How to effectively use social media for fitness (or to promote you or your brand!)

 

The first thing you should know about social media is that likes, follows, and tap-taps are not king.

 

Just because someone likes your ass doesn't mean they are going to buy your products or services. Brand ambassadors are able to give their sponsor more visibility (in theory) with a larger community or "following". If you own a business, are a personal trainer, or are trying to sell your product or service, however, quantity in your network, pales in comparision to the quality of your network. 

 

The key to converting fans to clients is threefold: relatability, reliability, accessibility

 

Relatability

 

Chances are your followers follow you because of a shared interest. While Breakfast at TIffany's is a good starting point, it is going to take more than the fact you have both seen the movie for them to truly identify with you. If you are a personal trainer trying to get clients, you need to identify with your followers on a personal level, ie. make an instagram video of your struggles to get out of bed for a morning workout, tweet a picture of your failed attempt to say no to cheesecake (without calling it a "cheat day"), and create a Snapchat of ensuing DOM's that makes it painful to lower your buttcheeks to the toilet-boil. The point is, we all experience these things, but if you present yourself as an unattainable demigod, your fans will always keep you at an arm's length.

 

Reliability

 

Post with regularity (notice I didn't see frequency). Users who post every 30 minutes aren't necessarily more successful than those who post once a day. Rather, the stats show that posting at a regular interval (ie. at the same time each day), creates a stronger, more engaged following, than at random intervals.

 

Responsiveness is also paramount to building credibility and reliability with your followers. Respond to their questions and respond to comments, likes and shares, even if they aren't asking anything of you. Thanking someone for sharing your content not only rewards them for the proliferation of your brand, but it makes you more visible and relevant to both their followers and your own! Try to respond to everyone's comments and questions within a standard 24 hour period so that you are still top-of-mind.  

 

Accessibility

 

Give your fans, who want to be clients, a next step. I'm talking about a call-to-action! If you have done the unthinkable and peaked their interest enough to make them want to buy your product, service, or brand, you should have somewhere for them to go to complete the sale! Make it easy for them to get to a landing page by putting a link in your profile or blog. At the same time, don't try to sell your audience with every post. In fact, you should really only try to make a pitch 1 out of every 10 posts MAXIMUM.

 

Generosity cannot be overrated. Yes, people may follow you because you have established yourself as an expert on body building, vegan recipes, yoga, or twerking, but sharing, liking, and commenting on other people's content illustrates your engagement and your willingness to grow as part of a community. Be a go-giver, not a go-getter.

 

WIthout a doubt, social media has had a major influence on the fitness industry and how we market ourselves. Effective community growth, and converting fans to clients, should be the focus of your social media activities to maximize your return on investment. For more helpful tips and fun pics, follow me on Twitter and Instagram @BrendanRolfe and subcribe to my blog!

How much weight should I be lifting?

 

I can't tell you how many times I have seen young, strong, healthy women, and stiff, serious, middle-aged men lifting weights that are not right for them. In both instances I can say the same phrase, "You're wasting your time" (and likely mine if you are doing it on a squat-rack). Bicep-curling a 5 pound dumbbell or bench-pressing 225 pounds at a quarter of the range of motion you should be employing are equally as useless.

 

So that begs the question, how much weight is the right weight?

 

The answer is actually fairly simple, but begs another question first: What do you want to achieve?

 

For sake of argument, let's say that there are two types of muscle fibres (controversially, there are 3), type 1 muscles fibres and type 2 muscle fibres.

 

Type 1 muscle fibres are what is known as “slow-twitch” muscle fibres. Generally, these muscles excel in low-force, endurance activities, and are developed by doing a high amount of repetitions (eg. 15 repetitions).

 

Type 2 muscle fibres are known as “fast-twitch” muscle fibres and are most efficient, you guessed it: at high force, low endurance  movements. These are developed by heavier weight and lower repetitions.

 

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have found that increasing the size of type 2 muscle fibers will lead to a significant decrease in fat mass or the amount of fat in the body.

 

Here’s the rub, you are born with a certain amount of type 1 and type 2 muscle fibres, and while you cannot convert one to the other, or increase the number of those fibres, you can increase the size of them.

 

Unless you are a long distance cyclist or an ultra-marathon runner, why would you focus on developing type 1 muscle fibres when development of type 2 fibres offer the benefits you are looking for?

 

So really, it is simple. If your goal is increased muscle mass, greater athletic performance, fat loss, or strength enhancement, the answer is to lift as much weight as you can, while maintaining proper form. You should lift a weight heavy enough that you can do no more than 12 repetitions (ideally ‘failing’ at 10 or 11 because you are too exhausted to do more). 3 or 4 sets of each exercise is enough to sufficiently exhaust the muscle, promoting controlled tears, growth and recovery.

 

So if the repetition, set, and weight range is the same for everyone to achieve differing goals, why doesn’t everyone who adheres to this look the same?

 

Simple, it all boils down to nutrition. If you want to gain muscle, you have to consume more calories than you burn, if you want to lose fat, you need to burn more calories than you consume. But you can’t do both at the same time! If you are looking to add muscle and cut fat, you must build first, and deplete second. If you try to do both, you are bound to remain the same, no matter what your program.

 

One last nutritional note: Not all calories are created equal. It takes more energy to metabolize proteins than carbohydrates or fat. When in doubt, choose foods that are higher in protein content. For more helpful tips on workouts and nutrition, subscribe to our newsletter!


Image Credit:
http://www.mybargainbuddy.com/3lb-shake-weight-pro-7-11-free-sh