The NCEP Fitness Experience

This week Mike DeMora gives us a look at how we start a cardio training program with our new client. This seems to be a step that missed in many trainer's programs and a point of discussion in this week's BLOG.

This week Mike DeMora explores the idea that every coach needs a coach. Just because you have reached a certain level, doesn't mean you are done climbing. if we tell people that they need a coach/trainer to get better, why aren't more trainers using their own advice and seeking experts that can help them rise? You know the old saying, "common sense just ain't so common anymore". If you talk the talk, you need to walk the walk. 

This week Mike DeMora talks to us about growing the number of PT clients. After a client has committed to working with you, you must over deliver in every aspect of their training. After 1 month of working with someone, they should be throwing referrals at you.

This week Mike DeMora talks to us about Work Ethic. It seems like it has been something lost in these new trainers. In the age of get-rich-quick and Crypto Millionaires coming out of the dark, people have forgotten that you need to put your time in and earn your way to the top!

This week Mike DeMora takes an inside look at how a trainer actually gets a client. These are real life examples setting real life expectations of revenue and how much work you will need to put in to be successful as a personal trainer inside a health club. We aren't going to powder coat the truth to try to make you spend money that you don't have. I know every fitness manager wished you knew this BEFORE you wanted a job inside their club. 

The personal training business is one of the greatest industries to be in. Having been in the industry for over 25 years, I have seen so many trainers come and go. The biggest reason trainers don't make it comes down to 2 things. First, setting the expectation before they start and secondly, understanding the numbers game. Before you get your first client you must be ready to invest your time at a menial workman's wage. Clients will not magically come to you because you are now a certified. personal trainer. The secret is to know your numbers, and then improve upon each of the three steps every day. 

Getting a paying client has three steps:

1. They first need to know you exist

2. Give them a taste of what you do for FREE 

3. Show them that the value of what you do is more than what you charge

The key is to know your numbers to set up realistic expectations. How many people do you need let know that you exist, before one says YES to a free session? How many people that go through the FREE session, will then sign up for PAID sessions? Once you have these numbers, you can then set an expectation of how long it will take to hit your session and financial goals.

Now that you have gotten certified, you have gotten hired at the local health club, how do you get clients? It is a numbers game. The first thing you must realize is that there is no such thing as failure. A person saying NO means you are just that much closer to someone saying YES. Each and every communication with someone should be taken as a learning experience. Those that are successful have already learned this and have lived by this rule. The idea is to let everyone know who you are, what you do, and that you would like an opportunity to serve them. t is that simple. Some will say YES, but most will say NO. It is just human nature for people to be a little apprehensive if they don't know you, even when you are offering something FREE. The idea is to offer a FREE, or greatly reduced session price to show them how awesome you are. You must be able to accept rejection, evealuate what you did well, and try again with someone else. The more times you do this, the more you will get comfortable with the process and the quicker you will be successful!

What should a person expect after they get certified as a personal trainer? I get that question so often because so many trainers are being misled by folks wanting to capitalize on them. The ugly truth is that most trainers don't make it. Although I wish that wasn't the case, that is not the worst of it. The bigger issue is that they were mislead by folks that would benefit from them not getting a clear answer. The brutal statistics are that most trainers will not complete even 1 full year as personal trainer before they change professions. That statistic is what keeps me up at might. In fact, it is after midnight now as I am typing this because I really do lose sleep over it. Why is it that most trainers don't keep training? 

I started to look deeper in to this dilemma and the deeper I looked, the more it upset me. After interviewing countless trainers across the nation the number one reason that kept coming up was that the reality of being a trainer did not match up to what they were told and what they saw in the advertisements. I had to dig deeper...... They went on to tell me that when they went on my competitors websites, all they saw were statements saying that they could "make their own hours, be their own boss, where sweats to work and make some really good money". The reality is closer to "work all hours of the day and night, have their managers riding them about sales goals, make lousy money, but at least they got to wear sweats to work". 

In this week's BLOG, I wanted to paint a more realistic picture of what it is like to start out in the field of personal training. Most trainers start by getting jobs inside of what we call "Big Box" clubs. This means one of the clubs that have names you are probably quite familiar with- Equinox, 24 Hour Fitness, UFC Gyms and so on. most of the trainers we interviewed really had no idea what they were getting in to when they first got certified. I don't want you to take anything I am saying as bad. I have been training for the better part of my adult life and can't ever see me doing anything but training for the rest of my life. I love it. But, I really wish someone would have given me a better idea of what to expect before I started and would have given me some pointers on how best to navigate this before I started. 

That is what I am doing for you in this week's episode of The NCEP Experience! I hope you enjoy it..........   

Last week we talked about the importance of doing the Health History in person to create a special relationship with your client. Now that you have completed the Health History, now what? Now you must assess the individual. It is like they have just purchased a suit. Now you must tailor that suit that it fits just right for them. Once again, the idea is to not only make them feel special, but to make sure they know they are special. 

We use the 7 Fundamental Movements as a baseline for all of our programming. It would only make sense that we should assess all 7 movements to create a program that fits their needs and their present condition. There are 3 facets to each of the 7 movements. First, we need to have them hold, or stabilize the position. Next, is to have them move slowly and control their movement. Lastly, and possibly most important, they are able to move at the speed of their real life. After they have shown competency in those 3 phases, it is now time to combine movements together in a more complex pattern. For example, if they can Bend, Squat and Push appropriately, it is now time to have them try a complex movement like a "Burpee". That is how we progress our clients to function. 

Always remember the goal of our programs is for the client to be able to move better, feel better, look better and be able to enjoy a more fulfilling life. If you keep that in mind, the rest will always take care of itself. 

Do you do a thorough Health History with all your clients and potential clients before you work with them?

I am here to tell you that you CANNOT skip this step. The Health History may be the single most important step in your training process. What most trainers don't realize is that this is the time to truly make personal training personal. Think of going in to your doctor's office and before you say a word they prep you for surgery! Sure, maybe it isn't as dramatic as all that, but it is along the same lines. Sitting down and discussing a person's Health History is when you really get to know them. It is time where they become vulnerable, and you are there to make it OK. 

It is also a time to find out about their goals and why they are REALLY with you to train. This is where you must link their feelings to their words and find out just how serious they are about hitting their goals. When they tell you with tears in their eyes that can no longer move without pain, or keep up with their grandkids, or play catch with their son, or even just be active with their spouse, the shit gets real. If they have an issue that you KNOW you can help with, it is your JOB to make sure they leave buying training with you so you can help grant them their life back. 

THAT my friends is why I teach personal trainers! 

You have the power to help restore people back to whole or at least keep them whole so they can continue to enjoy all life has to offer.........

It starts with getting to know them as human beings first, before you ever step foot on the training floor.     

The most important decision anyone can make about their health is what they put on the end of their fork! Food is so powerful in its ability to heal, protect and even cure disease when one makes the right choices. Unfortunately, it is the leading cause of all diseases if one makes the wrong choices. 1 of every 2 Americans have at least chronic disease that can be helped by FOOD. The word needs to get out to every man, woman and child that what they put in their mouth can either add to their longevity of be the cause of their demise. 

In this episode we discuss the idea of personal trainers being Life Coaches. The foundation of life coaching centers around every individual deciding what is important to them. We like them to choose 4 or 5 major things, for example, Relationship with God, Relationship with Spouse and/or kids, Personal Health, Personal Wealth (Business). One of my coaches describes them as the 4 B's- Balance, Being, Body and Business. Whatever you and your client decide, the idea is the coach or trainer just gives gentle reminders each day to hold the client accountable for their own decisions.

Nothing in fitness actually makes sense. We call a sport Powerlifting that uses almost NO power, and we call a sport Olympic Weightlifting that is all about power. With that said, STOP listening to idiots telling you what to do. Let's use our common sense for a minute, shall we. 

If most people can't move their own bodies because they are overweight and are not strong enough to move well, why do most trainers ADD more weight to them? STOP IT!! In fact, the better question should be is " how do I create an environment where my client will be able to workout using LESS than their own bodyweight?" 

The goal of every trainer should be to get their clients more functional. We do this by using the 7 fundamental movement patterns and work them in all 3 planes of motion.

Moving is so simple, most of us do not even think twice when we move. But behind the scenes within the body, there are many elements and reactions taking place for movement to occur.

Muscular contraction occurs even before the actual objective, such as your core stabilizing your spine milliseconds before you squat up from the chair.

The sliding filament theory, an expansive collection of research and data that breaks down the intricate mechanisms of human movement, and all the variables involved. This week, Mike gently breaks down the whole system to be used by personal trainers, or really anyone who wants to know more about functional movement.

As personal trainers, it's critical that the sliding filament theory is examined and understood, so that we can be the shepherds for people who want to cherish and celebrate their bodies through functional fitness.

SUMMARY

Being a personal trainer is definitely not easy, but one could absolutely say it is a gratifying career.

Helping people reach their goals through exercise is a very fulfilling experience, but sometimes there can be obstacles between the trainer and potential clients.

Create and establish an online prescence. Whether it's through facebook, instagram, twitter, etc. People are going to want to speak with you and want to know more about you.

Challenge yourself. Experiment and provide daily/weekly content for EVERYONE. Information is valuable, share as much as you can, whether it's instructional material, healthy suggestions etc. This should cause people to understand you and what you stand for.

Exchange valuable content for their contact. If your information is valuable, people will absolutely want to hear more from you.

Get certified and stay certified for $17/month through NCEP Fitness. Multiple certifications are included, featuring the holistic nutritionist certification, online trainer certification, and the standard personal trainer certification.

What are you waiting for? You could be an amazing personal trainer and you might not even know it!

The NCEP slogan is 'Teach it forward'. We are at a point in time and space where we CAN control our future. Where we can build a trajectory towards our goal.

Fitness for health, and an even better life is what NCEP wants to spread. But we can only share this valuable information through personal trainers throughout the world.

There are no more excuses. $17/month, and you can be a certified personal trainer. Or a certified nutrionist. The list keeps going on, and the future will hold even more surprises.

Join us on our quest, to educate the world, and ultimately create a healthier one, for all of us.

Network network network! You hear it everywhere, and everyone says it. Probably because greatness is only a result of shared effort, never alone.

An easy way to start is to join discussions! Comment on a thread. Post your knowledge or opinion on a topic. It's always valuable to learn through other people's perspective, or simply to hear their response.

Put yourself out there! It doesn't need to be extreme, or anything drastic. The goal is to be recognized.

Ask yourself, what occurrence will cause people to think about you? For example, one personal trainer may specialize his or her career with basketball players. There may or may not be basketball players that need a personal trainer right now, but SOMEDAY they will want/need to work with one.

Some people say you are a product of the 5 people that consistently surround you. If that were true, what if you had 10 great people? 20 great people? The possibility is quite endless on a planet of over 7 billion people.

You are you. Be yourself, and let others know. It can be possible clients. It can be other trainers. It can be someone operating in a tangent to fitness. It can even have NOTHING to do with fitness. Build your relationships. You can travel faster alone, but further together.

What does 'Personal Training' mean to you? There hasn't been a claim on a definition, but we can break it down by separating the vocabulary.

Personal, to be personal, can be described as with one, or amongst a close group of people. Typically this can be anywhere between 1-5 people.

Training, is to systematically challenge oneself, to become more efficient. Train to be better, to strive for excellency in whatever the pursuit may be.

In fitness, a personal trainer will provide a comfortable & intimate setting to systematically improve the client(s) towards their goal. Whether it may be weight loss, healthy recreation, or simply because it's their passion.

YOUR mess, will be your message. Focus and analyze your experience, your conquered obstacle, your evidence of your struggles and efforts in the pursuit of fitness.

Take some time to know yourself, literally. Spend time with YOURSELF. What part of your life, whether it's information, trials, mistakes, or anything! What part of your life, can you use to help others?

What does 'Personal Training' mean to you? And how will people understand and believe in you?

Posture posture posture! We hear it all the time, everywhere we go. Don't slouch, open your chest, etc.

In this week's episode, Mike examines the topic of posture through the lens of a Personal Trainer. How do we (members of the fitness community) relate posture to movement? What else within the fitness dimension can posture affect or more importantly, enhance?

In a normal and healthy spine, there are two anterior curves, but labeled as three separate regions. Starting from the head down, is the cervical curve, thoracic curve, and finally the lumbar curve. Studies have revealed that these curves are what allows us to move and transfer amazing loads between the upper and lower limbs. If humans had a perfectly straight spine, we wouldn't be able to squat/jump as effectively, or even bend with load or efficiency, or complete any of the 7 primal movements as effectively.

Correct posture is important for many reasons, leading with the quality of your spine. If poor posture is present, the person will experience spine discomfort, pain, or injury, which is catastrophic to the quality of life.

Check out the whole podcast to learn how proper posture will enhance everything to everything, including breathing, blood circulation, healing, and essentially life itself.

What is your client outcome? As awesome as it may seem, there are no trainers that specialize in EVERY training style, due to the fact that we all had differing starting points, and very distinguished end points. Use your experience, not just your knowledge to set up your client's for success. Their success is your success, nothing more and nothing less. 

SUMMARY

What do you think of when you hear the term 'Personal Trainer'?

Personal trainers help people lose weight, get stronger, or reach various fitness goals. But the thing that truly determines a personal trainer's success, is that they CARE.

Flashy physique and defined muscles are just a portion of the fitness community, and is certainly not a requirement in the fitness community.

3 of every 10 U.S. Adults are overweight, and 4 of every 10 U.S. Adults are obese. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the USA.

You've most likely explored the realm of fitness, and even have your own experience in exercise development, which is an amazing experience that can be used to help others.

You don't have to know everything, and you definitely do not have to have all the answers. The first and foremost indicator of success as a personal trainer, is caring for their clients.

2021 is a brand new year, where do you want to see yourself next year? There are no limits, but ALWAYS be realistic. Small and lasting changes will always prevail over large and drastic changes.

Incentivize anything and anything! Your loss is just one experience among many others. Don't let a bad event represent the entire experience. The only reason you won't move forward is because you decided to stop.

Covid-19 has haulted many things, it's effects have been devastating to many of people's lives. Stay safe and continue to persist forward in the ways that we can.

Decide your goal. Apply the MAVA technique, which stands for meditate, affirm, visualize, & anchor. Meditate on your aspirations, affirm with yourself that this is YOUR goal, visualize this endeavor coming to life, & finally anchor it in your mind, to create the future you want.

Create a plan! Scale by the year, then break it down into monthly plan, which can be broken down with weekly objectives. Put everything down onto a paper and out of your mind, this way you can focus on the daily efforts required to accomplish your plan.

Only you can make your life great, noone can ever fulfill this. Continue pushing for a better tommorow.

This week's episode shares a wonderful message on New Year's resolutions and how to improve everything from the quality of life to the quality of yourself. Katie Conroy from Advicemine.com gives fantastic insight into how to kick off the new year, beginning with ourselves. 

Health has become a loose term in America. How can health be defined? Is there an objective definition?

What is fitness? To be fit, you'd lead a healthy & sustainable lifestyle in regards to exercise, nutrition, and your mind.

The goal of NCEP and personal trainers, is for the client to obtain & practice the knowledge of a holistic lifestyle.

As a personal trainer, are you aware of the variables and boundaries of a realistic and fulfilling life?

Do the people that I teach understand & practice the information that I share? They probably do, but we must continually share it, especially for the people who need it.

YOU are a beacon of exercise & health. Constantly share with people the information they will surely need to maintain or develop a truly healthy lifestyle.

When it comes to fitness, there is no room for uncertainty. You are fit and your lifestyle serves as an example, or you're still on your way to fitness.

Share your wisdom and pass it on. Greatness isn't dedicated for one person, but it is achieved only by those who seek it.

NCEP Fitness shares with you the FOUR pillars of RECOVERY.

The first pillar is all about PHYSICAL recovery. NCEP Fitness is the only fitness certification that features TheraGun in their curriculum.

Within postural dysfunction, or other forms of poor posture, certain muscles are either tight or loose.

Scientific terms lead us to refer to tight muscles as facilitated, and loose muscles as inhibited.

Percussive therapy is the most effective tool to correct both facilitated and inhibited muscles.

NCEP Fitness shares which muscles are either facilitated or inhibited based on a person's posture or moving posture.

In this week's episode, the founder of NCEP Fitness, Mike DeMora, explains why it's NOT about muscles when designing a program for your client, or any client. Before becoming bigger, stronger, or faster, the athlete needs to be able to MOVE correctly. Mike shares the checklist of an optimal exercise program, and why NCEP Fitness teaches this perspective. 

SUMMARY

1. The NCEP Fitness approach to program design is to improve function or movement efficiency.

2. Know the 7 primary movements ~ push, pull, bend, twist, squat, lunge, & gait.

3. Muscle can do only one thing, contract! However, muscular contraction can be broken down into 3 categories~

• Isometric contraction = stability.
• Eccentric contraction = movement control or deceleration.
• Concentric contraction = focus on power or the speed of life.

4. Visit all planes of motion ~

• Sagittal Plane = Any motion forward & backward.
  
• Frontal Plane = Any motion side to side.
  
• Transverse Plane = Any twisting/rotational motion.
  

Watch the full video to receive every detail!