First and foremost, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2010 is going to be an incredible year and the fitness industry is going to continue to explode.  Today I want to share my Top 5 Fitness Industry Predictions for 2010, but let’s start with an interesting study:

A recent study was done assessing whether clients got better results with or without professional supervision.

Reference: Supervised exercise versus non-supervised exercise for reducing weight in obese adults. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2009 Mar;49(1):85-90.

This research study looked at the effects of training with supervision/instruction (i.e. a qualified personal trainer) versus “advice” (i.e. “Can you just give me a program to follow?”).  There were two groups:

1. Group one met a trainer twice a week for 4 months (as a group).
2. Group two received basic advice to increase physical activity and access to a fully equipped gym (any exercise they did was unsupervised).

Results:  The group with supervision lost almost 10 pounds more over a 4-month period with a total fat loss of 13.4lbs in the coached group, and only 3.7lbs in the advice only group.

The bottom line here is pretty clear… if you are SERIOUS about getting rapid and lasting results then you NEED to hire a true fitness professional.

Of course, that comes with a BIG BUT doesn’t it?  For many, hiring a personal trainer is just too expensive.  And with that, let me share my Top 5 Fitness Industry Predictions for 2010…

Read the rest of this entry »

Weight Loss & Fitness Boot Camps are a growing trend in the fitness industry today, and for good reason.

Weight Loss & Fitness Boot Camps like Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp in Chaska, MN are typically much more affordable than personal training.  They also offer more camaraderie and social support, are much more exciting than traditional personal training programs, yet they still have 1:1 attention and scientifically designed programs with exercise progression and regression.

Unfortunately, boot camps do have their downside.  Many fitness instructors want to jump on the boot camp bandwagon without having any of the skills or experience to design custom workouts for the wide variety of fitness levels typical in large group training.  In other words, a lot of boot camp programs suck, and worse, can be very dangerous.

Here are 10 tips on how to select a boot camp that will get you results and keep you safe at the same time:

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, we’re just over half-way through 2009; can you believe it?!  Today, I’m going to give you my mid-year review on the fitness industry and share 3 biggest weight loss & fitness trends that we’re seeing.

Sadly, it appears as though the fitness industry as a whole has again failed to produce any significant results on a broad scale to effectively reverse the scary obesity epidemic that is plaguing our society. More specifically, the sickening fact that American adults keep getting fatter, more lethargic, and less healthy has mirrored the unabated deterioration in the health and fitness of our youth population.

However, on a positive note, we have seen some growing fitness trends that will provide the long-term answers to solve this ever-growing problem:

Read the rest of this entry »