#511 Pete Dupuis - So You Want To Be A Fitness Professional
Lift Free And Diet Hard with Andrew CoatesShow Notes
Pete Dupuis is an icon of gym ownership, business development, and mentorship within the fitness industry.
Pete returns to share what aspiring coaches should understand before turning their passion for fitness into a career—and how the industry has changed over the last two decades.
We discuss:
• Advice for fitness enthusiasts considering a career in the industry • Realistic expectations of what working in fitness actually looks like • The skills and behaviours that improve your chances of long-term success • Different career paths available within the fitness industry • Pete’s story of “running away from reality” when he co-founded Cressey Sports Performance • Why internships and real-world experience matter • The value of spending time in a commercial gym environment • Building a career beyond simply training clients forever • How fitness professionals used to build authority online • How social media and algorithms changed that process • Why having a smaller number of true fans may matter more than chasing reach • The loss of long-form fitness writing • Why platforms like Substack may be bringing it back • What has happened in the gym industry since COVID • The rise of smaller, specialized gyms • What consumers increasingly want from their gym experience • Why community is such a powerful competitive advantage • How gym operators can create career opportunities for coaches • Building a trainer lifestyle you can sustain for decades • AI, apps, and the future of fitness coaching • Why quiet competence eventually gets noticed • And much more
Follow Pete:
@pete_dupuis
CHAPTERS
01:05 The Reality of a Fitness Career 02:17 From Corporate Life to CSP 07:31 Niche, Reputation, and Word of Mouth 11:57 Education and Internships 16:20 The Value of Commercial Gyms 22:55 Building a Long-Term Career 26:55 Building Authority Online 27:57 Social Media Then vs. Now 28:50 Algorithms and True Fans 30:25 The Lost Era of Fitness Writing 32:55 Long-Form Content and Substack 33:37 The Post-COVID Gym Boom 34:17 Scaling the Micro-Gym Model 38:46 Career Paths With Great Operators 40:10 Why Community Drives Great Gyms 45:26 Building a Sustainable Trainer Lifestyle 49:47 Why Quiet Competence Gets Recognized 54:01 Final Thoughts and Where to Find Pete
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Jordan Lips is passionate about fibre - perhaps more than anyone else I’ve met - and maybe you should be too.