Where do you go when you don't have the answers?

Great suggestions listed! Aside from looking through my personal library, idea archives, and workshop notes- sometimes I simply pick up the phone and call professionals I have networked with from previous jobs, college, or workshops and ask them. Verbally discussing the topic may provide you with better understanding and the other person can let you know their previous experience with clients having the same issue.

Also, I'm finding my LinkedIn group threads to be very beneficial, especially for Pilates. Someone will post a question pertaining to a client issue and all of the other certified and experienced trainers/instructors/physical therapists/doctors put in their knowledge. It resembles a discussion room full of educated professionals!

Hi Sara
I will go to Google and look for reputatble studies, my university library, or my own library. I find most of the material by publishers Human Kinetics and Lippincott Williams & Wilkins invaluable, but inaccessible without a fee. I also look at NIH, CDC and similar websites depending on my search criteria. For creative exercises I may look at A.C.E. videos, IDEA videos, ACSM EIM videos or others on utube. Then I decide what works and does not work for my needs.
Danielle

Hi Sara,

my approach is very similar to Danielle's. I google and then look here, there and everywhere.

Personally, I am not concerned about the trainer's scope of practice when I look for information. This only becomes relevant the moment you APPLY something beyond your scope. I often read medical texts as background information. That does not mean that I will 'diagnose' anything or make statements about treatments.

As far as new exercises or equipment: I am fortunate to attend the IDEA conferences often where I get a chance to try out the latest and greatest. This gives me an opportunity to assess it and implement it as appropriate.

I tend to look for workshops taught by individuals who have advanced credentials.

I've learned alot from Dr. Michael Jones. Books he suggested that we have in our library, I purchased like Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, the Merck Manual.

I find the ACSM Resource Manual a good resource as it covers information pertaining to the scope of practice of a personal trainer all the way through to a clinical exercise physiologist.

If you have an ACSM credential you can alway research their online journals.

One can always visit www.pubmed.gov. If you are ACE certified one can utilize Sports Discus and look up the research pertaining to the area you are unclear about.

Hope this is of help to you.

Hi Sara. Good question. There is so much information out there - not all of it good, that deciding what to pay attention to, AND perhaps even more importantly what NOT to, can be a daunting task. I rely a lot on my personal library of books and research, as well as what other posters have said - research on the internet. I tend to review research studies and their findings at universities, respected health and sports medicine organizations, and medical professional organizations such as those in pediatrics, orthopedics, and cardiology.

I hope that this helps.

LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com
larue.cook@lecfitness.com

I like to search the internet for blogs by other trainers because it provides kind of an underground perspective to add to the more reputable scientific sources. Check out www.theptdc.com it's called the Personal Training Development Center and it is a collaborative effort by many successful trainers. I found it on this list of blogs: http://nursepractitionerdegree.org/top-50-blogs-every-personal-trainer-s...

Sara, I refer to Human Kinetics, but another website I visit is http://www.exrx.net/, great resource!

You've already gotten a lot of great responses and I too use a lot of the sources they quoted. The only other I'd add, is I often look at the medline reviews for medical questions, diseases or treatments that clients discuss during our sessions. I can then delve deeper into the topic if I need to.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/pmresources.html

Why, right here! =)

IDEA has some great stuff online! Check out their article library!

As an ACE professional, you should get the IDEA Fitness Journal? There are always awesome articles in those journals, and after having gotten a number of them, they are my go-to source to find out more information on most things. When I can't find an answer that I'm looking for, I'll just google until I find something that has a .org or .edu extension and I'll interpret it as either legitimate and relevant or not based on 1.) my knowledge of functional movement and training etc. and 2.) the credentials of those who published the information.

Short answer?... The world wide web!

I always start with Google which leads me to other reputable sites like Livestrong, WebMD, etc. Everything is online, just be selective about the sources of the info you find.