515 - X-Force Body: The Highly Successful, High-Ticket, Negative-Accentuated HIT Strength Training Studio (Interview with Co-Founder Illy Stoilova)
Release Date: 05/14/2025
High Intensity Business
There is a quiet pandemic that’s going on in the world that not enough people are talking about: chronic disease. More and more people are getting chronically ill, but what if the solution to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic conditions has actually been there all along? In this episode, university lecturer, researcher, and physiotherapist Tim Dettmann joins us to talk about how high-intensity training can literally help save lives and extend both lifespan and healthspan, and why many HIT practitioners don’t realize the power they have to help their...
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So you’ve designed and built out your new garage-based HIT studio, and you’re ready to get your HIT machines — which machines should you get first? Should you favor certain brands over others? Does the type of equipment matter if you like to train a certain way or if your type of clients have very specific needs? Million-Dollar Trainer Pete Cerqua returns for part 2 of the series on building your own garage-based HIT studio, and we get into the nitty-gritty of choosing the right machines for your specific needs, based on your available studio space, your training style, your...
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So you’re ready to build your own garage-based HIT studio, but what exactly do you need to know to get started? In this first episode of a new series, Million-Dollar Trainer Pete Cerqua walks you through the first steps you need to take and all the things you need to know to lay the foundations of your new business properly, including knowing if your area is good for that type of business, permits and zoning considerations, types of external buildings and internal modifications you can consider, your initial setup, client amenities, and more. If you want to get your...
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How can you build a successful HIT personal training business without your own HIT studio? Jeremy Amin has done it, and in this episode, we talk about how he’s growing his client list while training in a big box gym. We go into some very specific – and highly effective – tactics that he has used to get more clients, from simple things like talk triggers and converting conversations to attracting prospective clients with short phone outreach methods, gym bulletin boards, and even chalkboards. If you don’t see yourself close to setting up your own HIT...
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So you’ve started getting good at getting strength training clients, but are you – or your trainers – doing things that drive business away without realizing it? Million-Dollar Trainer Pete Cerqua returns to talk about why your approach to client retention matters when it comes to building a successful fitness business and the things you can do right now to make sure your clients keep coming back. Pete walks you through where trainer-client relationships go wrong, why you need to be softly and subtly selling all the time (and how you can do this), designing a workout that will help you...
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What do you need to know to get the most out of your MedX machines and give your strength training clients the best possible results? In this previously members-only episode, we’re featuring award-winning trainer and MedX expert Bill Crawford, the founder of Basic Training in Scottsdale, Arizona. We go into detail on how to get the most in terms of configuring your machines, optimizing for different client builds and heights, how to coach specific exercises, how to use MedX equipment as a proper selling point for your fitness business, and more. If...
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What’s it like to leave a high-paying job in one of the greatest cities in the world so you can create a hyper-focused podcast serving High-Intensity Training business owners? That’s exactly what Lawrence Neal, founder of the High Intensity Business podcast (formerly called Corporate Warrior) did, and it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Dave Bess turns the tables on Lawrence and gets him to talk about what it took to get HIB to where it is now: a household name in the HIT industry, one that serves the fitness business owner from start to finish. If you want...
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What does it take to go from 1 studio to 1 million in revenue? Strength Evolution founder Patrick Ziebell joins us to talk about how he finally unlocked the path to success after being slow to grow. We talk about how important having the right focus is, using MedX Medical machines, working as a trainer versus working on the business, how he looks at having competition, and more — including a face-to-face conversation with Arthur Jones that Patrick will probably never forget. If you want to see how a million-dollar HIT entrepreneur locks in to grow his...
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What’s it like doing over a hundred client sessions a week, helping people get fit and fixing injuries caused by things like CrossFit? Salus Strength Founder Kyra Seiler talks about how she fixed her many injuries using high-intensity training and how she’s helping many people do the same while getting in the best shape of their life. We go into how she went from chronically injured CrossFit practitioner to successful HIT strength trainer doing over 100 sessions a week, including how she manages to get so many referrals as a “fun” personal trainer (in her own...
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How quickly can you become a highly profitable personal trainer and HIT studio owner? TJ Milam is the founder of Premier Strength in Nashville, Tennessee, and he talks about his journey from starting out in Hollywood to starting his own High-Intensity Training Studio and getting 40 sessions right after opening. We go into the powerful customer service lessons he’s learned that attracts clients to you, why your mindset matters more than you might think, and exactly how he managed to get so many sessions right away once he opened the doors to his new HIT studio…...
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