Happy Thanksgiving to all of the US fitness professionals!
Of course today I am thinking of all the things I am thankful for….my family, friends, co-workers and the fact that I get to work (everyday) in an industry that I love. It is because of all of you that our industry has become what it is and will continue to grow! It is because of fitness professionals like you that we are helping people all over the US and the world live healthier lives. I feel grateful to say that I work along side all of you in this endeavor.
So on this day of thanks I simply want to say THANKS for all of your hard work, energy and passion you put into your profession. We live in a better world because of it.
Enjoy this day with your friends, family and loved ones. Read more on Thanks For YOUR Hard Work!…
‘Tis the busy season for most of us in the fitness industry, but sometimes our clients need a little encouragement to keep moving during the cold winter months. Here is what I like to suggest to our clients to keep them moving and coming in to work with our personal trainers this time of year.
In the summer, it’s easier to get outside to cycle, run, walk,or hike but as the weather gets a little colder and the nights a little darker, people spend a lot less time outdoors. This lack of sunlight often leads to people experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or the Winter Blues. Fortunately, I, as well as many other fitness enthusiasts, aren’t affected as much as by the winter blues as others are because of many of these tips below. Read more on Encourage Clients This Winter!…
Our annual Spring Makeover Challenge allows our clients to participate in a fun, friendly team competition to help them shed that extra winter layer that most of us put in because it’s colder, darker and days are shorter. Each of our trainers have teams and we all compete against each other to see who can ramp it up the most and achieve the best results. There’s nothing like a little peer pressure to get your clients to do what they need to do to reach their goals.
Read more on Weight Loss Challenge – Week 4…
Hey Fit Pros, I recently attended the International Personal Training Summit in Seattle and wanted to share with you some of the highlights from the event in case you weren’t able to be there….
Read more on Latest & Greatest Fitness Tips Hot Off the Press – First of 2 Part Series…
Clients that come see you for 1 on 1 personal training a couple times a week are the best kinds to get, but not all clients (or potential clients) can, want or need to see you that often. It is a good idea to try to fill the open time slots in your/your staff’s schedule by encouraging clients to see a personal trainer once a month for program updates. How do you encourage that type of client to sign up with you? Send them some of the information below. What better way to encourage folks to come see you than by educating them on why it is so important?
Read more on Fill Your Schedule – Encourage Monthly Clients…
I am sure many of you have come up against clients who question why they need to do cardio exercise. Of course you know the importance of combining aerobic and anaerobic cardio, strength training, stretching and other forms of exercise…but your clients may not. I always like to give my clients the facts about their fitness and do it in a way that is easy to understand and suggest doable ways to accomplish what I am suggesting.
Here is a great way to help your clients understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise and to show then why both are important in reaching goals.
I start by telling clients that every good cardio program should include aerobic and anaerobic exercise with some variable impact and agility training.
Aerobic Exercise:
Aerobic exercise is easy to explain. It involves going out for a walk, jog, cycle, swim, hike, x-country ski, indoor cardio equipment or taking a fitness class. It includes exercise that is within your comfort zone and at an intensity that you could hold for 20 minutes plus. This type of exercise will condition your heart and achieve numerous health benefits.
Anaerobic Exercise:
Anaerobic exercise is a more challenging form of exercise. Read more on Explaining Aerobic & Anaerobic To Your Clients…
We have made it through the majority of the excuses that your clients will try to use to get out of training with you. After reading these last two scenarios you will be armed with what you need to help your clients overcome these obstacles. Pretty soon your clients won’t even try to get out of workouts because they know you always have a comeback that is just too good!
Let’s Go Back Home
Imagine this scenario. Your clients have scheduled a two-week vacation and have decided to drive to their favorite holiday destination. They get half way there, get a flat tire and turn around and go back home. Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? But this is exactly what happens when most people start exercise or nutrition programs. They are on their way to their goals and they slip up. Instead of “fixing the flat” and continuing on toward their goal, they give up and return to old habits and patterns. We know that 70 percent of people who start an exercise program drop out within a matter of months. And most people who lose 10 pounds gain them back. So how do you help your clients avoid being one of the failures? It is important to help your clients realize and accept that there are going to be obstacles, challenges or perceived failures along the way to any goal. Those who succeed learn from the challenge and get right back on the exercise track.
The Here and Now
So many of our clients fall prey to the lure of immediate gratification. The chocolate cake staring them in the face is too great a temptation compared to future weight loss. They would rather experience the pleasure now and worry about the consequences later. A binge today simply means tomorrow they will eat better or they will work out twice as long or hard. There is always a way to justify a lack of discipline. Discipline and will power are perceived as deprivation – Read more on Overcoming Obstacles & Excuses – Week 5…
Here we are at week 4 of our 5 week series on Overcoming Obstacles & Excuses.
Remember, knowing how to get your clients or potential clients past these road blocks will keep them coming back for more. It is your job to ensure that they stick to the plan!
My knees hurt so I can’t exercise
The health benefits of exercise often outweigh the risks. Certain conditions may make exercise more difficult but a good trainer can work around most problems. Consult with a health professional who can help you design a program that addresses your client’s specific concerns. For example, if a client is suffering from a knee injury, there is no reason why you can’t work on their upper body and abdominals while they are rehabilitating their knees.
I can’t see any results
One of the biggest hurdles new exercisers face is that the effort often does not match the result. They have been exercising for five weeks and jump up on the scale. Ugh, no change! They feel the program must not be working and give up. Unrealistic expectations can be a real downer. Convince your clients to stay off the scale. Monitor how many more repetitions your clients can do of a particular exercise. Read more on Overcoming Obstacles & Excuses – Week 4…
I know that you have heard these excuses from your clients before. Read this week’s addition to my series on helping your clients overcome obstacles and excuses.
Getting your clients past these excuses can be the key to getting them to invest in your services!
I Hate exercise
In the beginning, exercise may feel like a chore to your clients but eventually it will become a physical and mental health need. It is important to find activities your clients enjoy doing so that they will participate in them regularly, see the results and get hooked. Have your clients use music, try hiking or walking and add variety to their program to make it more fun. Have them exercise with friends. Studies show you tend to achieve better results that way because it will become more difficult to skip workouts. There is also 
no evidence to suggest that exercise needs to be painful. If it hurts that much, your clients may be doing too much, too soon. While exercising, they may feel some discomfort, muscular fatigue or a burning sensation near the end of a set or an exercise bout. These feelings are normal. However, while performing an exercise, they should not feel sharp pain. This is not normal and they should stop the exercise immediately and consult a sports physician or physiotherapist. All of us have experienced muscle soreness after a new activity or highly intense workout. Remember the feeling after your first day of skiing, first aerobics class or the first run of the summer? This sensation is referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness because it usually takes one to three days after the workout to kick in. Many participants rate the effectiveness of a workout by how sore they are afterwards. But it you are training appropriately, there is no need to be sore. It is okay to think “Hey, my muscles feel like they had a great workout yesterday.” However, if your clients have a problem getting out of a chair, walking, or even just moving, they are training too hard – and not very sensibly. Read more on Overcoming Obstacles And Excuses – Week 3…
Hey Fit Pros,
Here we are at week 2 of our 5 week Overcoming Obstacles and Excuses series. We hear these next two excuses over and over again! It is time to have a response that will help your clients get over these obstacles once and for all!
Read more on Overcoming Obstacles And Excuses – Week 2…
Of course today I am thinking of all the things I am thankful for….my family, friends, co-workers and the fact that I get to work (everyday) in an industry that I love. It is because of all of you that our industry has become what it is and will continue to grow! It is because of fitness professionals like you that we are helping people all over the US and the world live healthier lives. I feel grateful to say that I work along side all of you in this endeavor.
