Personal Fitness Professional - May 2008 - (Page 12)

CONTROVERSIES c WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE? BY PHIL KAPLAN you know I like to add a bit of spark to any presentation, so I initiated the Forum at the 2007 IHRSA Conference in San Diego CURRENT if you know me at all, by explaining that I would share personal opinions based on my own experiences, knowing full well that some of them would stimulate some agitation and perhaps get a few trainers hot under their collars. My intention was to elicit honesty and open up some much-needed discussions in a ﬁeld where norms and standards are as varied as the trainers themselves. I built the presentation around the concept of responsibility, criticizing the thought process that allows trainers to blame clients for a lack of improvement. I discussed professionalism and drew a complete agreement that the low barriers of entry into the personal training realm allow for unprofessional behavior to marry incompetence, contributing to a limited public perception of the position of the personal trainer. I discussed compensation and concluded that, despite conventional practices, ﬁtness professionals deserve to be compensated in line with the value of their time. 12 Should We Offer Advice without Expertise? About 30 minutes into the session, I clicked the little wireless remote, and the Powerpoint presentation on the big screen read, “Is discussing nutrition within our scope of practice?” I shared some of my thoughts regarding the damage an overwhelming array of misinformation has brought upon the health and waistlines of our population and the limitations on achieving optimal outcomes without a client understanding the synergistic relationship between eating and exercising. I also shared some of the loopholes that allow food manufacturers to deceive, and I moved into a revelation of the misuse of some of the scientiﬁc research that becomes fodder for snack food sales. MAY2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - May 2008

Personal Fitness Professional - May 2008 Contents Letter from the Editor, Writers Live Your Supertrainer Legacy Current Controversies Effective Employee Manuals Product Profiles The Coolest Training Zone The Making of a Top-Notch Boot Camp Instructor Mark Your Calendar Caffeine Exercise Spotlight Product Profiles New on the Market [Spotlight] Trish Muse

Personal Fitness Professional - May 2008

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