The Lost Art of Saying I Don’t Know in the Fitness Industry
“I don’t know.” Three words a large swath of fitness professionals have a wretched relationship with. The Lost Are of Saying “I Don’t Know” The prevailing thought, it seems, is that admitting ignorance is a sign of weakness or that you’ll somehow lose credibility points for not knowing the answer to a client’s question… …as… Read more
The Most Important Metric of a Training Program Is…
[Cue EPIC drum roll here] First…lets first delve into what’s not important: Access to special, fancy schmancy equipment. Being anal about nutrient timing/intake. Posting a picture or video of every workout and every exercise you performed on Instagram. Following the programs elite lifters do. The whole BS notion that muscle confusion is a “thing.” And Those… Read more
Training Athletes vs. General Population Clients
A few years ago, while presenting at the NSCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, I mentioned to the crowd that I don’t work with a lot of athletes anymore. By choice. Training Athletes vs. General Population Clients Instead, I explained that currently 90-95% of my clientele are made up of general population clients. You know, “normal” people…. Read more
The Ultimate 5-Step Guide to Progressing a Client Workout
Last week I received an email from Jon Goodman. At first I thought he was going to extend an invite to me to come up to Toronto for a weekend of watching Jean Claude van Damme movies. But that wasn’t the case. Fingers crossed for next time. Nope, instead Jon was curious if I’d be… Read more
4 Tips I’d Give Myself on Day 1 of My Fitness Journey
As I type these words on my keyboard I am aboard an Irish Rail train en route to Galway. We just spent the past five days in Dublin being tourists making the typical pit stops at sites like Trinity College, the Temple Bar neighborhood, and I even had a Guinness at the renowned Gravity Bar… Read more
Why Attempting to Set PRs Every Week is F&*#!@# Stupid
Attempting to set a PR every single week is silly. It’s an approach to training I have long advocated against (and a hill I will die on). Well, that and saying Sydney Bristow is the best character in television history…;o) Training to get stronger isn’t necessarily about hitting PR’s on the regular. In fact, if… Read more
The Words We Use Matter
NOTE: In six weeks I will be in Dublin, Ireland with my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, to present our Strong Body, Strong Mind Workshop. In an effort to give insight and to help highlight some of the content we will be covering I figured today I’d re-publish an old(er) post from a few years go…. Read more
Laying the Foundation: What to Expect As a First-Year Personal Trainer
Being a personal trainer can be a very rewarding career. The first step to “success” in this industry, however, is understanding that there’s a difference between it being a hobby and you taking the necessary steps to make it a career. The second step to success is expectation management: You will not work with professional… Read more