Setting goals is a necessary first step in the process of personal growth and achievement, and certainly integral to programming for personal training clients. But what happens when goals aren’t met? Is it possible to still make progress? The short answer is – yes!...
Erin Nitschke
Dr. Erin Nitschke, NFPT-CPT, NSCA-CPT, ACE Health Coach, Fitness Nutrition Specialist, Therapeutic Exercise Specialist, and Pn1 is a health and human performance college professor, fitness blogger, mother, and passionate fitness professional. She has over 15 years of experience in the fitness industry and college instruction. Erin believes in the power of a holistic approach to healthy living. She loves encouraging her clients and students to develop body harmony by teaching focused skill development and lifestyle balance. Erin is also the Director of Educational Partnerships & Programs for the NFPT. Erin is an editorial author for ACE, IDEA, The Sheridan Press, and the Casper Star Tribune. Visit her personal blog at belivestaywell.com
Boosting Your Confidence in the First Year as a Personal Trainer
It can be intimidating starting a new career and especially the first year of being a certified personal trainer. It may be helpful to take some steps to ensure you embark on your new path with assurance and confidence. You’ve successfully passed the exam and are...
Making Workout Program Adjustments When Your Client is Injured
How do you proceed when a client enters a session with a minor injury? As personal trainers, we hope and expect our clients will adapt to the programs we uniquely design for them. Still, it’s equally important to remain adaptable and flexible in our approach to...
Making Workout Program Adjustments When Your Client is Bored
As helpful as routine is to an organized day and even more important it is to an exercise program, what can you do if your client is bored with “the usual” approach and clearly needs a change of pace? Here are some ideas you can implement in your personal training...
Making Workout Program Adjustments When Your Client is Fatigued
Adaptability is a necessary skill for fitness professionals allowing personal trainers to make on-the-spot program adjustments when a client enters a session feeling tired or fatigued. Here’s how you can manage those last-minute changes when your client is feeling...
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Exercise Fatigue– What Personal Trainers Need to Know
Because the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), can be exacerbated by exertion, there are key points every personal trainer can keep in mind in order to better serve clients who may be sufferers. Some of our clients may...
Discerning Disordered Eating from Eating Disorders
Encountering a personal training client with disordered eating, which can be distinct from clinical eating disorders, is highly probable at some point in the fitness professional's career. Fad diets, low caloric intake, and a general preoccupation or obsession with...
Are Sports Drinks Necessary for Fitness Clients?
Sports drinks are popular training aides, but they may not be the best form of hydration for general recreational activities. Why do so many individuals think these drinks are the best option? Mostly, smart marketing and savvy promotional efforts by the manufacturers...
Offering Cooking Demonstrations for Fitness Clients
Hands-on experience in prepping healthy and balanced meals is beneficial for your personal training clients and business. Expand your community by inviting others from your client's network to the cooking demo. Boost results in the gym by having a more far-reaching...
Creative Ways to Use Your Personal Trainer Certificate
You can do more than train fitness clients if you’re a certified personal trainer. Build your brand and expand the profession by finding new and creative ways to capitalize on your certified status. Here are 5 ways to leverage your certified personal trainer status in...
What is Clean Eating?
To some, "clean eating" it means eating nothing but raw foods. To others, it means eating only organic. This phrase is bantered around in the health and fitness industry. Its definition varies between authorities and professionals, so it can mean different things to...
Teaching Fitness Clients about the Health Halo
Smart marketing crowds the aisles of a grocery store. "Healthy food" messages can be deceiving and reveal more of a health halo than a healthy option. Help your clients identify these common halos. What is the health halo? The “Health Halo” is a term given to those...
Stress Busting Foods
One of the most beneficial ways to reduce stress and nourish the soul is by consuming stress-busting foods. Yes, there is such a thing as foods that contain stress fighting properties. Encourage your clients to consume more of these nutrients to boost their mood,...
Proper Form for a One-Arm Dumbbell Row
The one-arm dumbbell row is a unilateral exercise that targets the lats, teres major, middle, and lower trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoid, brachialis, biceps, and brachioradialis. These muscles are also used while performing a lat pull-down, albeit from a...
The Female Athlete Triad
Energy Imbalance. Amenorrhea. Osteoporosis and risk of fractures. Together, these symptoms make up a condition called the female athlete triad. Typically, this condition is seen in young female athletes. While personal trainers are not qualified or trained to diagnose...
7 Healthy Holiday Habits to Initiate with Fitness Clients
There’s nothing wrong with an indulgence here and there. The holidays are a time for feast and celebration. Clients need tips to stay on track so that they avoid a relapse during the hectic and food-filled time. This year, help your clients create stay-on-track...
Fitness Programming – A 5D Approach
Most personal trainers cover 4 of the 5 dimensions of fitness programming - muscular strength, endurance, cardiorespiratory fitness, and flexibility. But, are rest days part of your fitness formula? Rest is Crucial to Progress The tough work, the “tearing down”,...
Proper Form for a Lat Pulldown
Exercise Name & Target Muscle Group The Lat Pulldown is a surprisingly complex exercise that involves far more than the latissimus dorsi muscle. The predominant muscle groups involved also include the teres major, middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids, posterior...