Why Most Fitness Coaches Are Building Backward: JetDigitalPro Interviews James de Lacey

We sat down with James de Lacey, founder of Sweet Science of Fighting and Lift Big Eat Big, to talk about why most fitness coaches are building backward and what a decade coaching professional rugby and rugby league across three countries taught him instead. Our conversation covered audience-building, content strategy, and one of the most misunderstood ideas in combat sports conditioning today.

Three Things That Surprised Us

• Growth doesn’t need a “moment.” We expected a viral post or a platform shift behind Sweet Science of Fighting’s growth. There wasn’t one, de Lacey attributes it to information quality, not a marketing turning point.
• The “Huberman model” is a trap, not a template. De Lacey was candid that clickbait-style certainty grows audiences fastest, and that he deliberately avoids leaning fully into it because the information underneath often doesn’t hold up.
• Vanity metrics aren’t the enemy, they’re leverage. Rather than dismissing follower growth, de Lacey frames it as a door to bigger platforms and credibility, not the goal itself.

Key Insights From the Interview

• On credibility: de Lacey holds a Masters in Sport & Exercise Science and spent a decade coaching within international and professional rugby and rugby league across three different countries, alongside published academic research in strength & conditioning.
• On why most coaches struggle online: “Most coaches want to build a big following and have a big online coaching business. The problem is, most have barely coached in real life,” de Lacey told us.
• On Sweet Science of Fighting’s growth: de Lacey said there was “no real turning point,” attributing traction instead to information quality rooted in his professional sport background.
• On balancing rigor with reach: de Lacey described the tension directly, noting that clickbait-style content, the approach he associates with Huberman-style wellness podcasters, grows audiences fast but often sacrifices accuracy.
• On combat sports conditioning: de Lacey identified energy system development as still widely misunderstood, stating plainly that “sprints are not anaerobic,” contrary to how most conditioning programs are still built.

What This Means for Agencies and Content Teams

For teams producing fitness, wellness, or sports content, de Lacey’s account is a useful check against a common industry habit, leading with reach instead of expertise. His approach, building real-world credibility first, then using a “sensationalist hook, nuanced substance” structure, offers a model for teams that want content to hold up under scrutiny while still reaching an audience. It also reframes audience metrics as a means (access to bigger platforms and podcasts) rather than an end in themselves.

Expert Quote

“You can go full clickbait/absolute statement and you’ll grow an audience fast. Think Huberman and all the wellness podcasters who spew poor information. I’ve found this happy medium where the hook can be a little more sensationalist but then the information presented is more in-depth and provides nuance,” said James de Lacey, founder of Sweet Science of Fighting and Lift Big Eat Big.

Methodology Note

This piece is based on a direct interview conducted with James de Lacey in June 2026, alongside his publicly available professional and academic background.

The Takeaway

De Lacey’s core argument, expertise before audience, substance under the hook, cuts against a lot of standard online growth advice. Read the complete interview and analysis on our blog → Why Most Fitness Coaches Are Building Backward