Fitness in the digital age

It is the age of digital, and that goes for fitness, too.

Several colleges and clubs are even doing online competitions based on the number of people exercising.

This concept is a fun way to get fitness members involved and engaged. Even though the time frame for the competition may be short, it can stoke a fire for them to start coming more frequently. It also gives the staff a chance to sell other products to them based on their goals and the goals of the competition.  

As more and more digital platforms become available, we will undoubtedly see an uptick in the number of competitions, promotions, social engagement and tracking of data accumulated. As more equipment becomes digital, workout data can be stored remotely and the data can be analyzed.

The good news for clubs is that they can use data collected to identify trends in their facility and their membership. These trends may help them to ease congestion, staff during busy and slow times respectively, determine class schedules and market promotions to different segments.

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/health-fitness/how-interactive-competitions-are-driving-fitness-participation.html?eid=277204494&bid=1184820

6 steps for self-improvement

Former Navy SEAL and executive coach, Jeff Boss, discusses 6 practices that he believes help people improve their performance. The steps are:

1.       Fundamentals

2.       Accountability

3.       Add one percent

4.       Adapt faster

5.       Get a guru

6.       Make a decision

 

He believes that by working on those 6 areas, individuals can positively improve their performance over time.

The fundamentals never change and without being really good at your craft, you will never reach the top of the game. Perfect your craft first.

 

I cannot stress the importance of accountability enough. In order to improve and succeed we need to be pushed beyond our current limits so we can adapt to a higher level. This is true for physical training, as well as mental and intellectual. If you never push past where you already are, then you will never improve and meet your full potential. But, in order to get there, you need to be accountable for your actions to someone else. Ideally, this is your manager who gives you a task and then follows up to make sure you completed it satisfactorily. If you do not have a manager who can push you, try to find a colleague, mentor, partner or new job where you will be pushed. You deserve to reach your potential and if your current manager can’t get you there, try to find someone who will.

 

The more we do a job and the more we learn the closer to our intellectual and skill ceiling we get. That doesn’t mean we stop trying. That means that we have to try harder to make progress. Look at your current job and determine what skills you need to do it well. Then, create a plan to address those skills. As those skills improve, so does your job performance.  Then, look at your ideal job and determine what skills you need to do in order to do it well. Then, start improving those skills and you will eventually achieve that job.

 

This is nice article that can help you improve your performance and reach your potential and is worth the read.

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffboss/2015/09/06/6-best-practices-to-sustain-superior-performance/?utm_source=followingweekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20150907

Strategy questions

When you own a business it is important to take time to work ‘on’ your business. You work ‘in’ your business every day as an employee, manager, salesperson, etc, but by taking the time to work ‘on’ your business is when you function as the leader. It is up to you to evaluate your business, identify your trends and really get an idea for the vision you have created and assess how your business is doing in terms of achieving that vision.

 

This framework gives you a structure for when you contemplate your business and form your strategy. These questions can also be used to evaluate your career, as well as your business or department. In order to be effective you need to understand what it is you are trying to achieve. Develop that vision and then see how you are doing in terms of being able to meet it.

 

https://hbr.org/2015/09/5-strategy-questions-every-leader-should-make-time-for?utm_source=Socialflow&utm_medium=Tweet&utm_campaign=Socialflow

 

Personal training for high school athletes

If you train high school athletes this will get you thinking about your value to the high school athlete. I can understand both perspectives for the personal coach and team coach. At the end of the day, it is about what is the most beneficial for the student athlete. 

I have had the pleasure of working with quite a few high school athletes and teams over the years and I have seen the good and the bad. I have seen coaches who did not understand athletics training athletes inappropriately (in my opinion) and I have seen coaches poorly condition and prepare their athletes (in my opinion). I have also had overzealous parents who thought that this is what their athlete needed, when in fact that athlete needed a rest and not to train 7 days a week.

Any good coach or trainer will take the time to talk with the athlete about their goals, understand their personal and training history and observe their movements. I agree that a lot of schools utilize a cookie cutter strength program that is not appropriate for every member of the team. Whoever is running the program needs to understand human movement, and athletics in general, as well as how to assess a movement and progressions/regressions. Tossing a player into a poorly organized and controlled program is a recipe for poor results. If a personal coach is able to work with athletes and improve their form, movement, strength and speed then they have a role. But, let’s also keep this in perspective, great athletes will be great athletes regardless of who they train with. The main thing is to keep them healthy and gradually progress them. Too often these athletes are pushed farther and farther because of their raw athleticism and the basic patterns are ignored. In this instance, the training is inappropriate, regardless of who is in charge of it.

Is there a place for the personal coach, I think so. As long as they keep the long term health and goals of the player in mind when developing a program to maximize their performance and decrease their injury risk.

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/high-school/personal-trainers-for-prep-athletes-is-there-value-br.html?eid=277204494&bid=1156965

 

Military vs. Corporate leadership

This is a pretty powerful article that discusses why leadership in the military is different that leadership in corporate America. The big take-away? Sacrifice.

 

Military leaders put their team before themselves and the welfare of the team comes first. By showing service toward his followers, the leader establishes a feeling of trust and camaraderie amongst the group. When things are getting tough, they know that their leader has their back, and they have his (hers). 

 

In corporate America, too much stress is placed on competition among the team that leads to distrust, infighting and politics. When this happens, leadership has been ineffective. It has created a culture that detracts from the purpose of the group/department/organization and erodes trust. In this dog-eat-dog culture, the strongest, most manipulative survive and the cycle continues.

 

To truly become a leader means to stand in front of your team and take the hits. You are the one they are counting on to have their back and their best interests in mind. If you can’t do that, then don’t expect them to have yours.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-managers-act-like-military-leaders-2015-8?nr_email_referer=1&utm_content=BISelect&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_campaign=BI%20Select%20%28Wednesday%20Friday%29%202015-08-14&utm_term=Business%20Insider%20Select

 

Leadership tips

The state of management and leadership is, and has been, in trouble in the United States. One of the reasons why is a lack of communication from leadership to their staffs.

 

Take a few minutes to read this short article on the top 5 mistakes that leaders make. Then, use it as a guideline to do well in those areas. You will notice an improvement in communication, staff collaboration, and engagement. Don’t focus all your time on achieving goals, interpersonal relationships and a sense of belonging are important, too.

 

https://hbr.org/2015/06/the-top-complaints-from-employees-about-their-leaders?utm_campaign=Socialflow&utm_source=Socialflow&utm_medium=Tweet

Full contact practice and concussion risk

The research on head impacts continues to propagate, with this new study raising some interesting questions on the impact of full contact practices on concussion risk.

 

It seems that full contact practices produce head impacts that are equal to the ones sustained in a game. This means that athletes may be receiving hard hits to the head multiple times per week. The NFL cut back on the number of days that teams could have full contact practice and have noted a decreased concussion rate vs. college football.

 

While, this is not yet definitive, it does suggest that more studies should be performed comparing the injury rates of teams with different number of full contact practice days over the course of the season.

 

I applaud the researchers for trying to find ways to make sports more safe.

 

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/athlete-safety/study-full-contact-football-practices-increase-head-injury-risk.html?eid=277204494&bid=1143339