Archive for September 2019
The Worldโs No. 1 PT & Coaching Software
IDEA has the pleasure of introducing to its valued members the worldโs number-one personal training and coaching software, My PT Hub.
Since 2015, My PT Hub has grown to become the No. 1 software tool enabling Personal Trainers to manage their entire fitness business. The software has a vast and extensive set of features that have been carefully designed and crafted by personal trainers, for personal trainers.
Read MoreOptimizing Your Fitness Site for Sales
Nowadays, a top item on an entrepreneurโs to-do list is building a website. Itโs no secret that consumers do their research online before making a purchase decision. They search for information about fitness services and then weigh their options, comparing what you offer to what your competitors provide.
So, yes, your business needs a website.
Counteracting Food Myths That Miss the Mark
Have you ever made a recommendation to a client, then discovered the client heard something completely different? Or she took part of what you suggested and ignored the rest? Like the time I advised my client about the healthfulness of berries and later found out he had given up all other fruit. That was a nutrition misfire. Maybe it was the clientโs all-or-nothing thinking, or maybe I hadnโt been clear enough. After all, there is subtlety in food and nutrition, and getting the message right is a challenge.
Read MoreUse Breath to Improve Core Stability
When your participants ask about their core muscles, theyโre most likely referring to the lauded โsix-pack.โ As a fitness instructor, you may think about transversus abdominis, obliques and pelvic-floor muscles. But almost everyone tends to forget about the diaphragm.
Read MoreSample Class: Every Minute on the Minute
If you enjoy teaching (and doing) high-intensity classes, this workout is for you! The โevery minute on the minuteโ (EMOM) protocol is fun, fast-moving and challenging. You start a predetermined number of reps at the top of a minute and rest for the time you have left until the next minute begins.
Read MoreIncorporating Transverse-Plane Core and Rotation Work
When you watch someone hit a golf ball, throw a punch or simply retrieve groceries from the car, itโs evident that human movement occurs in all three planes of motion. Did you know that 87.5% of our core muscles are oriented either diagonally or horizontally? One action that these muscles perform is rotation (Santana 2000). The diagonal muscle orientation is proof positive that the human body is designed to rotate.
Read MoreGet Your Fitness Business Ready for the Holidays
Whether youโre getting your first frost warnings or temps have dropped from 100 degrees to a balmy 95 where you live, summer is just about over.
That means itโs time to plan for the holidays at your fitness business and the ensuing new yearโs rush.
Meet an IDEA Team Member: Rebecca Garity
One of the magical attributes of a great dancer is the ability to convey supremely tough athletic feats as graceful, artistic and seemingly effortless movement. Itโs no wonder, then, that IDEAโs director of event programming, Rebecca Garity, seems to glide through the annual creative challenges of programming 100+ sessions for IDEAโs Personal Trainer Institute and more than 350 sessions for the IDEAยฎ World Convention.
Read MoreThe Art of the Blend
While we strive for content balance when planning each issue of Fitness Journal, every so often we seem to assemble a collection of articles whichโjust by a quick scan of the table of contentsโlooks like a heck of a lot of fun to learn from. Welcome to one of those issues!
Read MoreFlexing the Muscular System
As a fit pro, you are all too familiar with training muscles to build strength, mass and better movement in your clientsโby now, you might consider it muscle memory!
Yet, as a major system present throughout the body, the muscular system is vast and intricate with plenty to explore. After all, muscles produce every movement, from the basic, like digestion and respiration, to the complex, like running, dancing and weightlifting.
Read MoreMenโs Health Research Review
Men: Are you exercising and eating healthfully but not losing the weight you want? The good news is that there are more benefits to these two habits than just weight loss.
Megan Senger, professional fitness writer/editor and fitness instructor based in North Carolina, has summarized a few studies that center on menโs wellness, with comments on what the findings may mean for you.
Read MoreGamify the Fitness Class Cooldown
There are 5 minutes left in your class, the energy is high, and everyone is sweating and having a great time. As you wrap up the last set, participants cheer and exchange high-fives to celebrate another awesome workout. You turn the music down to prepare for the cooldown, then you look upโand notice that people are packing up and leaving.
Read MoreSample Class: Tabata for Every Rider
This indoor cycling routine introduces Tabata-inspired intervals that provide a great workout for both beginner and advanced cyclists.
Read MoreIDEA Member Spotlight: October 2019
Ammar Zoubi
Member Since 2017 โข Naim Village, Israel
Ammar Zoubi says he lives โon the other side of the world,โ but his story really hits home. After years as a bodybuilder, he became a certified personal trainer, eventually getting hired at the gym where he was a member.
Read MoreOctober 2019 Question of the Month: Fitness Misinformation
How do you or your facility handle the issue of health and fitness misinformation? Since client education is critical in setting realistic expectations and achieving fitness and wellness goals, we want to hear how youโre tackling this issue,what creative solutions youโre using and how your efforts are being received. Please share your success stories.
We want to hear from you!
Read More2019 IDEAยฎ World Scholarship Recipients
In rising to meet major challenges and needsโfrom overcoming cancer, a staph infection and even a four-story fall inside an elevator, to serving reservation residents and low-income individuals in high-crime neighborhoodsโthe 2019 IDEA World Scholarship recipients have shown character, determination and a commitment to helping others.
Read MoreAre 10,000 Steps Necessary?
Are some of your clients obsessed with achieving their step counts every day? While 10,000 steps is a popular marker, it turns out that taking as few as 4,400 steps per day is associated with a lower risk of death for women with a mean age of 72 years.
โClearly, even a modest number of steps was related to lower mortality rate among these older women,โ said principal investigator I-Min Lee, MBBS ScD, at Brigham and Womenโs Hospital in Boston.
Read MoreMorning Exercise and Cognitive Fitness
There may be something to the adage โThe early bird catches the worm,โ and itโs good news for those who love early-morning workouts. Not only is sunrise training an invigorating way to start the day; it may also stimulate adequate blood flow levels to the brain throughout the day, even during lengthy periods of inactivity.
Read MoreChildhood Activity and Midlife Brain Fitness
Hereโs one more solid reason to inspire kids to exercise. The secret to maintaining cognitive fitness later in life may lie in getting active while young and staying active throughout teen, young-adult and middle-aged years.
Read MoreSitting Increases Health Risks Independent of Exercise
Itโs likely you have many clients who work sedentary jobs. Encourage them to simply move as much possible because, according to research,
people who sit for many hours, regardless of whether or not they exercise regularly, are at increased risk of higher liver-fat levels, a leading contributor to type 2 diabetes.