In the Beginning

IDEA World Fitness Convention 2007 is in full effect. For those of you who are unable to attend this energy-filled event, I hope you are able to take away information that will help you continue to inspire the world to fitness.

Drop Your Guard

First and foremost, and most likely to be well reported, were the morning's opening ceremonies. A retrospective of IDEA's 25 years elicited laughs and sighs of remembrance from the crowds while Tim Wilkins' humor helped lift the energy of those who were not lucky enough to make it to the coffee cart. Of particular interest was the speech given by Augie Nieto which moved just about everyone to tears. He provided several messages of motivation and inspiration; I was most deeply touched as he challenged everyone to let down their guards and allow others to see them for who they are. "When you have bravado, you turn them [clients, family, friends] away. If you show them you have weakness, they will look at you not as a teacher, but as a confidant," he said. "That is the greatest gift you can give." I believe what he is saying is that the basis for everything we do lies in the human connection and that without it, we render ourselves incapable of initiating great change in the lives of others.

Shoulder Solutions #146

Instructor Don Bahneman mentions this is his 12th time presenting material on how to recognize clients' shoulder problems and how to utilize this information during program design. I can see why as a great many people, whether athletes or weekend warriors, often suffer some sort of shoulder issue and it's important that fitness professionals have the tools to be able to help them. He also stresses that the professional is not responsible for saving lives, but in helping to improve them through sound knowledge and understanding. One of the most salient points he mentions, which goes far beyond the realm of his classroom (though definitely inclusive of it) is for everyone attending these classes to question everything they see. There is a lot of information to be found at a convention of this size and it's important to put each tidbit through a process of critical thinking before implementing anything into a client's or participant's program.

Balance Training - Advanced Concepts Made Simple

I was only able to poke my head into this session for a short period of time, but it seemed that the attendees were enthralled with the information provided by John Blievernicht. He emphasizes a training style that combines both coaching and constant analysis. "When you have someone performing an exercise, how many cues do you think they can hold on to?" He asks. "Probably just one, so stick with just one," he states. He suggests a more sensory approach to training instead of overloading a client with a variety of commands. He believes that people retain more information when they are listening than when they are talking (just like grandma used to say!). For example, if a client is going over five commands in her head, she is not listening to what her body is telling her. If you ask her to listen to her body instead of fill her head with cues, she will more successfully accomplish her tasks.