Wednesday 3 June 2015

All about personal training - part 1

Why did I think of a personal trainer?
When I first started the gym I did not think for once I would train with a personal trainer and that worked out alright for me for a while mainly because I had so far away from being fit even exercises like walking, light jogging and other basic exercises worked well for me as I continued through this journey I felt like I was missing something in my training for me it was not being able to balance out my training, my upper body was crazy weak and I was only focusing on my strengths (my cardio and my lower body) because of which I wasn’t able to see improvements in my fitness levels as I expected
At that point I knew I had a choice of making a change on my own or hiring a personal trainer who would help me get to my goals. Working out with a personal trainer was scary for me so initially I tried doing it on my own I gave myself a few months but even though I changed my training a bit and started going for new classes I wasn’t really convinced with my training or my improvements so after struggling with the idea and a few honest discussions with T (he was the one who  first pointed out that I had to get out of my comfort zone if I wanted to reach my goals) I decided I had to give personal training session a chance

How did I decide who my personal trainer should be?
My way of narrowing down a personal trainer was simple 

Look at all the personal trainers in the gym when they are training their clients : 
they should be training their clients and not gossiping. I have seen/heard trainers and clients talking about their life problems during their session. If you want to talk and discuss problems go for a coffee…sessions are not for chatting!!!
they should focus on their clients instead of looking around for other potential clients when they are with their client again I have seen trainers talk to other members in the gym when their clients are working out, personally I would feel very awkward…(maybe it’s only me)

Find a personal trainer who is approachable : for me approachable would mean some one who smiles, who acknowledges the usual gym goers even if they are not clients. For a person like me even a small gesture like a smile will make a personal trainer lot less intimidating and it will be easier to talk about my goals and workout with somebody I am not intimidated by

Check Qualifications:
Most trainers in the gym are supposed to be qualified enough to train for generic purpose but some times if you have specific goals you should definitely look for trainers with qualification and experience that match your goals.

Am I comfortable with my trainer?
Ask your trainer if they are willing to do one trial session with you. Usually trainers are willing to do one free session (anywhere from half hour to 45 minutes) if not see if they take any other classes in the gym and go for that class. This is important because according to me it’s important to be able to tell your trainer what your goals are? how you feel after your sessions? are they too difficult? are they too easy? are you working out and maintaining your diet during the rest of the week…a trainer needs to know these things to help you reach your goals also if I am not comfortable with somebody I will find it hard to try new things with that somebody around so being comfortable with the trainer is very important.

Have you every trainer with a personal trainer? How do you decide which personal trainer to work with? 

Next post will be more about how to make the most of your personal training sessions
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Tanvee