Personal Trainers Must Exemplify Top Level Fitness

Personal trainers know the importance of a healthy lifestyle and desire to share their knowledge with others. The client puts trust in the trainer to help them achieve their fitness goals. Hutson did a study of twenty-six clients and twenty-five personal trainers finding that “clients were explicit about not wanting a trainer who looked out-of-shape, as this indicated someone who could not apply their own knowledge, or who perhaps did not have any in the first place”.¹ Some people hire a personal trainer based on appearance alone. If an individual is looking to gain mass, they may gravitate to a trainer that is a body builder. If they want to become a runner, then they may choose a trainer who looks like a runner.  According to the American Council on Exercise, “personal trainers should practice what they preach and exemplify what it means to live an active and healthy life”.² Trainers are always being judged based on their appearance, so they are basically a “walking business card”.1 Hutson explains this concept as “bodily capital” calling it one of the “most important features” that trainers have.¹ 

If a personal trainer is expecting their client to eat healthy, make time for proper recovery, and adhere to a workout routine, then they should do the same. ACE explains the importance of personal trainers living a healthy lifestyle stating it “will help build client trust and help clients justify the time and financial commitment they are making”.² Trainers should not view this as pressure to uphold a certain expectation, but rather as an opportunity to be a positive role model. As a result, the trainer can motivate clients to be strong and make good decisions regarding health. Hutson explains that trainers who fail to meet the expectations of society are “structurally disadvantaged in the fitness industry, and in low demand”.¹  

¹Hutson, D. (n.d). “Your body is your business card”: Bodily capital and health authority in the fitness industry. Social Science & Medicine, 90, 63-71. Retrieved from                  http://www.sciencedirect.com.zeus.tarleton.edu:81/science/article/pii/S027795361300270 0?#

²American council on exercise. (2010). Ace personal trainer manuel. (4th ed., p. 32). San Diego: American Council on Exercise.

College Coaches: How They See it

 

College Coaches: How They See It

There are many different features that are involved in the recruitment of student athletes. Not just softball skills, but the type of person that they are is observed as a whole.  With the way recruiting is today in the NCAA, many coaches are forced to recruit early which can raise many questions from college coaches.¹   Does the athlete’s desire to play the game change when they are being observed by coaches? Is her personality the same as it was when you first talked to her as a 14 year old? Has she changed physically?¹

Many coaches today do not know what they are going to get when student athletes verbally commit as an 8^th, 9^th, or 10^th grader, but many still feel the need to keep doing what has always been done for the sport of softball by going out early to recruit and locking up athletes to come to their school.²  Most athletic director’s will base success on wins and losses and the type of kids they bring into their program to represent the university, so many may not think about how coaches put their careers in the hands of 14 to 18 year old girls.²  As many coaches continue to put countless hours into the coaching and recruiting process, many see that coaches have the joy of watching athletes grow into great ball players from when they are 14 years old to when they get to their school as a freshman in college. Many may put coaches out to be the bad person in this process, but coaches are actually just doing their jobs to try to build their program into a championship caliber team.

 

¹Hewitt, P. M. (2009). THE RECRUITING PROCESS. College Student-athletes: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications

 

²Paule, A. L. (2008). The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Examining Intercollegiate Athletic Recruiting.

 

 

http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/college-recruiting/2013/nov/14/14-year-old-commits-d1-school/

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/sports/committing-to-play-for-a-college-then-starting-9th-grade.html

 

 

 

Is FITNESSGRAM Worth the Hassle?

Physical Educators seem to have mixed feelings towards the FITNESSGRAM tests required by the state of Texas. Instead of actually viewing this requirement as an important tool to help with research, PE teachers often view FITNESSGRAM as more of a hassle. This requirement was added in 2007 and was actually conceived from important issues about the health status of our youth. In one research journal, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, the authors state, “Childhood obesity was a key element behind Texas Senate Bill (SB) 530 in 2007 that required public schools to conduct annual comprehensive health-related physical fitness evaluations with students in grades 3–12.”¹

Schools need to be in full support of these tests and treat them just like any other mandatory state test. Currently, people treat the STAAR test as the most important test in schools. Why do teachers not have the same mindset towards FITNESSGRAM testing, especially given that it actually deals with life threatening factors such as obesity?

If people knew that the requirement for FITNESSGRAM developed from the current childhood obesity epidemic, they would better understand the importance of FITNESSGRAM. With obesity developing at an early age, it is encouraging to know that the state actually recognizes the problem and created a program that is centered towards childhood fitness. However, many individuals still view these fitness tests as a waste of time because of the lack of true participation with some students. So it seems that the problem is not with the state requiring FITNESSGRAM testing, but instead it’s with the state receiving accurate testing results.

Tune in next week as I discuss some strategies of how we can get our students to truly give it their all when participating in FITNESSGRAM testing.

¹ Morrow Jr., J. R., Martin, S. B. & Jackson, A. W. (2010). Reliability and validity of the FITNESSGRAM®, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 81:sup3, S24-S30. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2010.10599691

The Importance of a Job Description in the Hiring Process

    

 

     One of the main traits of a successful athletic administrator is the uncanny ability to hire an effective administrative and coaching staff. The hiring of the perfect employee is a challenging, yet satisfying process in which many factors contribute. Suggs recommended “that institutions structure and finance athletics as they do academic departments, finding ways to control costs, including rationing televised football, shifting to need-based scholarships, reducing the number of coaches (especially in football), and so on” (pg. 17).¹ Hiring the wrong employee is expensive, time consuming, and costly to the work environment as well as the reputation of the administrator. Hiring the right employee begins with an administrators ability to intricately analyze the job position to be hired and create an accurate job description.

     A very important aspect when analyzing the job description is to ensure the employee is fully aware of the standard of excellence that will be required. An athletic administrator must lay out the details of a job and assure that the new employee will have a hands-on, fully participative role within the overall success of the staff. Kerwin & Doherty note “when individuals have the opportunity to actively participate in a task (i.e., decision making) they become more invested in that task and its outcome. This increases an individual’s positive feelings toward their work environment, which may in turn reduce the negative emotions that are further associated with relationship conflict. (pg. 225).² In conclusion, it is important that the job description should be intently created initially in order to plan a strategy to hire the right employee for the job and not settle for anything less.

References

¹Suggs, Welch. (2009). Old challenges and new opportunities for studying the financial aspects of intercollegiate athletics. New Directions for Higher Education, 148, 11-22. DOI: 10.1002/he.364

²Kerwin, S. & Doherty, A. (2012). An investigation of the conflict triggering process in intercollegiate athletic departments. Journal of Sport Management, 26(3), 224-236.

The life of an Athletic Director and a Coach

In the athletic realm, most athletic directors in high school are also the head coach of a sport. Many large high schools are trying to eliminate that way of thinking. How important is it for Athletic Directors to focus solely on administration?

Seeing huge success in the college sports world with this type of split has led to many inquires if this is the route to go. Having the AD only handling the administration, and letting the coach focus on coaching duties can be very lucrative for a program. In Dual Role of Physical Education Teacher-Athletic Directors in Korean Secondary Schools discussed how being a teacher, coach, and athletic director can lead to high burnout.  The AD who doesn’t worry about the coaching side can really put their energy into building a great administration.  In high school, sometimes you even see the AD be a head coach and a teacher. In Leadership Implications and Ethical Solutions Of Athletic Directors In Producing a Successful Division 1-A Football Program, it states the pressing need for financial dependency of collegiate football, as well as the importance of attracting the best prospective recruits, can be considered high stress experiences for athletic directors. Being the head coach can add more stress on top of that. Having a split responsibility can lead to better production on the coaching and athletic administration side. Coaching is a very time consuming job. When being able just to focus on that the outcome can be better. They don’t have to worry about dealing with issues like title IX when they can just focus on coaching. An athletic director’s job can be just as much time consuming as a coach. To carry a double load can be very much so detrimental to one’s ability to do their job well. It is precisely like any other thing; the more energy you have to put into one area of focus, the better the outcome.

 

References

Orlando, M. (2012). LEADERSHIP IMPLICATIONS AND ETHICAL SOLUTIONS OF ATHLETIC DIRECTORS IN PRODUCING A SUCCESSFUL DIVISION 1-A FOOTBALL PROGRAM. Review Of Management Innovation & Creativity, 5(14), 81-87.

Ha, J., Hums, M. A., & Greenwell, T. (2011). Dual Role of Physical Education Teacher-Athletic Directors in Korean Secondary Schools. Physical Educator, 68(4), 221-233.

New Coaches: Professional Development

Professional development is important in any job setting. As a coach, professional development is important for a variety of reasons. Professional development should be accessible to coaches no matter what the cost is to the school district. First and foremost, the schools want the best coaches they can hire. In order to achieve this, their coaches must stay up with the latest findings in their sport. Therefore, they must attend conferences and continue learning about their sport no matter how many years they have been coaching. The conferences they go to must also be top notch. These conferences need to include speakers that have had success with their methods and know exactly what they are talking about.

In many cases, new coaches are lacking the financial support to go to conferences. This in return will only hurt the coach. As a new coach, most of the time they will have knowledge of the sport they are coaching, but in some instances they may not. Conferences provide a time where a coach is allowed to hear different people speak and teach them about that sport. If they are unable to grow in knowledge from other successful professionals, then they are being set up to fail. New coaches should be provided with the opportunity to take the time off in order to better their sport knowledge. Schools and athletic directors must recognize the importance of this and allocate the funds to send novice coaches to professional development opportunities. 

Parents: Involvement in the Recruiting Process

Parents: Involvement in the Recruiting Process

The parent’s part in the recruiting process is more understandable than others because parents do not want their child being left behind by coaches.¹   Even though many things have changed over the years in recruiting, parents still play a big determining role on where their child may choose to attend college.¹   Even at such young age 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th graders start considering where they would like to play intercollegiate sports.

Photo: Burleson Star

It is the parent’s job to put their kids in the best possible position to be safe and successful.  With that being said, many parents today let their kids choose where they want to go to school by the time they are 14 to 15 years of age, when they may not honestly know.²   With the early recruiting done today by many coaches, kids feel the need to commit early without even knowing what they truly want to do. Yes, there may be pressure put on by coaches recruiting each athlete, but parents can also pressure the athlete by wanting them closer to home for a good geographic location to help influence their final decision.²   In the end, parents want what is right for their kid, because choosing the right place to spend 4 years of their life is a very big decision.  Though the recruiting process can be stressful, many parents will continue to push athletes to commit to where the best possible offer and fit  may be regardless if the athlete likes the institution or not. 

¹Hewitt, P. M. (2009). THE RECRUITING PROCESS. College Student-athletes: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications

²Letawsky, N. R., Schneider, R. G., Pedersen, P. M., & Palmer, C. J. (2003). Factors influencing the college selection process of student-athletes. College Student Journal, 37(4).

Building an Outstanding PE Teacher

Physical Education is a subject that can definitely be overlooked when it comes to its value in public schools. PE teachers are especially overlooked when considering their importance. Only outstanding PE teachers, who go above and beyond, seem to be the ones that get respect. But, what does it take to become an outstanding PE teacher?

Curriculum is something that is very important for teachers in all subjects. PE curriculum is no different. PE teachers need to carefully plan each and every unit to reap the most benefit for the students at an early age. In the Journal of School Health, the authors state, “Every effort should be made to sustain an effective PE curriculum during the key period of adolescence.”¹

PE teachers who can design the best units from their curriculum will win the respect of the students, administrators, and parents. The teachers who can make an impact on students through their carefully designed curriculum will in the end gain respect, and earning respect will help increase the value and perception of PE’s powerful impact on a student’s overall educational experience. In the journal Physical Educator, the authors stressed, “Physical educators need to gain as much support as they can to show the administrators and parents the value of physical education on a student’s overall education.”² When the teacher can accomplish this, then the PE teacher can be labeled as outstanding.

Be sure to check back next week when I will discuss how PE teachers should utilize the FITNESSGRAM as a tool instead of as a chore.

¹Van, D., Kelder, S. H., Kohl III, H. W., Ranjit, N., & Perry, C. L. (2011). Associations of physical fitness and academic performance among schoolchildren. Journal of School Health, 81(12), 733-740. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com

²Barney, D., & Deutsch, J. (2009). Elementary classroom teachers attitudes and perspectives of elementary physical education. Physical Educator, 66(3), 114-123. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com

Strength Training: The Missing Component of a Healthy Lifestyle

In the fitness industry, personal trainers see members only training their cardiovascular system. When developing a new healthy lifestyle, strength training cannot be skipped. The American Council on Exercise defines strength training as the process of exercising with progressively heavier resistance to stimulate muscle development.¹ Strength training’s primary purpose is to increase the size and strength of the muscle tissue, the secondary purpose is to increase the strength of the body’s ligaments and tendons. But, the advantages do not stop there. Other major benefits include body composition improvement, increased metabolism levels, and injury and disease prevention.

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•  Body Composition Improvement - On average untrained individuals will lose half a pound of lean mass without strength training. With consistent strength training an individual will increase lean mass and decrease fat mass.

• Increase Metabolism Levels – For up to 72 hours after an intense strength training session, trained individuals see an 8% increase in Resting Metabolic Rate, while untrained individuals see a 9% increase.²

• Injury and Disease Prevention - Stronger muscles protect the joint by being able to absorb more load. Strength training stimulates collagen production making soft tissues like tendons and ligaments stronger. Strength training also increases bone mineral density reducing the risk of osteoporosis and reduces the risk of Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular diseases. 

Strength training has the potential to improve self-confidence and health at the same time. So why do so many people skip it? This question has many answers, some of which will be covered in the weeks to come. Below are the basic forms of strength training.

• Body Weight Movements-Any movements using your own body weight as the main form of resistance. Examples include Body Weight Squat, Lunges, Split Squats, Step-Ups, Pull-Ups, and Push-Ups.

• Resistance Tubing - Similar movements to body weight movements, but with more resistance when the elastic band stretches.  This is less expensive than free weights.

•  Free Weights - Classic strength training using dumbbells and barbells.

• Weight Machines - Most popular form used in fitness facilities. Classic free weight movements are utilized but in a much easier platform to perform.

¹ Bryant, C., & Green, D. (2010). Ace personal trainer manual. (4th ed.).

² Hackley, K., Engels, H., & Gretebeck, R. (2008). Resting energy expenditure and delayed-onset muscle soreness after full-body resistance training with an eccentric concentration. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(5). 1602-1609.

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Halftime: The First Drill Team

In Texas, football is a way of life. Small towns shut down, and the stadiums are packed to watch the Friday night game during the fall. The marching band, cheerleaders and drill/dance teams are ready to help cheer and support their team to victory. However, the halftime shows at these games have not always been as entertaining as they are now.

By Joe Scherschel

In 1939, Kilgore College hired Gussie Nell Davis.¹ She was in charge of finding something so spectacular for halftime that the spectators would stay in their seats and more women would be drawn to the crowd. She introduced on September 12, 1940 the Kilgore College Rangerettes.

The Rangerettes were a high precision dance group that performed at halftime with the band. They wowed the crowd with high precision routines and long beautiful high kick lines. The high kick line would soon become a trademark of drill teams all over the country, especially in Texas. The response from the crowd was enough for high schools and colleges to notice. From that time on, a number of dance/drill teams started sprouting up in high schools and colleges everywhere and now have become a traditional part of every football game. 

Celebrating their 75th anniversary in 2014, the Rangerettes are still wowing crowds all over the world and are now the most famous college drill team in the world. Now, young teens flock from all over the country in hopes to help continue the halftime tradition and legend of the Kilgore Rangerettes.

Photo: Matthew Visinsky/Yeung Photography

¹ Coachman, M. K. (2006). Dance Team. The Rosen Publishing Group .

² Vine, K. (2004). Alive AND Kicking. Texas Monthly, 32(9), 114-221.

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