We recently connected with Robbie Robertson and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Robbie, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
The biggest risk I’ve taken – both personally or professionally – was starting UncleBod during COVID. I’d always wanted to work in & around athletics, but after finishing college in my late 20’s (I’m a late bloomer, not a doctor), I took the first decent-paying gig so I could find an apartment and start paying off student loans.
Flash forward five exhausting, stressful years in the corporate world later – my wife and I were both temporarily working from home because of the COVID shutdowns and looking for hobbies since EVERYTHING was closed. I decided instead of learning how to bake sourdough from scratch, I’d spend my time working on my personal training certification courses (through ISSA).
I began training several friends & neighbors pro bono, and with my new understanding of how the body works, both myself and the guys I was training saw significant results in a much shorter time than I’d experienced in 20 years of an “on again/off again” relationship with exercise with traditional workouts. Combining these results with the coursework I completed to obtain my Online Fitness Coaching certificate, I had a blueprint for how I could take my training style virtual and help clients from around the world.
But the big risk came when I finally gave my two-week notice at work, as my brother Kris and I designed and built the UncleBod website and fitness app and started promoting on social media with lots of help from our first official “client”/spokesperson, comedian & best-selling author, Mr. Corey Ryan Forrester. After a few terrifying days, we booked our first client, then the 2nd… and now our 3-year anniversary is just around the corner.
And no – I didn’t start making millions of dollars or become a “fitness influencer”; but UncleBod provided me with a platform to do what I love and help people across the country improve their health. And in the process, we’ve partnered with the BEST fitness club in Chattanooga, TN (Fitness Central) to bring UncleBod-style workouts to the group fitness setting, so prospective clients can now work with me virtually from ANYWHERE, or you can catch a class in person if you ever find yourself in East Tennessee!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m not the personal trainer who’s been in shape since middle school and hasn’t had a carb since the Clinton administration. I’m the one who spent 20+ years struggling with my own weight/physique before finding a formula in my mid-30’s that finally worked for me and I’ve been led to share my experience with others who’ve gone thru the same struggle for years/decades of frustration.
And yes, “UncleBod” is a spin-off of the commonly known phrase “dad-bod” – but there’s more to the name than just a cute wordplay. When my oldest nephew started walking, I realized quickly I wasn’t healthy enough to play with him for more than 10 minutes at a time without an oxygen/beer break.
The chances of becoming the world’s greatest uncle seemed slim if I couldn’t play with my brothers & sisters kids when they were young and then died of a bacon overdose before they hit middle school. So I started getting up before work and going to the gym with no real idea what I was doing other than what I learned playing sports in high school.
With this newfound consistency, a hobby quickly turned into a passion, and I started building a home gym in our guest room with no idea the passion would eventually become a business. And then once I was equipped with the knowledge of how to transform my physique through the ISSA certification courses, my results kept progressing as did my clients’, and UncleBod took on a life of its own – giving another option to people who’ve struggled trying to figure out why their body wouldn’t cooperate with their aspirations.
I felt like the fitness industry was created mostly by individuals who never STRUGGLED to get in shape – so a lot of the traditional “rules” simply might not apply to the average person who didn’t lunge-walk out of their mother with a 6-pack. For those of us who aren’t naturally lean/muscular, there’s a different formula to improvement than for those who can do 10-15 pushups and instantly look like a long-lost Hemsworth brother.
The problem I help my clients solve is one that I first had to solve for myself: how can I realistically get in shape, from home (or on the road), with a busy schedule, when NOTHING ELSE has worked?!?
I believe most people are a lot closer to making serious physical progress than they realize – often they just need a hint of direction and/or accountability to get the ball rolling. And in my biased opinion, the best way to achieve that is working with a trainer who understands your personal needs, goals, motivations, schedule, injury history, abilities, and can help diagnose why you haven’t yet seen the results you want.
And my overall approach/mindset is simple: I take my training very seriously while never taking myself too seriously.
Looking back over the past couple years of learning from each unique client I’ve worked with, I take a lot of pride in the increased emphasis UncleBod has put on the psychological aspects of health & fitness. There’s no 1 individual workout that’s gonna make a difference in your long term health, no matter how hard it was – but if you can understand someone’s inspirations/motivations/apprehensions, you can better help them build healthy habits into their lifestyle without torturing themselves, and those are a lot more likely to stick.
By learning to prioritize the mental aspects with clients up front before they ever do an exercise, I’m able to offer a much more comprehensive plan for approaching the client’s program than when we first launched, when I was naively focused too much on the physical side. And the % of clients who consistently complete their workouts reflects the effectiveness of getting to the bottom of those psychological questions – as they have transformed exercise from a “hobby” to a “habit”.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
The only factor more important in this field than training/knowledge, in my opinion, has two parts:
-Genuinely listening to your clients
-Effectively communicating in a way that shows you care
If you listen intently, but you don’t communicate in a way that shows you care, they won’t listen to you for long. And if you communicate that you care but you don’t actually listen – they’ll sniff that out even faster. Either way, they’ll probably stop training with you.
I guess you could combine those two into simply “be genuine”, but I already wrote it and I’m too genuine to go back and edit my previous thoughts!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
UncleBod would’ve likely gone out of business within the first year had we not pivoted even further outside my comfort zone with the way we used the UncleBod App. Initially, we only planned to offer LIVE 1-on-1 virtual training, via Zoom, and use the app as an amenity for clients so they could request extra workouts through the app on days they weren’t training with me, or to make up missed workout sessions.
After going back and forth on the idea for weeks, we decided to offer programs EXCLUSIVELY thru the app for people whose schedule/budget/lifestyle weren’t conducive to regularly scheduled Live workouts, but they still wanted professional guidance from someone who understood their goals & struggles and could help create a blueprint for them to follow. These programs still include an initial video conversation, where I get a better understanding of the the person’s, struggles, habits, and any health/medical/range-of-motion issues they feel comfortable discussing. Their membership also includes an optional monthly 30-min video chat if they’d like to discuss their progress, obstacles, or update their goals, plus an internal messaging app where they can reach me any time with questions/issues/feedback between check-in sessions.
After the initial consultation, each client receives an email link within 2-3 days so they can download the U.B. app and access their workout/nutrition resources. From there, clients are free to complete each workout at their own pace – along with an optional monthly Live “check-in” session where we’ll discuss progress, struggles, modifications, and reassess goals.
What started as an ‘accessory’ now accounts for over half of our virtual business, and the efficiency allows us help significantly more people than we could fit into 24 hours if we were only doing Live programs.
You won’t find UncleBod in the app store; it’s a private app that can only be accessed once your personalized program has been uploaded for you. And that’s really what makes us different than every other generalized “fitness app”: while many of those apps are great for “one-size fits all” fitness, we only offer personalized programs, prescribed ONLY after understanding each individual’s specific needs, goals, abilities & risk factors/limitations.
The vibe we’ve tried to put out the last 3 years is simple: we’ve got your back without standing over your shoulder. And the combination of offering live 1-on-1 training plus the app-based plans has become a sweet spot where we can give more people our undivided attention as we build their workouts, help implement realistic habits, and keep them accountable; even if that’s just setting reminders/check-ins, offering feedback when asked, or listening to them vent about how much they (understandably) hate the Mets.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.unclebod.com
- Instagram: @unclebodfitness
- Twitter: @unclebodfitness
