Archive for May 2015
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.
Read MoreMindful Walking
Walking can be more than just moving physically from one location to another. It can be a metaphor for your larger life journey. Things you’re walking toward are goals, aspirations, and dreams of a better future. Things you’re walking away from are fear, discomfort or negativity that is holding you back. Spend a few moments identifying things you would like to walk into and things you’d like to walk away from.
Read More7 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.”
Read MoreGROOMing Habits, Part Two
If you’ve ever struggled to fill open classes or you’ve ever wanted more qualified fitness pros on your staff, it’s time to get proactive and ensure that you have the team of your dreams. GROOMing Habits is designed to arm you with the tools to make it happen. In the first installment, we covered Groundwork and Recruitment. Now let’s explore the final components: Options, Opportunity, and Manage & Meet Expectations.
Read MoreLessons From the Trenches, Part Two: The Challenge of Leadership
Great leaders don’t just point the way; they also give clear directions. However, it’s not always a simple task to inspire and motivate even the most willing of followers. Once you’ve thrown your hat into the leadership ring, you’ll be faced with new challenges. In part two of this series, we’ll expand on finding the leader within, and we’ll explore the best ways to handle challenging situations.
Read MoreFriendly Competition: We Can All Get Along
When Jack and Jenna Oliver opened Above the Bar, a CrossFit® facility in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 2 years ago, they knew it wouldn’t be an overnight success. However, they didn’t expect the competition to be so fierce. First, they had to deal with a Planet Fitness grand opening (with $10 monthly memberships); then, another CrossFit facility set up shop just a few miles away. Despite the competition, their box was so successful that they moved to a larger location—only to find out that a 24 Hour Fitness® was opening up less than a mile away!
Read MoreSeven 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.
Read MoreA Runner’s World
Stretching For Men
Many men struggle with inflexibility and diminished joint range of motion, especially as they age. Hip tightness, for example, can hinder athletic performance and possibly lead to various injuries. Unfortunately, stretching often takes a back seat to cardiovascular and strength training.
Read MoreThe Transformative Power of a Single Good Choice
Jonathan Ross has received numerous accolades for his work in the fitness industry, including recognition as the 2010 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, the 2006 ACE Personal Trainer of the Year, and the 2003 Personal Training Director of the Year by
PFP
magazine. He possesses a rare combination of fitness knowledge and personal experience with obesity, which he acquired while growing up with nearly “800 pounds of parents.” Ross has served as the fitness expert for Discovery Health and hosted its series
Everyday Fitness.
His book,
Abs Revealed,
Read MoreCreative Ideas That Inspire
Kettlebell Kickboxing™,
offered at Anderson’s Martial Arts Academy in New York, combines Muay Thai with Russian kettlebell training. The class is offered only to women; however, men are invited to join a few select classes each month. According to the online description, the 60-minute, no-impact workout burns 800–1,000 calories and aims to increase flexibility, agility and strength.
Read MoreSample Class: Step R.I.S.E (Reinvented Interval Step Experience)
While step training’s popularity has ebbed and flowed since its heyday in the 1990s, it continues to have die-hard followers (and instructors who love to teach it). One way to get people interested again in this fun workout is to return full circle and bypass some of the complex choreography that turned people away. This…
Read MoreRecipe for Health: Picadillo-Stuffed Peppers
If you don’t believe that authentic Mexican cookery is “whole” and healthy, you need to take a deep dive into Mexico: The Cookbook (Phaidon 2014), the first truly comprehensive bible of authentic Mexican home cooking, by living culinary legend Margarita Carrillo Arronte. This volume documents over 30 years of the author’s travels and cooking experiences around the country.
Read MorePregnant Instructor FAQs
Many years ago, while I was pregnant with my second child, something happened that I hope no other group fitness instructor goes through. As I was driving to teach class, I experienced some cramping, but dismissed it. After all, I needed to get to the studio and I didn’t have anyone to cover for me.…
Read More“How do you handle the situation if one of your trainers isn’t meeting your expectations?”
I have found that these are the most common reasons why some trainers are not performing: lack of knowledge, lack of confidence, lack of recognition and lack of personalized motivation (you as a manager/owner knowing what specifically motivates them).
Read MoreTaking a Tech Break
Cellphones, computers, tablets. All of these are important tools that help you to run a successful fitness business. But technology can seep into every moment of your life and take over. Do you need to step away from email or give your smartphone a rest from time to time? Discover why you’ll be a better entrepreneur if you explore options for setting limits around technology and just say no to it some of the time.
Read MoreHow to Be an Empathetic Personal Trainer
New beginnings. When Patty Shoaf first met Barbara 19 years ago,
she realized quickly that this would be a client like no other. “I
arrived for a consult at her house and a classy, high-heeled,
67-year-old woman wearing a skirt walked in,” Shoaf recalls.
20 IDEA World-Renowned Presenters Share Advice on Success and Happiness
We asked some of this year’s most influential and motivating IDEA World Fitness Convention™ presenters to share the single piece of advice they would give another fitness/health pro to help him or her live a successful and happy life. Get ready to be inspired! Here are their answers.
Read MoreSmooth Move: Creative Additions to Consider for Smoothies
When looking for a quick breakfast or post-workout nourishment, almost nothing beats a smoothie. Whirl in the right ingredients and the blended drink can deliver the necessary mix of protein, carbs, healthy fats and antioxidants to promote health and kickstart muscle-building. But a smoothie can be so much more than just milk, fruit and a scoop of protein powder—a less-than-inspiring combo that inevitably leads to smoothie burnout. So to breathe new life into your smoothies, try whirling in these surprising items that give each sip more nutritional firepower.
Read MoreTreadmill Performance and Mortality Link
nterested in predicting how long you’ll live? Hop on the treadmill. That’s according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who have developed a formula they say can be used to predict 10-year survival.
To develop this formula, the researchers studied data for 58,020 individuals aged 18–96, who underwent standard exercise stress testing between 1991 and 2009 to determine how well their heart and lungs responded to walking at increasing speeds. Subjects were required to be free of heart disease.
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