Communication
The Best Interview Questions You’re Not Asking
The search for top talent can be difficult and is often made no easier during the interview process. How do you choose questions that will elicit the information you need to select the right person for the job?
Mind-Body Personal Training
When Tanya Colucci, MS, trains clients, she pulls from many different resources to offer the best results possible. Owner of Tanya Colucci Myofascial Release Therapy in Bluffton, South Carolina, Colucci believes in an integrative mind-body approach, which appears to resonate with many people. Case in point: client Aileen Worthington, age 71, who has osteoporosis.
Four Easy-to-Use Email Tools to Launch Your Email Newsletter
Learn the pros and cons of four popular tools.
How To Become a Mindful Personal Trainer
When leading client sessions, do you find that you have difficulty maintaining focus on the task at hand? Learn how to break the habit of mind wandering to become a more mindful—and fulfilled—personal trainer.
Top Traits of Great Business Leaders
Bosses. We’ve all had them. Good, bad, indifferent. What sets the good ones apart from the rest?
If you have difficulty relating to or mobilizing your staff, perhaps it’s time to do a little self-assessment and determine what leadership qualities you may be lacking.
“My favorite project manager always had my back,” recalls Susan Wall, a freelance instructional designer from Lisbon, New Hampshire. “He also trusted me to do my job, and he challenged and encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone.”
How to Teach HIIT to Everyone
High-intensity interval training has been riding a wave of popularity, and it seems everyone wants to give it a try. However, intense interval training is nothing new. Group fitness instructors have been teaching HIIT for a long time. Fartlek training, for example, was big in the 1970s. The 1980s brought us high-impact classes, and the 1990s introduced indoor cycling (think repeat hill training). HIIT is a fantastic workout and an effective way to train energy systems; build muscle; lose weight; enhance strength, power and agility; and prevent adaptation.
7 Ways to Help a Client Boost Adherence
Once a client has decided to make nutritional changes to support weight loss, you can play a key role in developing an action plan that is most likely to support those changes and contribute to long-term adherence. following are seven strategies a client can use to support adherence to a particular diet, or rather “eating plan” or “lifestyle change.”
Seven Reasons People Join a Fitness Facility, Part One
The daily responsibilities of owning and managing a fitness facility can be overwhelming. Along with all the usual details, like class scheduling and staff management, a primary concern is the danger of reduced revenue due to member turnover.
How to Become a Better Negotiator
Learning how to negotiate is a necessary business skill. Whether you’re dealing with opening a new business, developing a client contract or asking for a raise,
your ability as a negotiator can have a significant impact on the outcome. Eldonna Lewis Fernandez, author of Think Like a Negotiator, offers the following tips to up your negotiation game:
Eight Principles of Behavior Modification
The ongoing and stubborn health epidemic in the United States, combined with healthcare reform and a growing body of behavior change research, has sparked a revolution. It has become clear that “expert advice” does not translate into behavior change for people who are not ready to change. After all, despite doctors’ orders, nearly a third of prescriptions are left unfilled (Tamblyn et al. 2014). Despite federal dietary guidelines, the average American’s food intake lines up with MyPlate recommendations on only 2% of days (NPD Group 2011).
Mental Toughness Techniques for Peak Performance
Why is it that athletes and fitness enthusiasts with the same physical
strength, technical skills, equipment and nutrition perform differently
and achieve different results? When all else is equal, top performers
have a specifically designed mindset that allows them to show up when
they’d rather not, endure intense training, rest when needed, cope with
enormous pressure, and commit 100% to giving every ounce of effort they
have.
How To Work With Teen Athletes
Working with a group of teen athletes can be a frustrating experience—but it doesn’t have to be. Justin Russ, CSCS, a strength and conditioning coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, offers his top insights on successful team training:
Set the tone. Establish expectations and procedures early. Be sure the teens are aware that you are the coach and they are the athletes, and their job is to listen to what you say.
How to Deal With Class Cliques
High school may have felt like the toughest time in your life. Navigating the social cliques was mentally draining and often confusing. After graduation, you hoped all that was behind you; however, fast-forward to modern-day group fitness studios and you may find yourself reliving some of your worst nightmares. While the drama may not be as intense, there are still situations that require delicate handling.
“What’s the Best Piece of Fitness Industry Advice You’ve Ever Received?”
The best fitness advice that I have received is: Don’t be afraid to be creative. I was nearing the end of my education in the fitness field. The advice was just what I needed before returning to my hometown to start training a full client list. I was at a “hands-on” retreat to get practical experi- ence in training.
Attentional Focus & Cuing
Nod if these scenarios seem familiar:
You give your client well-articulated instructions and get a blank stare followed by, “So what do you want me to do?”?
You give your client a series of cues, but the client’s movements actually get worse because your point is misunderstood.
You have a successful training session one week where the client really seems to click with everything you are saying, but the next week it is as though your coaching had dissolved and the client is right back to those inefficient movements.
Programs to Track Your Finances
As a personal training business owner, you’ve got a lot on your to-do list. Atop that list is making sure your finances are organized and accounted for. These programs can help you do just that.
Communication Skills of the Successful Personal Trainer
Client communications helps to gain trust and produce results. Learn simple strategies to improve communication and guide clients toward sustainable forms of success.
Cycling Class Etiquette
A cycling instructor wears many hats: coach, trainer, motivator and mentor. But one title many of us would happily relinquish is “enforcer.” It’s never a pleasant job to police workout etiquette. From time to time, though, situations arise that must be dealt with. Knowing what to do, or at the very least knowing how to respond, can make tricky cycling studio dilemmas less uncomfortable and easier to manage. Here are effective responses to some sticky situations.
Lessons From the Trenches, Part One: The Leader Within
Many fitness professionals aspire to take their careers to the next level. Whether the goal is to become a better personal trainer or coach or to become the chief operating officer of a large fitness chain, great leadership is the underlying theme.
How to Cope With Change
Change is inevitable. Organizations restructure, fitness facility ownership turns over and managers come and go. Although change can be positive, for many people the mere thought of it breeds anxiety and fear. During times of job stress, productivity declines; in addition, the rumor mill ramps up, morale may deteriorate and valued employees may look for other opportunities. As a manager, you are responsible for guiding employees through these potentially difficult times.