As a Medical Exercise Specialist, you’ve dedicated yourself to helping clients improve their functional outcomes and live healthier lives. But is your practice operating at its fullest potential? Are you ready to elevate your systems, streamline your operations, and set the foundation for a dynamic and successful year ahead?

If you’re serious about growing your medical exercise practice, it’s time to take the first step. Introducing the Success Path Strategy Session—a 90-minute, high-impact session designed to help Medical Exercise Specialists like you map out a clear path to practice growth and success in 2025.

What Is the Success Path Strategy Session?

This isn’t just another planning session. The Success Path Strategy Session is your opportunity to evaluate your practice’s performance, pinpoint growth opportunities, and create an actionable plan based on the six key characteristics of successful medical exercise practices:

1. Clarity: Define your...

Medical Exercise Training is the new frontier for the fitness industry. For the fitness professional ready to jump into managing medical conditions using exercise, here is a path medical exercise training for the newbie. These steps are based on 30 years of educating and certifying fitness professionals and 40 years as a physical therapy. 

The healthcare and fitness industries are increasingly recognizing the role Medical Exercise Training (MET) plays in supporting clients with medical conditions. For fitness professionals looking to specialize in this transformative field, building a bridge between healthcare and fitness requires a blend of education, practice management, and collaboration with medical professionals. Here are the best steps to evolve your practice and become a trusted medical exercise professional.

1. Obtain the Proper Certification and Education

To establish credibility and build a strong foundation, prioritize obtaining certifications recognized in the...

As a Medical Exercise Specialist (MES), you’re dedicated to helping clients achieve better health and function through exercise. But to build a truly successful practice, technical skills alone aren’t enough. One of the most critical components of your success is effective marketing. In a competitive industry, marketing helps you reach the clients who need your services most, communicate your unique expertise, and establish a reputation that attracts referrals from healthcare providers. When done right, marketing creates a solid foundation for long-term growth and success.

1. Attracting Your Ideal Clients

The clients who will benefit most from medical exercise services may not know you exist—or even know what a Medical Exercise Specialist does! Marketing bridges this gap by raising awareness about your specialized services. Whether through social media, a website, or local outreach, marketing helps you communicate who you are, what you offer, and how you can...

In the field of medical exercise, it’s tempting to think that offering a wide range of services to as many clients as possible will ensure success. Many fitness professionals believe that being a “generalist” increases their appeal and attracts more clients. But in reality, this approach often leads to scattered efforts, lackluster results, and a diluted reputation. Specialization, on the other hand, is what allows Medical Exercise Professionals (MedExPROs) to develop expertise, stand out in a crowded market, and produce real, positive outcomes for clients.

The Drawbacks of a Generalist Approach

When medical exercise professionals try to serve a broad range of clients with diverse needs, they face two primary challenges. First, they struggle to develop deep expertise in any one area. Without a specific focus, it’s difficult to fully understand the unique needs and challenges of clients with certain medical conditions, which can result in generic programs that...

Gait Analysis: A Cornerstone of Medical Exercise Training

This segment on gait analysis is drawn from the Advanced Medical Exercise Specialist Manual, a vital resource for fitness professionals aiming to offer specialized training to clients with medical conditions or injuries. By providing a structured approach to exercise prescription—including assessments, program design, and tailored progression strategies—the manual equips professionals to meet each client’s unique needs.

This post delves into the essential role of gait analysis as a skill for medical exercise specialists. Through systematic observation of a client’s walking patterns, gait analysis uncovers deviations that often reveal underlying musculoskeletal or neurological impairments. With this understanding, professionals can craft targeted exercise interventions that address specific limitations, fostering improved mobility, reducing discomfort, and enhancing clients’ overall quality of...

Building a successful Medical Exercise Training (MET) business goes far beyond
offering quality services to clients. While having the necessary skills and
knowledge is vital, implementing effective systems is what ensures your business
runs smoothly and grows sustainably. The MES Business Success Path
provides a structured approach to help MET professionals develop the systems
needed to thrive. Let’s explore why systems are essential to your MET business
and how they can lead to long-term success.

Streamlining Operations and Efficiency
Systems allow you to streamline your operations, ensuring that every aspect of
your business—from client intake to service delivery—is consistent and efficient.
When you have systems in place, you reduce the risk of errors, save time on
repetitive tasks, and create a seamless experience for your clients. For example,
a client management system ensures that new clients are easily onboarded, and
their medical information, goals, and progress are...

In the world of medical exercise training, it’s easy to believe that serving as many clients as possible is the path to success. After all, more clients should mean more growth, right? However, this mindset often leads to a lack of focus and, ultimately, mediocre outcomes. In the field of medical exercise, clarity is key to building a successful, impactful practice that not only serves clients effectively but also sets you apart in the crowded fitness and health markets.

The Problem with Being a Generalist

Without clarity, Medical Exercise Professionals (MedExPROs) can find themselves “all over the map,” offering services to any client who walks through the door, without a clear strategy. This approach often leads to inconsistent results and leaves both clients and practitioners feeling frustrated. Many clients who seek medical exercise training have complex health conditions, and they need a specialist who can offer tailored programs that meet their unique needs.

Medical exercise professionals play a crucial role in helping clients with medical conditions improve their health through exercise. However, before offering these services, it’s important to master certain key skills that ensure safe and effective programming. In MET101 Tip 33, Michael Jones highlights five essential skills that every medical exercise professional should develop:

• Blood Pressure Assessment: Learn to use a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope to manually check blood pressure rather than relying on electronic devices, which can be inaccurate.
• Heart Rate Measurement: Understand how to manually check a client’s radial or carotid pulse, as relying on heart rate monitors isn’t always feasible.
• Balance Assessment: Accurately evaluate a client’s balance, starting with their sitting balance, before progressing to more advanced standing balance assessments.
• Identifying Red Flags: Be aware of red flags in both new and existing clients. Referring clients...

The field of Medical Exercise Training (MET) is experiencing rapid growth, driven by the aging population and an increased understanding of exercise's pivotal role in health management. With the rise in chronic conditions and the emphasis on maintaining functional independence, MET is positioned to play an essential role in the future of healthcare.

A key factor contributing to this trend is the heightened demand for MET services, particularly as baby boomers focus on staying active and healthy in their later years. This demographic shift is expected to create a significant need for professionals who can provide specialized exercise programs that address both general fitness and specific medical conditions. Furthermore, discussions around insurance coverage for exercise programs related to medical conditions could dramatically expand the reach of MET services, making them more accessible to a broader population.

However, with growth comes the necessity for professionalization within...

Medical Exercise Specialist - Clarity is Important in Developing a MET Business

Clarity is crucial in any successful business, but it is essential when developing a Medical Exercise Training (MET) practice. As an emerging field that “Bridges the gap between healthcare and fitness”, MET requires professionals to have a clear sense of direction, purpose, and execution. Using the MES Business Success Path as a foundation, this post will explore why clarity is fundamental to establishing a thriving MET business.

Defining Your Purpose and Target Audience

The first step in the MES Business Success Path is gaining clarity around your purpose. Why are you offering medical exercise training? What specific problems are you solving for your clients? These questions may seem basic, but answering them with precision sets the tone for your entire business model. Understanding your mission helps you align your services with the right clientele—whether seniors recovering...