The last 31 years have proven something powerful:

👉 Medical Exercise Professionals (MedExPROs) are more than trainers.

👉 We’re not just bridging gaps—we’re building a new standard in post-rehab care.

👉 And the future of functional health may rest on how well we rise to meet what’s next.

In our last article, we outlined five major goals MedExPROs must pursue over the next decade:

1. Become the next tier after rehab
2. Lead community-based chronic condition programs
3. Champion outcome data collection and documentation
4. Serve as post-rehab client care navigators
5. Build practices that collaborate with and support healthcare systems

But goals require skills. Not more exercises—but professional capabilities that elevate how we practice, communicate, document, and lead.

Here are the 5 critical skills every MedExPRO must master to achieve the next level of professional impact.

1. 📋 Functional Documentation & Outcome Tracking

Why it matters:

If we want to be taken seriously by healthcar...

Medical Exercise Training has evolved over the last 31 years. Initially, everything was one-on-one training. Now, a Medical Exercise Professional (MedExPRO) practice should offer a structured and comprehensive Menu of Services focused on improving function, reducing recurrence, and enhancing quality of life for clients with medical conditions after discharge from medical care. This menu should align with the scope of practice for MedExPROs and reflect a continuum of care—bridging the gap between healthcare and fitness.

Here’s a recommended menu of services for a MedExPRO practice:

🔷 1. Post-Rehab Functional Training Programs

For clients recently discharged from PT, OT, or chiropractic care
Goal: Maintain and improve functional outcomes, prevent re-injury
Includes:

• Condition-specific programming (e.g., post-ACL, post-stroke, post-MI)
• Functional movement training
• Balance and proprioception retraining
• Core stabilization

🔷 2. Medical Exercise Assessments

Thorough functional as...

Make Your MET Practice Referral-Ready in 30 Days: A Marketing Roadmap for MedExPROs

After 31 years Medical Exercise Training is here to stay!! But being skilled isn’t enough anymore. As a Medical Exercise Professional (MedExPRO), you need to be seen, understood, and trusted—especially by the physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, and healthcare providers who can refer clients to you. That means becoming referral-ready—on paper, in your systems, and in your presence.

This 30-day marketing roadmap is your guide to getting there. Designed specifically for MedExPROs, it walks you through four essential stages: clarifying your identity, mastering your documentation, building your referral system, and turning visibility into consistent referrals. Each step is practical, actionable, and geared toward transforming your skills into a sustainable, recognized practice.

A Marketing Roadmap for MedExPROs

It’s not enough to be skilled.

You need to be seen.

You need to be understood.

As part of our MES Week celebration, we’re proud to feature a powerful and insightful interview with Susie Duttge, a true Medical Exercise Specialist (MES) pioneer with 27 years of success in the field.

After starting her career as a professional photographer, personal trainer, and aerobics instructor, Susie dove into intensive MES training in 1995—a turning point she describes as the "fuel" that launched her journey. Inspired by her instructor and driven by an insatiable desire to learn, Susie opened her first facility, Fit for Life Rehab and Fitness Clinic, just months after completing her training.

In this exclusive interview, Susie shares the core principles that helped her build and sustain a thriving practice. Her approach? Put clients and patients at the top of the pyramid, deliver private, personalized care, and never compromise your commitment to functional outcomes.

She also opens up about how face-to-face marketing, including speaking engagements and one-on-one physician ...

Celebrating 31 Years of Progress by Launching the Professional Standard for MedExPROs

Happy MES Week! As we commemorate the 31st Anniversary of the first Medical Exercise Specialist (MES) Workshop in 1994, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the cornerstone of our profession: the Medical Exercise Specialist (MES) Framework. This framework is not merely a set of guidelines; it's an indispensable roadmap, essential for every Medical Exercise Professional (MedExPRO) striving to establish professional standards and deliver unparalleled outcomes for our clients.

The need for Medical Exercise Training (MET) has never been greater, driven by an aging population, the prevalence of chronic diseases, and the medical community's growing recognition of exercise as a "magic elixir" for managing these conditions. The MES Framework provides a structured and systematic approach for fitness professionals to effectively work with individuals who have medical conditions, guiding MedExPROs through their r...

A Milestone 31 Years in the Making

On July 18, 1994, 14 forward-thinking fitness professionals gathered for something the industry had never seen: the first Medical Exercise Specialist (MES) Workshop and Certification. We spent a week—laying down MES systems, language, documentation standards, and exercise programming models for working with clients after rehab. We didn’t know it then, but we were launching a profession.

Today, many of those original 14 Medical Exercise Specialists are still actively practicing—still changing lives, still setting the bar for professionalism, and still proving that properly applied exercise changes function, health, and quality of life.

From One Workshop to a Global Profession

That first course laid the foundation for what is now the Medical Exercise Training Institute (METI) and the global Medical Exercise Specialist movement. Three decades later, Medical Exercise Specialists are practicing on six continents, collaborating with physicians, physical...

In Medical Exercise Training 101 eBook - Tip #39, Dr. Mike breaks down the evolution of medical exercise certifications and how each one plays a critical role in helping fitness professionals transition into respected medical exercise professionals. He emphasizes that certification isn’t just about letters after your name—it’s about building a system that bridges fitness and healthcare.

Dr. Mike walks us through the four cornerstone certifications:

• Medical Exercise Specialist (MES) – The gold standard since 1994, this certification is deep and rigorous, focusing on assessment, documentation, and business systems.
• Postrehab Conditioning Specialist (PRCS) – A powerful entry-level option introduced in 1998, ideal for professionals getting started with medically based clients.
• Medical Exercise Program Director (MEPD) – For those leading facilities or departments, this cert includes advanced topics like pharmacology, communication systems, and managing full MET programs.
• Advanced Med...

Dear MedExPRO,

You’ve taken the time to build your skills. You’re ready to serve clients. But are you missing the final piece?

✅ Consistent, qualified referrals from trusted medical professionals.

If you’ve ever wondered what to say in your introduction letter, how to follow up with a physician, or how to present yourself as a credible partner in a client’s continuum of care—this is for you.

Introducing the newly expanded MedExPRO Referral Ignition Kit – now with 49 powerhouse tools, scripts, templates, and resources to help you attract referrals, communicate clearly, and grow your practice with confidence.

This isn’t fluff. These are real-world, field-tested resources that MedExPROs are using RIGHT NOW to land referrals, build relationships, and establish authority with physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, and more.

💥 What’s Inside the Referral Ignition Kit?

📝 20+ Customizable Communication Templates
→ Introductory, follow-up, and thank-you letters to MDs, PTs, DCs, ...

We hope you had an incredibly insightful and productive experience at the recent MES Workshop in Houston! As we transition back, we're thrilled to reignite our "Cracking the Code" webinar series. Due to the workshop, we took a brief break, and now we’re combining the crucial final steps of the "30 Days to Referral Ready" challenge into one powerful, action-oriented session.

This 60-minute webinar will consolidate and clarify the essential external strategies from Days 25 through 30 of the challenge. This is your definitive guide to effectively communicating your unique value, cultivating strong relationships with healthcare providers, and establishing your position as an indispensable referral partner in the patient recovery process.

This webinar is critical because it brings together all the "go-to-market" strategies you need to transition from simply being "referral-ready" to actively receiving consistent referrals and becoming a recognized extension of the medical team.

We cover ...

Setting New Standards: A Recap of the Transformative MES Workshop in Houston!

Houston was electric on June 28 & 29 as 22 dedicated MedExPROs came together for one of the most impactful MES Workshops to date—and the energy in the room was undeniable.

Led by Dr. Mike, the weekend wasn’t about ticking boxes for another certification. It was about building true competence and confidence as Medical Exercise Specialists who can step into the healthcare system with skill, structure, and clarity, managing clients with medical conditions through exercise—not guesswork.

From Personal Trainer to MedExPRO: A Mindset Shift

The workshop redefined what it means to be a MedExPRO. Instead of seeing clients as workouts, attendees learned to see them as opportunities for functional transformation—with structured assessments, precise documentation, and professional communication that physicians and therapists actually respect.

Participants practiced these skills through hands-on case work, including ...