Serious Training for Everyday People with Sean Armstead of Phenomenal Fitness

Ep 148: Serious Training for Everyday People with Sean Armstead of Phenomenal FitnessPart of noseyAF's 31 Days of Black Business series 🖤He trained 33 people last Saturday. Starting at 4 in the morning.Sean Armstead is a former Marine Corps infantry officer who served in the Persian Gulf, and he's been running Phenomenal Fitness since 1997. The slogan hasn't changed in almost thirty years: serious training for everyday people. His whole book of business comes from referrals. He calls it old money.What We Talk AboutSuccessful aging, what it actually means, and why he's training you for the body you'll have at 70 rather than the one you had at 25The five pillars: structural integrity, movement skill, work capacity, body composition, and powerWhat it's really like your first day, and why he says if you get sick twenty minutes in, that's the trainer's faultThe unexpected turn: he started with no certification, no business background, and no idea what he was doing. A mentor kept telling him to burn the ship.If you love a conversation with somebody who's been doing it long enough to know, this episode is for you.Chapters:00:13 - Reflecting on the Black Business Series04:49 - Building a Team: Lessons from 30 Years in Business12:35 - Transitioning to Entrepreneurship17:52 - Understanding Fitness and Aging38:01 - Engaging Clients: The Importance of Retention and Revenue44:47 - Building a Sustainable Business ModelAll about Sean ArmsteadYou're gonna love Sean. He's a former Marine Corps infantry officer turned strength and conditioning coach who describes himself as a triple threat leader: know the way, go the way, show the way. He founded Phenomenal Fitness in 1997 and has been a brick and mortar gym owner since 1999, operating out of the South Loop. His model is semi-private training, which keeps sessions around $50 rather than the $120 to $130 that private training typically runs. He writes his first name in lowercase to remind himself of humility and gratitude.Things We MentionedPhenomenal Fitness, South Loop Chicago → new website coming, with free exercise and programming contentSerious training for everyday people, the slogan since 1997The five pillars: structural integrity, movement skill, work capacity, body composition, powerThe four principles: mindset, muscle, metcon, modification of lifestyleSemi-private training, averaging $50 a sessionThis series is supported by Off the Grid, a podcast for small business owners who want to leave social media without losing their clients. Find them at offthegrid.fun 🖤Connect with Phenomenal FitnessWebsiteIG: @phenomenalfit1Stay Connected📬 Get the noseyAF Dispatch → Subscribe here🏡 Grab the Good Neighbor Playbook → Download it freeMore ways to connectEmail: [email protected] on IG: @stephaniegrahamListen to more episodes: noseyaf.comSupport & FeedbacknoseyAF is listener-supported; thank you for being here. 💛🫶🏾⭐ Rate & Review the Show📣 Share noseyAF with a friend who needs to hear thisEpisode CreditsProduced, Hosted, and Edited by Stephanie GrahamLyrics: Queen LexInstrumental: Freddie Bam FamCover Art: Emma McGoldrick