As we settle into the middle of winter, it’s the perfect time to stay focused on your health, continue building your knowledge, and invest in your future. Whether you’re already working in the fitness industry, currently studying, or thinking about taking the first step towards a rewarding career, we hope this month’s edition leaves you feeling inspired and motivated.
This month we’re shining the spotlight on one of the most recognisable muscles in the gym—the biceps—and exploring why oranges deserve a place on your plate during the cooler months. We’ve also included a valuable Cert IV learning snippet, our latest blog on the growing role of the modern community coach, and an inspiring Graduate Spotlight featuring Natalie, whose passion and commitment are already making a remarkable impact within her community.
As always, thank you for being part of our community. We love celebrating the achievements of our students and graduates while sharing practical tips and industry insights to help you continue learning and growing. We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter, and as always, we’d love to hear from you if there’s a topic you’d like us to feature in a future edition. Happy reading!
Fit Education: Muscle of the Month
The Biceps Brachii
Most people associate biceps training with endless dumbbell curls and building toned arms, but the biceps muscle does much more than simply bend your elbow. The biceps brachii has two heads that originate at the shoulder and work together to flex the elbow, stabilise the shoulder joint, and rotate the forearm. In fact, turning a doorknob, carrying grocery bags, lifting a child, or twisting open a jar all rely on healthy, functioning biceps.
Just as important as strengthening the biceps is maintaining their flexibility. Tight biceps can contribute to rounded shoulders and restricted shoulder movement, particularly for those who spend long hours sitting at a desk. A simple stretch performed by standing in a doorway with your arm extended behind you and gently turning your body away can help lengthen the muscle, improve posture, and support better shoulder mobility. Strong, mobile biceps not only look good but also play an important role in helping us move efficiently and confidently through everyday life.
If you want to train your biceps beyond traditional curls, consider incorporating more dynamic movements into your workouts. Exercises such as chin-ups, battle rope waves, medicine ball chest passes, or explosive pull-ups challenge the biceps to produce force quickly and improve muscular power. These athletic-style movements can enhance upper-body performance, coordination, and functional strength while keeping training interesting and engaging. Check out this link to our Fit Education battle rope exercise demonstration.
Did You Know? Women often have a slightly greater natural carrying angle at the elbow than men. This means some women may find neutral-grip exercises, such as hammer curls, more comfortable. The best biceps exercise isn’t necessarily the one that looks the most impressive—it’s the one that allows you to move pain-free through a full range of motion while maintaining good technique.
Fit Education: Food of the Month
The Orange
Winter is the perfect time to enjoy oranges, as they are at their sweetest, juiciest and most nutritious when grown in season. While oranges are famous for their Vitamin C content, one medium orange provides almost all of an adult’s daily requirements, helping to support immune function, wound healing, collagen production and healthy skin. But there is more to this vibrant fruit than fighting off winter sniffles. Oranges also contain potassium, folate and fibre, nutrients that contribute to heart health, blood pressure regulation and digestive wellbeing.
One of the lesser-known benefits of oranges is their ability to help the body absorb iron from plant-based foods. Pairing orange segments with spinach, legumes or wholegrains can significantly increase the absorption of non-haem iron, making oranges a great addition to meals, especially for vegetarians, vegans and menstruating women. Oranges are also rich in flavonoids, particularly hesperidin, a powerful antioxidant found in the white pith just beneath the peel. So, while many people remove every trace of the white fibres, leaving a little behind may actually provide additional health benefits for circulation and inflammation.
Perhaps the most surprising fact about oranges is that their bright orange colour doesn’t always indicate ripeness! In tropical climates, oranges can remain green even when fully ripe and delicious. Here in Australia, winter is peak orange season, making it the ideal time to enjoy them fresh, tossed through salads, blended into smoothies or simply packed as a convenient snack. Nature has a wonderful way of providing us with exactly what we need, and during the cooler months, oranges are a simple reminder that good nutrition can be both seasonal and delicious.
Jobs Board
Don’t forget to visit our Fit Education Jobs Board regularly to stay up to date with the latest employment opportunities. With the Brisbane Olympics fast approaching, the industry is continuing to grow, and demand for qualified professionals is on the rise. Now is the perfect time to get qualified, gain valuable experience, and kick-start an exciting career in the sector.
Designed to fit around your lifestyle, we offer both online and on-campus learning to make studying as flexible and stress-free as possible. Our highly popular Cram Weeks provide an intensive, hands-on learning experience where you can complete your logbooks and practical assessments in just one week. You’ll be supported every step of the way by experienced instructors while learning alongside like-minded students. It’s an engaging, motivating environment, and for many students, it’s the quickest and most efficient path to completing their qualification.
Snippet from the Fit Education Cert IV in Fitness: Postural Appraisal
Personal Trainers can evaluate the posture of low-risk clients. This section will look at the basic skills to do this.
Determining a client’s muscle strength, weakness, and tightness through the postural assessment will allow the Personal Trainer to develop a program relating to the client’s goals. If a client has tight muscles, their program needs to incorporate appropriate stretching exercises; for a client with weak muscles strengthening exercises need to be included. If either is the cause of continued pain or restriction, and the implementation of an exercise program has an element of risk or contraindication, it is important to refer to an appropriate allied health professional.
A PT should consider basic aspects of evidence-based research about movement and postural alignment and the impacts on movement and exercise prescription. They should understand the basic influences affecting dysfunctional movement patterns and exercise technique including:
abnormalities of the musculoskeletal system including the spine.
damage to bones and connective tissue including ligaments and cartilage.
asymmetrical muscle tone.
poor muscle endurance.
poor muscle strength.
locomotive gait including walking, jogging, and running.
If you want to learn more about Postural Assessment enrol in our Cert IV in Fitness here.
Ted Talk: The Power of Reframing Exercise as Self-Care
If you need motivation for your own exercise routine (especially over these cooler days/nights) or if you are interested in viewing motivation from a Personal Trainers perspective, so that you can better understand, connect and support your clients, have a listen to this Ted Talk by Mike Stanlaw. Link is here.
Fit Education Blog: Modern Coaching by Steve Nance
The Australian Sports Commission has recently released a range of articles, podcasts and webinars outlining what they term The Modern Coaching Approach. These resources highlight the key differences between traditional coaching methods and a more contemporary, athlete-centred model now being encouraged across all levels of sport in Australia.
They have also provided a practical framework—essentially a blueprint—for Community Coaching Essential Skills, made up of eight core modules. I will address each of these individually and add some insights drawn from my own coaching experiences.
Read Steve’s insights on each of the eight core modules here.
Fit Education: Graduate Success Story
Natalie Terry-Bedwell been selected as a finalist in the AUSactive “PT of the Year” Industry Awards!
Natalie completed her Cert III & IV in Fitness with us in mid-2025, and in less than a year has turned her passion into a powerful movement within her community.
She is the founder of Honoured – The Social Enterprise Gym, a space built on the belief that fitness is about so much more than treadmills and dumbbells. Her vision is to create a safe, welcoming environment where people can improve not only their physical health, but also build confidence, reduce anxiety, develop resilience, and discover new opportunities.
Natalie’s passion for making a difference extends even further through Concrete Boys and HonourHER Girls, youth mentoring programs that combine strength training with life skills, positive values, leadership, and mentorship to empower the next generation.
We couldn’t be prouder of everything Natalie has achieved in such a short time. Watching our graduates turn their passion into purpose is exactly why we do what we do, and we’re honoured to have been part of Natalie’s journey—and to continue supporting her along the way.
Natalie has also been recognised as a finalist for a prestigious industry award, with the winner to be announced on 11 September. We’re all cheering her on! If you’d like to learn more about Natalie and the incredible work she’s doing in the health and fitness industry, click here.
Chris’s Dad Joke of the Month 😂
What did the Squat say to the Lunge? You’re just stretching your limits.
