Each Sunday, the PTDC publishes a list of the top fitness content from around the web in four different categories: Articles, Videos, Social Media Posts, and Podcasts.


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Best Content of the Week

Being a personal trainer is about so much more than writing workouts and correcting form. We also have to learn how to get attention at a moment when we see so many competitors trying to make it by faking. That’s what PTDC founder Jonathan Goodman tackles in this week’s top article.

We also have two distinct takes on weight loss: a scalding takedown of the diet-industrial industry, and a deep dive into the research on weight-loss maintenance. It’s not the kind of information your clients want to hear, but it can help them avoid unrealistic expectations.

— Esther Avant

Best Article

How to Fake Success in Online Fitness in Three E-Z Steps for $317 in Just Seven Days — Jonathan Goodman, the PTDC

Technology makes it too easy to fake success. With a few clicks, Photoshop can inflate your biceps and turn your skin blemish-free. With a few bucks, you can buy fake endorsements from fake clients. And for a few dollars more, you can buy your way into a high-profile article that names you one of the best at what you do. PTDC founder Jonathan Goodman shows how easy it is to fake success online, and how you can stand out in a crowded marketplace without faking anything.

— Shane McLean

Best Video

15 Squat Mistakes and How to Fix Them — Mike Israetel and Charly Joung, Renaissance Periodization

We all know the squat isn’t easy to master. Very few clients get it right without a lot of coaching. That’s why some of the PTDC’s most popular articles focus on finding the right squat stance for each client. This 25-minute video covers 15 common mistakes, with coaching tips to correct them. 

— Esther Avant

Best Social Media Post

View this post on Instagram

I say them because I’m referring to not only the products and beliefs, but also the very individuals who perpetuate these beliefs and make money off of it. I have no idea if I’m right 😂. But what I do know is I would like to speak to the customer service rep for diet culture. ☎️ Cause I have A TON of complaints. We’ve become so desensitized as a society to what we’re viewing, reading, and listening to, that we don’t even realize when the diet industry gets in our head. You’re probably getting the welcome back emails from gyms or “wellness” meal delivery services right now. And no I’m not referring to ALL meal deliveries just the ones where weight loss is very clearly the only goal. And if you look closely you’ll see hidden words like “get back in shape”, “holidays are coming up”, “lose the COVID 15”. Actually these aren’t too subtle 😂. But as much as we would like to dismiss these messages and thoughts, it’s hard. Probably because these messages are in our faces 24/7. The industry is worth $72 Billion and believe it or not it actually might be worth more. It’s only increasing, and they are profiting off of times like this when people are hearing messages of “getting their body back” as if going through a pandemic and all other current events isn’t enough. 🤦🏽‍♀️ Stop letting diet culture live in your space rent free. They are worth billions and billions so they can afford to move the f**k out. ✌🏽 . . . . . . . . . . . . . #dietculture #dietculturerebel #dietculturedropout #ditchthediet #antidiet #antidietdietitian #antidietculture #stopdieting #antidietrevolution #antidietproject #haes #intuitiveeating #intuitiveeatingofficial #dietitian #registereddietitian #dietitiansofinstagram #rdsofinstagram

A post shared by Shana Minei Spence,MS,RDN,CDN (@thenutritiontea) on

Posted by Shana Minei Spence on Thursday, September 17, 2020

After months of isolation and inactivity, your clients are understandably vulnerable to marketing pitches about losing weight and getting back in shape. Shana Minei Spence, RD, says it long past time to get those messages out of our heads. Or, as she puts it, if we’re going to let the multi-billion-dollar weight-loss industry live in our heads, we should at least charge them rent. 

— Christina Abbey

Best Podcast

Do Diets Even Work in the Long Term? — Danny Lennon with guest Alan Flanagan, Sigma Nutrition

Danny Lennon and Alan Flanagan unpack the vast (and somewhat disheartening) research of long-term weight-loss maintenance. They cover a lot of ground in this episode: study design and limitations, the impact of monitoring, whether certain diets are better than others, if rate of loss has an impact, and how coaches can apply the literature. 

— Mike Howard

More Great Fitness Content 

[Article] Five Signs Your Fitness Obsession Is Killing Your Happiness — Samantha Kellgren, Simply Well Coaching

[Article] Self-Sabotage: No One Is Coming to Save You — George Kalantzis, tonygentilcore.com

[Video] Copywriting for Online Personal Trainers — Johnny Watson and Yusef Smith with guest John Romaniello

[Podcast] A Successful Failure — Katy Milkman with guests Cass Sunstein, Kirabo Jackson, and Andrew Chaikin

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The Author

Dani Singer is a nationally certified personal trainer and nutrition coach based in Baltimore, Maryland. As CEO & Director of Fit2Go Personal Training, he specializes in helping busy professionals make fitness practical. Dani also serves as a fitness expert for national publications such as Reader’s Digest, Muscle & Fitness, and SHAPE Magazine. Keep up with Dani and his team on Facebook and the Fit2Go website.

Esther Avant is a certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, mom, and military wife who coaches women online. As the owner of Esther Avant Wellness Coaching and founder of the Gone For Good weight loss program, she specializes in helping do-it-all women lose weight and keep it off by making exercise and nutrition fit their lifestyles, not the other way around. You can find her at www.estheravant.com, on Instagram, and on Facebook.