Here at Northwest Personal Training we are very proud of our Group Training Program. We keep class sizes small, our own personal trainers teach most of our classes and we ask clients to commit to specific classes and times in the current schedule. This helps hold them accountable for coming to class and allows us to send out motivating emails to the entire class.

When we have a new group training client we make a special effort to make him/her feel welcome and also make sure that all of the group training instructors are aware of the new client, the new client’s goals, limitations and the classes the new client has committed to coming to.

Read more on New Group Training Client…

Many of us have clients that are currently training for triathlons. Of course we want to help them get and stay strong for each of the three portions of the race; swim, bike & run. Today I am going to share my top 4 exercises that can help swimmers stay strong and feel great in the water.

Most of us….and our clients probably learned how to swim when we were
younger and yet, most adults find it an incredibly challenging activity. So, remind your clients that if their bodies aren’t conditioned for swimming, their shoulders and low back may take a beating.

Here are a few exercises you can work on with your clients to help them prepare their bodies for swimming.

Anterior and Posterior Arm Lifts: 

Lie on a bench holding light handweights (2-5 pounds).  Keeping your abdominals contracted and your chest slightly lifted, slowly raise the weights forward until they are horizontal with your body.  Then return to the starting position and press weights backwards.  Keep your arms only slightly bent during the entire range of motion so the motion comes from the shoulder joint not the elbow. Repeat 8-20 times.

Read more on Exercises for Strong Clients – Swimming…

As fitness professionals we see clients who need sport specific training to keep them strong and injury free. In many parts of the country golfers are starting to hit the course this time of year. Arm your golfing clients with the exercises that will keep them golfing all season.

I have found that golfers, in particular, love their sport so much they spend a lot of hours and money on the golf courses attempting to perfect their swing, fine-tune their skills and lower their score. But…

…..very few gung-go golfers spend any time on improving their basic physical conditioning which ultimately, will improve their overall golf game. 

The reality is the golf swing is a very complex, explosive and unnatural movement placing significant stresses and torque on the body parts involved. Because of the nature of the sport, golfers are at a high risk for developing overuse injuries to the muscles, tendons, ligaments and joint structures particularly in the low back, hip and shoulder areas.  Professional golfers are injured on average twice a year and amateur golfers once a year, with the most common injury sites being the wrist (27%), back (24%), elbow (23%), shoulder (8%) and knee (7%). Most of these injuries are the result of the repetitive nature of practice swings, combined with a poor warm-up and weak trunk, shoulder and wrist muscles. The stronger, better-conditioned golfer will be less susceptible to injury and will recover more quickly after an injury. That’s where you come in! A good golf conditioning program will incorporate balance exercises, full body rotational movements and a stretching program that increases a golfer’s ability to rotate at the spine.

Try these exercises with your golfer clients!

Read more on Exercises for Strong Clients – Golfing…

Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Plan special activities, events, classes etc to celebrate women! Here are some ideas for you:

• Host a Mother/Daughter class ie Dance, Yoga, Kickboxing…
• Organize a Mother’s Day Bootcamp
• Organize a fundraiser with the beneficiary being an important woman’s cause
• Hold a Woman’s Health seminar
• Bring in a massage therapist for the day to give your female clients free mini-massage sessions
• Give each gal at your studio a flower or inspirational poem
• Offer Gift Certificates, specials, promotional offers etc.

Read more on Appreciate Women Clients!…