However, for personal trainers time really is money; finding space in your schedule to attend events like these regularly can be a struggle. Plus, unless you live in a big city, there might not be resources like these available to you.

So what’s the solution?

Get reading…

Books are obviously an invaluable resource for fitness information, but you don’t have to be limited to the printed word. Blogs can be even better as they’re constantly updated with the latest ideas, the best protein and inspiration in bite-sized chunks.

Here’s a rundown of the best personal training blogs, as voted for by readers and the experts at Breaking Muscle.

The Minimalist

A firm believer in minimalist training, Timothy Bell set up his blog to introduce individuals to the idea that even ordinary places such as the park, the backyard, or even empty neighborhood lots, can serve as a venue for fitness training. This means that you can use virtually anything in your environment as a tool for strength and resistance training – perfect if your clients want to avoid the sweaty locker room and hemmed-in hamster-wheel vibes of the gym.

The All-Rounder

Designed to share his passion for leading a ‘FUNctionally’ fit life, Dai Manuel focuses on achieving mastery of the 5 pillars of ‘functional fitness’: fitness, family, finances, faith, and fun.

He stresses that personal trainers should strive to ensure that their clients have good family relationships, excellent motivation, financial freedom, and the chance to enjoy the fun things in life, as well as excellent physical fitness. Bearing these 5 pillars in mind should help you understand the value of creating an all-round lifestyle program for your clients.

The Boxer

Developed by former boxing coach and long-time trainer Ross Enamait, Ross Training is a blog dedicated to strength training, high-performance conditioning, and athletic development.

Ross Training talks about the value of understanding the individual differences of each athlete – personal trainers should design programs that are specific to their client’s strengths and weaknesses. He also focuses on the importance of role modeling, interaction, and active participation.

The Hippy

While it is not necessarily a blog about high-performance fitness programs, personal trainers can benefit from chiropractic physician Sock Doc’s useful articles on the prevention and management of fitness injuries using natural methods.

His advice can help you choose a natural, holistic treatment when there’s one available, and avoid relying on unnecessary costly medications and procedures.

The Geek

Steve Kamb is a self-confessed nerd, and he’s dead set on overturning the stereotype that nerds aren’t fit. He shows that getting into fitness should be fun, whether you spend your free time playing sports or at ComicCon.

He can show you how to make training fun for your clients by incorporating ideas that are meaningful to them into their fitness programmes.

The Podcaster

Although it’s designed for those interested in strength training, Barbell Shrugged Daily has articles across a wealth of topics ranging from sensible nutrition to coaching and everyday mentoring. The blog has its own iTunes podcast and has been ruling the fitness and nutrition airwaves for quite some time.

The Weightlifter

With almost 400 articles, 300 fitness and exercise demos, 40 weightlifting programs, 1,200 videos on a variety of fitness topics, and more than 3,200 weightlifting workouts, Catalyst Athletics is a super serious strength training blog. The blog pays tribute to the art of Olympic weightlifting and will teach you how to design a stellar weightlifting program for your clients.

The Scientist

A physical therapist by profession, Dr. John Rusin provides a scientific approach to working out. The blog centers on bridging the gap between high-intensity strength and conditioning workouts, and innovations in rehabilitation methodology.

You can learn the actual science behind different fitness routines so you know how to properly design programs depending on your clients’ physical strengths. Rusin incorporates sound physical therapy principles to the science of exercise physiology so you can understand the theoretical bases behind what you’re teaching – or ditch your programme if the science doesn’t add up.

The Strength Trainer

Richey focuses on strength, plyometrics, speed and agility training, and mental toughness. Having studied fitness at varied colleges and trained professional athletes from many disciplines, this is one guy who knows exactly what he’s talking about.

The Crew

With a podcast, a community to keep you accountable, and hundreds of articles on fitness, End of Three is a one stop shop for amazing motivation and advice. The team focus on training that can be done in your garage as well as in a gym, and generally use only a barbell in their routines.

Whether a blog is for fitness newbies or seasoned pros, there’s always something you can learn – after all, many of your clients will be just starting out on their fitness journey, and blogs aimed at newcomers can help you remember what training was like before you were a professional.

By keeping up with the latest news and tips from trainers around the world, you’re not just making sure that your clients are learning to the best they can be. You’re making sure that you are the best you can be – and that’s what your clients really need.

Hope you are all ok on this rainy day? I’ve just blasted out a 10k run this morning in preparation for my 12k on Sunday. Also in the mix this week are a 5k jog on Saturday and weight training three times over Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

I’d like to talk to you today about something that plays a very important role in your bodies development and that’s sleep! Please take 2 seconds to take our poll below:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

This is something that often gets overlooked and you don’t realise it. For example, my sleep at the moment is ok and that’s with a two a year old. Our second child is due any minute now so that will temporarily throw a spanner in the works until we get a new routine. I sleep very soundly at the moment, in fact once my head hits the pillow that’s it until the next day. I could literally sleep through an earthquake.

Here are some quick facts about sleep and exercise:

• Even walking just one mile a day can help you sleep more soundly, and fall asleep faster
• Sleep plays a role in protein synthesis and gives you the necessary energy needed for another day in the gym
• Lack of adequate sleep affects mood, motivation, judgment, and our perception of events
• Research suggests that sleep plays an important role in memory, both before and after learning a new task

If you find you’re not getting enough sleep, here are some tips:

• Enjoy a nice hot shower or bath before bed time
• Don’t drink any caffeine or water before bed. Try warm milk instead
• If you can, try taking a nap during the day

There’s no hourly figure you should definitely sleep every night, just make sure it’s enough to make you feel bright eyed and bushy tailed for the following day. I was once told you shouldn’t need an alarm clock to wake you up as you should naturally wake up. Only you’ll know if you’ve slept enough, sometimes though you don’t have a choice. When you have your child in your bed on a morning slapping you around your head saying “Get up Daddy”, you need to get up! The poll above is just there to get an idea of how many hours you guys sleep. I’d be worried if any of you slept less than 2 hours but anything more than 5 should be sufficient. Again, it depends how much you’ve trained that day and if you don’t have a choice in getting up.

I just want this article to highlight a few benefits of sleep and for you to take into account the number of hours you sleep. Stay fit and healthy folks and if you’re reading this at 11 o’clock tonight, get to bed!

All the best,