As a Personal Trainer do you know what you don't know?

by Alisha Smith | Thursday, September 22, 2011

“At 13 weeks pregnant, the baby is only about as big as the tip of your finger.” When my close friend, C, told me that her personal trainer had said this before insisting that she continue with the crunches and planks on which she had questioned him, I insisted that she find a new trainer.  ...read more

Goal setting = smart training

by Rebecca Myers | Wednesday, April 20, 2011

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Are You an Ethical Personal Trainer?

by Lisa Champion | Saturday, November 27, 2010

Today on the Sydney Morning Herald website a news article caught my eye which was titled ‘Fitness group rescued off NSW beach’. It was purely an informational piece reporting on a trainer’s decision to take his boot camp clients into the ocean after an apparently hard training session on the beach.

The article stirred up some strong feelings in me. What was the personal trainer thinking? Was jumping into the sea after a hard training session on the beach wise? Did he/she take time to think about the greater implications of that decision?  ...read more

Hot topic: Gym Waivers, Client Liability and Duty of Care

by Ryan Hogan | Tuesday, December 08, 2009

In the recent decision of Belna Pty Ltd v Irwin [1], the NSW Court of Appeal considered the duty of care owed by a gym operator to a client who suffered a serious knee injury while performing lunges as part of a program designed by an employee.

Facts
Ms Irwin dislocated her knee while performing lunges at a Fernwood gym. The exercises were part of a prescribed gym program formulated by a consultant of the gym and the incident occurred while Irwin attempted a lunge for the first time. Her leg gave way, she fell to the floor and was then taken to the hospital where it was found that she had dislocated her knee.   ...read more

What would you do if a client suffered cardiac arrest during a training session?

by Ryan Hogan | Monday, September 28, 2009

The following post is written by guest author Danielle Fera, an exercise coach from NSW.

Most personal trainers will at some point have clients who have less than healthy hearts – in fact, that may be why they are training with you. Have you ever considered what you would do if one of your clients suffered a cardiac arrest during a training session?  ...read more

Behind the neck presses - complicated or just plain contraindicated?

by Ryan Hogan | Tuesday, May 05, 2009

The following post was written by Alisha Smith, Network's education manager.

Fitness wouldn’t be fitness without heated discussions regarding ‘good’ versus ‘bad’ exercises. Some say there are certain exercises that simply should never be performed, while others say that there is no such thing as a ‘bad’ exercise – only bad technique.

One such proclaimed ‘bad’ exercise is the Behind the Neck Press (BNP).  ...read more

Extreme Heat and Exercise: Duty of Care.

by Ryan Hogan | Tuesday, February 03, 2009

The following post was written by Alisha Smith, Network's Education Manager.

With the recent heatwave smothering Victoria and South Australia, it seems a pertinent time to discuss duty of care to our clients. Did you know that in Australia there are no specific regulations regarding the temperature extremes at which to cancel fitness activities, both indoor and out?  ...read more