Whether you have graduated with an exercise science degree or are jumping into the personal training industry as your second or third profession, there are many questions that you may have about getting started as a personal trainer.
Ron Clark
Ron Clark is the Founder of National Federation of Professional Trainers, NFPT. From U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant to Competitive BodyBuilder, then Firefighter and Certified Personal Trainer - he founded NFPT in 1988 with a mission to make fitness training careers accessible to every day fitness enthusiasts who want to turn their passion into their livelihood. Ron has always led with a heart of service, and, in that spirit, he helps people to achieve real and practical career goals that serve a greater good in changing people's lives. He lives and leads by example, being a personal trainer himself for more than 10 years before setting out to develop a certification program that is real-world and foundational to the goals of personal trainers and their clients. Click Here to learn more about Ron's story and NFPT's inception.
Customer Service is Key for your Fitness Business
To keep your fitness business up and running for 25+ years like ours, you need to have a few things straight. One of those things is realizing you are in a service-based industry. You and your business should be serving people. It should be your main goal. So,...
Becoming the Expert in Your Area
Becoming the fitness expert in your area is one of the greatest ways to keep your fitness business running for many more years to come. Doing this is no easy task, especially if you are in a bigger city. There is always a ton of competition out there. If you truly...
Make Your Fitness Business Available
Last week I briefly touched on the importance of keeping up with the times in this industry. I gave you a small bit of information about NFPT adapting to the web as soon as we could. This week I wanted to talk more about being available to potential customers and...
Keeping Up With The Times
One of the most difficult things about owning and running a business for 25 years is keeping up with the changes. Not just in your business or our industry, but change in our culture as a whole. There are shifts that change every aspect of running a business...
Marketing with a Long-Term Strategy
In order to have your fitness business succeed for any length of time, you need some good planning. One thing that I cannot stress enough is looking at your marketings' long-term strategy. If you plan on sticking around a long time, have your plans reflect that. One...
Marketing Your Personal Training Business for 25 Years
It is an entrepreneurial feat when a business survives for 25 years! NFPT has come a long way from when I first had a vision for a practical PT certification. One of the biggest things that has gotten us this far has been our marketing. Marketing is a number of...
How to be a Better Personal Trainer
No matter what job, career or walk of life, people want to strive to be better. Being in this industry should be no different. You should want to become a better trainer. You should want to excel in your career and in your life. These are not groundbreaking tips, but...
Fitness Dilemma in the Information Age
In these days of fast food and over-booked schedules, obesity thrives. Our technology and pursuit of monetary gain has taken the front seat. And our nation's health and fitness have been tucked away nicely in the trunk. In this information age, never has so much...
Your Duty as a Certified Personal Trainer
Joe American, 35 years old, wakes up one morning stretching and moaning, belching and farting. He firmly places both his hands on the bathroom sink for support and stares into the mirror. Just prior to smearing shaving cream all over his face, he pushes himself away...
Research Techniques for Personal Trainers: Evaluating Scientific Journals
Last Wednesday we talked about some very basic research techniques to stay up-to-date in the fitness world. Today I’d like to discuss how to distinguish the good, bad and ugly when it comes to scientific journals. If you live near a medical school, consider yourself...
Research Techniques for Personal Trainers
Being an effective personal trainer requires constant education. Exercise physiology and nutrition, which represent the core knowledge of an efficient personal trainer, have always been exploding technologies. Textbooks in these fields are continuously replaced...
Making Certain Your Clients Can Understand You: Using Analogies
Last week we discussed the importance of taking out all the scientific jargon when talking with your clients. It is easier for them to understand, remember and apply what you say. Don't make your words a puzzle they need to figure out. Speak plainly with them. I...
Making Certain Your Clients Can Understand You: Speak Their Language
“Alright Mrs. Parks”, the instructor begins, “When optimizing caloric expenditure and there is a consequent adipose tissue volume reduction during steady state aerobic exercise performance, you must at the same time avoid any energy provision by means of anaerobic...
Programming Sport-Specific Training
Last week I gave you a brief introduction to sport-specific training. We left off on how the most logical way to initiate an effective sports-specific exercise prescription is to identify the general conditioning category in which a sport falls. Anaerobic,...
An Introduction to Sport-Specific Personal Training
There is no question that the improved coordination and motor skill enhancement acquired through the repetitious performance of a specified athletic activity constitutes the foundation of athletic development. After all, practice makes perfect. The complete athlete...
How To Price Your Personal Training Services
Time to face the music. If you intend to earn a living as a personal trainer, you cannot give away your services. While it would be shortsighted of you to price your services beyond the reach of community members, it would be equally shortsighted to price yourself out...
First Impressions Are Key in the Fitness Industry
First impressions are a critical part of landing job opportunities. They mean more in the fitness industry than in any other. For example, how much will a client trust you if they can’t tell you work out? This comes down to one thing. You’ve got to practice what you...