This week I'm talking with my friend, Eric Salvador, who I consider the GOAT of group fitness instruction, about what keeps people coming back to a class and asking for you. You'll hear how he remembers every member's name and the exact weight they lifted last time, how he reads a room full of first-timers and regulars without missing a beat, and why a hard workout isn't what builds loyalty. We also get into his instructor mentorship launching this October 2026 . If you've ever wondered what separates a good instructor from one people follow anywhere they go, this is the listen!

Eric Salvador

Instagram: @ErocFitness

Get on the El Capitan's Mentorship waitlist: https://www.elcapitansmentorship.com/

Where to find me or work with me:

Website: IronStrongFitness.net

Instagram: @IronStrongFit

Small group strength training in Jersey City: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/schedule

Get on my Sunday Strong newsletter:https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/newsletter

Episodes drop once a week.

The interwebs is constantly telling us midlife people to lift heavy and heavy usually insinuates a barbell. My small group strength class was presented with the question, keep the barbells or not? This episode is about what is best for real people and their real constraints.

To get on my Sunday Strong newsletter where I'll be sharing more details about the Hoptober jump challenge (in October 2026): https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/newsletter

Where to find me or work with me:

Website: IronStrongFitness.net Instagram: @IronStrongFit Small group strength training in Jersey City: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/schedule

Episodes drop once a week.

A couple years ago, I got a lab result that put me just over the line into prediabetic — and it made me actually pay attention to something I already knew. In this one: what A1C really measures, what I changed (and what I didn't), and why the exact same short list of boring, free habits shows up for preventing diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and dementia. This is your reminder that the free stuff is the main event.

Where to find me or work with me:

Website: IronStrongFitness.net Instagram: @IronStrongFit Small group strength training in Jersey City: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/schedule

Episodes drop once a week.

I have beef with all the "jump for bone density" content flooding my Instagram feed — and I bet yours too. My problem isn't the jumping. It's how it's being sold: sterile, medicinal, like a chore instead of something fun. I get into my own osteopenia diagnosis (surprising, since I was doing everything "right"), why compliance framing doesn't work, why stomping isn't jumping, and the three real reasons I've stuck with plyometrics for over three years.

Where to find me or work with me:

Join my Sunday Strong newsletter: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/newsletter Website: IronStrongFitness.net Instagram: @IronStrongFit

Episodes drop once a week.

I had elbow surgery 3 weeks ago after 14 months of physical therapy to avoid it. Here's the update: what occupational therpay looks like right after waking up, why my surgeon says most patients don't follow his own instructions, and the "boring" truth behind actually healing. Same lesson as jump training: no miracle moment, just the reps, over and over.

Get on my Sunday Strong newsletter here: ⁠https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/newsletter

Where to find me or work with me:

Website: IronStrongFitness.net Instagram: @IronStrongFit Small group strength training in Jersey City: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/schedule

Episodes drop once a week.

My "French nephew" Hector has been staying with us for 8 days in our small one-bedroom railroad apartment. I anticipated it might be hard as I've never had a guest this long. Instead it's been completely easy, and it's got me thinking about why: it's not luck, it's not really about me — it's 18 years of parenting from his mom, my "French sister" from a study abroad 37 years ago. This shortie episode applauds good parenting and my gratitude of staying in touch.

Get on my Sunday Strong newsletter here: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/newsletter

Where to find me or work with me:

Website: IronStrongFitness.net Instagram: @IronStrongFit

Episodes drop once a week.

Sharing a story about my surgery and finding providers who care. I had elbow surgery a few days ago — after a year of PT, a doctor who spent two minutes with me, and another who didn't even read my chart before scheduling surgery. This week: the doctor who finally got it right, why he sat in the room until I ran out of questions, and why you can't skip advocating for your own body — no matter what part of it.

Hop into my Sunday Strong newsletter here: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/newsletter

Where to find me or work with me:

Website: IronStrongFitness.net Instagram: @IronStrongFit Small group strength training in Jersey City: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/schedule

Episodes drop once a week.

Two types of women are calling me lately. One just got diagnosed with osteoporosis or osteopenia and is following doctor's orders. The other is on a GLP-1 like Zepbound or Ozempic, lost significant weight, and is wondering why her body doesn't look the way she expected. Both need strength training. In this episode I talk about what's actually happening in each scenario — the real science behind bone building, muscle loss, and why "lift heavy" is some of the most unhelpful advice out there if no one explains what it means.

Join my Sunday Strong newsletter here: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/newsletter

Where to find me or work with me:

Website: IronStrongFitness.net Instagram: @IronStrongFit Small group strength training in Jersey City: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net/schedule

Episodes drop once a week.