I may be a little biased, but quite a few of the speakers mentioned it as well; this is one of, if not THE best, event of its kind in the industry. Fingers crossed, it’ll be back before 2026, but either way, you won’t want to miss out on the next one
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