I’ve never met a trainer who didn’t profess to love his/her job. However, I’ve seen many trainers drag themselves through the gym door just in time to make the session and offer up a... View More
Imagine being a retired Master Sergeant and SWAT Team Commander from the United States Air Force and entering the fitness industry during the early 1990s, just when the industry was poised for friendly... View More
If you’re like me, you’ve got many clients who have been training with you for a long time. Most of them look great, are incredibly healthy and certainly don’t have much more body fat... View More
Fifteen years ago, when I was freelance fitness writer and not yet in our industry, I was in a chain gym doing an article for a magazine. One of the trainers at that gym struck up a conversation with me... View More
We've all had whiny clients. You know, the ones who always tell you thatthis hurts or that it's uncomfortable, or that there is some reason they whyit's tougher on them than it is on anyone else. Because... View More
Too often, we trainers are eager to take credit for amazing results our clients receive. We think (especially those of us new to the industry) that we somehow are responsible for changing our clients'... View More
Motivationis a fickle thing. Like any emotion, it's unreliable. Yet it stillcolorsso much of our life experience, and it's a primary element that we, asfitnessprofessionals, are charged with bringing into... View More
MartinMcLoughlin had met with modest success as personaltraineruntil a dark evening in July 2007 changed his life andcareerforever. Riding his motorcycle, McLoughlin was struckhead-onby a drunk driver... View More
Motivation doesn’t work. It is an emotion: “I feel motivated.” And anyone over the age of 19 knows that emotions are fickle, subject to change for no apparent reason. It doesn’t... View More
After being in the fitness business for years, it’s easy to get a little jaded toward New Year’s resolutions. When 95% of people go back to their old habits by February and gyms that are packed... View More
Digging through a pile of papers, I found some notes I had taken at Brian Grasso’s Club Industry presentation on youth fitness last year. Across the bottom of the page, I had boldly scrawled “Reclaim... View More
I just finished a training session with a client who has lost more than five percentage points of body fat and about 25 pounds and has gained a renewed sense of herself and her amazing potential - all... View More
There's a popular idea within fitness and business communities that says it's more important to get something done fast rather than doing something well, an idea summed up in sayings like "Ready, Shoot,... View More
In every training certification I've seen, the importance of planning and documenting a client's workout and improvement is well-stated. However, it's easy, especially with long-term clients, to slip into... View More
Wouldn't it be nice to have a crystal ball into which you could gaze and determine how to best shape your career within your club? Thanks to the folks at IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub... View More
I have yet to work at a gym or studio that didn't require me to do some amount of cleaning up after myself, after my clients and around the gym in general. It's just part of the job. However, as the owner... View More
The one thing that really attracts all of us to someone else is feeling like that person really, really likes us. Think about it. It doesn't matter whether you are dating or creating a professional client... View More
I just finished up a phone interview with a successful trainer and studio owner. During that interview, she said something more profound than I think she realized. I asked her - given the benefit of hindsight... View More
Years ago, when I was training at a health club, I witnessed the success of one trainer and the demise of another. The first trainer was young, new to the industry, and eager. He made his share of mistakes... View More
We work so hard to try and figure out the magic marketing equation that it seems counterintuitive to ever, ever fire a client. After all, somebody paying you good money for that hour - no matter how annoying... View More
