Archives for "Fitness"

Hello all,

I have been wanting to tell you this new information for a while, but I thought it would be best to wait until more news was finalized.

The Fitness Buddy was entering a stage that was scaring the pants off me. The ultimate goal is to open a Fitness Buddy Studio and on cloud 9 that was the next best step for the future of the company. Well you come off cloud 9 very quickly when reality comes and slaps you around a bit. When you add in the lease, marketing, equipment, utilities and so on the pretty picture soon turns dark and stressful. Those around me might have seen a less happier me in the last few months and wondered why, well I can say opening up your own place did have a lot to do with the mood.

In my usual fashion I planned to take things slow, do it right and hopefully at the end The Fitness Buddy would have a chance to succeed. I now understand a little better why so many businesses open and close quickly. Most of these people do that without a plan and fail. Those who have a plan have a better chance of succeeding, but the odds are not really that much better. Here I was going it alone, no bank loans, no investors and no rich family members backing me. No wonder I was feeling a little stressed.

WELL THAT HAS ALL CHANGED!!!!

Originally going all the way back when I started this Personal Trainer idea the goal was to find a place that would allow me to work my clients. Of course that would mean the gym that allowed me to do this would take a certain percentage, but I was OK with that knowing I would be working my clients in a professional setting while building my client base. One problem, I could not find a single gym, fitness studio, or personal training studio that would allow me to work on this idea. Basically that was the reason why I went to a “big box” gym to start building my experience. I worked for them, I did get a lot of clients, I did learn a few things, but in the long run it was simply a short term solution. The next was to set up The Fitness Buddy in my sunroom knowing what that it was a temporary solution at best but again building clients and experience was the main goal. Soon after I knew I was going have to move to a more professional setting meaning getting my own place.

It was a good idea, because I soon found myself laid off from my job of 15 years and my full attention had to turn to The Fitness Buddy.

The search for my own place has gone pretty far, almost to the point of signing me name on a dotted line, because I found THE place. Still the chances of making it succeed were small. I promised myself I would not mortgage my/Kim’s future for this idea and everyday I felt myself creeping towards polishing up my resume, putting on big boy pants and finding a new corporate job.

I have believe from the start there has been something pushing me along on this journey. The idea just seemed right from the beginning. The people I have met along the way. How excited I was about the idea of relaunching a new career mid-life and the capability of changing people’s lives really gave me hope. All I had to do was listen, observe and learn and I continued taking steps towards this new life. It wasn’t just losing weight, it wasn’t just about hating my job, it wasn’t about completing Ironman, it wasn’t about being laid off. What it is all about is discovering my place in this world and how my life actually had meaning and all those things, plus many more are leading me down this path. I just had to look for the right things and act on them.

Maybe that was the reason why I was so stressed lately. From the start of looking for my own place I really knew I wasn’t ready yet. I was doing the exact same thing I said I wasn’t going to do. I was ready to mortgage my future for this moment in time.

That has all changed! It is strange how life works out.

In the last few weeks a personal trainer I know from the club I workout at left the club to open her own studio. Soon I had a hand full of members mention this is something I should look into. As it turns out, everything I originally tried to do was something she was looking for in a Personal Trainer, plus more.

The Fitness Buddy is joining forces with Rodni’s S.E.L.F. Fitness. I will be a Independent Personal Trainer at her place. I can bring in my own clients to workout them out there and still keep my sun room location open for those who would like a more private setting, add that Rodni is also supplying me with clients it makes for a beginning of a great relationship. To top that off I will be teaching a handful of classes. I will be teaching the majority of the TRX classes and a handful of group training classes.

All in all this is a win for The Fitness Buddy. I will work with someone who has been in the business for over 25 years, has the connections built up through the years, observe how she sets up her business and all along I can build my experience. Then when that day comes when I am really ready to move into my place I can forward with everything learned.

What does this all really mean?

1. I don’t have to come up with the capital of opening up my own place.
2. Experience, experience, experience
3. Simply I can take more time figuring out the true path of The Fitness Buddy.

When will I be ready?

Stayed tune, in fact maybe The Fitness Buddy becomes something even more or different I haven’t even thought about yet.

Rodni’s S.E.L.F. Fitness is in Oswego, IL near my house on 34 and Douglas Rd. in the Mason Square shopping center. She has done a great job setting up the place with a workout room full of equipment I can kick your butt on, plus she has a second room, aerobics room where all the classes will be in. There are lockers, showers along with massage room and a big focus on eating healthier.

For those in the area and are looking for that change in their health and fitness give me a call and come check it out.

My hope this is a great partnership between these two new companies and we both help each other grow.

Browsing the Internet for interesting articles to read I came across this one on Yahoo Sports. This article originally came from CNBC.com and was written by Darren Rovell. The information comes The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. It is an interesting list…

Birdwatching is among the top 10 activities Americans aged 55-64 would like to do.

• OK before you say when did birdwatching become a sport? Healthy activity I will give you that, but a sporting activity? I guess if it gets you outside and hiking around that is great, plus I would think it would be peaceful so that it clears the mind and that is always a good thing in today’s hectic world.

More than 49 million people in the US now run, up 12.6% in 2010 and up 57.4% over the last decade.

• Interesting… I am guessing these numbers are true? There is 310 million people in the US and they are saying 49 million are runners, OK I guess.

1.9 million people participated in triathlons in 2010, up 63.7% from 2009.

• Now I did not bring this up, it is in the article. Almost 2 million, I hope this is true, because once you do one it becomes a drug (sorry my opinion is a bit skewed, since I am a triathlete).

The treadmill is being used by 42.5% more Americans than it was in 2000, while the amount of people that use the cross country ski machine is down 52.9%.

• Two points, the reason cross country ski machine used is down I simply don’t see them in the gyms anymore. I have used them once or twice and I found they kick your butt. Point #2 treadmill use is up because of the invention of the TV on the treadmill. Now you can walk aimlessly to no where while watching mindless TV. If I had my way, I take the TV off and remind people why they are there… “TO WORKOUT!” Turn off the TV and pick up the pace, distance, time or hills and workout. There really isn’t much on the boob tube anyway, focus on why you are there. Better yet, if the weather allows GO OUTSIDE!

The fastest rising piece of gym equipment is the elliptical trainer, which was used by 28.1 million people in 2010, up from 7.3 in 2000.

• If use properly the elliptical is a great machine, especially to those who have hip, leg, or knee issues. But just like the treadmill I see the trend of people focusing on the TV versus why they came to the gym in the first place. If you are not going to give your all in the workout why did you even bother going to the gym? It is even worse on these machines versus the treadmill. FOLKS CHALLENGE YOURSELF! I know it is harder, but if you don’t challenge yourself nothing will change! Increase the level, change your speed, even peddle backwards challenging the hamstrings! Challenge and change are the two keys on the elliptical machine.

Yoga grew by 23% from 2008 to 2010.

• I can see this, as a novice yoga participant I watch from the background and this stuff looks hard! At the very least most who do yoga seem more focused and centered once they finished a class. Plus they are generally dripping of sweat, so you know they got a good workout (NO TV’s).

Water sports are suffering, jet skiing, scuba diving and water skiing are all down dramatically. Surfing is the only water sport up in the last 10 years.

• No an expert in any of these, but I am wondering the higher gas prices have done the damage to these sports.

Despite the growth of the NFL, football participation is down 16% in the last ten years.

• Again no expert, but I believe parents are turning their kids attention towards soccer.

The fastest growing sport in the last decade is not soccer, it is actually lacrosse. Even though more people by far play soccer, by percentage lacrosse won by a landslide.

• See the point above, again I would think as parents are looking a for a “safer” sport for their kids to play. That doesn’t mean soccer or lacrosse don’t have their share of injuries, but the contact is less than football.

Oddball category – there are 3.2 million cheerleaders in this country, up 22.7% from 2000 and 19.4 million ping pong players up 53% since 2000.

• Insert your own comments here…

If it has wheels and you use your feet the numbers are down, Roller skating down 63.6%, Roller Hockey down 65.3%, and skateboarding down 30.9%.

• This is surprising with the growth of the XGames, you at least think skateboarding numbers would be up, but I think I might have a good guess about the drop. This age group is playing video games!

It is not looking good for many sports, including wrestling down 44% and softball down 38%.

• Any thoughts why?

How about this – 36% of all Americans under 34 years old are inactive! FOLKS! I know this country has many issues facing itself currently. Wars, high gas prices, layoffs and so on, but think of this. The generation that is 20 years old to 29 years old, will be the 1st generation since the 1800’s that will die younger than their parents. What are we doing to ourselves!

Until next time… Your Fitness Buddy.

Here is an article from our friends at Men’s Health. I find these interesting because I seem to answer these almost everyday. The Fitness Buddy responses with be in bold.

Mistake #1: You Don’t Lift Weights
You’ve no doubt been told that aerobic exercise is the key to losing your gut, but weight training is actually more valuable. Three reasons:

1. Lifting protects your muscle. When people diet without lifting weights, research shows that 75 percent of their weight loss is from fat and 25 percent is muscle. That 25 percent may reduce your scale weight, but it doesn’t do a lot for your reflection in the mirror. However, if you weight train as you diet, your weight loss is more likely to be 100 percent fat. Think of it in terms of liposuction: The whole point is to simply remove unattractive flab, right? That’s exactly what you should demand from your workout.

2. Lifting boosts your metabolism. Your muscles need energy to repair and upgrade your muscle fibers after each resistance-training workout. For instance, a University of Wisconsin study found that when people performed a total-body workout comprised of just three big-muscle exercises, their metabolisms were elevated for 39 hours afterward. What’s more, they also burned a greater percentage of their calories from fat during this time, compared with those who weren’t hitting the weights.

3. Lifting torches calories. It’s considered common knowledge that jogging burns more calories than weight training. Turns out, when scientists at the University of Southern Maine used an advanced method to estimate energy expenditure during exercise, they found that weight training burns as many as 71 percent more calories than originally thought. The researchers calculated that performing just one circuit of eight exercises—which takes about 8 minutes—can expend 159 to 231 calories. That’s about the same as running at a 6-minute mile pace for the same duration.

Coming from a running background this is something I learned the hard way during my weight loss journey. Way back when I was big Jim, I actually was running, well running might be a bit of a stretch, OK shuffling my way to marathons. The mindset was simple I am running somewhere around 30 miles a week, I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING. I am a runner, so I don’t need weights plus all this running the weight will come off.

Well do you know what happened? The scale kept on creeping up. One reason I WASN’T lifting weights. One of the main reasons why the weight started to melt off I slowly started to figure out that weight lifting did the three items mentioned in this article. I wasn’t not looking to become the next Arnold, so I kept the weights on the lower side and increased the reps. I focused on form and over time the changes become vary clear.

I agree on #1 and #2 totally. #3 can be debated, because when I run I end up burning more calories (ask my heart rate monitor). That does not mean weight lift cannot be a cardio exercise. The main reason why people who lift weights lollygag. Here is a tip. Set up some type of circuit. Think ahead and do three exercises in a row. Do three sets of each, but do one set of the first exercise, then move onto #2, then #3. NO BREAKS! Then go back to #1 and either do more reps with a lighter weight or less reps with a heavier weight, repeat #1, #2, and #3. NO BREAKS! Finish up with set #3. BREAK TIME! Move to three new exercises, focus on another part of the body and repeat the same routine the same way. Just watch your heart rate rise and before you know it, your weight training has just become a cardio session.

Mistake #2: You Don’t Use the Right Dumbbells

Ladies, we’re especially talking to you on this one. Your goal is to challenge your muscles, not just go through the motions. For instance, if you can lift a weight 15 times, it’s not going to do your muscles much good to lift it for only 8 repetitions. A good way to gauge if a weight is appropriate: Note the point at which you start to struggle. Let’s say you’re doing 10 repetitions. If all 10 seem easy, then the weight you’re using is too light. However, if you start to struggle on your tenth repetition, you’ve chosen the correct poundage.

I love this one. Of course if your are just starting out PLEASE follow their suggestions. The idea of exercise is to push yourself! Not by huge steps, but slowly over time build and build. Again, especially the ladies if you are worried about looking big and bulky, it won’t happen. If you are wanting the lean tone slim healthy look, weights will help in a big way. As my clients get more familiar with the exercise and their form is good, I start to challenge them by either increasing the reps or the weight depending on their goals. PUSH YOURSELF! DO THEM WITH PROPER FORM! ONCE THE FORM SUFFERS STOP!

Mistake #3: You Don’t Work Your Lower Body

To cut inches from your waist, make sure you’re working the muscles below your belt. In a Syracuse University study, people burned more calories the day after they did lower-body resistance training than the day after they worked their upper body. “Leg muscles—like your quads and glutes—generally have more muscle mass than those of your chest and arms,” says study author Kyle Hackney, Ph.D. (c), C.S.C.S. “Work more muscle during your exercise session, and your body has to expend more energy to repair and upgrade them later.” So the best approach, of course, is to hit every muscle each workout.

I am kind of giggling when I read this point. It is so true and guys I am pointing my finger at you. We (because the last time I looked I am a guy) spend so much time in front of those dumbbells and watching yourself in the mirror doing all these fantastic arm, chest and shoulder exercises. Rarely do I see us guys do exercises that help below the waist. Think I am wrong? Next time you are in the gym, find these type of guys. First look at how defined their upper bodies are and then scan down to the legs. Sure their thighs might be close to their upper bodies, but scan down further, check out the calves. In fact you might be surprised on the amount of these people wearing pants.

Let me add, this isn’t just the weight lifters not focusing on their lower half’s, RUNNER’S we are just as bad. Before you scream out that all you use is your lower bodies, that is true but here is the difference. We only work the forward firing muscles. What kind of exercises do you do that focus on side to side motion or a reverse motion?Understand why runners develop hamstring or hip problems?

Mistake #4: You Don’t Watch What You Eat
You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. After all, you can eat 1,000-calorie fast food burger in just 5 minutes, but it’ll take you more than an hour to burn that many calories with physical activity. So make sure you’re not using exercise as an excuse to eat whatever you want. You may even find that regular workouts help you better follow a smart eating plan. Case in point: University of Pittsburgh researchers studied 169 overweight adults for 2 years and found that the participants who didn’t follow a 3-hour-a-week training plan ate more than their allotted 1,500 calories a day. The reverse was also true—sneaking snacks sabotaged their workouts. The study authors say it’s likely that both actions are a reminder to stay on track, reinforcing your weight-loss goal and drive.

Before I write my response, I have to say this… If there is something I am consistently weak on it is this point. Remember I was a 250lb Marathon Runner. I was typical “I am a Marathon Runner I can eat anything.” WRONG WRONG WRONG and WRONG! Once I figured out my diet my weight loss was off and running! Eating the right things along with proper exercise is the secret! Not the Shake Weight, not the newest Hollywood diet or a mysterious pill, simple eat right and exercise, press toe.

In fact this is the biggest issue and the one YOU have to really look inside yourself. Are you really being truthful to yourself? Don’t you dare think, yes this is easy for The Fitness Buddy! It is not, I fight this every day. I have my good days and my bad days, but IF YOUR TRUELY WANT THIS WEIGHT LOSS and LIVING A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE this is crucial!

Mistake #5: You Skip Workouts
We’re all busy, but that’s usually just a lame excuse. After all, plenty of people find time to exercise. And when was the last time you heard someone say they regretted their workout? Probably never, and here’s why: U.K. researchers found that workers were 15 percent more productive on the days they made time to exercise compared to days they skipped their workout. They were also 15 percent more tolerant of their coworkers. Now, consider for a moment what these numbers mean to you: On days you exercise, you can—theoretically at least—accomplish in an eight-hour day what normally would take you nine hours and 12 minutes. Or you’d still work nine hours, but get more done, leaving you feeling less stressed and happier with your job, another perk that the workers reported on the days they exercised.

AMEN! When life gets me down, the intensity of the workouts go up. I take all my frustrations out during the exercise! There are times I go in as an awful person and come out as a wonderful person. Even if it is 15 minutes, make those 15 minutes count!

One last item on skipping a workout. When your workouts become normal life and you miss one here and there DON’T let that ruin your day! A day off is just as important from time to time.

This was a good article, so many good tips and I hope I added to it. So what are you waiting for? Aren’t you suppose to be on a workout?

Until next time… Your Fitness Buddy.

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I came across this report in US News a few days back I and I found it interesting, but left with one question. Why do they think it is only women that should do this? Do they think all men know this information? To me it is common sense but thinking back not that long ago I remember I didn’t know most of these either.

So this article may be written for women, but men read up. As usual I will add in my two cents worth after each topic.

Article begins:

If your workouts consist of doing light weights and steady-state cardio, you might be in for some bad news: These things alone won’t likely get you the results you’re after, say experts. To increase your fitness level, burn fat, and improve muscle tone, you’ve got to step up your game.

Here are four things women tend to skip that can deliver serious results.

1. High-intensity training.

All that time coasting on the elliptical at a comfortable pace probably hasn’t done much for your body, says Panama-based trainer Belinda Benn, creator of the Breakthrough Physique home fitness system. In fact, the biggest mistake women make in their training is not exercising with enough intensity, she says.

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is typically a 10- to 20-minute workout that alternates short, intense bursts of activity with moderate-exertion recovery periods. “High-intensity interval training  is the best way to improve your overall fitness, burn fat, and stimulate your hormones for a stronger body,” says Benn.

How to tell if you’re training hard enough? Look to your body for clues, Benn says. Good indicators are sweating, increased heart rate, and lactic acid production (i.e., feeling the “burn”) during exercise. Moderate muscle soreness for up to a few days post-workout is also a good sign. “If you feel nothing,” Benn says, “you probably didn’t work out hard enough.”

The Fitness Buddy response – They hit the nail on the head. When I am at the gym I watch people. When you are on the Stair Master for an hour your get a pretty good view from up there. The vast majority that walk into a gym I call lollygaggers. One the go on the same machines time after time and worse they lollygag. They turn on the TV that is connected to the machine and lollygag. They use their cell phones to talk to others while they “workout.” They read a newspaper, magazine or a book. With today’s technology I am starting to see iPads, Kindles and so on.

Why do this at the gym? You can do this from the comfort of your house for free! When you come to the gym there should be one and one thing on your mind, time to go to battle. Battle what? It could be anything. The biggest one is weight, but it can be all the daily frustrations that you had or going to have throughout the day, your boss, a co-worker, a husband, a wife. Leave it all out there, sweat, drip, beat the crap out of that machine. Tell it who is the boss! When you finish you should be dripping, spent but satisfied. Satisfied that you gave it your all and satisfied you have nothing left but wanting to come back tomorrow for more.

There is only one person that truly dictates how successful a workout is and that is you!

A side note: Try different machines! If you use a elliptical machine get on that treadmill. If you use a treadmill get on that rowing machine. Now that the weather is heading in the right direction get outside. Keep that body guessing, keep that gray matter fresh and challenged. Soon you will see the benefits physically but emotionally.

2. Heavier lifting.

For most women, a typical weight-training session equals light dumbbell exercises, says Toronto-based strength and conditioning specialist Craig Ballantyne, creator of the Turbulence Training Program. But doing fewer reps with more weight—say, 8 reps per set with a 15-pound dumbbell, instead of 15 reps with an 8-pound one—will burn more fat, he says. Lifting heavier will also increase your strength and muscle definition.

Start by swapping out your normal weights for slightly heavier ones, and gradually work your way up.

The Fitness Buddy response - Amen. I can give a specific example. At my time at the big box gym being a personal trainer I slowly ramped up my female clients on the weights. Now I am not talking about the 100 pound dumbbells or doing 100 pound barbell presses. But starting out at a safe weight and slowly bringing them up 5 pounds at a time, to the point where some of these ladies were lifting weights they never thought they could. (PS this works on the guys too.) In fact since this big box gym has mirrors all over I would catch them taking peeks at their new found muscles. Their shoulders became more defined, they loved the new definition they saw in their arms and legs and don’t even get me started on their abs. My suggestion to the ladies and guys. Don’t let those meatheads in the heavy weight area have all the fun. Push them aside, because you have as much right to be there as they do. Just don’t go all meathead on me. Slow increase the weight, WATCH YOUR FORM and challenge yourself.

3. Upper body workouts.

Women tend to store body fat around the waist, hips, and thighs, so that’s where they typically focus their exercise efforts—neglecting their upper bodies, Benn says.

But you can’t spot-reduce fat, and sticking with what’s easy can stunt your progress, says Benn. Because you may feel weak while attempting pull-ups for the first time, Benn suggests doing the hard stuff at the start of your workout, “when you’re freshest and feeling mentally strong.”

“Focusing on underdeveloped muscles will improve the contours of your body,” Benn says.

The Fitness Buddy response - You are only as good as your weakest link. Here is a hint. Guys mainly workout muscles they can see, chest, biceps, abs, thighs. Girls tend to workout muscles guys look at, arms, abs, butt, legs. The problem is both sexes leave out so many important muscles to strengthen. These are called the opposite muscles. Guys work on having a great chest (AKA pecs) but forget about working on a strong back. Everyone wants those six pack abs, but they forget the rest of the core, obliques, lower back and butt. Runners! When is the last time you did a calf or hamstring exercise. Work all the muscles!

4. Training with a barbell.

Think barbells are synonymous with back-breaking chest presses? Not so. “You can do a tremendous workout just with a barbell,” Benn says. “If you’re holding a bar rather than using two separate weights, it forces you to get your body  in sync.”

Barbells are great for both upper- and lower-body exercises. Balancing one across your shoulders while doing squats, lunges, or walking lunges helps develop posture and balance, Benn says.

If you’re flirting with a barbell for the first time, go as light as you need to. Even 10 pounds is a good start.

The Fitness Buddy response – I find this interesting. As a personal trainer I started to fall into this trap. When starting everyone out I start everyone out on the lighter weights. Pulley machines, fixed weight machines and dumbbells. I then would move the men into the heavier weights before I took most women. But I learned quickly that women loved the “manly” weights just as much if not more than their male counter parts. During the female workouts I would often hear when are we going back to the bench press machine? The key is they don’t like doing barbell exercises alone. On the personal trainer side they shouldn’t do these alone (this goes for us men too.) The bench press barbell is 45 lbs. It only takes a one second brain fart for that 45 lbs. steel bar to come crashing down on a chest, neck or head. A spotter is always a good and safe idea whether you are a girl or guy.

Bonus tip:

If you’re worried you’ll bulk up with any of these exercises, consider your body type. Benn says women generally fall into two categories: those who build muscle easily, and those who don’t. If you build muscle easily, she suggests emphasizing high-intensity exercises. If you develop muscle slowly, you’ll benefit from spending more time on heavy lifting.

The Fitness Buddy response – Women often worry about becoming an Arnold when doing heavier weights. Ladies I am sorry the majority of you are built this way. Unless you put something in your body, eat tons and tons of protein and do heavy weights after heavy weights, it simply doesn’t happen to you. Lifting weights does have some great benefits, like making bones stronger, muscles and tendons stronger and it helps give you that lean, tone and fit look most desire.

In the end this article is not only speaking to women, but to men. Challenge yourself. If you are going to the gym for a workout, THEN WORKOUT! This is your time to kick some butt! To push those demons aside and work through those work day frustrations. Push yourself, yes you will sweat more, but if you don’t challenge yourself your results will remain the same.

Exercise strong, Eat smarter and the results will come.

Until next time… Your Fitness Buddy

What timing! Just as I am opening up my own personal training studio this article comes out and says the free classes can be just as effective as a personal trainer. Oh well it was a good three week run…

OK I am not going anywhere and let’s go over this article together and just see if it holds water.

Let’s be fair there are some very valid points and I will point them out, but there are also some short comings. The one thing I don’t understand right off the bat, the person writing this article is in fact a certified personal trainer. Puzzling?

As usual I will make my comments in italics and bold so you know they are not part of the article.

That article starts below -

I’ll let you in on a little secret: I think the free classes included in most gym memberships, used correctly, can whip most people into shape just as well as one-on-one training sessions. And, certainly, there’s nothing like a little peer pressure to make you push harder than you’d ever push training on your own. Knowing how to navigate your gym’s class schedule puts you in control and means that you can still get expert guidance and accountability, even during periods of tight budgets, unpredictable schedules or flagging motivation.

I agree most big box gyms do offer many types of classes and generally they are free and they are fun! I am all for spicing your exercising, especially this time of the year. So it is great that every gym has a class scheduled that matches your schedule perfectly. Oh wait…

Every New Year, you see a good number of folks in the gym on opposite sides of the spectrum: The lurkers outside the classes not knowing where to start, or the “regulars” inside the classes, sweating away religiously but looking and performing no better than they did the same time last year.  So, how do you navigate the class schedule at your gym to craft a program that will grow with you and make sure you see the gains you expect for the time invested?  Here are some tips.

Pick the Right Mix of Classes for Your Goals Looking to lose weight primarily? You probably want your week to include three days of cardio (like Zumba, TurboKick, Hip Hop or Spinning), two days of strength work (like TRX, Body Pump or anything with “Lift” or “Strength” in the title. Most “Boot Camp”-style classes, while a hybrid, include a lot of strength work) and one day of an “active recovery”-type workout (yoga, Pilates, stretch, steady-state cardio on a machine, etc.)  If you want to put on muscle primarily, do three of strength, two of cardio and one of active recovery. The main thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to go to the same class every day. Alternate your strength and cardio days to give each system time to recover, and select a mix of classes to create a well-rounded program.

Again very good advice, one problem, when a new person is coming to the gym it really helps using words like Zumba, TRX, and Boot Camps at them. There is a reason why most new people (aka: Lurkers) are standing outside, they are afraid and unsure even where to start. They get frustrated get on the the treadmill or elliptical, they get bored and give up by February. Add in you want to include three days of this and two days of that, alternate this and that, do you really think someone new to the gym has that much structure? The #1 goal (my opinion) of a personal trainer is to give structure. More on my other goals of a personal trainer later.

Ask for One-on-One Attention Each class instructor will have a slightly different area of expertise– work that to your advantage! Introduce yourself and let them know what your goals are and if you have any injuries. During or after class, don’t be afraid to ask the instructor to check your form or provide a modification.

OK goal #2 is to make sure the member does not injure themselves in a class. Easy enough to do when the classes are small, but as the class gets larger you can see how that can be more difficult. Of course the instructor is there to help, these instructors enjoy their jobs, they are certified and highly motivating people. But they can’t be with everyone at every single member at every single moment, let alone making sure this class/program is the correct one for you.

The last point, the way this point is written out does make sound that these people are there long before the class starts and long after the class ends. 15+ years of going to the gym as a member I will have too say there are a group of people that do, but the large part of this group arrives a few minutes before and a few minutes after. They have lives, families and usually other jobs to do.

Take Control of Your Progression The reason many people stagnate in classes is that they grab the same weight every class for months or years on end. The benefit of working with a personal trainer is that they will instigate a weight or intensity increase for you at regular intervals, but you can also commit to pushing this kind of progression yourself in a class setting.  When taking a strength class, start with sufficient weight for each exercise so that you could not do another two reps with proper form by the end of the set. Stick with that weight for about a month, take a week to recover by emphasizing cardio or flexibility more than muscle fatigue, then come back and honestly reassess your weight, resistance or intensity needs. Ideally, your instructor will also structure the class in such a way that the exercises themselves are changing on a regular basis, since fitness improvements happen as an adaptation to new stimuli. If you don’t feel you are progressing, even when upping your intensity at regular intervals, ask the instructor for advanced modifications or check out a different class.

The writer hits a home run and sounds a lot like the personal trainer she is. It would be so simple if everyone pushed themselves to improve. In this point she covers another of the goals of a personal trainer – to help push you out of your comfort zone. With their knowledge not only helping you with your form, they are there to help push you to new levels you never thought you could achieve, SAFELY!

For cardio classes, a heartrate monitor is essential! You’d be surprised how quickly you can adapt and objective feedback is crucial to making sure you are getting the same burn as you were when you started out.

Heart Rate Monitors are essential. If you have seen my before and after pictures you know where I stand on Heart Rate Monitors, yes essential with or without a Personal Trainer.

OK now the article is over I can go back to regular type – That’s better…

My real take on this whole thought. I have a problem with general statements! People will read the headline and little of the article.

Are Personal Trainers for everyone? NO. Let’s face it Personal Trainers can be expensive, but not as expensive as a doctor, lawyer or psychologist but there is an expense. Independent Personal Trainers generally have more leeway to the cost because they are running their own business. But remember these people have bills to pay just like you, so make sure your treat them with the respect they deserve. It is a two way street.

Are all Personal Trainers good at what they do? NO. Sadly, just like in all industries there are some who just don’t get it. I have seen it all. A client pays an X amount of $’s, their Personal Trainer sits on a stability ball, text while the client is doing an exercise, eat or simply pay little attention to the most important item their client. As a client you always have the RIGHT to ask for another trainer.

Are the classes offered at gyms bad? Absolutely not! The instructors are for the most part great people, like having fun and enjoy that they are helping people get fit and healthy.

The way I look at being a Personal Trainer is this -

1. I am there for a person who has tried to lose weight, tried to become healthier or simply looking for structure in their life.

2. Speaking of structure, become that new person walking into a gym for the first time. Stand there for a moment and just look at what faces them. Exercise equipment by the hundreds, a bunch of people using the exercise equipment some lean and tone, salespeople, personal trainers and so on and so on. A personal trainer is gives that person a familiar face, a friend that helps them on their journey and takes them step by step through their journey.

3. The ultimate goal of a Personal Trainer (some PT’s might not like this) is to teach the client so they don’t need them after a while.

Going back to the title of this post, Free Gym Classes Can Be Just as Effective as a Personal Trainer. General statements don’t serve anyone. We are a country facing an obesity problem (some are saying 80% of the population will be overweight by 2016). To say the free classes CAN be just effective as a personal trainer? My answer is could be, in fact I did it. I never hired a PT, but I was lucky, I was a very small portion of the population that figured this out by myself. For the most part I can not say that for the rest of the population.

Remember there are no short cuts, there are no gimmicks, there are no miracle pills, or celebrity diets our there as a life long l solution. It takes a lifestyle change. There are plenty of great Personal Trainers and Class Instructors out there that want to help. USE US!

If I had to give the first day of The Fitness Buddy I would give it a B-.

To my clients, Thank You for putting your faith and trust in me and The Fitness Buddy philosophy. The only way this works is with you. The journey we will have will be built on a strong foundation of Relationship, Respect and Results. Your part of the day was an A+ in my book.

Where I met with another bump in the road was handing out The Fitness Buddy flyer. I am targeting subdivisions around my house. I spent a good period of time creating this flyer that doesn’t look like your typical flyer you receive at your home. I was able to place about 75 of these flyer’s either on a mailbox (usually between the flag and the box) or if that didn’t work I placed it either on, in or around the front door. I was about finished I noticed a mail truck driving around doing their thing. I watched for a few moments and I notice the mail carrier taking all my flyer’s off the mail boxes.

I knew it was illegal to place something in a mailbox, but was unaware the same for placing something on the outside of the mail box. My fault!

Well, now I have to come up with another plan B! It always seems like I have to have a plan B. Just once it would be nice that Plan A would work.

Now the real work begins…