Archive for May 2016
Streamline Your Communication
By now, everyone has heard about the Hillary Clinton email scandal. (Trust me, this article is not taking a political turn.) The controversy, which essentially is about the use of a private email server versus a company-issued one (or in this case a government-issued one), made me think about how electronic communication relates to the fitness business. More specifically, it made me think about how group fitness business is conducted at most facilities and whether “best practices” may be leaving managers, instructors and health clubs vulnerable.
Read MoreFacility Design for Risk Management
Fitness facilities take on risk every day. Risk management is an essential and ongoing job function; managers and owners have a moral and legal obligation to keep members and guests free from hazards. Responsibilities such as hiring certified, capable staff; monitoring weight rooms; cleaning equipment; and overseeing preventive maintenance are absolute necessities in the ongoing effort to keep risk to a minimum. However, if you want to exceed standards—and go above and beyond tidying equipment and hiring floor staff—then take a look at proper and functional facility design.
Read MoreWhy Motivating People Doesn’t Work
Why do some of your fitness facility members take full advantage of their memberships while others cancel within the first year? Why do some of your trainers sell their services themselves while others hope the sales guy will do it for them? I’m guessing that these questions keep you up at night. I’m also willing to bet that your motivation tactics haven’t changed much over the years.
Read MoreCreating an Inclusive Fitness Facility
Roughly a year ago, the transgender community was catapulted into the mainstream media when Olympic decathlon gold medalist Bruce Jenner came out as a transgender woman. Suddenly, most of the country took notice, and a “trans issues” dialogue started. Jenner’s story is not a singular event; Laverne Cox made headlines when she became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine and be nominated for an Emmy Award.
Read MoreSeven Ways to Turn Visitors Into Members
As the midyear lag sets in, many fitness managers and owners search for fresh ideas to attract new members. In fact, it’s a business imperative: According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA 2016), even though retention rates hover around 70%, the remaining 30% still represent significant potential.
Read MoreFat Loss Foods? (VIDEO)
Do fat loss foods exist? Are there foods that contain magic fat-burning powers? Jade Teta, ND compares two popular foods and discusses why one helps balance hunger, energy and cravings more than the other.
Read MoreHow to Build a Successful Club or Studio
Running a thriving personal training club or studio can be an arduous experience. You have hopes of creating a space that maximizes client success and gives you the means to create a fulfilling professional and personal life.
Take some of the guesswork out of building a lucrative business with an all-new intensive track at the IDEA World Convention.
Create Stunning Visuals With These Great Tools
A picture is worth a thousand words. And on social media, content is king. These two realities alone should be driving you to include more visuals on your social media channels. Visuals are engaging, they tell a story, they make a strong impression, and they convey your brand in a way that words cannot.
Read MoreApplying the Benefits of Mindfulness to Your Business
Wake up, drink coffee, train clients, eat, work out, go to bed, repeat. Aside from the occasional happy hour or dinner date, does this routine seem to be all there is to your life as a personal trainer? You may wonder how you’ll ever break this monotonous cycle and build a business that energizes and inspires you.
This is where mindfulness comes into play.
Read MoreFailure: Foe or Friend?
Failure.
What feelings does that word conjure up? Do you get a knot in your stomach? Do you want to run away from the whole topic? Do you stick to things that are safe for you, so you can avoid failure?
The truth is that if you haven’t failed yet, you’re probably not taking risks. And while life without risks is comfortable, you’re not going to make your dreams come true by staying in your cushy comfort zone.
Read MoreChoose a Very Specific Niche to Boost Success Potential
The year was 1994, and I was fresh out of school. I was a former captain of my college track team who loved speed training, and my goal was to figure out how to make a living training clients.
When I looked at my competition, I noticed that almost all trainers described their services as “general.” The fliers (yes, that was before “online” marketing) all said the same thing: “I help clients age 8 to 80! Lose weight. Improve sports performance. Cardiac rehab. Etc.” I knew instantly that this was not the right way to market. It was too generic.
Read MoreBenefits of Working Out at Work
How can fitness professionals help desk jockeys boost their daily activity levels? Perhaps it’s time to change the message.
Instead of focusing on the risks of inactivity—which hasn’t made much headway—maybe we should appeal to career-oriented sensibilities and explain how even 5 minutes of movement can make people more successful at their jobs.
Read MoreTools for Trying Fit Tech With Kids
To read more about how diet and daily activities influence how genes do their jobs, please see “Fit Tech for Kids: Boon or Bust?” in the online IDEA Library or in the January 2016 print issue of IDEA Fitness Journal. If you cannot access the full article and would like to, please contact the IDEA Inspired Service Team at (800) 999-4332, ext. 7.
Read MoreCharge Up Your Career at IDEA® World Convention
With more than 370 educational sessions, and opportunities to earn 32+ CECs, the IDEA® World Convention has more than enough content to satisfy professionals from all facets of the industry. And the excitement doesn’t stop when you leave the session rooms.
Read MoreClass Plan: Total-Body Strength + HIIT
To see results from exercise, it’s important to switch things up from time to time and push your students to a safe edge. This workout does that with circuit training principles that focus on compound strength exercises and unique HIIT drills.
Read MoreHIIT Training on the Step (VIDEO)
Follow along with Abbie Appel for a quick, intense lower body workout and learn how to effectively use the step to develop these programs for a group. This set will reignite your HIIT workouts by showing you how to use the step in a whole new way. No choreography, just timed aerobic and anaerobic intervals with progressive and athletic movement patterns to increase total work and energy expenditure.
Read MoreSample Class: Fully Functional Kickboxing
Kickboxing is functional in nature. Doing a combination requires your arms and legs to work in sync, anchored by a strong, engaged core. What if you were to up the ante and throw in some dedicated functional strength intervals? You would have one knockout class and a fully functional body!
Fully Functional Kickboxing Details
TOTAL TIME: approximately 55 minutes
GOAL/EMPHASIS: cardio and strength intervals mixed with kickboxing combinations for a total-body workout
Enhance Functional Training With Hydro-Inertia®
Trainers are constantly in search of new and exciting ways to take their training up a notch. The new millennium introduced stability training as a way of increasing balance and core challenges. By standing on a dynamic surface, trainers sought to create an unstable environment to stimulate the nervous system to improve balance, stability and. thereby, function.
But what about the upper body?
Read MoreCreative Ideas That Inspire
Edge Cycle Fitness in London offers Edge Bootcamp, which combines indoor cycling with boot-camp floor exercises. According to the website, members will increase stamina, build core strength and improve overall fitness. The creators intend for participants to “leave the studio buzzing.” The class incorporates motivating playlists and creative lighting to enhance the sensory experience.
Read MoreTechnology as a Conduit to Get Kids More Active
Go play outside! Growing up, many of us heard this directive
coming from our parents. Today, kids are more apt to be playing inside
on some sort of tech device. They’re parked in front of a television
or computer engrossed in an exciting video game, or sitting and tapping
away at mobile apps. It’s doubtful many parents try to keep children and
teens active by calling out, “Go play on your laptop!” But should they?