All there is to say is thank you. Thank you to the incredible and passionate group of trainers who read the PTDC.com and share our posts, thank you to the passionate industry pros who've heard the call and contributed when asked, and thank you to the coaches at the PTDC not just for their contributions but for being the best group of advisers and friends I could ever ask for.
I started the PTDC in April of this year after a lot of research into the internet fitness world (I wrote about the research and development of the PTDC in a piece for Problogger here). I pretended I knew what I was doing mainly to trick myself and give me confidence. It was a bumpy road early on and I had lots of doubts almost shutting down the site on a number of occasions and returning back to the comforts of obscurity in my gym in Toronto, Canada.
Every time I was close to quitting something magically happened that re-energized me. It may have been an email from a reader telling me how much an article helped them, making $0.42 on an Amazon affiliate sale, or being put in contact with somebody I admired. Once again I say thank you to those who've been nice enough to help me network with top pros and put me in contact with awesome people. And thank you to those who send me emails, tweets, and Facebook messages. You have been my driving factor and you are the sole reason I'm still here and the PTDC is beginning to thrive.
This will be the last post for 2011 as I'm taking a much needed holiday this next week.
12. Gym Etiquette: Teaching Respect for the No Lift Zone
Rants about bad gym etiquette are everywhere but few people actually do anything about it. This article teaches the trainer how to educate their clients on etiquette seamlessly throughout the sessions. The client's self-efficacy improves as they gain comfort in the gym and the trainer has a better chance of retaining the client. I based this article off of my own experience and some frustrations I've had over the years with trainers not following gym etiquette and their clients mimicking their behavior later on.
11. What Certification in Personal Training Should you Get?
This popular series was my response to a number of emails I received. I start with my opinion on certifications followed by an overview of the major certifying bodies. Sam Leahey follows with his experience doing internships and how to attain a top one. Finally Charlotte Loa recounts her experiences interning at Results Fitness.
The series was so popular that I ended up adding a chart comparing the different certifying bodies in Canada and the United States
9. Handling Difficult Clients - The Challenging Charlie
The Difficult clients series was surprisingly popular and there are more additions to come in the new year. The Challenging Charlie is the client who always asks questions and doesn't seem to trust you about anything. Each of these articles features a description of the client type, a case study, the challenges, and solutions to dealing with the client. Other client types in this series are the Always Off Track, Quiet Assassin, and Content Kathy.
8. Gym Before Work? - 10 Habits that Help a Busy Mom Cope With Training, Coaching, and Life
Neghar Fonooni's a busy person between running her popular blog, managing a strength and conditioning facility, and being a Mom. In this very popular piece she lays down how she juggles all of these responsibilities while still finding time to workout and how you can help your busy clients do the same.
7. Idiots in the Gym - My Challenge to Personal Trainers
Do you laugh at some of the stupid exercises you see at the gym? Do you get frustrated by "idiots" who workout at your club? Here I challenge you to change your thinking about these "idiots". It might just be the final piece to make you an unstoppable personal trainer.
6. Top Personal Trainer Mistakes and Top Personal Trainer Successes
These two posts put the PTDC on the forefront. With Nick Tumminello, Charlotte Loa, Tony Gentilcore, Brad Schoenfeld, Dan Go, Dean Somerset, Harold Gibbons, Greg Robins, Michael Torres, Jonathan Ross,Eric Falstrault, Mark Young, Neghar Fonooni, Bill Sonnemaker, Sam Leahey, Rob King, Adam Bogar and Eric Cressey involved I wasn't surprised.
If you ever wanted to know what made these people so successful or what screw ups they regret then these two posts are for you.
5. Physical Fitness Instruction - Should You Work in a Commercial Gym?
This two-part series from Dean Somerset goes against what a lot of industry pendants suggest and lays out a well-thought out argument for working in a commercial gym. It's a must read for new trainers.
4. Build Your Client Army: Becoming Unstoppable
Follow the steps laid out in this article to build your client army. Once your done they'll go forth and spread your gospel to anybody who'll listen. it's the end of cold calls and asking for referrals. You've developed a turnkey business. Since writing this article I constantly receive emails thanking me for the info from trainers who've used the steps I laid out to make their business run smooth.
3. Personal Trainer Career Series: Inter-Professional Collaboration
Probably the most important post done so far on the PTDC. Scott Tate's epic teaches you step by step how to collaborate with other professionals. Whether they're chiropractors, physiotherapists, naturopaths, osteopaths or anything else this system works. It's led him to an uber-successful training practice and it will do the same for you.
2. The Focus System
The post that started it all. The Focus system is an easy to follow system for program building for beginners. It's served to solve one of the biggest problems in the industry. New trainers don't know how to program for anybody but themselves. Yet their given a full gambit of clientele from 70 year old women to 15 year old teens. Follow this template to cover all your basis.
1. Teach Your Female Personal Training clients to Train Like Men
The first really popular post we had published. Neghar Fonooni will teach you how to empower and teach your female personal training clients to lift weights through a variety of methods.
