Personal Trainers Refine Their Purpose

When was the last time you got excited—really excited—about the programs you design for your clients? There was a time when you paid lavish attention to detail. From the ground up you considered all the variables and options. Somewhere along the way, however, you may have lost a little passion and focus. You didn’t stop caring, and you still inspire your clients, but what would you give to reignite your purpose?

Purpose exploded like a good jump squat at the 2011 IDEA Personal Trainer Institute in Alexandria, Virginia, February 17–20. During this highly popular, sold-out fitness event, personal trainers in all stages of their careers led a charge to improve performance, function and injury prevention. Attendees like Becky Le Blond, personal trainer and lifestyle and weight management consultant, chose from 80 sessions presented by more than 30 of the leading names in the fitness industry.

“The conference is aimed solely toward personal trainers, without the fluff,” says Le Blond, who works at Worldgate Sport and Health in Herndon, Virginia. “There were so many top-notch educators it was hard to choose classes. No wonder the sessions sell out. Everyone was friendly, helpful and approachable. It was fun to meet some of my fitness idols. The amount I learned is invaluable.”

IDEA Personal Trainer Institute, the longest-running fitness event exclusively for personal trainers, is known for extended workshops, in-depth information and small class sizes. It’s a condensed and super-charged school for personal trainers. This year’s curriculum included body leverage workshops, partner and small-group classes, a functional anatomy journey and various options for learning assessment, injury prevention and corrective exercise techniques.

Here are some highlights from this year’s IDEA Personal Trainer Institute:

• Renewed Focus on Performance. Sports conditioning isn’t just for athletic superstars. All ages and populations can benefit from agility and power training with the right modifications and components. Presenters taught personal trainers how to standardize performance assessment systems for a diverse audience, while explaining the science behind recovery and nutrition.
• Partner and Small-Group Training. The recession led many people to form little personal training “tribes” across the country. When things lightened up for some, they decided to stick with the collective fun instead of going back to one-on-one training. This is a win-win for both trainers and clients, and techniques have evolved to keep small-group training viable. Presenters moved attendees to seek out new ways to motivate and market to this profit center.
• Injury Prevention and Assessment. Personal training becomes highly customizable the more you learn about the body’s many functions. Now more than ever, clients are asking for help with pain management. Attendees learned myriad methods for successfully addressing clients’ unique needs with techniques such as myofascial release, compression, hands-off bodywork and corrective exercise.
• Function Conjunction. Functional training has evolved to include a wide range of perspectives. From a strong scientific foundation, presenters unveiled programming ideas that improve flexibility, refine balance and hoist biomechanics to the next level.

Moving to the next level is what the IDEA Personal Training Institute is all about. When personal trainers want to refocus on passion and purpose, this is where they go.

To learn more about the 2011 IDEA Personal Trainer Institute, read senior editor Joy Keller’s blog.

If you missed the IDEA Personal Trainer Institute, you can still benefit from the first-rate education offered at this fitness event. Over 20 sessions were filmed live at the 2011 IDEA Personal Trainer Institute and are available as DVDs and streaming videos in the IDEA store. What’s more, over a dozen of these videos are available with CECs/CEUs from several certification agencies. For more information, visit www.ideafit.com/fitness-products/trainer-2011.