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....
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.
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,...
Daily Goals
Simple daily goals eventually form long-term lifestyle change. Setting them is a cognizant decision that’s repeated to instill habit. Starting small allows success to flourish in the bigger picture. Like the proverbial saying, rather than tackling the whole staircase,...
Power of the Plank
I have been a strong proponent of the plank for many years. It’s no-impact, builds core strength, and takes very little time to make a big impression. Almost anyone can do it, especially with modifications available due to mobility limitations. There is a sense of...
Hints for Beginner Clients to Maximize Training
Beginning clients usually don’t know what to expect with personal training sessions. They invest their time, their money, and their energy. Why not get the most out of it? Here are 10 helpful hints for beginner clients as a reference for them to maximize their...
Themed Training Sessions
Themed training sessions provide a refreshing way to manage training sessions. Essentially, leg day is a theme, but this is totally different approach. It changes the routine to shake it up a bit. While it is a fun, creative way to work out, it can also be effective....
Counting Steps
Is counting steps really worth it? Should your clients be counting steps and should we be encouraging them to do so? There are lots of benefits, many ways to keep up with steps and almost no reason not to do it. That is unless an injury hinders someone from actively...
Love Your Back
Since Valentine’s Day falls in February, why not choose this month to show some love…to your back. Guide clients to do the same and the results might just be something they will love! It is easy to focus on muscles we can visibly see. Look in the mirror and you can...
When Can Clients Expect to See Results
Clients want to see a noticeable difference from training. That is the whole purpose, right? Sweat sessions and sore muscles must account for something significant. When should they expect to see results?It is a reasonable question.The answer varies based on many...
Try Something New with Personal Training Clients
"Turning over a new leaf" is a well-known idiom implying change. Change is trying something new and adapting to it. Some refer to this act of change as turning the page or starting a new chapter. Turning or starting is the effort to make it happen. Such phrases are...
Customize a Race for Your Clients
Many races abound throughout the year, although most are virtual right now with the pandemic. In years unlike 2020, races include runs of varying distances (1-mile fun run, 5K, 10K, marathon, ultra runs). Some runs have obstacles and mud. While some offer beer or...
Eyes Closed During Exercise
I never thought much about closing my eyes while working out. The only times I had done it was in a few yoga classes when the instructor tested our balance in tree pose suggesting we try it with our eyes closed. Recently I have discovered other opportunities to...