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Updates

NEW PODCAST (Ep. 9)

Coach Natalie’s journey to SSP and Fitness Business musings 

Hello friends, 

Listen to Episode 9 where Coach Natalie and Coach Chris do something a little different this time. We talk about Coach Natalie’s journey to SSP and our general experiences in the fitness industry that shape how we approach the business at SSP. 

If you’ve ever been curious about how careers in the fitness industry work, how and why roles are structured the way they are at SSP, and some of our general perspectives on the industry, this podcast is for you! 

You can listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

Let us know what you think? And we’re always looking for topics for future episodes! Drop me a note if you have any specific asks or questions from the episode. 

Happy Listening! 

Best, 

Coach Chris & Team SSP

WE ARE HIRING

Interested parties please send your resume to: contact@seattlesp.com. We are looking for a full-time role to add to our team. This person needs to be passionate about our mission with a desire to grow and develop a long term career in fitness. We offer a full benefits package, including Medical/Dental/Vision benefits, 401(k) + employer match, Paid Time Off, and a generous continuing education budget.

Seattle Strength & Performance 
Job title: Fitness Coach/Personal Trainer
Work Location: 7408 Greenwood Ave N Seattle, WA 98103 AND 601 W McGraw St Seattle, WA 98119
Reports to: Program Design Manager
 Full-time Part-time Exempt Nonexempt
About Our Company:
Seattle Strength & Performance has two locations in Queen Anne and Phinney Ridge, Seattle WA. Its mission is to make strength training inclusive and accessible to every person. We believe in providing expert coaching to deliver the best results through our proven programming. Along the way, our strong community built of committed members is there to support everyone together.  We are looking to bring on a high-quality member to our team. The right candidate must possess a passion for contributing to a committed community of individuals (both members + staff) and want to be part of a fast-growing company with strong ambitions.  

Our culture is based on core values which drive our ‘why’: 
#1 Strength training is for everybody: We pride ourselves in creating an inclusive community, one where everyone feels welcome, and where, no matter your age or abilities, we will train you safely and effectively. 

#2 Community is everything: Coaches and members empower each other to be the best possible versions of ourselves we can be. 

#3 Moving better = feeling better: We want everyone to experience the benefit of how movement positively impacts their quality of life. 

#4 Smart coaching means personalized to you: Our programming is not one size fits all; we evaluate your needs and abilities and program for you to keep you healthy, moving, and to get the best results possible. The gym takes care of you; not just individuals. 

#5 People are capable of much more than they think they are: Our coaches live this and we give it back to our members. We push you in the best possible way so we can see your reaction when you do something you never thought you’d be able to do.  

#6 If we’re not having fun, we’re doing something wrongStrength training should be work but should also be fun. Fitness should be fun. If you’re not having fun (and we’re not having fun), we need to find another way of doing things.

#7 Continuous learning is in our DNA
We focus on raising our own bar to be able to give the best coaching and experience we can back to our members. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The Fitness Coach must be a self-starter, exhibiting high energy working with clients, simultaneously motivating and building a great culture in the gym. We are a small team and this person must exemplify the core values of our culture through their daily work. They should have a “roll up their sleeves” mentality, taking an ownership mindset when in the gym and priding themselves on their work. We want people who are dedicated to providing the absolute best coaching and committed to building a strong and thriving community for our members.  

Primary duties will be to conduct personal training in a semi-private setting (one coach with up to many members) and leading both strength and metabolic conditioning classes of up to 16 people. This role will involve 20-25 hours per week of training floor time with members and 15-20 hours per week of administrative work.  The ideal candidate should enjoy being in a gym and have a strong passion for helping others succeed and delivering results. They should want to continually improve themselves through education and take an active interest in bringing ideas to improve community, growth and development in the gym.  

Note: all new coaching positions with SSP start with our coaching internship program. It is a paid position requiring 80 hours of shadowing and coaching work, and it is the first step to full or part time positions with SSP. During this time, you get to understand our systems and ways of working to evaluate if it it’s a fit for you. We also get to meet and work with you to understand if you’re a fit for our community. We love adding people to our team but we also take the act of adding people seriously. It is important we use this initial period to evaluate fit on both sides.  

Key Responsibilities 
Personal Training (semi-private setting) 
Group Fitness Instruction leading strength and metabolic conditioning classes
Perform fitness assessments, determine exercise prescriptions, and design workout programs for a diverse population (programming guidance will be provided)
Able to teach exercises and coach and cue with clients effectively, progressing and regressing exercises as needed 
Administrative duties within the Program Design Team (including work in Microsoft Excel and Office)
Manages member interaction/relations and able to answer questions regarding membership 
Engages with new potential members who walk in the gym and can articulate well the benefits and membership options in the gym 
Communicates points of view and updates internally among team 
Helping to maintain a clean and inviting environment in the gym for members 
Participates in community events – gym happy hours, workshops, and more  
Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:  

Required Skills:
Up-to-date CPT certification (NASM, NSCA)
At least 1 year working with fitness clients, either personal training or leading classes
Up-to-date CPR/AED certification
Has excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively communicate with internal and external customers in a timely manner
Maintains a positive attitude and provides exemplary customer service
Skilled with a variety of office technology – Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel and Outlook), Adobe Acrobat PDF
Provides the highest level of professionalism – is punctual, resourceful, independent, detail-oriented, and prioritizes accuracy
Accountability: reliability and personal responsibility – honors commitments, takes ownership of work and promptly corrects mistakes to the greatest extent possible; meets deadlines and continuously communicates 
Confidentiality: shares information appropriately while adhering to privacy rules and confidentiality concerns
Interpersonal Relationships: provides communication follow through, shares expertise in a constructive way, contributes to a positive workplace culture

Preferred Skills:
2+ years working with fitness clients
Experience working in a sports performance setting specifically with youth/teenage student athletes Holds additional certifications, including but not limited to, USAW, Precision Nutrition, FRC, FMS, CSCS, Strongfirst, RKC
Initiative/Internal Motivation: proactively searches for ways to streamline processes and increase efficiency, thinks of innovative ways to improve company success

Qualifications:

Must be available to coach evenings (starting 3:30pm) 
Flexible to shift work schedule as required for coverage (early mornings, middays)
Comfortable working independently 
Comfortable with ambiguity and a “start-up” mindset  
Pay:
$45-50k starting full-time annual salary DOE 

Benefits:
Gym Membership 
Long term growth potential 
Continuing Education (including seminars and certifications) 
Medical/Dental/Vision 
401k

NEW PODCAST (Ep. 8)

Resistance Training as you Age + Strength vs. Conditioning 

Hello friends, 

Listen to our latest episode (#8) of Inside SSP! Tune in with Coach Chris and Coach Nat as they discuss the importance of resistance training as you age and how strength training really is the “magic bullet” to age healthfully. They also discuss the differences between training for strength and training for metabolic conditioning and how we help you do both at SSP. At the end they answer your rapid-fire questions including how alcohol impacts fitness goals and what they’ve both been reading these days!

You can listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Let us know what you think? And we’re always looking for topics for future episodes! Drop us a note if you have any specific asks or questions from the episode.  

Happy Listening! 

Best,

Coach Chris & Team SSP

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Here’s one we just sent out!

Our View on Fitness & Diet Culture

I’ll be honest with you. I’m not a big fan of traditional fitness and diet culture. I see a lot of it  advertised right now because of the sunny weather with messages like “get your summer body!”  

I don’t take any issue with anyone wanting to improve their body composition, get stronger, feel better and more confident. What I do take issue with is how certain segments of the industry prey on people’s insecurities to drive them into fitness spaces or to participate in wholly unhealthy fad diets. As a fitness professional, I have to believe we’re all in this to help as many people as we can improve their health and their life, and if that’s the case, we should do better. 

As a professional and as a person who has been consistent with my fitness for the last 10 years, I can say with confidence that fitness and nutrition is a lifelong endeavor, something that you do consistently over time with the key benefits being an increased lifespan (and independence in that life), decreased risk of diseases, and greater mobility and strength to do more of the things you love for longer (and hey, you’ll probably build some muscle and your clothes will fit differently in the process). 

But, when I see messages like “6 week shred” and “cleanse to get your summer body” and “4 weeks to your six pack” it always rubs me the wrong way. The messages are toxic, and it’s a marketing ploy specifically targeted to get people to take action because they feel insecure about their bodies. 

Look, business is business, and the business of fitness is not easy. I understand professionals need to make money, but I believe you can still do that and stand for something else. 

You’ll notice at SSP we don’t talk about “shreds.” We won’t participate in perpetuating what has historically been what the fitness industry has said “fitness” or “strength” looks like. We won’t tell you to stop eating certain foods or to aggressively cut your caloric intake. We are about creating community. We are about quality coaching. We are about teaching exercise and nutrition as lifelong habits. We are about encouraging people to take up space, and to create an environment where they feel seen, heard, and respected. 

We’re always here to support you on your journey because we believe strength training is for everybody, and we believe in doing our part to change the toxic messaging in the industry. 

Best,

Chris & Team SSP 

P.S. Sign up here for an assessment to start your 30-day trial membership. You’ll get 2 personal training sessions and unlimited access to our classes for $99! 

National Exposure: Articles featuring our gym and our coaches!

SSP coaches have been consulted with and featured in multiple publications and articles. We love spreading our philosophies and coaching to more people. Check these out! 

Everything You Need To Know About Compound Exercises (Nike)
https://www.nike.com/sa/a/compound-exercise

Don’t Skip Strength Training if you want to Get Better at Running (Insider) https://www.insider.com/runners-should-strength-train-for-better-speed-and-endurance-coach-2022-5

Locals to Know: Chris Travis (The Evergrey)
https://theevergrey.com/locals-to-know-chris-travis/

The expert guide to the ultimate glute workout for men (The Manual)
https://www.themanual.com/fitness/glutes-workout-tips-from-an-expert/

Why Grip is Essential (Shape) 
https://www.shape.com/fitness/tips/grip-strength-exercises

4 Low Impact Exercises that target the core and help you build muscle and master form (Insider)
https://www.insider.com/low-impact-exercise-build-core-strength-muscle-stability-coach-advice-2022-5

How to Do a Lateral Squat and Why It’s a Great Exercise for Runners (Runner’s World)
https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a40105767/how-to-do-lateral-squats/

Fire Up the Entire Back of Your Body with the Superman Exercise (Runner’s World)
https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a40118102/how-to-do-superman-exercise/

3 Common Strength Training Myths Debunked (Eat This Not That)
https://www.eatthis.com/strength-training-myths-debunked/

The 8 Best Kettlebells to Buy for Your Home Workouts (Livestrong)
https://www.livestrong.com/article/13726327-best-kettlebells/

All the Muscles That Fire Up In a Plank (Nike)
https://www.nike.com/a/what-muscles-do-planks-work

How to Create a Workout Routine You’ll Actually Stick To (Paceline)
https://paceline.fit/blog/fitness/how-to-create-a-workout-routine-youll-actually-stick-to/

11 Benefits of Training With Dumbbells (Livestrong)
https://www.livestrong.com/article/13773032-dumbbell-benefits/

9 Strategies for Gaining Muscle While Losing Weight (US News & World Report)
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/fitness/articles/can-you-gain-muscle-while-losing-weight?int=hp_center_main_article_health#expert-sources

Business Spotlight (Phinney Neighborhood Association)
https://www.phinneycenter.org/business-spotlight-seattle-strength-and-performance/