Horton Barbell - Train Like An Athlete (Coach Ryan Horton)
MID IG 50.2K @horton_barbell · YT 4.14K
Walked as buyer "Jake", an ex-athlete with a cranky knee.
Verdict: Daily free workouts build a 22K list with no friction; zero injury or mobility angle.
IG: @horton_barbell · 50.2K
Who they target: Former athletes who want to train 'just like we did when I played' and weekend warriors; broader funnel is general lifters via a free daily-workout newsletter. Credibility = D1 football strength coach (Univ at Buffalo, ex-Tennessee, Georgia Tech).
Freebie: daily workout newsletter (Substack, older beehiiv form still live) + free workouts posted on website
Paid: Train Like An Athlete (4 Day) team on TrainHeroic (also 3 Day version; All-Access bundle), $29/mo or $249/yr; ladder: Daily Workouts app $10/mo, Foundations $10/mo, 4 Day Strength $20/mo, All-Access $33/mo; PDFs $14.97 to $35
Emails seen: 0
Jump to: Walk the funnel · Emails · Paid offer · What works / avoid · Blocked
Walk the funnel (32 steps)
1Viewed public profile (logged out)
What the buyer sees
IG profile: 'Head Strength Coach Univ at Buffalo / Owner: Horton Barbell / Train With Me', link hortonbarbell.substack.com, highlights 'Training Teams', 'UB Bulls', 'Free Workouts'
Notes
Link in bio goes straight to the free newsletter, not to the paid program.
Next step →2Mobile screenshot
What the buyer sees
Same, mobile
Next step →3Clicked link in bio
What the buyer sees
Substack 'HB Daily Workouts' home: latest workout hero, archive list, 'Get Your Next Workout Delivered. Join 22,000+ Who Already Do.'
Notes
Every post is a full free workout + featured article.
Next step →4Mobile screenshot
What the buyer sees
Substack home on mobile
Next step →5Opened Start Here
What the buyer sees
'Start Here' post is paywalled: 'Claim my free post' or 'purchase a paid subscription'
Notes
Onboarding post gated behind email.
Next step →6Opened /subscribe
What the buyer sees
Subscribe page: headline, email field, Subscribe, 'No thanks'
Notes
No paid tier shown here; free only.
Next step →7Mobile screenshot
What the buyer sees
Subscribe page mobile
Next step →8Typed Jake inbox, clicked Subscribe
What the buyer sees
Email entered
Next step →9Waited
What the buyer sees
Substack 'Sign in to Horton Barbell - Check your email... we sent you a link to sign in'
Notes
Retry (step 29) API returned didSignup:false, prompt_to_login:true. No email ever arrived at the disposable inbox in 25+ min, so Substack likely filters the mail.tm domain.
Next step →10Visited website
What the buyer sees
hortonbarbell.com home: 'Maximize Your Training. Every Day. Every Set. Every Rep.' CTA 'Start Training Today', 'Programs for Former Athletes (Train Like You Did at Your Peak!)'
Notes
Ad-supported content site (Raptive ads).
Next step →11Mobile screenshot
What the buyer sees
Website home mobile
Next step →12Clicked Start Training Today
What the buyer sees
Strength Programs: 'New School' (TrainHeroic app teams) vs 'Old School' (PDF shop)
Next step →13Visited TrainHeroic
What the buyer sees
TrainHeroic brand page: Daily Workouts $10/mo, Foundations $10/mo, 4 Day Strength $20/mo, Train Like An Athlete $29/mo, Football $29/mo, All-Access $33/mo, all with free trial
Notes
Clear price ladder.
Next step →14Read sales page
What the buyer sees
TLAA sales page: 'The most requested program I get is from former players who ask for a program, just like we did when I played.' $29/mo, 'Start My 7-Day Free Trial'
Notes
Olympic lifts heavy. Full sample week visible (snatch, power clean, clean pull at %).
Next step →15Mobile screenshot
What the buyer sees
TLAA sales page mobile
Next step →16Rejected cookies
What the buyer sees
Cookie banner blocks the trial button
Next step →17Clicked Start My 7-Day Free Trial
What the buyer sees
Trial cart: Create Account + Monthly $29 (7 days free) or Annual $249 (28% savings); $0 today, $29 from Oct 23
Next step →18Mobile screenshot
What the buyer sees
Trial cart mobile
Next step →19Filled form
What the buyer sees
Form filled as Jake Morales, hCaptcha checkbox
Next step →20STOPPED, did not solve
What the buyer sees
hCaptcha image challenge (select frying pans)
Notes
Card field is on the next (Payment) step.
Next step →21Visited free workouts page
What the buyer sees
Website 'Free Workouts' page: today's workout table + coach's notes, 'Remind Me Of Tomorrow's Workout', 'Upgrade Your Daily Workouts... Free 7-Day Trial'
Notes
Free workout sits right next to the $10/mo app upsell.
Next step →22Mobile screenshot
What the buyer sees
Free workouts mobile
Next step →23Clicked Remind Me
What the buyer sees
beehiiv opt-in 'Get Your Next Workout Delivered. Join 22,000+... Five workouts a week, built by a D1 Strength Coach with 20 years of experience' + consent box, 'Join Free'
Notes
Old beehiiv list still live alongside Substack.
Next step →24Mobile screenshot
What the buyer sees
beehiiv opt-in mobile
Next step →25Submitted
What the buyer sees
Email entered, consent ticked
Next step →26STOPPED, did not solve
What the buyer sees
'Before we continue... Press & Hold to confirm you are a human' bot check
Notes
Blocked.
Next step →27Read a public post
What the buyer sees
The free thing: a daily workout post (warm-up, 5 blocks with sets/reps/% , coach's notes, featured article, whiteboard quote)
Notes
Value is fully free and ungated except Start Here.
Next step →28Read
What the buyer sees
About page: 'started as a daily workout I sent to seven friends and former athletes... now 22,000'
Notes
Origin story ties back to former athletes.
Next step →29Viewed upsell
What the buyer sees
All-Access Training $33/mo (every team)
Next step →30Retried
What the buyer sees
Substack subscribe retry, same result
Next step →31Viewed the direct upsell from the newsletter
What the buyer sees
Daily Workouts app team $10/mo, 7-day trial: Challenge Mondays, Strong Tuesdays, Cardio Wednesdays, Big Squat Thursdays, Get Swole Fridays
Notes
This is the real bridge: same free workouts, but in an app with logging, leaderboard, week-ahead access, DM the coach.
Next step →32Viewed
What the buyer sees
PDF shop: sport programs $14.97 to $29.97, 'Legends' cycles $14.97, 1 on 1 coaching
Notes
'Legends' = former-athlete line.
Next: the emails →Email timeline (0)
No emails arrived in the watch window. See "Blocked" below for why (often the test inbox domain gets filtered, or there was no opt-in).
Next: the paid offer →Paid offer
Name: Train Like An Athlete (4 Day) team on TrainHeroic (also 3 Day version; All-Access bundle)
Price: $29/mo or $249/yr; ladder: Daily Workouts app $10/mo, Foundations $10/mo, 4 Day Strength $20/mo, All-Access $33/mo; PDFs $14.97 to $35
Billing: monthly or annual subscription via TrainHeroic
Trial: 7-day free trial, account + card (hCaptcha before card step)
What is included: 4 days/week fresh weekly programming (Olympic lifts, squats, bench, pull-ups, jumps), about 1 hour/session, exercise videos, progress tracking/leaderboards, direct message access to Coach Horton; needs barbell, bumper plates, rack
Free to paid bridge: Newsletter and website give the workout away free every day; each free workout page carries 'Upgrade Your Daily Workouts' to the $10/mo app (log, track, compete, get the week in advance, DM the coach, 7-day free trial). From there the TrainHeroic brand page ladders up to Train Like An Athlete $29 and All-Access $33. No injury or pain angle anywhere.
Freebie detail
Type: daily workout newsletter (Substack, older beehiiv form still live) + free workouts posted on website
Exact promise: Get Your Next Workout Delivered. Join 22,000+ Who Already Do. / Five workouts a week, built by a D1 Strength Coach with 20 years of experience and delivered straight to your inbox.
Length: one full gym workout per weekday (Mon-Fri), about 1 hour, plus a short article
Asks for: email only
What works
- Daily free value that builds a habit and huge list (22K) with almost zero friction
- Authority stated in one line (D1 football strength coach, named schools)
- Origin story: 'workout I sent to seven friends and former athletes'
- Upgrade pitch sells convenience, not new content: same workouts but tracked, in an app, a week ahead, with coach DMs
- Cheap price ladder with free trial on every rung
- Exact former-athlete language: 'just like we did when I played'
Avoid
- Two live email systems (Substack + old beehiiv) and a bot-check on the beehiiv form: confusing and leaks signups
- Gating the 'Start Here' onboarding post
- Olympic-lift heavy program is a poor fit for 35+ ex-athletes with cranky knees/groins; no mention of injury, mobility, or recovery
- Link in bio goes to newsletter but never tells a former athlete there is a program made for them
- Heavy display ads on website cheapen the brand
Blocked or missing
- Substack signup: no welcome or sign-in email reached the mail.tm inbox in 25+ min (likely disposable-domain filtering)
- beehiiv 'Remind Me' opt-in blocked by press-and-hold bot check (not solved)
- TrainHeroic free trial blocked by hCaptcha image challenge before card step (not solved)
- IG 'Free Workouts' highlight not viewable logged out