Putting in the Time

The Business

GUMROAD

Over the last week and a half I have moved most of my attention to creating sellable goods. I have created a variety of programs now and have moved to selling on a free website called GUMROAD. The Site provides you with your own link (https://zachbint16.gumroad.com/ )and from there you can begin creating and publishing products. As of this post I have put up a total of 6 programs and am in the works for 2 more. 

The website itself is quite interesting with tens of thousands of products at your finger tips. I have seen some fitness programs that are monthly subscriptions, whole books, mini programs, and so much more. It was very user friendly and allowed me to put together my profile in minutes. The best thing was that I no longer needed to think about the logistics of handing out receipts for programs that I was selling. The website does that for you, gives you record of sales, tracks activity on your page, and gives you analytics referring to what you have been looking at as well. 

Google Sites

The website has come to a screeching halt as I am yet to finish the exercise library and need to collect photos and videos for the home page. I anticipated the webpage to be up and running by now but when making individual exercise videos and voicing over each one takes nearly 10 minutes a video it is hard to allocate enough time while at school and working. That being said, I have made great progress and think that I will have the exercise library done in about 2 weeks time. 

The athlete videos have been good but are quite a lot to ask of my clients currently as they are also working and in school. The goal of the videos is to give open feedback about the services I provide as an online coach and fitness programmer. The feedback will help to improve my coaching and allow me to see what I am doing well or not so well for certain clients. 

The end goal for me and this webpage is to have a one stop shop for my business. I want those who visit to see who I am, what my company is all about and if nothing else gain some resources that will help them on their fitness journey. There will be a page for personal training inquiry, personal programming inquiry, a link to the GUMROAD with a variety of programs, and a resource section with free resources.

Marketing

I have found it challenging to gain traction and really pull interest to my page. I have social media accounts but by no means have a large following. I have been researching how to market and have found some success in word of mouth but that has not helped with my webpages gaining more views. The big thing right now from what I can tell is doing short clips that are within a set trend. 

For example someone who blows up on TikTok because they edited themselves onto a boat. The video itself is not special in any way but there is enough people doing the trend that the algorithm pushes it. The goal is to possibly do some trends related to the fitness niche and start to gain a following. This is by no means a full proof plan and I will need to begin networking and seeking out other options to grow the company.

Currently I have had 28 viewings on GUMROAD and majority have been from posting my URL under my social media. My goal by end of February is to have 100 views on my page.

Squatting

Squating is one of the more intimidating lifts in the gym. The coordination and thinking involved in compound movements are significatnly higher than isolation exercises. There are so many different moving parts and variables. It is important to learn the basics and work your way up to a barbell squat. Initially I would work on getting my body weight squat to a point that is sufficient for adding weight. I would do this by squat to a chair or something slightly higher, get the basics of the movement and remove the fear of falling. Once the individual is confident I would work on the standing up from the chair without any assitstance from the hands. After this is complete doing a full body squat where the induvial holds their hands out in front of them and squat to above parallel and stands back up. If you are reading this you may say that is not a squat! I am getting there, we want to build up strength periodically throughout the movement. It does not help with confidence and safety if you jump straight into squatting to depth. For some you could and that is amazing but I am thinking about those who have never squatted before. Confidence and consistency is key. 

Getting to the fun stuff. If when doing a body weight squat you are unable to keep your chest upright or parallel with the wall in front of you then it may be time to assess ankle and hip mobility. If there are previous injuries or lack of mobility it is best to see a professional before moving forward. Last thing we want to do is to push it and injure ourselves. This blog is about self growth and our fitness journeys. It will grind to a stop with an injury. Once this is looked at and our heels are leaving the floor while squatting we need to add a small weight or wedge to our heels. This will reduce the range of motion our ankles will need to go through to squat to an adequate depth without our heels leaving the floor. Once we are able to do this we can begin to add weight to our squats. 

Adding weight to the squat or any exercise for that matter is exciting, but how? Initially we want to load it lightly keeping the weight as close to our center of gravity as possible. This is where the goblet squat comes into play. A goblet squat has the weight held with both hands on the top end of a dumbbell in a cupping orientation or holding onto the bottom of a kettle bell the same way. That weight will be chest height and resting against our bodies or just slightly off. We then can perform the squat we were so diligently working on. Once you are able to perform this squat confidently and in control it is time to move up in weight until you reach 45 pounds or more. Once this occurs we can move onto different variations of squats. 

The front squat is personally the most challenging. The bar sits across you front delts with your elbows pointed to the sky. This squat tends to want to pull your upper body forward so you need to work on creating a strong core and have good bracing. This form of squat does how ever allow for great range of motion for depth. I find I can use the weight to help me sit down and into my squat more effectively than a back squat does. The squat tends to have slightly more narrow stance and you grab the bar just outside shoulder width. You do not hold onto the bar firmly but loosely in your fingers and allow your front delt to handle most of the weight. 

The high bar back squat is a close variation to the front squat and tends to be the most popular inside commercial gyms. This variation has the bar resting across your traps and you will grab the bar firmly one hand width outside of shoulder width. Based on shoulder mobility and comfort this can change. Your feet will be in the stance that you would do a standing long jump and you proceed to squat. This is the first time weight will have been on your back for a squat if you have followed along until now. It is going to feel weird. Take your time and be patient. The goal is to still maintain an upright torso and lower yourself in control. 

Lastly the low bar back squat. This is where things change ever so slightly. Lifters who are in low bar need good shoulder mobility and external rotation. The bar sits across a shelf made of your rear delts. The chest of someone lifting in the low bar position is going to be more forward. We are no longer looking to be parallel with the front wall but more focused on bracing. Bracing is what holds everything together and in the low bar position bracing is the key. The stance is going to be slightly wider, reducing the shin angle and the torso is going to look as though it is at a 45 degree angle. Play around with this variation but do not load heavy until confident in your form and bracing. Lastly some things to remember. Squating is one means of growing strength and power. It is not the be all and end all. It is a phenominal compound lift that can skyrocket progress if done correctly. The down side is that there are inherint risks as there are with any lift but especially with compound movements. Please inform yourself with form and see a professional if anything is sore or you are unsure about previous injuries. 

Here is a more in-depth look at my low bar back squat as a powerlifter.

Many Moving Parts

Today I started to think about the logistics of what will need to go into the webpage before it is fully functional. I know that it will not be in a state that I am truly happy with until all the small parts are done. I have spent some time trying to decide what I want to have on the page and what will be free vs. at a cost. I want to give enough content that provides people with a good understanding of who I am, what I am trying to do, and how I can help them on their fitness journey. All the while I want to show that I can provide something that is worth paying for. I have spent the last week learning about spread sheets and trying to create a comprehensive athlete dashboard. I have looked to YouTube and found an amazing step by step guide to spread sheets. The creator of this page did so to help strength and conditioning coaches with their program creation and athlete assessment. The videos have been easy to follow along with and very rewarding. There were times where I would get frustrated because I could not figure out the odd mistake I made in my formulas but by going back or pausing and double checking my formula with the video it fixed the problems.

The other part of this project that has been challenging over the last week has been thinking about a platform for where I can connect with my team. I say my team because I look at all the individuals that I am working with as a team. We work individually towards a goal but we are all on this journey to better ourselves. I have created a Discord channel with different pages to connect my team. There we can post videos, have chats, and keep up to date on the progress each other are making. The nice side is I can have individual chats and a group chat all in once spot. I can analyze lifts, reply to questions and messages, and give weekly updates on programming all in one easy spot.

A quick update on the exercise library It has been a process to video log all of the exercises. Additionally, I wanted to provide a quick snippet of how to do the movement. I will dive deeper on form and efficient movement for the more complex movements but a quick overview is the main goal. As a client or someone viewing the webpage, I want a document that has a list of exercises and how to perform each. This will help people to create their own programs and have a variety of movements. Additionally as a coach it helps me when clients have not seen or heard of certain exercises. It is a quick way to ensure people are hitting the ground running.

Tip of the Iceberg

Exercise Library

    Over the past 3 days I have dove deeper into trying to figure out what my end goal is with this project. The harder I try to find an end goal the further it seems to get. I think much like lifting I am going to find there is not ultimate end goal and the process is more valuable than the end goal. As I keep this in mind I started to create an exercise library that I can start and continue to expand on as my journey continues. Once I get a strong base I will post the library to the products page on the blog for everyone to access. The hardest part about this is I want it to be comprehensive and educational for those who are just starting their journey. I am compiling the library with accompanying videos that describe how to perform the exercises.

Training Methods

Training methods vary and there are tons of programs out there. It is hard to navigate and what someone tries first may not be what works for them. I have posted in the product page a quick summery of 3 types of training methods; rate of perceived exhaustion (RPE), percent 1 rep max (1RM), and going to failure with supersets and drop sets. Playing around with each of these types of training may help to find one that works best for you. Personally I like to use a combination of RPE and 1RM, it allows me to have a target weight for the session using 1RM and then I use RPE to ensure I am not fatiguing my body to the point where my recovery will be lessened and chance of injury increases. 

Programming

 Programming can be extremely complex or it can be simple. In the product page I have provided 2 sample blocks for programming and some blank outlines that someone could fill in. 

Programming is always subject to change and adaptation but I find that individuals who are just starting at the gym are in one of two camps:

Camp A: Are too hung up on programing that they overwhelm themselves with technicalities and the best way to train before they even start.

Camp B: Go into the gym with no game plan one so ever and do not track their progress

 There is nothing wrong with being in one of these camps but programming is there to assist in your progress. The first goal with starting is to get in a routine. This could be as simple as showing up 3 times a week for one month. That could be the first goal, even if you show up and go on the treadmill to walk for 15 minutes then leave. Getting into a routine is one of the most important things to do when starting a new hobby or task. 

The next goal would be dependent on your goals but no matter the goal, progress in any form is what is desired. Begin keeping a log that tracks how you are progressing. This could be point form in a journal that states the date and that you walked on the treadmill set at pace 3 for 15 minutes. At the top of the page write down a goal which could be by the end of the month I want to walk on the treadmill at pace 3 for 20 minutes. The goals do not need to be very hard but it gives you motivation and something to strive for. 

Next Steps

For the next week I want to focus on the production of the exercise library and take some time to research instructional videos for coaching. I have experience coaching but in person, not online as much. I want to learn how to provide information that is digestible and applicable. There are certain techniques and forms that I want to dive deeper in explaining how to do the exercise. I will have an exercise library but I want to make something more in depth for complex movements such as squatting, deadlifting and benching. These exercises are compound movements and I think it is vital to walk through set up, execution, and end of movement. There are so many small things that go into someone performing these exercises well and I want to give everyone the information to do so.

Who Am I?

 Welcome,

    My name is Zachary Bint and I am 22 years old as of this post. I am a student, a coach, and an athlete. I am in my 5th year of the Brock University Concurrent Education program with my undergrad being a bachelor's degree in honours physical education and am now in teachers college. Outside of school I have began coaching my friends and some clients in their fitness journeys. As an athlete I am a powerlifter with Brock Barbell and compete in the Ontario Powerlifting Association (OPA).

    In my day to day life I am participating in strength training 2-3 hours a day, spending even more time cooking, being a student with class and assignments, and to relax I either watch movies or play video games (sometimes both at the same time). 

    My journey as an athlete has been that of variety. I grew up playing hockey and soccer competitively, continued to seek success in hockey until I aged out at 20 and continued my education at Brock. I have been training for 14 years, many of that specifically for hockey but in the most recent years I have shifted to powerlifting. I have been a powerlifter for 4 years now and have found an outlet in lifting. It was a hard transition from playing hockey  5-6x a week to nothing. Lifting has been great for my mental and physical health.

    The goal of this blog is for me to further my coaching knowledge and widen the variety of coaching I can provide. I believe that life long physical activity is very important for everyone. Reducing cardio vascular risk, being active with family, and being able to complete day to day tasks into your later years are some of the most important things in my mind. My goal is to help people on their personal fitness journey no matter the goal.

Brock Barbell (@brockbarbell) • Instagram photos and videos