Coach Rishi

Fitness confession #25

Spending high school looking like the left pic was not the nicest experience. The name calling & almost zero interest from girls. I was already naturally an introvert & socially awkward. This made it worse 😆

There are some silver linings to bad experiences. I learned to develop other areas of my character unrelated to looks. Once I started to physically change, I noticed a bit more female attention creeping in. But as I was socially re****ed it took me while to figure s**t out properly!

It's not always how you start out but the direction you're going. I'm happily married with 2 kids. Staying in shape is fun, healthy, & good for business.

I now wear my wedding ring around my neck as it doesn't fit on my ring finger anymore. 20 kg lighter than my wedding day! In hindsight, I shouldn't have bulked before getting married 🤷🏽‍♂️

I am posting my latest PT prices for any prospective clients. As I strive to keep improving, so does the added value I can provide you as your coach. My working hours are 6am-2pm & all sessions will take place at - A separate membership can be purchased with BPC, aka the best gym in BKK! Saturday is my day off 🙌

Apply now! 💥

I'm looking for 1 personal trainer to mentor from May 1st.

I will provide you with invaluable business & technical knowledge from my 14 years in the industry.

What you will learn is not taught in a Sports Science Degree, which I have, or your generic PT course, that I've done.

I will teach you how to effectively run your freelance business, scale upwards, & optimise efficiency.

In return, I will charge a monthly fee, & I will take a 25% commission per session of any client I share with you. My monthly rates start from 10,000 thb per month minimum but will increase depending on the level of hours & service I provide.

Applicants must be fluent in English, hardworking, qualified, high level of fitness, takes care of their appearance, professional, & above all else, willing to learn.

Email me your resume to [email protected]. Male or female applicants welcome to apply. Do NOT apply if you announce your pronouns on social media.

What makes a good trainer part 4 - Message response rate & punctuality 🤓

Hiring a personal trainer is a luxury, especially one that charges 2k+ per hour. The type of person that can afford that is likely a successful rich person or married to one. They are used to a high level of customer service & will judge you on small details.

If an individual messages 2 trainers that on paper look equally good, trainer A responds to the inquiry promptly, while trainer B takes 3 days to respond. In this scenario, trainer B would have lost a sale while trainer A would have made a new client.

A similar thing can be said about being on time. My clients are taking time out of their day to meet me to train. Time is money. Some of these clients own hotels, multimillion dollar businesses, schools, apartment blocks, etc. If you keep can't even turn up on time, how long do you think they will stick around?

Even a peasant like me in comparison judges service providers on the topic of this post. If I messaged 2 tattoo artists I liked & one took too long to respond, I'd pick the other one.

Never take professionalism for granted. Try to be detail oriented, & it will pay off. I still have a client from 14 years ago before either of us had kids or got married. 😆

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If you say you're gonna do something, do it ✨️

The above piece of advice is simple & was given to me early on in my career. It stuck with me & helps me achieve the majority of the goals I set myself.

I'm not the type of person to make vision boards (nothing against them) or ask the opinion of a life coach, but goal setting is important to keep progressing with our fitness goals & in life in general.

I like to keep it basic, set a realistic goal, be pragmatic & break down how I can achieve it. Once achieved, set a new goal.

To stay motivated, my OCD helps (not a requirement, though), & I feel the necessity to complete the task at hand to make things right again. I keep myself accountable by telling people my goals. Failing to achieve them will make me look bad & I don't want that.

When it comes to fitness goals, I always recommend doing everything perfectly until you achieve the goal. Once you achieve that goal, there's light at the end of the tunnel & you can afford to ease off a bit.

I recently did a cut to get leaner. Now I'm at my goal physique, I can maintain & also get away with more controlled cheat meals whilst in maintenance.

In short, dedicate yourself fully to your goals. Get there as efficiently as possible. This is far better than half arsing it & not quite getting to your goal or taking much longer than it should do.

Most fitness goals are straightforward as long as you're TRULY disciplined!

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Does having kids make it harder to stay in shape?

Everyone's home life varies, & we can't directly compare one parent situation to another. I will use my own experience as a father, having been a parent of 2 kids for 7 years now. Having the finances to have a nanny, maid, driver, & PT will provide a contrasting challenge to someone on minimum wage. It's still difficult either way.

Top 3 factors that make it harder:

#1. Quality of sleep - Kids sabotage your sleep. Even now, although I plan my caffeine, winding down time, & whole sleep cycle, it can be messed up if your kid comes to your room saying they had a bad dream. Sleep affects everything, including appetite, energy to train, motivation, etc.

#2. Finances - The size of your home needs to be larger, hospital fees, food & don't get me started on tuition fees in Thailand if you want an international school. If my wife hadn't recently become a teacher at my kids' mid tier International school, I'd have to fork up 1 million baht per year just on tuition alone for 2 kids. To afford kids, you need to work more, but also be present to be a good parent. This takes time away from prioritising exercise.

#3. Less fun things to do - When kids are young it's less practical to go to the cinema or go to a bar with your friends. Unless you have a helper or family members that chip in regularly, it leaves you with less fun options for the parents. That's where food indulgence during family time is enjoyable but not good on the physique.

Solutions:

It is harder with kids to stay in shape, but it's definitely possible.

You have to manage your time effectively & be a role model to your kids by prioritising your own health. Elevate your career to be in a position to work smarter & not just harder.

Kids can make life difficult in health & wealth. Or it can unleash a gear you never thought you had in different areas of your life. When almost your whole purpose is for your kids, it can be the greatest motivator there is.

F**k having a dadbod, get in shape & be a parent the other parents find fitness inspiration from. You don't need to be a trainer for that! 💪

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3 fitness beliefs of mine that have changed over time 🧠

Scientific research is constantly evolving & fitness is not an exact science. It’s important to have the humility to acknowledge there's a lot you don't know.

1. Cardio – Once upon a time I was anti-cardio because at the time, my only goal was to look good aesthetically. You can do that purely from weight training & dieting. The first time I achieved visible abs I didn’t do any direct cardio. However, over time I saw the flaw in this approach. Including cardio into your routine is important for heart health & also enables you to eat a bit more.

2.Calorie/Macro counting – I’ve been tracking my macros for many years now but initially I used to mock my brother for doing so. I just thought it was odd to quantify the foods you ate & I just thought of foods as either ‘clean’ or ‘cheat’ foods. At this point I had been in reasonable shape but never had visible abs. Eventually I got over my stubbornness & decided to track my macros in order to get leaner . By doing this I finally got a six pack. I delved deeper into the science behind tracking your food & realised how logical it was. Especially for a person like me that likes things to be precise (OCD tendancies). I understand it’s not for everyone but it is the most efficient way of eating towards your goal.

3. Not undertaking more post-grad formal education – I know the importance of adding to your knowledge base & this can be done without formal education. Being a naturally skeptical person, I was always hesitant to do certain courses, partly because I like to study solo, & also because I didn’t fully trust the methodology of the course. I got great at applying the knowledge I obtained. I already have a Sports Science degree, a PT qualification as well as 14 years of experience on the gym floor. But this is the year I want to add to my formal education. I’m surrounded by high level bodybuilders, physios, & athletes at the gym I work at. I trust the information & content they showcase. People generally raise their game when their close network is of a high level.

Stay humble, be open minded 😁

New PT working hours starting today 🌟

Monday to Friday - 6am-2pm
Saturday - Off
Sunday - 6am-11am

3 main reasons for the change:

1. I'm focusing on working smarter rather than simply harder. I function best early in the day & easily give my last client the same energy as my first within these hours.

2. Our helper resigned & I don't want a replacement. I grew up without helpers so I'm happy with this. We only tried it for 6 months as my wife started a new job. I prefer to be a part-time house husband 2 hours a day & save 22k a month.

3. I need a rigid schedule to fit in at least 2 hours of studying, online coaching once restarted, & to pursue other streams of future revenue.

Bonus benefit is that I miss rush hour everyday 🎉

Time is a valuable commodity & it's time to maximise it 🤓

The fat kid, the injured kid, & the skinny kid 🙊🙈🙉


Our character & personality traits are formed from our experiences, genetics, & those we surround ourselves with. I mentioned plenty of times that I was fat in school, my sister-in-law suffered a bad injury due to a motorbike accident, & weirdly enough my brother Vishal was skinny. Strength training & focusing on nutrition transformed all of our bodies & lives for the better.

Often, bad habits can potentially trickle down from an individual's parents to their children. If your parents are unfit & regularly eat unhealthy foods, it can influence your kids to do the same as that's the norm to them. But you can break the cycle & create a better path for yourself if you're dedicated enough.

Nobody in my family were fitness role models to my brother & myself. The same can be said for my sister-in-law.

All 3 of us decided on our own to start our fitness journeys. The passion drove us into the industry & now we hope to help & inspire others to achieve their goals.

Strive to different. Strive to be better.

Contact either of us if you wish to be coached by passionate fitness professionals.

Career Choices - Passion Vs Maximum Wealth

There's no wrong answer when asked if you chose your career due primarily to maximise wealth, or to follow your passion. Clearly there's a grey area between the 2 distinctions also.

I chose a career I'm passionate about. The money I make is important but to spend the majority of your day enjoying your job makes you a whole lot happier.

In school there were no signs my life would lead to a fitness career. Quite the contrary. I sucked in P.E and was usually picked nearly last during lunchtime football matches. However, I was academically quite smart but just didn't apply myself fully. Super introverted, not very social, and awkward. As a personal trainer you spend most of your time socialising, can't afford to be shy, and networking is essential.

I went onto university to study Law and successfully completed half the degree (sorry if you've heard me talk about this before). It was only at this point in my life I realised I had zero passion for this career path. Too boring! So I quit.

I had gradually built up a passion for fitness since the end of high school. Therefore I switched career paths, completed a PT course and followed it with a Sports Science degree.

Fast forward to now and that decision was essential to my current happiness. I may not be making as much money as my eldest brother, who's a highly successful construction lawyer in London, but I'm providing my family a happy life. You can improve the weak points in your character to do something you love.

My advice to any youngins reading this, is to pick a career that will enhance your quality of life and that you're passionate about. What's the point of being a millionaire if you're miserable and unhealthy?

Find a way to generate wealth doing something you enjoy. This is just my opinion anyway and thought I'd share my view. Feel free to disagree!

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What makes a good trainer - Part 2

*Adding Value*

Adding value is how you can improve a particular service or product. There are numerous ways to improve the service you provide your personal training clients. Adding more value will result in better results, better rapport, higher retention, and potentially more revenue.

My goal as a trainer/coach is to do what’s in my power to help the client achieve their goal. I don’t think of it simply on an hour-by-hour process although that’s how I currently charge. I help them with their nutrition, cardio plan to supplement the strength training we do, create a routine to do on their own to maximize progress, share useful articles, and if needed regularly provide supportive messages to them outside of the session, among other things. I do not charge extra for this because I know it will benefit both me and the client. I have numerous clients that have stuck with me for 5-10+ years!

Try to make yourself stand out amongst the other trainers. I like to invest and bring in my own gym accessories to the gym I’m based at, in order to improve the experience for the client and the smoothness of our routine.

Aim to be the best trainer on earth, even though it won’t be likely, you will at least maximize your own potential.

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*What makes a good trainer *
Part 1: Application of knowledge

I believe there's a difference between simply learning a topic matter and being able to effectively apply it in a real life situation. I know a lot of trainers that have numerous qualifications but I don't see it improving their progress with their clients, or even generating more revenue. On the other end of the spectrum someone with minimal formal education can use their limited learning base but really make huge strides with their clients goals.

Practicing what you preach provides an essential source of learning. Having a high level of critical thinking can also separate you from mediocrity.

Critical thinking is defined as ' the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.'

There's a lot of contradicting information out there in the fitness world, so it's hard to filter out the nonsense and to know actually works. Also factor in that there's more than one way to achieve a particular goal.

A good trainer can effectively apply the knowledge they believe to be concrete, ignore the silly fads, and get their clients where they need to be.

A bad trainer may just follow anything that's trending on social media!

I believe one of my strengths is applying the knowledge I've obtained. To progress from this I'm planning to do a new qualification to upgrade my PT game starting at the end of May.

What inspired me to make this post was all the comments on Cristiano Ronaldo's physique at the age of 38. He looks phenomenal and is still an elite athlete. However I don't believe it should be a rarity to be in great shape, in terms of aesthetics, even at his age and older. What you lack in optimal natural hormones from your youth, you gain experience, wiseness and an accumulation of previous training.

Admittedly I picked the most extreme pictures of each of my photos I included, i.e my fattest photo and my leanest photos. My progress was far from linear. I just wanted to make the point that you can keep progressing or at least maintaining a decent physique the older you get and starting later in life should not be a negative thing.

There's no better time than the present to start your lifting journey!

FYI I'm currently 37 and in a similar shape to how I looked at 36.

Saa achieved her goal of losing 20kg! She should be proud of her hard work and determination.

It took 11 months and we trained mostly 2x a week with some additional steady state cardio. We did conventional strength training and her strength gains were super impressive. She squats 76kg for 5 reps and also deadlifts 85kg for 5 reps.

Ideally she would have time to train more often to improve her metabolism but she did great regardless.

Moving forward she wants to lose a bit more. I recommend she maintain for a while first before heading back into a calorie deficit, in order to give her a mental/physical break.

Nice to see a number of my clients showing their support by reppin my Coach Rishi shirt 😎

Happy how my new work shirt turned out🤘
Now if my inner bitch surfaces midset, I'll stare in the mirror, see what my shirt says & do another rep! 😆

I didn't intend to sell any but I've had some inquiries. It's 800thb (500thb if you've ever been a client of mine). Instead of the green there's a purple/pink alternative. Message me for more details 💪😎

With a bit of leanness, some complimentary lighting, & the right angle, you can make yourself look more jacked than you actually are! 🦹

Really happy training myself & clients at so far. Especially now that I can bring my own barbell here, like I used to do at IQ 🎉

I'll still be based at The Track (Sukhumvit 15) & Iron Fit also (Sukhumvit 26).

New building/bulk phase will commence 1st of March! 💪

Almost 3 months since the end of my cut & I've maintained a decent level of leanness + energy levels, mood, sleep, appetite are all stable.

This was my goal and it went to plan. I wanted to get ready for a photoshoot and showcase the benefits of reverse dieting after a cut. 🎉

I always planned to do a building phase/steady bulk afterwards. Performance goals are fun and I feel I haven't maxed out strength/wise and have more potential to build more muscle mass.

It's not just about losing weight all the time. Getting stronger and fitter are also great goals to have that differ from just losing body fat. This isn't just an excuse to eat more, although that is a benefit!

During this phase I will sacrifice some leanness as I need to eat in a calorie surplus to maximise performance. I'll stay in the healthy range of course. But this doesn't bother me. I'm not at all attached to being shirtless!

I'll diet down once I hit my performance and muscle mass goals. I aim for this phase to last 6 months and then do a slow cut for 6 months afterwards.