When a personal training client tries to hold herself to unrealistic standards, the result will not be a satisfactory outcome. Comparing to others ends up with the client chastising herself for not working hard enough. Our job is to offer her a new and more positive...
Cathleen Kronemer
Cathleen Kronemer is an NFPT CEC writer and a member of the NFPT Certification Council Board. Cathleen is an AFAA-Certified Group Exercise Instructor, NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer, ACE-Certified Health Coach, former competitive bodybuilder and freelance writer. She is employed at the Jewish Community Center in St. Louis, MO. Cathleen has been involved in the fitness industry for over three decades. Feel free to contact her at trainhard@kronemer.com. She welcomes your feedback and your comments!
Can Exercise Help Peripheral Neuropathy?
The right exercises can be a catalyst for regaining motor control in clients sidelined with neuropathic pain. Negotiating with peripheral neuropathy when personal training has its challenges, but you can make movement possible again. Peripheral neuropathy is a...
Testosterone Boosting Workout Plan
“Low-T”? There’s a workout for that! Testosterone is a steroid hormone that encourages the development of lean muscle mass and bone density. Naturally, finding ways to boost production of this hormone is a worthy endeavor for any personal trainer. A typical adult male...
Kettlebells or Dumbbells: Which is More Effective?
Sometimes kettlebells are the most appropriate personal training tool and other times dumbbells are needed to meet a client's goals. Considering the desired outcome and the client are both keys to answering the question, "Which is more effective, kettlebells or...
Training Tips For a Client’s Triathlon
Calling all Cyclists, Swimmers, and Runners ~ If your client is seeking some challenging competition, it may be time to “try a tri”!!! Excelling at any sport requires a tremendous amount of effort, time and training. I marvel at those individuals (such as my husband)...
Fun Personal Training Session Ideas: Themes and Games
Theme-based personal training sessions or gamifying training can bring more fun into your workouts with clients. We all know the drill: Welcome the client, warm up, work out, stretch, schedule next week’s session, thank the client and say goodbye. While we may be...
Strength Training for Down Syndrome
Improving muscular strength in special populations is gaining in popularity. Here is your chance to dramatically improve the lives of Down syndrome clients. In a past article, the virtues, and the challenges of training clients with Down syndrome, were addressed. A...
Exercise Programming for Clients with Fibromyalgia
Exercise can help those suffering from fibromyalgia. Movements may include walking, yoga, and aquatic exercise. Here are some guidelines to help you program for your clients. Understanding Clients with Fibromyalgia As seasoned athletes, we are all accustomed to...
The Art of Self-Myofascial Release
The majority of certified personal trainers do not possess licensure as Accredited Manual Therapists. As such, our scope of practice limits us from direct manual manipulation. While we must remain “hands-off” to be legally compliant, we can help our clients to learn...
Applying RPE to Personal Training Sessions
Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) are a measure of intensity that is determined by the way someone feels about how hard his or her body is working. Effort, discomfort, and fatigue are all sensations one might use to report how intense a particular exercise or...
More Personal Training Client Questions You’ll Have to Answer
Questions don't cease after interviewing for a personal training position. They continue on as you meet new clients and work with regulars. By popular demand, I am continuing to offer up more inquiries often received by personal trainers. Just when we thought we had...
Can Working Out Change Your Genetics?
Exercise sessions can actually alter our DNA…in a matter of minutes! At any given time clients demonstrate a lack of motivation, causing them to skip the gym. When I encounter such clients, I have gotten into the habit of sharing one of my favorite new mantras: “You...
Avoid Striking Out – Fueling Properly For Baseball
Help your weekend-warrior children fuel sufficiently for baseball. Kids have plenty of energy, but we can boost their performance with the right pre-game prep in the kitchen. Meeting the Demands of Outdoor Sports Spring and summer signal the beginning of homework-free...
12 Questions New Clients Ask Personal Trainers
In an effort to gain a client’s confidence, we need to be prepared for just about any question new clients ask personal trainers that are thrown our way. Here are some interesting yet reasonable questions that new clients may ask. Surprisingly, they have more to do...
How Neuro Linguistic Programming Can Help Personal Training Clients
Personal trainers can help clients reprogram their thinking and realize their fitness goals. Without a change in thought patterns, behavior doesn't change. Neuro-linguistic programming is a way to accomplish this. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) provides a...
Should Personal Trainers Recommend BCAA’s to Their Clients?
Have the “Protein Police” been dethroned by the Ace of Amino Acids, BCAA's? The functioning and cultivating of skeletal muscle lies at the core of our profession. As trainers, we tend to focus on aesthetics and health when working with clients, since these seem to be...
Does Strength Training Pair Well With Concurrent Conditioning?
Ideally, strength training and conditioning are done on separate days to maximize strength capacity, but if they must be squeezed in together there is a methodology to consider. “I have plenty of time in my schedule to exercise”…said nobody, EVER!!! How, then, does...
Training Clients With Down Syndrome: A Mutually Rewarding Experience
Inclusion programs offered at gyms and community centers nationwide are gaining recognition as successful tools of empowerment for individuals with special needs. Down Syndrome, or Trisomy 21, is a condition in which the body has created an extra copy of the 21st...