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Learn the Why's and How's to the importance of warming up pre-lifting and the importance of stretching post-lifting sessions... "Considering a well-planned warm-up has the potential to not only prepare athletes physically and mentally but also possess the ability to reduce the likelihood of injury and improve performance, highlights its significant importance in athletic development." well designed warm-up should help an athlete with the following: Most people view a warm-up as a way to bring their core temperature up and 'feel' loosen up to start an activity. Most of the time, this looks like a quick jog on the treadmill or some simple stretching (which is not best to do BEFORE a lifting session, more on that later). Although, it is a good start and is better than no warm-up at all. But, a well designed warm-up should help an athlete with the following: Mental readiness Physical readiness Injury prevention Performance enhancement Does your warm-up help you in these areas? How can it be better? If you A few aspects of a good warm-up include a variation of the RAMP protocol: Raise, Activate and Mobilize, Potentiate or Performance Phase 1 – Raise The aim of the ‘raise’ section is too: ↑ Body temperature ↑ Heart rate ↑ Respiration rate ↑ Blood flow ↑ Joint viscosity Phase 2 – Activate and Mobilize The aim of this phase of the warm-up is two-fold:Activate key muscle groups Mobilize key joints and ranges of motion used in the sport or activity Phase 3 – Potentiate or Performance (modified version)The aim of this phase is to ‘prime’ the athletes for their session or competition. ↑ Intensity to a comparable level the athletes’ are about to compete in. ↑ Improve subsequent performance utilizing the effects of post-activation potentiate. At the end of the warm-up the athlete should feel prepared physically to take on the tasks at hand, whether it be a training program or competition.Each warm-up should be designed based on the individual needs and based on the movements required to preform in the sport or training session. The duration of the warm-up should be 10-30 minutes, but based on the time available to the athlete. In recent years there has been a decline in preforming static stretching PRIOR to training or sport performance. Studies are showing that there is a decline in force production, power, speed, and endurance in strength during training or sport performance when static stretching is performed during or as a warm-up. This is why its important to do your stretching AFTER your training sessions. By doing it after, you will be able to perform better when you need to (during training, game day, etc.) which will allow for optimal increase in skill, power, and strength. You do want to stretch to maintain muscle flexibility and mobility, and decrease injury risks. Dynamic stretching, which is outlined above in the RAMP protocol, has positive effects in training and sport performances. By performing a warm-up that allows similar movements that will be required to perform in training or sport performance the muscles are then activated in the full Range of Movement (ROM) with a stronger neuromuscular connection. Thus, making the dynamic stretching a superior warm-up protocol for most dynamic sports and training session. We take designing your warm-up as seriously as we do your training program. We want you to get the most out of your training sessions, and that begins with your warm-up. Reference: Science for Sport, Warm-ups by Owen Walker https://www.scienceforsport.com/warm-ups/#top #warmup #research #scienceforsport #sportstraining #fitness

A solid 4/5 Stars and why I think this book is a 'must-read' for all coaches. Let The First Rep Suck - The Art of Unconditionally Positive Fitness Coaching By Todd Bumgardner I have to tell you, I first heard of Todd through a trusted mentor a couple of years ago referring me to join Strength Faction. This was one of the best decisions I had made at that time for so many reasons, which is saved for another blog. Ultimately it brought me here today, writing a review on my personal website. Todd has become someone I can trust for honest advice and feedback. I very much appreciate honest feedback that helps me become a better well-rounded person. When I saw he wrote Let The First Rep Suck, I ordered it right away, not only support him but I genuinely like to hear what he has to say because there is always something new to learn from his knowledge and experiences. A Summary: "Let The First Rep Suck is the guide for fitness coaches that know that the client connection, and the systems that support it, are the most important tools for a successful coaching career." The book is broken down into 2 parts: Part 1: The Three Pillars of Fitness Coaching Psychology Safety Guidance Aims and Goals, and Part 2: Managing the Three Fitness Coaching Environments Small Group Personal Training One-on-One Personal Training and Group Training Each of these ideas and systems have a story applied to them, making it easy to understand and keeping you engaged. I easily read this book in a week but took away many lessons I am eager to implement. It also, confirmed some beliefs I have developed as a coach over the last 12 years - to always keep learning, keeping your clients safe and being a guide to their goals. Because I was with Strength Faction for a few semesters, I came to have a deeper understanding of their lessons and their purpose after reading this book. It was a great way to understand what and how these lesson came about, and his reasoning as to why they are important enough to pass to up-and-coming trainers and gym owners. I enjoy stories and seeing the big picture around lessons, this helps me see how I can apply the same ideas or lesson to my career or client. This is a great book for a fitness coach new to build systems to make your daily life easier and still getting your client the best results, or how to create a positive environment for your clients, and why clients seek out a coach/YOU (this was the lesson I needed the most). Also, the stories in the book made me laugh and truly enjoyed reading them. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did and pass it on to your fellow peers! If you want to learn more about the book you can listen to Todd speak about it on The Strength Coach Podcast. I rated this book 4.75 out of 5 Stars - the only reason I did not like this book is because a few pages fall out of the binding LOL. You can find the book on Amazon (like everything else). https://www.amazon.com/Let-First-Rep-Suck-Unconditionally/dp/0578615843 *I am NOT affiliated with the selling of the book. This is my personal review to help you spend you time and money wisely. Thank you for reading my review, please share your thoughts below. I would love to heard your feedback!

If you have been training for awhile you know that the good training sessions are fewer than the bad ones. But it doesn't have to be that way. Here is a great way to ensure a good training session... By Nikki Jarrett How to be successful in your training: Have/Make a plan for the day's training This could be scheduling your training session in advance Writing out what you want to do that month/week/days Pick exercises appropriate to you and your goals Start with a plan you know you can commit to and progress from there (e.i. wanting to go the the gym everyday but knowing you can consistently manage going 2 days. Plan for those 2 days and be successful rather than plan for 4 days only making it 2 days and feeling like a failure. Set yourself up for Success! Don’t try to over do it the first fews days and be too sore to come back for over a week. Feel out how your body response to the workout and if you can handle a bit more, try next session slowly building up the intensity that will challenge you but also will be able to recover quickly enough to go back. Set a goal for that day on training: Pick a goal for that day that reflects your training session. (e.i. work up to a PR on a particular lift, run for a set time or distance, or hitting a number of reps (with good form , of course) for a particular exercise or movement. Stay focus: leave your phone on “do not disturb” this will allow you to stay focus and not get distracted by texts/calls or emails. They can wait 60 minutes. If you have to, leave your phone in your car/locker/gym bag. Be polite but you don’t have to socialize and gossip for 10/20/30 minutes between sets. Those few minute here and there, add up. Put your earbuds in and go! If you feel that is rude, then just politely let them know you have to get in and out and it was good to see them. Set rest periods: If you have too, download an app because we are blessed to live in a world where there is literally an app for everything! Keep them just long enough to recover from the movement but keep the heart rate going. Keep the rest periods relevant to your goals. Fat-loss you will want shorted rest, strength base longer rest times. On a continuum 1-3 reps need 8-10 minutes, 4-6 reps need 2-5 minutes, 7-10 need 1-2 minutes, and 12+ about 1 minute or less. Set a goal time to complete your sessions: This feeds into your rest periods but if you’re under a time restraint, setting a timer for 60 minutes or whatever time limit you choose will help: Keep shorter rest times Stay focus Some key pointers: Keep your sessions simple. Now, simple doesn’t mean easy, it means that the exercise you pick are not the fancy complex show stopper ones, but rather the core exercises: push, squat, hinge, pulls, or carries. You can easily progress those by adding a load or keep it spicy with variety of how they are executed or how you load it. Keep a log of your workouts. Use an app or just an old school notebook. Write down what you did, reps, sets, load, etc. By keeping track of your training you will be able to give yourself a tool to help you know how you are progressing or where you went wrong and can easily fix it. Don’t beat yourself up. If you miss a training session or two, just get back on track the next day. Don’t wait until Mondays or the new month or new year even. The very next day, try again. You will find that it will be easier to get back on track each time and then staying on track will eventually be easy! Just keep going and don’t give up! I hope these tips helped, and if they did share them with your fellow gym goers. You never know who could be struggling just like you and need a few words of wisdom from a more experience lifter. Now, go out and have a great training session!! #training #workout #goals #keepgoing #nevergiveup #fitness #weigthloss #strengthtraining #tipstotrainbetter

By Nikki Jarrett We are told to set goals if you want o accomplish a task whether that task in small or big. But what if you don’t know what to set as your goal, or where to begin to create a plan to reach your goal? With the steps explained in this blog you should be able to create a goal(s) and know how to implement the steps to achieve that goal. The best way to create your goal is to start with S.M.A.R.T. goals. What is a S.M.A.R.T. goal?? S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for a frame work that helps you build a goal you can reach! S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. When creating a S.M.A.R.T. goal, you work through each of these terms to build a goal that is clear in defining what needs to be accomplished, when it needs to be accomplished, and how you’ll know when you reach your goal. Creating goals this way is helpful, because it eliminates generalities and guesswork. It sets a clear finish line, and makes it easier to track progress and areas that need to be improved. Let’s go through each of these letters and begin building that goal of yours. S: Specific A goal needs to be specific so we know exactly what we are looking to measure, and know if/when we hit our goal. We need to be able to answer a few questions clearly with our goal: What do you want to accomplish? Who will accomplish this goal? What steps do you need to do in order to accomplish this goal? (Build smaller goals (a.k.a short-term) that help you reach you’re larger (a.k.a long-term) goals? You can also use these letter to build those short-term goals. Answering these questions will help you define clearly what is it you want as your goal and the steps necessary to complete your goal. Example: I want to be able to do body weight Pull-ups. M: Measurable The above goal is a great start to building a goal, but it’s not yet complete. What is missing is a measurable number. Having a number attached to your goal quantifies your goal and you can be sure to know when you reached your goal and helps track progress. Example: I want to be able to do 5 body weight Pull-ups. A: Attainable Goals should help you feel successful. They should not be so high that you feel that they are not close to being attainable, then ultimately not achieve your goals. This is the tough one for some because this is the time where you need to be honest with yourself. It’s important to consider any conditions or limitations that might impede your goal and what you can do to build smaller steps/goals to reach your larger goal. Is the goal you’ve outlined so far actually reasonable? Is it something you could realistically accomplish? Example: I know I can do 1 Body weight Pull-up but 5 would be challenging but doable if I work on it. R: Realistic We want our goals to be realistic, if we set the bar too high for our goals then we are more likely to give up and ultimately not accomplish what we originally wanted to. This is a good time to assess your goal and see how important/committed you are to reaching your goal. Once you have an idea of what it will take to achieve your goal, you can determine whether you are committed enough to follow through. You must be willing to put in the time and effort to achieve your goals. A few questions to ask yourself to determine if this goal is realistic… Why do I want to achieve this goal? Am I willing to put in the time and effort to achieve this goal? If not, then we can reevaluate the goal or create a new one. Is there anything that you are unwilling to do or can’t do that could prevent you from reaching your goal? (example: If I have shoulder injury preventing my from doing pull-ups, then this is not a good goal to have yet.) Once you know these answers you can create a goal that is realistic to the time and effort you are able to put in. Example: Knowing I can do 1 body weight pull up now, it is realistic to achieve 5 but not 100… yet. T: Timely Final piece to creating a goal is setting deadline. By having a deadline you can measure your success, did you reach your goal or no? Your goals should have deadlines included in them, to ensure how to stay on track within a designated timeline. A deadline should be as realistic as the goal at hand too. This helps define if your goal is a long-term or short-term goal. Can your goal be achieved tomorrow, next week, 30 days, 6 months, a year or longer? Long-term goal: something that will take a long time to accomplish, greater than 1 year’s time to several years Short-term goals: something you want to accomplish in the near future up to 1 years time You can break down your larger, long-term goals into smaller, short-term goals that will help you stay on track and focus during the time it will take to reach your larger goals. Example: I want to be able to complete 5 body weight pull ups by December 31st of this year. This gives me 4 months to increase by 1 pull-up a month. I need to do 2 body weight pull-ups by September 30t, 3 by October 31st, 4 by November 30th and then 5 by December 31st! Now you know how to create a SMART goal! It is time to set targets that are informative and motivating. Here are the next few steps to help you implement your plan for success! Write it down! Don’t let rely on your brain to remember all the details. WRITE IT DOWN! In a study conducted by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at the Dominican University in California, it was concluded that you’re 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down on a regular basis. 2. Set check-ins with yourself or a trusted friend. Any goal worth achieving won’t happen overnight (sorry). It’s going to take some time to reach your goal, and it’s important to check in on your progress to ensure you aren’t falling off-track. This will help you stay focus or refocus you if you do fall off track, because we are only human. 3. Celebrate the smell wins! This is huge in keeping you motivated. Don’t be afraid to do a little happy dance when you reach your short-term goals. Essentially what happens in your brain when you celebrate the small wins: is the brain chemical called dopamine spikes when we anticipate something important is about to happen (such as achieving that second pull-up or something that we set out to do). That’s when motivation gets a boost giving us the energy or momentum to continue to our larger, long-term goal. Now, you are on your way to reaching all your goals. Remember set S.M.A.R.T. goals and celebrate the small wins along the way. Good luck! I know you’ll reach all the things you really want to reach! #goals #training #fitness #results #personaltrainer #smartgoals #success #gym

By Nikki Jarrett This is no secret but it can be the most overlooked part of FAT loss. CONSISTENCY.... IS KEY! The more consistent you become the better and faster your results will be. You need to go to the gym regularly, find ways to move a little more during your day, eat less like an asshole and more like an adult, and limit alcohol intake. This doesn’t not mean you can’t have those sweet treats, or go out with friends, or have the OCCASIONAL indulgence of your favorite food, it just can’t be everyday or every weekend. But consistency is hard to stick to because, well, life. Life can get in the way and we understand that. We also know that it’s not impossible either. We as coaches can be seen as “perfect” and we don’t have to try that hard for our results, blah blah blah. Guess what? WE HAVE STRUGGLES TOO!! When we say we know that life can throw a curve ball and try to derail your progress, we know because we’ve been there and done that. But you are lucky, because you can learn from our mistakes! We can help you navigate pretty much ANY situation, help you get back on track, and teach you how to plan or pick the best options for you. But the only thing we can’t do for you, is THE WORK. That’s on you! Our best advice to you is to stay CONSISTENT. Staying consistent means that you are adhering to you plan 80% of the time. That leaves you with 20% of wiggle room to enjoy life’s little pleasures of going out with friends and family, indulging in your favorite treat, or skipping a meal because life got in the way. What does 80% look like? Let’s say you eat 4 meals a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack because who doesn’t like a snack?! You will have 28 meals to reach your goals. If you adhere to the 80/20 rule, then you must follow the plan for 22.4 meals to see minimal results. That is only 5.6 meals a week you can have off plan. For example, you can have a piece of pizza, a scoop of ice cream, a cookie or two, a steak dinner with more butter than usual, BUT nothing crazy like a whole pizza! But remember this also includes SKIPPING MEALS. Skipping a meal is not following your plan. Not taking in all your calories is not following the plan! At the end of each week you should try to hit 80%. That’s a “B” in school, a passing grade! Anything below a “B” is not going to be enough to see results. This will only leave you frustrated and ultimately quit. Don’t be a quitter. Set small goals to help you become consistent. And STAY CONSISTENT! Keep going and never give up on your goals.

By Nikki Jarrett Sleep - You need between 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Stress management - Learning to manage your stress level can be a challenge in of itself, but it is important to keep your stress level lows as it plays into your hormones and will cause weight gain. Nutrition - Eat like an adult, more vegetables and fruit and less junk. Choose nutritional dense foods over calories dense foods. Follow the 80/20 rule, with the weekly average 80% or more with quality nutrition! Weightlifting - You must weight train to maintain muscle mass as you loss fat. This will help keep the metabolism firing and fat loss going. This is not your 2lb pink dumbbells either. Lift heavy to stimulate a response and keep the body strong! Hydration - ok, coffee is not hydration. Drink at least half our body weight in ounces in water each day. This will help you feel full, decrease bloat, and help your joints, skin, digestion be at its best. BONUS TIPS: Intensity - You can not just go through the movement and hope to get results. You must have intent, focus and intensity to stimulate a response. You can increase your intensity by shorter rest periods or setting a time limit to complete to total workout. Recovery- This goes along with sleep and stress management but deserves its own place being so important to the FAT Loss process. Recovery is not sitting on the couch and bingeing on Netflix, but using your days away from training to work on mobility, foam rolling, a massage, hiking, biking, or moving a little more during the work day. Above all - CONSISTENCY. If you do not find ways to maintain consistency your fat loss progress will slow, or even stop. This is the greatest challenge but it is NOT IMPOSSIBLE to achieve! Build upon healthy habits, understand mistake will happen, but get right back to it! Never give up. Keep going. You will reach your goals!

By Nikki Jarrett "We want core stability, not core strength.” SAY WHAT?? Yes, I know, this seems odd. Don’t we want a strong core? Yes, we do but it’s not what you think, so hear me out. Core strength is important because without it you wouldn’t be able to hold yourself up and walk around. However, strength isn’t always what we think it is. The main function of the core is to stabilize us as we walk, run, jump, pick things up, and do other fun and dumb stuff. But, don’t you need strength for that stuff? Of course you need strength, but if you cannot stabilize the body in any position or under load then your strong core is not working for you. Most people love to do their crunches and sit-ups to get those defined sexy abs. Although it’s a good start, that’s not going to get you those sexy abs(thats a post for another time), or even a “strong” core that can produce stabilization during crucial times under load, i.e. moving a heavy washer out of the basement. Yes, a 100 crunches a day can get you strong ab muscles. Or 100 side bends will build strength in your obliques. But the function of your core is to protect the spine from bending/moving/twisting in the wrong way, and it does this by stabilizing you. Think of pushing a car. Or better yet, try it. Actually, DO NOT do that because you could get hurt and we wouldn’t want that. Go back to visualizing yourself pushing a stalled car out of the road. Your hands are on the trunk and you’re about take your first step into the car, what happens? You automatically “brace your core,” and that my friend is your core stabilizing you before you put load (the car)on yourself. Now, image that you didn’t know how to “brace your core,” what do you think would have happened instead? you would probably bend in half and I would venture to say you would be seeing a chiropractor or laid up in bed because you hurt your back (spine). How would one train to learn how to stabilize their core and become proficient at it? Utilizing exercises that force you to stabilize are best. Exercises that have you resisting rotation or extension in the core will produce the the optimal force that will engage the core. Once you can begin engaging to core, maintaining that tension will help build the strength and will allow you to be an awesome athlete in life! You could even become your friends “professional mover.” If that doesn’t sound fun to you, then I would not go around bragging about your new found core stabilizing powers!

By Nikki Jarrett This is one is for those who are struggling and want to quit or have quit so many times before because “[insert whatever diet fad here], isn’t working…blah blah blah.” I’m here to tell you that fat loss is not linear. Again, for the people in the back… FAT LOSS IS NOT LINEAR. Now, I’m not talking about weight-loss. That is “easy.” But what most people actually want when they talk about weight loss is FAT loss. FAT loss is different than weight loss. Anyone can lose weight, you can restrict what you eat for 2 weeks to fit into your favorite jeans, manipulate your water intake to make weight for a competition, or do a crash diet to shed those last 10 pounds before vacation, but that will result in gaining the weight back as soon as you stop what your doing because it isn’t as sustainable as they sell it to be. But, let’s talk FAT loss. FAT LOSS is NOT Linear. I’m sure we all know the scale all too well, and you probably don’t have the best relationship with it either. If you are the type of person that weighs themselves everyday, then you already know this, that scale will move up and down EVERYDAY. You can have up to 8 pounds in fluctuation! Yes, that’s crazy, but that is not 8 pounds of FAT you gained over night. You can fluctuate because you ate a meal later than usual, drank more water or not enough water, it could be that time of the month, your sodium intake increased, you need to go to the bathroom, lack of sleep, or you stress level has increased, but none of that equals FAT gain. The daily recording of your weight will show fluctuation in either direction. BUT, if you take your weight everyday and graphed it out, overtime you will see the downward sloop. You can not let those daily fluctuations detour you from your ultimate goal. Use those readings as a way to manage your stress, motivation to stay hydrated, sleep, and find consistency in training and nutrition. Be patient, find consistency, and understand that the scale is tool to track your daily stresses and to help gauge where you are on your FAT loss journey. It will never show an even loss every day or weekly! But, don’t give up, just keep going and you will reach your goals.

This is not going to be easy, but your mindset can make all the difference for your results and keeping your results long-term! By Nikki Jarrett You need to go into your FAT loss journey with a mindset that accepts there will be challenges. Understand the process is not always easy and you will get frustrated. They key is staying consistent and remembering your goals during the “sucky” times will help you through the journey. Every time you feel frustrated and think that you will never reach your goals, that is the moment you need to remember why you started. FAT loss is not easy and sometimes it will take more mental strength than you think, but if you keep going and pursue your goals, even in times of struggle, you will make it. If you allow yourself to give up or allow yourself to “to take a break” and during that “break” you cheat on your plan and binge over and over, you are ultimately delaying your goals. Don’t be like Ross and Rachel! They were on a break, and look what happened. Be patient with yourself. It will take time to reach your goals. You will find yourself in situations that are not ideal to follow your plan, but that’s ok. What you can do in those situations is stay hydrated, find what does fit in your plan, and focus your attention on something other than you thinking you are failing your plan. BUT DON’T over indulge or say “F&#% it” and binge the whole weekend to a month’s time. DO enjoy yourself, and get right back on your plan the next meal. You will begin to limit your binges, and become more consistent, which is the key to success! In order for this to work you must find a plan that is SUSTAINABLE. Not, just something you can follow for a few weeks and then once you start to eat “normal” again you lose all of your hard earn results. Find a plan that 1) doesn’t cut out entire food groups (e.i. fats, carbs, etc.) 2) that allows you to have that piece of chocolate you absolutely need to stay sane as a mom but it won’t hinder your results 3) easy to follow and easy to cook or plan out and 4) your family/supporters can enjoy as well. A nutrition plan should not be so restrictive that once you go off the plan you binge and find it hard to get back on track the next meal. It should build healthy eating habits along with a healthy relationship with food and includes the entire food pyramid. You ultimately should be able to eat like this for a long time because its based on the healthy habits and solid nutrition. By building a solid base of nutrition, consistently practicing healthy habits, and learning to enjoy the process, you are setting yourself up for LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY AND LONG TERM SUCCESS! Embrace the suck, keep going, and you will reach your goals!

By Nikki Jarrett Every program I design for you will have some sort of self-myofascical release either at the begin or the end of your training session. One of the ways we do this is by foam rolling. Most people have heard of foam rolling and/or has done it before. But ,if you don’t know what it is or what it does for you, please read on. Foam rolling can help promote blood flow and break down scar tissue. It could also help maintain normal muscle length, reduce pain and soreness, increase range of motion, and aid in recovery. Essentially, foam rolling is a form of self-myofascial release, or self-massage, that gets rid of adhesions in your muscles and connective tissue. Foam rolling also increases blood flow to your muscles, creating better mobility, aiding with recovery and improving performance. Using a foam roller is a more affordable way to give yourself a deep tissue massage. By slowing rolling over various areas of your body, you'll help break up adhesions, scar tissue, and speed up the healing and recovery process after your workout. Sometimes this takes just 30 seconds, but at other times it can take 2 minutes or more. The goal of foam rolling is to get bound up portions of the muscle to relax, so when you feel the soreness/tightness reduce in half, this is an indication that you are meeting your goal and the muscle is relaxing. Most targeted areas are the Upper Back, Lats, Glutes, IT Band, Hamstrings, Quads , Adductors and Hip Flexors. Here is an easy little foam rolling video that you can use to help you through your foam rolling series. Do these prior or after your main workout to help warm up and stretch those right muscles. You can do each move for anywhere from 30 seconds to 90 seconds a day. (video coming soon!) Try it today, and let me know what you think!

“When we try to exercise alone we can feel isolated and uninspired; together we can achieve our fitness goals.” By Nikki Jarrett You may a person that loves group fitness or you may be a person that loves 1-on-1 personal training. Each method has their own pro’s and con’s. Here are just a few: Pro’s of Personal Training: You can count on a highly individualized exercise programming. You develop a relationship with your trainer. A personal trainer will make sure you’re pushing the limits. Cons of Personal Training: Personal trainers can be expensive. Personal trainers may not have the flexible schedule you need. A personal trainer may have different ideals than you. Pros of Group Training Small groups can push you to train harder. Group training is affordable. Small groups make it easier for those learning. Cons of Group Training You won’t get as much personal guidance. You’ll have to hold yourself accountable. You won’t get a personalized program based on your level or goals. We know all too well the pro’s and con’s of each training method and we decided that the we needed to bring out the best in each method. This is how I decided to offer small group personal training. This is a space where you can literally have the BEST of both methods! Training in a group, particularly a small group that has the same people regularly, can be beneficial for building relationships, having a buddy to keep you accountable and create a positive atmosphere with you are striving to be better and healthier like you . It can provide motivation, a sense of camaraderie, and even present an opportunity for you to socialize a little with others at your gym. Other Benefits: Accountability Affordability Individual Programming Personal Guidance Develop a relationships Be a part of a family: Other athletes working hard around you will push you to work hard With all these elements put into place and into practice, it’s hard not to succeed! The only thing that is missing is YOU!

Why I don't chase letters to put after my name... by Nikki Jarrett It does not matter whether you are an All-Star pro, a weekend Joe, or anywhere between that spectrum. I adhere to an athlete focus model that allows me to help people get back to full function, reach their goals, and more importantly, I help you become the whole you. My obligation is to provide you a way to become stronger, healthier and more confident. Our industry races to see how many letters we, trainer and coaches, can obtain after our name. This is ego driven, and our reputation should be secondary to our obligation to providing the best way our clients can reach full health status. The point of degrees and certifications are to further our knowledge and to be able to APPLY that knowledge to better serve our athletes. Unfortunately, in most cases, letter chasing is more self serving than athlete focused. I take pride in believing an athlete focus model is the best way. Yes, I have a degree and certifications but my main focus is YOU. I stay in communication with you about every step you want to take in the process. I go as fast or as slow as you want. If you are not ready, then I wait until you are ready, understanding that people will be ready for the next step on their own time. If you force to start before you are, we risk not only losing you but losing all progress gained during that time. We/I cannot do this alone. Having a network of trusted professionals in the area increase the chance of success for you. A wonderful wellness team of Massage Therapist, Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, Counselors, and many more, is priceless. This team of wellness professionals allows me to help you and build the best program for you. We play part in the big picture of your health and wellness. It’s still an important part, just like the every one on the wellness team, including YOU. More can be accomplished by working as a team and keeping you in the drive seat. #training #fitness #personaltrainer #athletefocus #itsallaboutyou #results #gym