Gym etiquette plays an important role in any gym, and personal trainers have an obligation to relay certain concepts to our newest clients. Adhering to an etiquette is what makes someone "fit in" or, at least, look or feel like they know what they’re doing and...
Kim Becknell Williams
Kim Becknell Williams is a freelance writer with more than ten years of personal training experience. Certified through NFPT, she is a Functional Training Specialist and holds a Master Trainer level certificate for resistance, endurance and sports nutrition. Kim has written two books including Gym Etiquette 101. She enjoys writing a variety of lifestyle articles and fitness blogs.
Why is it Important to Improve Hand Dexterity?
Personal trainers spend a lot of time with clients strengthening arms, legs, and core, working on flexibility, and building cardio stamina. It may be easy to overlook the hands since they are being used most of the time for all of those other things, right? When we...
4 Ways to Energize Fitness Clients
Training sessions can do a lot of things for our clients. We show them how to gain strength, become more flexible, build confidence, develop better posture, and increase mobility. We are able to plan workout sessions that can also energize. What Creates the Energy?...
Adding Balance Pods to Training Sessions
Balance training is an element every fitness coach can and should incorporate to a well-rounded program. After significant progress has been made, adding balance pods to personal training sessions might be just what your client needs. Read on to learn the what, why,...
Looped Resistance Band Workouts: Going Handle-Free
There are lots of types of exercise bands on the market. The tubed variety with handles offer many options, but plenty can be done with the flat, looped resistance bands as well. They offer unlimited options for storage, working out, and adding variety to exercise...
Murph Challenge Modifications
The Murph Challenge is a tough workout with lots of possibilities. Right now it's popular in the fitness community, but it's not something for the faint of heart. Performing this series of exercises requires strength, endurance, and determination to accomplish it. It...
Twelve Days of Fitness Challenge
Inspired by the 12 Days of Christmas song, I've devised a "12 Days of Fitness Challenge." Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or even nothing at all, embrace twelve days in the month of December to focus on fun exercise challenges. It’s one way to keep...
Grunting: Is it Gain or Strain?
Hang out in a gym, especially in a weight room, and you’ll likely hear some grunting. The guttural sound echoes from the gym walls. Is grunting necessary for gain or an indication of too much strain? Let's hash it out. Breathing Technique "While a lot of that can be...
Using Suspension Straps
Have you tried using suspension straps in your training sessions? The hanging suspension straps might not look like much, but they’re loaded with potential. Unlike pulleys attached to weights, the straps allow bodyweight, coordination, and gravity to do the work. No...
Bottoms Up: Upside Down Kettlebells
The kettlebell is a great piece of equipment to build and maintain strength. Chances are, you’ve had experience with kettles. The KB allows a swinging motion for lots of beneficial exercises commonly used at gyms and in training sessions. Kettlebells can also be...
The Magnitude of Experience: What We Can’t Learn in Books
Studying and passing exams, getting our continuing ed creds, and completing extra certs are all a part of our jobs as personal trainers. There’s one more element to our work that teaches so much more that our training manual can't offer: Good old-fashioned experience....
What is Moxibustion?
Moxibustion is a form of Chinese medicine that’s been around for thousands of years. Yet, many people may not be as familiar with moxibustion as they are with acupuncture, despite it' co-administration with the needling treatment. If a client is already using...
Instilling Routine: Long-term Training Leads to Lasting Lifestyle Changes
If you do something long enough, it will eventually stick with you. This goes for not-so-beneficial choices like watching TV all day, every day, or it can lead to instilling healthy habits like regular exercise. When it comes to proper fitness training, being...
How to Improve Balance
Balance is important in the exercise world and in daily life. Teaching personal training clients how to improve balance can prevent injury, improve their fitness, and positively impact how they function throughout their day. Many people aren’t aware that their sense...
Exercise Equipment Servicing Checklist: Cleaning and Maintenance
Investing in exercise equipment is an investment in our business as personal trainers. If home equipment is cared for properly, it can last a decade or more. We have checklists for grocery shopping, house chores, and work assignments to keep us on task. Why not have...
Inversions for Fitness Clients
Inversions are a way to see the exercise world from a different angle, quite literally. Instead of being upright standing or sitting, or even supine on your back, inversions take you upside down. Yoga and Pilates instructors often incorporate inversions in classes....
What Does “Fitness” Mean? Defining and Measuring Fitness
Personal trainers are on a mission to assist clients on the road to fitness. Whether our clients are beginners, perhaps wanting to lose weight before a big event, elite athletes working toward optimal performance, or looking to be more active, improving fitness (or...
Crawling for Strength and Flexibility
What comes to mind when you think of crawling? Crawling for strength and flexibility might not be your first thought.Babies crawl before they walk. They crawl on hands and knees or on hands with straight legs. Many animals and crustaceans crawl, like alligators,...