An effective Personal Trainer needs to be both a motivator and a mentor. You need to provide the right mixture of understanding and discipline. By nature, I am very empathetic to other peoples struggles. When I started out as a Personal Trainer I discovered that was...
John Rutnik
John Rutnik is a NFPT Certified Personal Trainer. He holds an AAS in Electrical Technology and has been a certified personal trainer since 2008. John has been involved in physical fitness and weight training since the late 70’s and is an avid outdoors man. He became a personal trainer after rehabilitating himself from a spinal injury he sustained in a car accident and losing 70 pounds. John later obtained ISSA Certifications as both a Fitness Trainer and Specialist in Sports Nutrition and became Lead Fitness Trainer at Anytime Fitness in Schenectady NY. His training philosophy is “no man left behind,” everyone deserves a chance to succeed.
Three Phase Fat Loss Workout
When I turned 50 I decided to get back in good shape. I created a program that allowed me to go from my starting weight of 230 pounds at 27% body fat down to 190 at 10% body fat in 24 weeks. This is a great program and can easily be adapted to fit a wide variety of...
How to Set a Balanced Goal
An important first step in setting a goal is selecting the goal we hope to achieve. You have likely heard the old adage be careful what you wish for because you might just get it. The truth is we as trainers are in the business of bringing dreams to fruition....
Do Personal Trainers Need a License to Talk about Nutrition with Clients?
Fitness professionals know proper nutrition is an integral part of a fitness program. However, not just anyone can write a diet for their client. Many states require a special license for that. This is a big problem for personal trainers who want to expand their...
5 Tips to Keep Personal Training Clients on Track During the Holidays
How do you limit the overindulgence associated with the holidays without being the Grinch that steals all of the fun out of the holidays? The holidays are meant to be a festive time of year. Life is to be enjoyed but moderation is the key to a happy and healthy life....
Fixed Plane or Free Motion Training?
Most personal trainers love free motion exercises over fixed plane machine exercises because they allow a lifter to move the resistance freely through space, which offers an advantage. Moving a weight freely through space requires stability and control. This action...
4 Safe Alternatives to Traditional Free Weight Exercises
Free weights propose a risk for injury while machines can be limiting. As trainers we have to weigh the benefits against the risk in order to determine the best exercises to use. I use these four free weight exercise devices and related exercises to get all of the...
How to do a Unilateral Band Fly
Can you build strength using resistance tubing or bands? Yes! Some people think that the light resistance bands used for physical therapy and rehab are the only option. There are bands and tubes that are quite stout and handles that can accommodate multiple tubes at a...
How to do a Floor Dumbbell Chest Press with Power Hooks
Power Hooks are my favorite accessory for any dumbbell pressing exercise. I have actually had people argue that if you can’t get a dumbbell in a position to press it you are lifting too much weight. I always ask them if they start barbell bench press by lifting the...
How to do a Safety Squat
The safety squat bar is a safer alternative to using a straight bar squats for personal training clients. Firstly, the weight is cambered forward which helps the lifter to stay in a more upright position during a squat. There are handles that are placed in front of...
How to do a Shrug Bar Deadlift
Using a shrug bar, or often called a trap bar, to perform deadlifts has several advantages over using an Olympic style bar. Because the lifter is standing in the center of the load the line of pull is centered on the body. This greatly decreases the forward leverage...
Preparing Clients for Summer Activities
Some people get carried away with exercise in the summer. Many sedentary people take up sports or decide to start jogging because summer is almost universally accepted as everybody’s favorite season - and then the heat can take its toll and your client's motivation...
Helping Fitness Clients Read Between the Lines
We all get asked about the latest fad or research results on the regular from our clients. People may ask you questions about a piece of equipment you haven't heard about yet or a nutrition study you didn't read. They might also question you about something that seems...
Become a Baby Boomer Fitness Specialist
The infamous bank robber Willie Sutton was once asked why he robbed banks to which he replied "because that’s where the money is". This simple logic applies to running a business. If you want to make money you have to go to where the money is. Business for personal...
Personal Training Pricing: Applying Good Better Best
Good, Better, Best is a multilevel offering sales technique where you present the client with three package offers. Each package is a step up in both quality and in price. This gives a potential client choices, making them more likely to hire you instead of your...
An Effective Personal Training Client Retention Strategy
Your reputation depends on getting results for your clients and by extension so does your livelihood. If you injure a client, both can suffer. Positive results get you referrals, while an injury has the opposite effect. Whether they express it or not, most people hire...
Boost Your Sales With Good Better Best
You can be the best Personal Trainer in the world but skill alone will not pay your bills. You need to be able to close sales and get new clients. Unless you are a professional athlete or celebrity, most people have no idea who you are. The potential client is not...
Five Keys to Help Keep Clients in a Positive Mindset
The most important function you serve as a Certified Personal Trainer is to be a positive motivator and advisor. Anyone can go onto YouTube and learn proper exercise form or get diet and exercise tips. The true value that a good trainer brings to the table is the...