THE ED MYLETT SHOW - Gunnar Peterson - World-Class Strength Coach

Episode Date: June 7, 2018

Gunnar Peterson is a Beverly Hills-based personal trainer whose clients include celebrities, professional athletes, and everyday people. Gunnar is also the Los Angeles Lakers’ Director of Strength and Endurance. He is widely recognized for his expertise in functional training and his commitment to developing and implementing innovative fitness techniques. He has worked with athletes from the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, USTA, professional boxing, and various NCAA sports. After piecing together countless gyms for clients over the years, in 2016 he officially launched his Gunnar Gym Design company in order to bring his training style to life worldwide, as it is in his Beverly Hills gym. His residential as well as commercials gyms are well received in the US and abroad. In 2017 Gunnar partnered with the Dream Hotel Group and designed a Gunnar gym in their Hollywood location. Gunnar resides in Beverly Hills with his wife, 4 children and 3.5 dogs.

You need a wake up call. You're in the right friggin place. Welcome to the Ed and Mylet show. Welcome back to Max out with Ed Mylet. Very excited to bring you this gentleman to my left here today. He is a wonderful husband, father and friend. He also happens to be I'm not a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman.

You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman.

You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman. You're a good businessman, but then I counter that with, but I'm good at husband, friend, father. You are. You are good at that, and I think you're good at more than that,

and I think you've built an unbelievable business. He hasn't given himself enough credit, because I think it's because of who you compare yourself to while so a little bit. Years ago, I had a great, arguably greatest football player of all time, I'll leave that out. So you guys can all figure that out. Who said, it's always better when somebody says it about you.

It's true. You walk around saying it about yourself, it kind of looks like a goof. A fact. And so I'll look like the goof and say it about you. So. No, you don't look like a goof. I look like a goof and say it. All right, so we both look goofy.

I think you all probably know a lot about Gunner. There was a lot of kind of anticipation about the show here today. And I don't want to go down this direction. So I just want to get this out of the way in the beginning. If you don't know, Gunner trained some of the most successful business people that walk the earth, some of the most successful entertainers and athletes, anyone from J-Lo to the Card Ashy, and it's disamplish to NBA players.

But I'm also in the right zip code in fairness. I'm in the right space for that. I get people reach out at trainers. I want to do what you do. I live in Corteil, Idaho. I live in Corte de la N Idaho, I live in Scotland, I'm like, those are great wonderful places but the demographic of the potential clientele is just not there to do what I do. Yes, but so he's going to do this the whole interview just so you know the whole

interview he's going to awesthucks it and not give himself any credit and I will force him to tell you some of the things he's great at. He humility is a law start. It is and I appreciate it respected but there are other trainers in your zip code who have not become as prolific and as successful as you have. I have way better parking than they do. You have better parking. How am I doing? So that's the key.

You personal trainers that are watching this that wanted all the keys evidently it comes down to just parking. They also just got a great new gig. You're the strength and is it the strength and conditioning coach for the Lakers, what a wonderful, exciting job. Being a life-ears-laker fan, too, aren't you? Of course, I'm a basketball fan. It's hard, you know.

I'm a fan of the sport. Of the sport that I cannot play, and that's not a humility, that's been proven. I believe that one. That's great. That one I believe. Yeah. Yeah.

Head strength conditioning coach for the LLakers, which is, it's an ironic twist. I wanted that job back in the late 90s and it wasn't there. And I went on and did other stuff and then things come full circle. And I was asked and it was the perfect fit. We have a young team, a great team, a lot of young potential.

And I love working with that. Congratulations, man. We'll talk a little bit about that as we go. I want to go back and talk about you a little bit too. So it's fascinating how someone ends up in a chosen career. So I'm reading with that. Congratulations, man. We'll talk a little bit about that as we go. I want to go back and talk about you a little bit too. So I was fascinated how someone ends up in a chosen career. So I'm reading about you. Were you really an overweight kid?

Is that true? I was in Weight Watcher when I was 10 years old. I was a fat kid. You literally looked. Yeah, I was a fat kid, like full boobs, the whole thing. And I used to complain to my mom about it, probably while eating something I shouldn't have been in. And my mom said, one day, do you want to keep complaining or do you want to my mom about it, probably while eating something I shouldn't have been in. And my mom said, one day, do you want to keep complaining

or do you want to do something about it? And I go, well, I want to do something about it. As soon as I finished these cookies. And so she said, we were in Houston, Texas. I was 10 years old, and she took me to Weight Watchers. I still have the car. I should have brought you that's pretty funny. Wow.

And she took me to meetings, which I don't know that it would be the recommended course of action, especially in today's overly PC world, but it was important. It was a nice jump off for me because I saw other people who were way heavier than I was. There were a lot of 10-year-olds in Weight Watchers. Yeah, they're none. Yeah, they're none, actually.

And there were a lot less than none in the 70s. So I was there and it was just, it was information, right? So I'm getting information and then as my mom packed my lunches, the lunches became different, right? The tuna fish didn't have mustard, didn't have mayonnaise and it had mustard. I didn't have a coke, I had a fresca. And I know these aren't all perfect health choices,

but when you're looking at a 10 year old, who's at the end of the day taking in too many calories, those are at least certain places you can make changes. And I sort of drop it weight and then I started cheating and the whole thing. But is that what sort of set the course for, like, your, I don't know, your proclivity or your interest in fitness? No, I got interested in fitness. I mean, I think, didn't we all get interested in this age range because of, like, Arnold

and stuff? As of Arnold. Yeah. Arnold. And, you know, it's not unlike Bigger Faster Strong or Chris Bell's movie. You know, you look up to those guys on the big screen that are, you're like, that's cool. I want to be that guy.

I think as a boy that you look at that as men, and you want to lift weights, and you want to be big and strong. And I mean, heroes, right? Yeah. What's fascinating about it for me, those like, I often meet people who came from a dramatic, like, people ask me to coach them on self-confidence sometimes, right?

And I'm like, one of the reasons I'm pretty good at that is because I was so insecure as a kid, so bad at it, I had to find like these tools and resources to actually just get to a baseline of confidence. I think it's interesting. Did you just use sarcasm with it? That's what I did. Yeah, I did a lot.

And you use that when you train people, which I want to talk about too. Like, levity is a big deal when you're training somebody, I think. We'll visit about that too. But I just think it's interesting, like, that you started with that. Now, then you end up going to Duke, which we won't completely hold against you. But did you... Oh, you must not have gotten in. Did you?

I did not get in. They didn't take red flag. What was weird was I thought with a 760 SAT and a 2A GPA, they would die to have me, but they don't have one of those. Both sides of the SAT, that's the combined score. That was the combined 760. Well look, SATs do not make the man. Evidently, right?

Yeah, so I didn't even apply to be honest with you. So you go to do this. This is about you, not my educational and intellectual deficiencies. Don't want to help him build up your confidence about that. I can't even build me up, please. So what did you study at Duke? Oh, that's a great question.

It wasn't exercise science. I was a French in Spanish. And look, I grew up overseas. French in Spanish. Called the phone. We left Texas. My father moved to the Middle East during the boom years. I was working for a Saudi Arabia businessman,

and we were put in a boarding school in Switzerland and came out of there and went to Duke. But so you're a product of your environment, right? People say, oh, you speak languages, but we live there. I had to speak the languages in order to understand what's going on in the classroom in order to get lunch in order to ask a girl on a date. You had to have the language. So you learn the languages, you taught the languages to school every day in boarding school. We had two hours of French to start today. So you're going to pick it up and then you leave,

it's not like you leave, and it's just done, you leave, and you have to use it on the bus, and you have to use it in school, and so the language is a product of your environment, and there are a lot of people out there that speak a lot of languages, so let's start. How do you speak English French and Spanish? And do you think that experience helps you in even training? The language piece are being able to relate to different types of people. So the exposure to the different cultures, the different types of people, the different socioeconomic backgrounds,

as well as the languages because all Latin-based, and there's certain words you pick up that you go, oh, I know what that means, or I can understand what part of the language that word fits in. So, language is a key to me for the kids. Travel is a key. Language is a key.

And I think they're two of the best forms of education. Nothing against sciences and math and all that's very important as well, but to me, of becoming a well-rounded person. And being respectful of other cultures and understanding that America is a great country, phenomenal country. There are other countries that do certain things well. Let's not just discount them because they're not American. Yeah, that's true. I have more American flags in my home than most people.

We're very pro-American, but at the same time, very respectful of other countries and other cultures. And I think there's more harmony that way. I love that. So, so, fat boy growing up a little bit right, overweight, weight watchers. Overweight like, when it was shirts and skins going down the line, I would count that out and go, oh shit I'm going front of you. Yeah, that's just, we're not doing that. And at the beach, at the beach, right now, I sort of sweaty when I got here. At the beach, I go, I would wear a t-shirt because I was fat.

And because I'm fair, I could just say, well, I don't want to get summer. Right. I think that that's funny, yet there are a lot of people who are watching this right now who relate to that, or have children who relate to that. And so,

I'm not saying I handled the right way. Yeah. Maybe I should have owned it. And today it might be like, yeah. And what? Yeah, but it affected you for sure, right? And I think there's no question that had an impact on you. You've scaled your business,

but you've also built one heck of a brand. Like you are a brand when people knew, people in the fitness business especially, if I say your name, they know you. Let's talk a little bit. Let's go to the fitness stuff a little bit for a second and we'll talk business. So, part of you, one of the things when you're training people, I'm curious, some of them

are very sick, not everybody that you meet is a celebrity or that you train is a, is a, is a, is a, necessarily a famous person, but most of them are pretty successful people. What have you learned from them? Oh, since that's the whole, that's the funny part that, that's the part that people don't get. Talk less or something more, right? There's so much you can glean from those people that have different jobs that cross over in different fields. If someone's in, pick my zip code, it's easy, right? Not a two one. You might have someone who does movies, TV, they have a music branch or they have another product line and you just go, shit if that guy can do this, I can do

that. And that's also why when some people said, how are you going to take that lake or job? How could I not take that? First of all, I sat with my wife and kids, right? Note to self. And I said, should I do it? We'll lose this much money in the beginning because it's not like it's a high paying gig, but so there will be a financial loss at the outset.

But here's what I see. Tell me what you think. And hands down around our family table, who take it, take it, take it. And then it was, how are you going to do it? Yeah. How can you manage your time? You can't just, I have hard costs every month with my gym

and there's certain things that you're kids and your life. And if you're gonna say no to XYZ finance, you better have a way to shore that up, right? So, how are you gonna do it? I said, it's gonna come down to time management. If Dwayne Johnson, Chloe Kardashian, Ryan C. Crest, L.O. Cool J, and Jennifer Lopez, and so many others can have multiple jobs, can I? And I'm not by any means saying, I'm who they are.

But if I'm able-minded, able-bodied, and I can map it out and I have a decent support team, meaning, wife and kids, really, and my brother and my parents, and I have a decent support team, meaning wife and kids really and my brother and my parents and I have people who say you can do it, you can do it. If I take the time to sit and map out, okay I'll wake up at this time, I'll train at this time, I'll be at my gym at this time, I'll do the Lakers of this time, I'll be back at this time, family time at this, and I have a structure because to me without structure there's nothing. I had this conversation with my wife yesterday. So without structure, we lose it. And then we're losing the one thing we can't replace with just time. And so seeing these people, it's interesting.

There's a lot of lessons right there, like one, talk about it with your family. Not every entrepreneur tells you to do that, right? And I'm not saying every entrepreneur should, but I know I should. You're formula. Yeah, and I know that when I come in at night, or if I'm, you know, I go to all my kids games So if I'm not gonna be in your game There has to be a reason and I don't want the kid in my son or my daughter to look at me go

You know my game. Yeah, I want to be able to say members. We don't I took that job And I'm gonna be at the Utah game that day so I won't be able to make it But I'll be at the next one. I want to have answers and I want them to understand that they all Were in on this. But a wonderful. They shouldn't be victims of my choices, right? Wonderful example. A second thing you said that is something

that people that are already successful have a hard time doing. It's easy to take steps back when you're at the really already struggling, but when you've already reached a certain level, do you have the guts and the vision as the word you use to maybe take a step back financially to propel yourself further into the future? That's a huge lesson for business people, man, because it becomes a level where people

go, okay, now I'm comfortable. They become more risk averse as they do that. I think so. And I think it becoming risk averse, not that you need to take unnecessary risk, but I think in becoming that, you might start to play it say, let me give it, top my head. I go to a lot of basketball games, even before this gig. I went to a lot of basketball games, and I would say this to whoever was with me. Something happens, you'll notice it in sports.

A team builds up a lead, and then they start changing how they play, because they start playing safe, they start playing and obviously defenseman's championships, we all know this, but they start playing not to lose versus playing to win and you end up, you've changed your game plan, your game plan was serving you and I'm not all for running up the score, but if I'm a coach and we practice this play and this play is supposed to get us a touchdown every time or a fast break, fast get every time and I can keep executing that. Why wouldn't I execute that during a game just like it?

And that that means the score is a hundred to twenty. Then that's what that means. That's that's and hopefully the coach of the other team can find a way to take a positive and give a lesson to his team. On how they just go. I love that. I tell you, I think it's also like a pathway to his team on how they just go. I love that. I love that. I tell you, I think it's also like a pathway to be and happier.

The amount of kind of uncertainty you can deal with at any given time is actually connected to how happy you are. Like some of the happiest times in people's lives if they look back on them, they were the most uncertain. Like it's when you were cramming for finals and Duke or you had a job and you had to do this. And so you should chase uncertainty. I think not taking unnecessary risks is absolutely right.

But I see so many people get to a pretty good place, or even a great place, and then they do start playing not to lose. They start defense wins championships, but playing defensively always is a formula to lose. And there's a difference. There's a subtle difference between those two. I love that. That's a great feedback.

For being in a world that has so much stuff on it that you and I both know that world, how much of a family man you are and how grounded you are. And I think it's important that more and more entrepreneurs see family men succeed. Because there's images and messages that you know you can't have a great family. I mean his wife and little boy are down playing on the beach right now right? We're actually going to go up to the playground in your neighborhood and you know putting it right back on you, you said have him come down. I said no, they don't want to introduce it. Have him come down. There's no one here. We would love to. Yeah. But I wouldn't have done the trip down here.

She said let's make it a day. That's it. Let's do it. So you packed a little guy. It's worked out perfectly. And Zane's like your twin by the way. I was reading that like for example Kim Kardashian, she'll drive an hour one way to come train with you so clearly it wasn't a zip code necessarily, right? But when they approach their workouts, do you see something different? Like I have this theory that people that they're that one kind of that one percent thing,

I don't know, they attack differently, do they approach a training session different? What do you notice with, whether it's a successful CEO or an entertainer, or someone like that, actually training them? Is there anything you notice with whether it's a successful CEO or an entertainer or someone like that, actually training them. Is there anything you notice with them that's different? Yeah, what I see almost across the board in the successful people who've come there to work out is the single-minded focus.

And that doesn't mean that there's like hyper-intensity max weights. Let's go, let's go. But there's, we're definitely getting through something, start to finish, they get their own time, they leave when it's over, they have somewhere to go after, so it's a piece of their day, right? And they're not gonna be denied. They rarely cancel, this is funny, I keep,

I use a program to log all my workouts, right? Two programs, I want to log all my workouts, right? Two programs. I want to log the workouts themselves. So I know what anybody, you know, God forbid anybody says they're shoulder hurts. I can look back on the last two workouts. They say, well, we did this. It's just, I don't know how that would translate,

but maybe, but I use another one to log hours. And I've used that program into this 29 years. I've used that program now for 25 or 26 years. I have, I checked it two days ago. I have an 8.7 something percent cancellation rate over that many years. And to me that, that means I have 91, 92 something. Is that math thing?

It's good, it's good thing. It's kicking in. Right. Percent attendance, that's, I look at that and I go do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that.

I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. I don't know if I can do any of that. successful in their careers because look how they executed it the gym. They showed up 91.5% of the time. Yeah, that's an A, dude. Yeah, it's an A. And some of the highest identity, most busy people on the planet, right? And pulled, and this is what people say, well, if I had a trainer, I know you wouldn't. It's not about having the trainer. It's about having the

ability to commit and to compartmentalize and to say, I'm doing this for that time. Yeah. Because they are pulled in so many different directions. It's not like, you know, Chloe just gets a jeans line. Right. Right. It's not like Dwayne Johnson just gets a TV show.

Right. Those are meetings and ideas and brainstorming sessions and texts. those things take on not just it's another it's another time channel right yeah they clearly keep coming back to you though and I'm curious from a business perspective I've heard you say it's before because you're a trainer but you approached the business I just I thought this was awesome because it's it's a true of almost any business we would describe. What business are you really in? So you're a trainer, but what business would you say you're in above all?

I'm great at connecting people. I can't monetize it for shit. I wish there were a way to say, let me introduce you. Oh, you need a contractor? Well, oh, you're looking for a car? Your wife needs a new OBGYN. Oh, you want? I can connect so many things that have nothing to and, you know, we all in our trade, we develop certain go-to lines. And I always say, I can't get in any restaurants or clubs, but anything in health, wellness, medical, I got you. I know the top

shoulder surgeon. I know the top knee surgeon. I know the top nutritious, the top dentist, the dentist, I got dentist, I got orthodontist, and then I have just, yeah, so, but it's being years where I am, and I can also call them on their cell and connect you like that, right? But okay, I close, I don't even know what close I'm hot now. Restress, I got a couple go-to restrooms, but it's nothing that you'd probably want to go to.

And it makes me happy. Nothing makes me happier than someone I had to call two weeks ago. A couple weeks ago, somebody said, I chip my tooth. What can I do? And it was a Friday afternoon, I go stand by. Yep. And they were in the chair within two hours, getting the video and I thought, yeah, that's what I can do.

Because you approach it like I'd never heard this before. You approach it, this is such a lesson because a lot of trainers watch this how do I grow my practice, right? But that goes both ways. If that dentist gets someone who's lying there going, you know, I feel so fat when I lie in this chair, it makes me really see my stomach.

Well, I mean, the analogy I would use is a restaurant analogy, right? It's you pull in, you pull into the gym, you pull through a restaurant. Is there a place to park? And I goof about parking, but an LA park is a very real thing. Is that difficult?

How much of a headache was that? Getting into the place. You walk in, is there someone who stops, you greets you, do they remember you? Is there a rhythm and a flow to what you walk in, is there someone who stops you, greets you, do they remember you? Is there a rhythm and a flow to what you do when you get there? Or is it a whole check-in? Who are you again?

I mean, little things like that can slow the roll and it's a lot less fun overall. And the next time the person has to go to that, they go, ah, I'm not going. And then to me, then your cancellation rate goes up. Even if you're charging for cancellations over time, that goes away too. You won't go back to the same restaurant if, forget the food, the food I take for granted. If the whole experience that preceded the meal was a pain in the ass. I had one of those last night, the food was great. The experience was crap We'll never go back. And experience can be bad on either end. Yeah, right? Usually we tend to

Selective amnesia. We try to forget what happened in the middle if the food was good, right? But If you ask for the bill and it's 20 minutes you put you in a bad mood on the way out you get to valet 20 minutes and valet is a real thing in L.A. Every restaurant is valet or a lot of them. Right? They're putting the kills the whole vibe. Yeah, right? Yeah.

Or the waiter just disappears and you can't even ask that you're like, we've been here 15 minutes. You were at my dinner last night. All of those things out. No, but I think as you're not to pinoir, if you are one watching this, how conscious are you from the entire experience the client has with you? Are you in the service?

It's from the minute they got there. Cold water room temp. Some of my clients like cold, some like room temp. We have water and towels out for every person. That's a service. Well, I don't provide it. Well, you should. And if you don't, we can't afford it,

but raise your rates. If I ran a hotel, the minibar would be free. Now, the room would cost a lot more, but the minibar would be free. Now, the room would cost a lot more, but the minibar would be free all the time. Yes, you're gonna get a couple of jerk offs who emptied the minibar out as they leave. Okay, fine. But you're also gonna get people who don't touch it.

Yeah. And you need to find that sweet spot in your price point to make that work for you, because nobody at the higher end of any service wants to be nighaland on. I, I, a hundred percent believe that. And I think you entrepreneursullandon. I, I, I, I, 100% believe that. And I think you entrepreneurs listen to this. I don't care what you know.

I don't care if you have a bakery, a dry cleaners, or you're a software engineer. All of these things are so important as an entrepreneur. So you these are the things like, and I mean this with respect, you know this. It's not just the zip code. Because for someone to, they have to want to come back. They have to want to keep coming back that way.

It's their disposable income watch this. It's their disposable income. They're limited free time for something that is arguably painful. How are you making that? Hey, right? Come back. Right. Right.

You have to make it as fun or as positive as it can be. There should be so many and in fact only positive associations with their experience with you that when Training comes up when cold water comes up or root temp water or your name comes up. There's a positive association That has this that is the best PR machine you could ever create. You're saying earlier, we were talking, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you're very well-known that you don't have a publicist. And I think the reason you're so well-known is what you just described. When your name comes up, there's a positive association and your clients are raving

fans about you. What's it like then, now I'm being trained by you, okay? And I think trainer is like an odd, it's a partner, but it's also a leader. And so I think there's some principles in being a trainer that also transcend other businesses. My sense of you is people that are trained by you, this is really a unique balance. They gotta be accountable to you to an extent

because you're being trained by them, correct me if I'm wrong, yet you make them comfortable in your presence and they enjoy your presence. And I don't know what you mean they can? What way account? We're going to do squats now. We're going to do this. So they're with you and their presence. We're going to do six of these or eight of these or 12 of these. There's a relationship between what you've asked them to do and them doing it.

I think they're telling you. I get this question and I go, oh, you're going to make me do that. I'm not going to make you do anything. We can, no, you can do whatever you want. You want it to something else? what do you want to do? Let's just do what you want to do. And then they go, oh my God, so hard to go. Do you just want to do the easy stuff? And anybody who's worked with me,

it will go, oh my God, it's exactly what he says. I go, do you just want to do the easy stuff? We can do that, what do you want to do? We want it, should we, should we fuck it? Let's just go get breakfast, we want to do that. We can do that, you want to do that? I just have to be back at night, because if somebody, you let me know.

And then they look at you and they realize, they brought me in to this equation to map out, right? To steer clear of any of the land lines in the fitness world. And now they're gonna counter it. I mean, we can, but yeah. So you do, so you check them, you check them and get them set their own standard.

Well, in a fun way, I don't have to monitor. The stuff you see on TV yelling at people, degrading, doesn't work in a gym. Doesn't work outside of a gym. I used to be a business guy like that when I was young, people last a lot of time, but with mistakes, it made like as a young businessman, I didn't treat people like they should be treated periodic. I learned that as I got a little bit older, and so I'm curious to get me through a workout. I'm making it up.

I'm an entertainer, it doesn't matter which one of them. It's a lot of work there. What are you used to get them through? Do you use levity? Do you use humor? Do you use distraction? Like what do you use? What's a tool you used to help someone get through

a tough workout? So I have every workout written for everybody. I write them up the night before, and my kids do homework. I do my homework and I print them out. And I start with, this is a template, it's not a Bible. Right, so you have that trainer who goes, that's open, let's do it. I'm over here, you should leave that trainer.

Because that person's making it up as they go, and you should make it up as you go yourself and not pay that person. That's just bad for our business. So, I map it out. So, I have a plan. That's the first tool. The second tool,

I ease them into it, not meaning we don't do, like there's a formula, right? There's things they keep counting, they're rituals, right? They start with four, five, six, seven minutes on a piece of steady state card equipment. Not that I don't believe in dynamic warm-ups, and I'm for all that, but these are people who need to get out of the outside world and get into what we're doing.

It allows them, and all the stuff, by the way, is facing the window, so they can look out, please God, I just think about, okay, and they, all right, pump, I'm in the gym. Here we go, and that's, right, so everything outside of the gym is outside, inside the gym is in, and then we get to work, And we go through 8, 9, 10, 11 movements. 2, 3, 4 times, depending on what the movements were, how many of them were unilateral,

and we sequence them in a way that takes you up, and it's a bit like that. So we create a cardiovascular experience for your body during doing what would be maybe more traditionally viewed as anaerobic movements. So if I sequence push-ups squats crunches a certain way you're gonna get a different cardiovascular response and if you did them set after set after set old school training. So there's that and the way to work us through all that is levity, callback. Those are little things. You have to remember, you have to listen. Remember the person's spouse's name, remember the person's kid's name, remember events in that person's life.

You say, well, that's a lot to remember. It's not that much. People are more likely to engage with someone who they feel cares about. I totally agree with you. And I also, it's really interesting that you say that because that transcends just being in the fitness business, almost every other business these things, no matter particularly my business or the financial business, you better know some of those details if you're gonna keep a client long-term

because every other dude, every other lady out there is trying to get your client, right? But your job as a trainer is not just to crush people. It's just such a bad for business. The person leaves and I've heard trainers say, I destroyed that dude, he won't walk tomorrow. And he just think, what are you thinking? He has a negative experience.

And somebody in his, he's going to get up. Like, ah, the next day like that. And somebody in his inner circle is going to go, it's a matter. Oh, my trainer just destroyed me. And they're going to go, is that really good for you? Why do you do that? And they planted the seed.

You actually planted it. They've watered the seed that you planted. Is there an exception to that if you have a guy who says, I want you to obliterate me every time I come in here, that's my standard. There's an exception. You must train a guy or two like that. So sure. But that's their standard.

Yeah, and I think some of them don't know what that is, right? I mean, you can have, we have a puke bucket in our gym and it's painted pink for obvious reasons. Yeah. Because puke is color pink, please. I think you don't want those letters. Right. But, you know, it's used infrequently.

I bet you it's been used less than five times. And yeah. So I'm asking a couple of things. I'm someone watching this and I get access to Gunter Peterson for a minute here. And I've not worked out much. I'm not in shape. I want to turn my physical life around a little bit.

And I get a minute with you. I can't come to your gym. I live in Des Moines, Iowa. What would you tell me about changing my life from a physical standpoint, my fitness journey, my health, my wellness, what would you tell me? I'd say you probably need help. Meaning don't be shy. A lot of people think it was a gym,

I mean it's obviously, I know how to do it. You probably don't, right? And you go farther, the people who've been in gyms for a long time, that doesn't make you a trainer, right? And you go farther. The people who've been in gyms for a long time, that doesn't make you a trainer, right? It's just because you've commuted from New York to D.C. every week. After five years, you're not a pilot.

OK, you're not, I'm sorry. I know you're on the plane a lot, but you're not a pilot. And you're in a gym a lot, but you're not a trainer. It's a different skill set. Doesn't mean everybody can't be a pilot or a trainer, but you gotta learn it. But for that person, hire someone, whether it's, and I also think don't try to overhaul your whole life in one go, right?

Don't make Monday the day you could smoke and quit drinking, commit to eight hours of sleep, and five workouts a week with a trainer and you're going to go vegan. It's just, it's a lot. It's a lot. It's something, start slowly, add on, I go back and forth with my good friend and nutritious doctor, Philip Goli, and he's like, diets 80% but I go, diet's not 80% of it. When you're 100% away from the goal, anything that you start with is going to be the biggest part.

And then you start adding. When you get down to within 10% of what you're ultimately you, yeah, diet is probably a bigger, more important, from an aesthetic, at least, and performance to, but it's going to be a bigger part of it. But when you're starting, don't just tell them diet. Wherever they're comfortable, I get some people who say, I don't even want to look at my diet right now.

I just want to start working out. I go, OK, and then as they leave, give them two quick diet things that maybe they may or may not, you know, put the news. Okay. If they say, I really want to get my diet under control and then I'd like to come to you, okay, great. You should call this guy. Don't just pull it out of a magazine.

If you're not doing something that looks at your blood, I mean, can you have results? Sure. If you blindfold a monkey and have it throw a dart, can it hit the bulls eye? Sure. Not likely, but it could. So use a professional. Right? If you're looking to get better at a sport, higher tennis coach, higher soccer coach for your kid, whatever it is, and then that's what that person should do. Yeah, I have a book that I'm going to be coming out with pretty soon. One little chapter on its fitness, max out your fitness.

First thing I recommend is hire a trainer. And then the second thing I say ironically is interesting that you said that. Start with something that is maintainable from the very beginning. I have a quote written in my window. My wife is putting on the back of sweatshirts now. It says, if it's not sustainable, it's not successful. I love that. It's not.

I love that. Well, can you get there? Yeah, sure. Can you live there? No chance. Roughly speaking, in general, for a non-professional athlete, generally speaking, how long should it work out be within a range? Secretary of Health and Human Services, I think they said between 30 and 90 minutes a day and people went, 90 minutes, impossible.

Okay. Okay. So, go with the 30. Maybe Saturday, you're free, go to 45. Play with it. But see, can you do, you know, what was that, Jorge Cruz book, six minutes in the morning, eight minutes in the morning? Six, five, four, three, where are we?

But, I mean, something is better than nothing. Matthew McConaughey says, just break a sweat every day. So everybody has their thing and sweat through activity. Like, sauna doesn't count as a workout. So. So sauna doesn't count as a workout. Do you think it's interesting?

I don't cut you off there, but I think people ask those questions as a mechanism. It's a pushback. That's what I think. It's starting, it's. That's what I think. Okay, okay, and then keeping you just embrace it.

Whatever it is, it is. Go do a workout. What does that mean? That means go to the gym and pick six exercises and do them three times through and then get on a piece of cardio for 30 minutes. Yes. Well, which ones?

I don't know. Now you got to hire a trainer, or at least just start the process, too, right? Exactly. But also what are your goals? If you get someone who's looking to, they waste 400 pounds, they're looking to knock off 200 pounds. That's different from somebody who's 280. That's different from a woman who's looking to waste 400 pounds, they're looking to knock off 200 pounds. That's different from somebody who's 280.

That's different from a woman who's 110, wants to be 125 or 125, wants to be 110. Those were all weight numbers. Then you go, what about a different species of biped who's not completely mastered by the scale? Oh, so you're gonna be that guy who doesn't let the inanimate object tell you how good you should feel about yourself.

Love talking to you. Love that. And let's go. They're willing to try this, this, this, this. Some of the lakers. You've got to be sited about this. This is cool, right? So I'm fascinated by the diversity of your training.

Like, you know, you do have a Chloe or a J-Lo or someone like that. Then once in a while I see you, there's the Tommy Brady workout or now it's NBA players though, right? These are the greatest athletes in the world to me. And so when you're a basketball fan and so are you nervous about this or are you excited about this? And what exactly are you going to do? Yeah, so I did the whole last season,

it was my first year. Anxious, apprehensive, eager, probably all better words for me. Is it the same with them, Gunner? Like, are each of them, it's funny, now that you've been talking about this, I'm just curious. So, they're all different guys too. One guy's seven foot, one guy's six one, so not all of them are so. And some of them, and they range in age from 19 to 35.

Yeah. And they have X amount of experience, and some of them are known only to go to the right side some of them work very well to both sides some of them don't have the Lower extremity strength that they need some of them have trouble Taking a hit and your best when you grow up you're taught it's a non-contact sport Best goes very much a contact sport especially at that level very physical a lot of contact so It's a challenge and I look at it like that, it's fun. Yeah, there were days when you drive and you go, okay, what are we doing today?

I mean, I've mapped it out, but how are we going to get this going today? And I have two great dudes who work with me, Josh Wright and Adi Vase down there. And we put together programming that a lot of the guys, while they're lifting, they're learning to lift because they're not coming from a formal lifting background. Right, what they do on court with our coaching staff is terrific, that stuff's handled, that's not my domain. But the weight room is,

and you wanna make sure that you're two things. You're keeping them engaged in it, right? Because I want this to serve them through their entire careers, because I know it can, and I want them to want to do it. So there's a bit of a sell to it. And there's also, is it something that's going to translate directly to their success on the court? Which means it has to be consistent. Do you work with them in the off season two or just during the season?

Yeah, this off season we split it up where we're at the facility still so guys who are here get all of us and then guys who travel will dispatch either one of the guys who works with me or I will go and just be there for a couple days more to see who they're working with and we gave them exit cards you know to say here's what we you know broad strokes stuff here's what your focus should be on. Share this with whoever, you know, you work up within the off season and all of our phone numbers are there in context. Have the guy text and one of our young guys,

it meets the zoo back, the center of the correlation, so to write, great kid, great guy. Was already in Croatia for a couple weeks and I was on with his trainer every three days. What's he doing, how's he feeling? Yeah, you gotta to keep up. It shows him we're interested in and we are. And it shows that we have a hand in his development.

That's so cool. What you're supposed to do. A lot of these guys, they check out, they're gone, and they don't, there's no contact anymore. Yeah, right. That's not the kind of lake or culture that we're trying to do. We're there for these guys all the time.

All of ourselves, Texas anytime, we're there anytime, and we'll talk to whoever you have in your circle whether it's a trainer, an on-court guy, a nutritionist, whoever it is, they'll connect with the Laker counterpart of that department. That's so cool. I'm excited for you. They got some cap money. I'm going to be curious who you get to work with next year. I think there's going to be some big time, dudes coming in there. So, a couple more things of really enjoying this, by the way. So, there's going to be some big time dudes coming in there. So a couple more things, really enjoying this by the way.

So there's people watching this, and the reason I ask you it, let me give you a context is, people find these messages at different times of their careers of their lives, right? Like, it's not been 29 perfect years of doing this, right? Is there been a time that was not great, and you don't have to say specifically what it was if you don't want to, but you can. And then what did you do to get out of it? So I had my own gym for a while

and when I got divorced the gym went away it was a task of the old house and my manager at the time said look I was riding high had an infirmarsion that was doing well I had a book that was killing, and I had speaking gigs, not like yours, but smaller, same thing just miniaturized. And she said, you don't need a new gym. You can do the speaking thing. And I said, yeah, yeah, but the gym is the mothership. The gym is my lab, that's one of the ways

that you want some corneus and you express yourself. But I can do things in that gym that can translate to what my clients do and make them better. Give them better workouts. Provide better training protocols. I can test things. I can try out equipment. So did I think about it? I mean, wow, sure you thought about not opening a gym? Oh, no more overhead. There are no those insurance costs. Yeah. Then it have to be somebody else's gym.

That's not gonna work. So you chased your own vision though, during that time? I had to. Because when you did, nobody was poo-pooing it, but, but from a practical side, your own vision though during that time. I had to. Because when you did. No, she wasn't. Nobody was pooing it, but, but, but from a practical side. I think also my manager probably saw the stress. It was taken on me.

Yeah. I went from when I first started doing a lot of in-home people, right? 29 years ago. And then I was driving along and I started humming the news jingle to an AM radio station. And I had my cooler with like a YAMM and chicken breast into still water. And I was literally going, KFWB, and I went, I'm becoming a weirdo.

I literally had the thought, I'm weird. I'm humming a news jingle, it's not even a song. I mean, it is a song, no disrespect to jingle writers, but I'm that guy now. And everything I say is true and accurate because shit, I just said it. So there's no, I'm in a vacuum. I gotta get out.

And I started going to all the gyms around where I lived and say, hey, I'm a trainer, here's my resume. Here's what I do. Can I train here? Can I train here? I was on the road 110 miles a day in LA traffic. There's too much. So I found a place to lock down and I was there for eight years. And then the guy had a different vision than I did and he said once to me, you're upset because I don't fix this or do this at the time. You

would like it. If I'm the number three gym in the city, I'm fine with that. And I thought, oh, I'm not. I don't even know what the number of gym, I don't know, we ranked it. I don't know what number one looks like, but I know I'm not cool just taking the bronze, not just gonna take that and say thank you. And so I left, and I opened my own.

And then when that went away, I went back to just five people in their homes. Right, so I was seeing five all huge stars, just five people in their homes. Wow. So I was seeing five all huge stars, but boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, done it 233 times. That kind of thing. Okay.

And I thought, I'm doing the same thing I used to, and it was fun of course, it's like a new, it's like a new chapter. And then I thought, I'm doing the same thing I used to do, I'm just doing it in a better car. Is that news? Station's still here? I mean, the same thing I used to do. I'm just doing it in a better car. Is that news station still here? I mean, I don't want to be that. And I was at the same time, of course,

looking at buildings to open a gym, but it was proving difficult. You know, costs, parking, everything. And I just, there were times when I thought, wow, I just stick with this. Infomercial still running, book still selling. I'm good. I love that. But I'm not good. I need a mother ship. I need a, I still selling. I'm good. I love that.

But I'm not good. I need a mother ship. I need a, I need, plus I got a shits on equipment. Yeah. Right? And I don't want to just have it in storage and gardena somewhere. I mean, I want, I like it. I play on everything I have.

I do have a few storage units with equipment in it. But, and eventually when I wrap it all up, wherever I go, I will still have a giant barn with equipment because that's just who I am. That's your deal. Yeah. I love it. I, a lot of lessons again, man.

I got to be honest with you, like, I'm eating this up because one entrepreneur is super self-aware. You're driving and they're like, I'm becoming a weirdo, right? And fully, and I went that day and saw it action. I had to, but also where I am, where I lived at the time on Lossianna again, West Hollywood, there were a ton of gyms around, right? So I could, I must have hit four the first day. I went in, here's my resume, and some of the guys were like,

what's the last time I should have trained with the resume. And you know, that was a long time ago. So. That's awesome, because I think also Gunner, I think Malcolm XS is quote that I use all the time It's necessary. Well, that's that's I use that all the time of clients But any means necessary any means necessary and that which you do not hate you will eventually tolerate and so you got to This way like I hate this I have written in my window. It says if you tolerate it, they will perpetuate it

It's written in my window right at the gym. I knew I loved you. Yeah, I knew it. Isn't that crazy that you have that? You can't, you can't allow that. So you have to have certain boundaries. Yeah. Bro, you're unique. I think I love you. I'm telling you. I'm telling you.

I'm telling you. All right, one more thing. Man, I'm really impressed. And there's so much more down. I wish we could go longer. I'm curious though, I'm really impressed and there's so much more down, I wish we could go longer. I'm curious though, I kinda get your transition. I'm fascinated by people that are the best at what they do, you know, like in whatever it is, it just fascinates me.

Do you know what drives you? Do you know what it is? I also go back to this, you're gonna go, oh humility, full humility. It's not the best of what you do. I think that's so subjective because there's so many people out there that love their trainers and that's exactly who they should be with. If the trainer is in any field though, if the trainer is passionate and detailed oriented

but those are also qualities that I like in friends and people on the round right. You're detailing right. You don't have to be you know sleeping with the enemy OCD guy but you got to be as a rhyme at a reason and things go a certain way in life and that's just how that sets and look on which you change that. Yep. Not just the not just the aesthetic and the visual but there's certain things that happen in a certain way right. We said we do family dinner every night at my house and always come to our house.

We work on manners, table manners. And that's a lost art. But they gotta know because they're gonna go out and I've had my middle son text me and say, Dad, I'm so glad I know the manners, I know I was at a dinner and so and so ate like a peg and I'm like, they're welcome. But because you're gonna go and maybe not everybody

at the table has bad manners, maybe. But maybe the one guy who you are trying to get a job from or who you were drawn to watches you eat and goes, my God, this guy's a pirate, I've never had a driver. You know? So little thing. So you practice it and we talk about it. That's practice.

When they're out in the real world, when they're at a restaurant, I don't say a word because that's a game. Right? So practice, watch Phil Jackson's old coaching. He said, he's a sit. Yes. He goes, I don't yell during the game. He did very little actual coaching on the bench because he said, we've been over this. Yes. I shouldn't have to coach any. I think that's brilliant. That is brilliant. He doesn't have to. Yeah. Not that that brilliant. That is brilliant. It doesn't have to. Not that those are work for some guys and some coaches who have younger teams or guys who are still meshing. That's all valid.

But when you have a machine that runs a certain way, right, you're not. Isn't it interesting about that, by the way, my favorite compliment is if someone tells me something about my son or my daughter when I'm not there in their presence about how they behave or their manners or they conduct themselves. I've gotten those emails and I just go, that's way better than you sending me an email about something I did. 100%. I totally agree with that.

And the other thing, it's interesting about coaching and what you just said about practice in the game. Arguably the greatest NBA coach of all times probably Phil, he's given the conversation and arguably the greatest college coach of all time is probably wouldn't. And both of those guys behaved almost identically on the side. Did you just not even mention Coach Kay in that? I'm sorry brother. Wow. Yeah. That's gonna leave a mark. He's he's on the list but he's not. He's not. He's not. He's not. It's a short list. It's a short list. But we're in Southern Cal. So I gotta know if you see a leg out.

So I'm curious to finish with that though. Do you know what drives you? 10 or 15 great years in front of you right now, right? Longer than that, but 10 or 15 years, like you're in your go zone right now. Do you know what drives you and do you know what you want out of those years? Now you want to be able to provide financially for your family, you want to make sure that you're,

you know, you see, what is it, Warren Buffett or Bill Gates, I won't leave my kids 10 million bucks, so I'm like, okay, I mean, nothing okay, I mean, that's not nothing, but, right. Okay, that's what we're gonna do. I think as long as they're on the right path and they're doing good things and they're pursuing passions and they're contributing to the tapestry of the world and not just

taking, then I want them to have a, you work so, so they, I get up at 3.45. I work so that my kids get up at 4.30. Now, they start sleeping at 6.30. Again, that's if they have that kind of job, right? The front loaded job. If they're DJs, then by all means, please sleep till noon. But, you know, you get up so early, I get up at the right time for a trainer.

Yeah. You know, I'm also home every night by five. Right, right, right home. And I've gotten my own workout in that time. Yeah, so I don't get home and I go workout. When I'm home, I'm home, I mean, I have a little bit of work with the writing of the workouts, but that's it.

Other than that, I'm there for the family. So, financially you wanna be sad, you wanna be able to provide for your family, right? You don't want anybody to want for anything within reason. No, I still have some things that I'd like to see happen in the world of health and fitness. I would like the training game to be elevated. I would like trainers to be better. I see it, I think as we go, it's an age of specialization.

I think more and more people are hiring trainers now, right? So the, and I want those people to be able to get what they deserve to get for their disposable income. You're spending money for someone to shepherd you through this, you know, unsolvable mystery of fitness. Whether they do it, they don't. At least the journey should be pleasant and they should give you what you deserve.

So I would like the training game to be raised, right? And not that there's not room for all different levels of trainers, you know, the hotel analogy, it could be a best western, it could be a high at a hill, it could be a four seasons, all good hotels, all our good business models, all do well, but you kind of know, wouldn't you be super surprised if you got

the reception from the concierge, or the person at the desk at a best restaurant that you got at the four seasons, but I think if you're going to rent a room that they should wanna give you that. And I'm sure that they teach that to their employees. I would just want that lesson to be ingrained. Yeah.

I think the most fascinating thing about you, man, is that your people that win have big old reasons, right? Everything I ask you comes back to your family. Oh, yeah. And you take for granted. Not just my wife and kids, my brother. I know. And my parents, that's everything.

My parents, my brother, my wife, and my four kids. That's, you know, you get that question. I maybe start crying in your little podcast here. I'm going to get on my ass. You know, you know, if you could have dinner with anybody over any space of time, a library, a dad, who would it be? I just told you. You just told me. That's why I want to have dinner with you.

I love that about you. I love that. There's nothing I want to ask Christ. I mean, nothing I want to talk to Einstein about. There's no lyric of princes that I wanted going to depth up. That's, if I could have one dinner with anybody I wanted, it would be my parents, my brother, my wife, and my four kids. I love that. And by the way, everybody, I want to tell you something.

It's the exact same conversation we had off camera. This isn't for show. This is who this man is. I think it's me. I don't know how to act, I can't mean one way. Everything we talked about off camera and the other thing too, it's, I think it's most fascinating that in a guy who's in the center of the world that's sort of everything, sometimes not that, right?

It's sometimes everything away from those things, whether it's material or fame, or, and by the way, and those things are wonderful too, that in the center of that universe, there's such a deeply seated family man, and that's been the key to his success. And I think that's everything he just said, and I think that's just such a takeaway

for everybody watching this today is to have these big reasons. But at the end of the day, these big old houses and watches and all that stuff are completely meaningless without what he's got going on right down there with Zane and his beautiful wife, so. And the phone call with my brother yesterday and FaceTime him here and then talking to my mom.

And you know, that's you know, my son from college calling me my other son going to college. My daughter know that's you know my son from college calling me my other son going to college my daughter are you gonna make my field hockey game today. Those calls those things gives all this stuff fuels that fire. I love that brother. I hope that everybody saw this side of you today then they didn't know all of these things about you because- I don't think he was just a sarcastic asshole.

Well yeah, no I think it's amazing that I think it's amazing the breadth of what we went through but the part that probably is the most meaningful to me is just to know who you are and to know what's really made you successful and I really I really do respect you. I really do admire you. And you, it's why I wouldn't I wouldn't have come down here if I didn't feel the same way. Thank you, Michelle. I'm Mauritius and I thank you so much. Thanks Gunner. Hey everybody. I hope you enjoyed today's program. I bring you some of the best meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man.

Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man.

Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man.

Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you, man. Nice to meet you,, get your book, coaching, call with me, maybe you meet some of my guests as well. So go ahead and take advantage of that. God bless you and max out. complete leading kick ass.