|

May 19, 2008

Message from the Founder...

It has been a whirl-wind ride the last couple of months and I am thankful to everyone for their continued support. My blog has received 1000 new readers last month and is growing fast. I am excited to share my daily thoughts with people who are interested in learning what the life of a personal trainer who trains clients, trains himself, and runs an online website for living is actually like. It has been a busy month for me as I expand my training services and continue to write articles. My last article, the seven page "3-Dimensional Arms" has been positively accepted by members and I am in the process of writing more articles for PTontheNet.com. I have also been engaged in talks with organizations such as the ISSA and NASM for future collaborative projects.

I want to send out some acknowledgments in this newsletter. I want to thank Laree Draper of IOL for letting me contribute to her forum the past couple of months. It has been fun meeting the long-standing members of that board and talking shop with many lifters. I also want to thank Christina at FitnessThinkTank for showing me support on her forum. Her forum is made up of mostly new trainers and I am glad that I am able to help new trainers understand the many "angles" of this profession. Lastly, I want to thank my members for giving me positive feedback regarding my growing podcast. It has been called "interesting", and "short and to the point"...just long enough to have someone stay and listen. This is definitely my goal. Enjoy this newsletter.

Article

6 Things Every Trainer Should Do...

By John Izzo

Real simple…if you want to be respected by your peers and gain notoriety amongst colleagues, fellow staff, or your bosses, then you should be proficient at these 6 tasks. Although it is not the end all, be all list of tasks that define you as a person, they do set a benchmark for the level of professionalism needed to solidify a status as a professional fitness trainer.

How was this list compiled? Easy…through the years I have had the opportunity to interview over 50 trainers at the 3 different facilities I have managed. Some I have hired, most I have never called or seen again. Some of these traits were easily identifiable in interviewees and some needed some fostering and instruction. Nonetheless, those trainers went on to experience some success in the field. Some of the tasks are not going to be completed before you enter the field or within your first year. Some of the tasks reflect your character and how it correlates to the field of personal training (i.e. dealing with client issues), while others reflect your understanding and preservation of academia and concepts learned through the process. However, you should concentrate on working towards proficient completion of each one within 2 years in the field. Each task will ensure you become capable and skillful as a fitness professional to your peers, your clients, and most importantly…yourself.

All Good Trainers Should…

…be multi-tasked. Trainers have an enjoyable job that lets their passion lead them, but there is always the need to be organized and professional. The ability to schedule appointments, prepare ahead of time, and return phone calls—all at the same time—is the grain of this profession. The more aptitude you demonstrate, the more likely you are to maintain a consistent schedule and reap the rewards of word of mouth business and successful planning.

…have an assertive personality. I usually tell new trainers that if they are not a “people person”, then they are in the wrong field. Half of this profession is filled with educated trainers that can design an entire off-season program for a dozen lacrosse players—but have the personality of bird-cage paper. Education is an important element to have in this field, but without the proper vehicle (personality) to convey that knowledge, it makes it virtually handicap to the receiver. The ability to converse with your clients about off-topic issues and maintain their focus on the exercise at hand is critical and a very important “middle-ground” to have when sustaining a profitable client load.

…perform skin-fold (caliper) measurements. I know the use of the bio-impendence analyzer (Omron) is popular and easy to use; however, it is still not as accurate as a properly performed skin-fold test. This simple fact is enough reason for all trainers to take the responsibility to become proficient at using the Lange or Skyndex caliper. Since the introduction of the Omron to the market and mainstream fitness, most new trainers fore-go the task of performing caliper testing as an alternative to body fat measuring. This is an error. Learning and becoming efficient at using calipers can project an image of professionalism and skill. Most detractors will argue that clients feel intimidated and uncomfortable with even the sight of a Lange caliper; however, with the proper instruction and explanation, a trainer can perform the body fat assessment with a caliper—even on the opposite gender. Most 3, 4, and 7 site tests include simply lifting or adjusting clothing—but never fully removing. I understand that you may still have clients that feel uncomfortable with this, but with proper explanation and professionalism, a client should feel comfortable enough to “give” themselves to you during this 1 minute test.

…name at least 3 top fitness experts or their work (which you’ve hopefully read). It disheartens me when I have a conversation with some trainers who have been in the field for a number of years, and they do not recall any of the sources that I cite in my programs or articles. For instance, by now you should know who Michael Boyle, Stuart McGill, Juan Carlos Santana, or Alwyn Cosgrove is. You should know or have read some of the written materials that they have produced to help reassure that your programming is up to date. Books like “Functional Training for Sports”, “Athletic Body in Balance”, “Low Back Disorders: Evidence-based Prevention and Rehabilitation”, “Starting Strength (2nd edition)”, and “Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes” should be on your “to read” list. Among the hundreds of resources available today, it is important to continue the learning process from those that are more learned than you. The internet has enabled users to obtain information from millions of resources across the world—albeit the more important it becomes to make sure that the resources you do use to acquire additional info comes from reliable and trusted sources. Here are a couple of good websites that are worthy of your valuable time to gain more info:

http://www.ptonthenet.com/default.aspx;

http://www.physsportsmed.com/,

http://www.training-conditioning.com/

…maintain a minimum client load of 10-12 sessions per week. I know, it doesn’t seem like much, but it ensures that you are serious about your career. Keeping a dozen people happy is harder than keeping 3 people happy and easier than keeping 25 happy. So 12 is a well-rounded goal to meet for a minimum. Most trainers that work part-time, typically stay in the field”part-time”. Trainers who dabble with fewer client hours or typically work another 40-hour week job (not fitness related) tend to not fully grasp the on-going learning process; lack program creativity; and tend to miss client sessions or be tardy at them. If you are currently under 10-12 hours per week in actual training sessions and you are content with that amount, my advice would be to challenge yourself to learn a new concepts and take your continuing education seriously.

…be able to properly instruct a client to perform the Squat, Deadlift, & Push-up.

Over the years, nothing has been more and more compelling to me than the importance of these three movements. It wasn’t until I really understood why they were important that they became staples in every one of my clients’ programs. When you have a comprehension of human biomechanics and real-life functionality—the role of the squat, deadlift and push-up become clear. These movements help improve the body’s natural locomotive mechanism and assist in the progression of external loading. These movements are translated in everyday life and more often than not, are tattered with poor compensatory patterns and dysfunction. The typical general population client picks his briefcase up every day poorly; or has trouble standing from a seated position; or the simple task of closing a door becomes cumbersome because the over-abundance of joint deficiencies have caused these primal movement patterns to be lost through age, inactivity, atrophy, and injury. The simple, yet effective instruction, of these three exercises can propel a trainer to success—yet, too many trainers view this task as either “too simple and not overly complicated” so it is skipped in exercise programming for balance and “core work”; or they are not proficient enough themselves in performing them. In either case, if you are a trainer who is not sure how to perform these three movements, I suggest you hire yourself a good fitness trainer and learn them.

***Editor's NOTE: Keep an eye out for the complete article which includes 6 more tasks. Available soon in the next standAPART update.

Product Endorsement

Before Leigh Peele made alot of new friends, I helped proof her original FatLossTroubleshoot program and we have been professional colleagues ever since. Leigh has been nothing short of passionate and "real" in what she specializes in. She has contributed to standAPART with informative articles and has added content to Training Revolutions. The thing I like about Leigh (besides her cool Southern twang) is that she actually trains people and uses concepts that are realistic and that actually work! So it wasn't rocket science, when Leigh released her newest project The Metabolic Repair Manual Guide and wanted some professional feedback. When I did get my hands on this new program, I was totally convinced that Leigh created a product based on the real-world results she has been getting from her clients. This is the crap I like. Real, tested, and created from a passion to share her expertise...not overly-inflated BS marketed as SUPER FAST or SPEEDY fat loss results...just a product designed to work and teach you how and why it worked.

SALE!!!

MOVING MORE MUSCLES DVD on SALE!!! Available only through this newsletter. Click on the button below to purchase this educational and kick-ass video by John Izzo. Moving More Muscles: Balancing Muscles with Push/Pull Combo's will teach you how to make training sessions more efficient by creating sound super-set combo's that combine mobility and core work to maximize strength gains and calorie burn. Purchase this video for only $17.99.

SAVE $10 DOLLARS the regular price!