Lift Free And Diet Hard with Andrew Coates

#459 Dean Somerset - Personal Trainer Career Masterclass

Apr 9, 2026
Practical strategies for training clients who have pain and how to train around injuries without stopping progress. Clear tactics for when to refer to allied health and how to describe pain to guide care. Career advice for modern trainers, including starting paths, scaling with semi-private training, and building writing and online systems. Thoughts on influencers, attention economy, and planning sustainable fitness businesses.
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ANECDOTE

Kept An Ankle Patient Strong During Mexico Surgery

  • A client shattered his ankle in Mexico and Dean kept him training by shifting to tolerated single-leg machines and heavy upper body work.
  • This approach combined pragmatic equipment choices and cross-education to preserve function during recovery.
ADVICE

Pick The Training Environment That Gives You Reps

  • You don't have to start in a commercial gym; choose the environment that gives the best opportunity for reps and growth.
  • If bypassing in-person, be strong at sales and backend delivery to scale online coaching successfully.
INSIGHT

Visibility Beats Expertise In The Attention Economy

  • The attention economy rewards visibility more than expertise; many creators succeed by producing high-volume, attention-grabbing content rather than higher-quality coaching.
  • Dean urges understanding this dynamic rather than moralizing about influencers.
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