Nicholas A DiNubile, MD, author of the best-selling new fitness book FrameWork: Your 7-Step Program for Healthy Muscles, Bones & Joints, will address the Club Industry East show crowd at 11:30 a.m.-12:30p.m. on Thursday, June 8. As an orthopaedic surgeon who has seen the full range of the damage caused by improper exercise technique and general wear and tear, DiNubile has written a new book that offers powerful, common-sense prescriptions for “extending the warranty” on the human frame. DiNubile will also draw on his experience as an orthopaedic consultant to the Philadelphia 76ers and The Pennsylvania Ballet for his keynote, “A New Framework for the Future of Fitness: Give Your Members a Body Rebuilt to Last!” The lecture will provide real-world ideas that you can pass on to your members as well as use in your own fitness program.
FBP: What will you discuss in your keynote at the CI East show?
Dr. DiNubile: I’m going to ask the fitness industry, the medical community and the health care community to begin to start thinking differently about people’s frames and how you care for them. The fitness industry and fitness professionals are going to have to step up. Many [clients] have weak links, and unless you address that weak link, you’re going to get in trouble. Stopping is not an option. Being sedentary is as dangerous as smoking a pack of cigarettes.
FBP: Why did you write FrameWork: Your 7-Step Program for Healthy Muscles, Bones & Joints?
Dr. DiNubile: I want people to think differently. The number one reason people go the doctor is no longer the common cold -- 15 percent of health care dollars go to muscular skeletal ailments. That number is rising, too, and all these people with these issues are going to bring them into their fitness and health routine.
FBP: You work primarily in the medical field – what do you think health clubs and fitness facilities are doing right? Where are they lacking?
Dr. DiNubile: I see elastic tubing and wobble boards, and this is where rehab and fitness start to cross. Unfortunately, I don’t think the physical therapy people have done the best. They don’t teach people how to make that tradition back to life and to the gym [after an injury]. It comes down to making people more knowledgeable and more responsible for their bodies whether it’s personal training, physical therapy or athletic training.
FBP: How can professionals in the fitness industry help prevent member injuries?
Dr. DiNubile: Re-certification is so important. The clientele has changed. It’s not young athletes; it’s baby boomers. Certifications are going to evolve, probably not a lot of re-certifications on what I’m talking about, but you’re going to start seeing more and more [injury and posture related questions] on these tests. I have to stay current as an orthopedic surgeon. If I relied on what I learned when I was certified as a board surgeon, I’d be doing horrible things to my patients. The more knowledge you have and the different levels of knowledge you have, the better. New information is exciting, and it keeps you creative.
FBP: What does the fitness industry need to do to make medical professionals more comfortable with recommending health club memberships and personal training to their clients?
Dr. DiNubile: I think we need to connect those dots somehow and get creative about getting the medical community involved. The big hurdle is to get the insurance industry to reward healthy habits. Doctors say you should workout but it stops there. Equipment design and programming is a big issue. I encourage personal trainers to get to the next level. They have the basics, but they need new levels of knowledge on top of that. Injured parts need to be treated differently than healthy parts. Longevity and looking good is something we all understand, but durability is the unexplored and uncharted area I want people to look at.
FBP: What’s the one thing you’d like to tell club owners?
Dr. DiNubile: To be prepared for and open your eyes and mind to changes that are going on in your gym due to changes in demographics and more vulnerability that your clients have. Be willing to change the way you do things to help a lot more people.
To see more about Dr. DiNubile’s book or to learn more, go to www.drnick.com.
*Dr. DiNubile’s answers have been edited due to space limitations.