The 4 Keys to Injury Prevention Programming
At some point in your fitness career, you will encounter clients who are suffering or who have suffered from an injury – either related to exercise or as a result of some other event. Although injury diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation are all beyond the scope of a certified personal trainer, preventing injury is not. Personal […]
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
All professionals, at some point in their careers, question their individual talents, intelligence, and abilities. Personal trainers are no exception. It takes time to build success, but even when we do – there are still occasions where we wonder “do I know what I’m doing?” If you’ve been there, don’t worry, we all have and […]
Fostering Empathy to Elevate the Fitness Client’s Experience
I always start the semester by engaging my personal training students in a discussion that prompts them to answer this question: “what does effective personal training require?” Invariably, they identify such features and characteristics as strong knowledge base, quality certification, professionalism, growing business/client list, and tailoring programs to individual needs. These answers aren’t incorrect. But […]
Five Ways to Embrace Fall Fitness with Clients
Fall. The crisp air, nature’s changing color palette, the crunch of the fallen leaves – everything about the autumnal season says “change”. What better way to celebrate the changing season than to embrace it with alternative approaches to fitness clients’ workout programs? Here are five ways to encourage turning a “new leaf” for fall fitness. […]
Coaching Fitness Clients Toward Behavior Change
The process of changing human behavior is challenging and complex given that it is an ongoing, nonlinear process influenced by a number of different factors that change over time. There’s no single formula to help fitness professionals predict why, how, or if a client will adopt a healthy behavior, making coaching a client toward behavior […]
Processed Foods: What Fitness Clients Should Look Out For
The topic of processed foods is somewhat convoluted as there are multiple definitions of what constitutes a processed food item. The majority of foods experience some level of “processing”, however it’s the degree to which a food is altered from its natural, whole form that we should question and, ultimately, teach our clients to limit. […]
The Planes of Motion: Creating a 3D Approach to Personal Training
The human body is meant to move in all directions – forward, backward, side to side, up, down, and rotationally. In other words, the body exists and functions on a 3-dimensional plane. The term “planes of motion” is used in the context of Human Anatomy and Biomechanics to illustrate this concept. Personal trainers can and […]
Scope of Practice for the Fitness Professional: Massage Therapy
It’s not uncommon for fitness clients to request massages or trigger point release from their personal trainers. Personal trainers have a thorough understanding of the muscular system and, as a result, clients assume they can provide this service. However, personal trainers need to be mindful of their stated scope of practice and refer clients to […]
Medical Scope of Practice for the Personal Trainer: Guidance for Medical-Related Issues
Is there a such thing as a medical scope of practice for a personal trainer, or do we need to be sensitive to how best to handle clients’ medical issues when they arise? If you’re a certified personal trainer, you more than likely get comments and questions like these, all of which challenge the limits […]
Scope of Practice for the Fitness Professional: Counseling Clients and Mental Health
Fitness clients aren’t just clients; they are individuals who are juggling many responsibilities and fulfilling multiple roles in their lives. It’s not unusual for a client to enter a workout session feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and energetically spent, prompting you to want to offer impromptu counseling or mental health advice. If you’ve successfully built rapport and […]