How to Get Shredded, Break World Records, and Write Killer Copy with Stan Dutton (ep. 003)

Stan Dutton overseeing a small group class at his old gym in Chinatown, Boston, MA.

Stan Dutton is the co-owner of UpLifted Inc. in Boston. He was one of the top 20 165-pound powerlifters in the United States in 2014. He completed 300 hours of hands-on training at the American Academy of Personal Training and earned his Training for Warriors Level 2 certification. He is a second degree black belt in Taekwondo.

I met Stan Dutton while recording my boss doing squats at his gym. We immediately hit it off. Two young college dropouts trying to make it as entrepreneurs in the city of higher education (Boston). What's not to like?

Stan and his partner Nathan were running a Training for Warriors franchise location when I met them. Stan impressed me with world records in power lifting and constant enthusiasm for life and business. Plus, he's a genuinely nice guy.

(Nathan is also impressive, I mean, the dude's biceps are enormous.)

Now, Stan is undergoing a totally new transformation. It's an exciting time to be a top-flight personal trainer. Find out how Stan gets crazy results with ordinary people in episode 003 of Hacker Practice.

[2.10] Stan discusses being the personal trainer for the CEO of Pavlok and how he met Justus.

[5.20] Stan describes his philosophy on fitness:

• An empathetic approach without having to a stereotypical “burn them down” trainer and rather “build them up”
• Built on a foundation of integrity
• Stan puts the “fun” in functional fitness.
• Train for consistency and focus on having fun in the process.

[10.30] Stan gives tips on how he would go about training up Justus to become an elite level athlete in only 6 months.

• Train to your genetic physical strengths
• Intensive training needs to be supported with longevity training

[15.00] Justus shares a story about how he broke 2 hours in a half marathon after taking a poop!

[21.30] Stan shares details on the records he broke including lifting 3 times his bodyweight as well as the importance of breathing exercises

• Stan explains how he uses specific breathing exercises to enhance his lifting capability
• Proper breathing is fundamental to a great posture which is critical to effective and efficient powerlifting.
• Breathing needs to occur through your diaphragm. You want to feel like you are breathing through your stomach. Your collarbone should remain relatively stable if performed properly.

[31.00] Discussion on Stan’s preferred protein supplements and common misconceptions around creatine

• Creatine, monohydrate for strength and mass building
• Creatine essentially gives your muscles extra energy to be able to max out repetitions. The cells will draw in extra water to enable this process which can cause dehydration. So it’s especially important to be vigilant of hydration when using creatine supplements.
• Stan shares how taking too much creatine as an adolescent resulted in severe nausea, loss of appetite and the beginnings of dialysis.
• Taking hormones can result in Gynecomastia (enlarged breasts)

[40.00] Pros/cons of fasting

[42.30] Stan says why he thinks college is a waste of time and explains how getting hands on experience, has set him up for success in the personal training industry

• Not going to college taught Stan how to deal with uncertainty in business relationships

[48.00] “At one point a degree used to be a differentiator...now not having a degree is a differentiator”

[49.15] Why suffering is the best thing that can happen to someone because it forces them to grow and change

[51.00] Stan describes his tips on writing epic emails and copy

• Attention
• Interest
• Desire
• Action
• Learn how to be empathetic and put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Remember, people buy from people.
• Stan suggests Paul Mort as a fantastic resource for writing quality copy

[58.50] Stan describes specific tactics for selling high value coaching services

• The power of specific personal examples and sharing vulnerability with clients

[1.04.00] Why having a personal coach will help you become a better version of yourself

[1.08.00] Stan describes the “black swan” event that turned his life upside down

[1.15:30] Stan describes his latest venture - busyguyfitness.com an online platform for busy professionals to complete workouts in time constrained environments

[1.18.40] How Ryan Holiday’s, Ego is the Enemy helped Stan reframe his decision to work as intern and take a “pay cut”

How you can get in touch with Stan:

Instagram: @standutton165

Website: busyguyfitness.com  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanDuttonTraining