Why Use a Personal Trainer and How Do You Choose the Best One?

Visit ten commercial gyms or fitness centres and ask them why you should use a Personal Trainer and you will get ten different answers, based around why you should use a Personal Trainer from their facility. The problem with the advice you are receiving from these professional sales people, is that the advice is driven by sales targets and is designed to help build the businesses of the resident Personal Trainers.

Now don't get me wrong, I am a Personal Trainer working out of a large commercial gym and I also want to build by business. Gaining access to gym members who have been sold on the virtues and values of personal training certainly makes that job so much easier. But, I would much rather have my clients decide to use a Personal Trainer (preferably me) for valid reasons and with a realistic view of what they can expect to receive in return for their hard-earned dollars.

Let's start at the beginning; why is it best to workout with a Personal Trainer? Essentially, there are ten reasons why most people choose to engage a Personal Trainer and they are:

1. You are not seeing results. Many people will begin an exercise regime with a general goal in mind, usually weight loss, and work like crazy for weeks, months and even years without getting any discernible results. A good Personal Trainer will begin your journey with a comprehensive Pre-Exercise Screening questionnaire and will have an in depth discussion with you about your goals, motivation and previous exercise history. Only then, after gaining an understanding of where you currently are and where you want to get to, will they begin formulating an exercise and nutrition plan specifically for you. Included in the pre-exercise screening, will be body weight assessment, girth measurements and possibly even skinfold measurements taken to establish a baseline against which your future progress will be measure.

2. You don't know where to start. No Personal Trainer worth spending your money on will assume that you have any prior knowledge of anatomy & physiology, nutrition or exercise science. The reason is that if we assume that every client is a blank canvas and develop the workouts based on the principles of sound technique and progression, every client has the opportunity to learn the safest, most effective way in which to build their strength, cardio vascular fitness and insure against unnecessary injuries. Most people who join gym don't know how to exercise effectively or safely and there is no-one better to teach you how to do that than your Personal Trainer. A large number of people will download a templated workout from their favourite website or get advice from their "fit" friends. The problem with this approach is that you may not know how to use the equipment safely and the workout has not been tailored to suit your individual needs and/or limitations.

3. You are bored with the same old workouts. I know from personal experience that if you do not change your workout on a regular basis, or add interesting cross-training options into the mix, you become very bored with the workout and are less likely to even attempt to do it. Bang, there goes your motivation. A good Personal Trainer will be continually reviewing your progress, how your body is adapting to the exercise and, assessing your motivation. If any, or all, of these indicators show signs of plateauing or you are less motivated, he will change your routine and add some variety into your workout to keep it interesting and to continually challenge your body.

4. You need to be challenged. If you are like the majority of the exercising population, there will be days when you simply don't feel like pushing yourself to your limits or, you just feel like slacking off. A Personal Trainer will not allow you to bring out the BS excuses to not workout. He will push you to complete that last two reps and encourage you through the set when the weight seems far too heavy. He will be your conscience, your mentor and your cheer squad, but he will not be your Mother.

5. You want to learn how to exercise on your own. Even if you want to exercise on your own, it is a great idea to engage a Personal Trainer for a few sessions to learn the right way to exercise. This is especially true if you want to learn about the muscles in your body, how to target those muscles and how to complete the exercises with good technique. Just a few sessions can teach you about your body, how it works and what you can do the get the best out of it through exercise.

6. You need accountability and motivation. Personal Trainers come with built-in motivation. You are investing both money and time in your health and fitness and there is nothing like a standing appointment to get you off your butt and moving. A good Personal Trainer will also provide accountability; so if you don't turn up for an appointment, they will be straight on to you to find out if you did the missed training in your own time. They will regularly quiz you on your eating and sleeping habits to make sure you are staying on track.

7. You have a specific illness, injury or condition. If you have specific conditions like, Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease, arthritis or old injuries, working with a Personal Trainer, who can work with your Doctor, Physiotherapist or Chiropractor, can help you find a program that suits your particular circumstances, help heal injuries and, avoid further problems. Keep in mind that you want to find a trainer who has experience with your issues and make sure that trainer works closely with your doctor and/or physical therapist for the best experience.

8. You are training for a sport or event. If you're training for a marathon, the football season or some other type of sport or event, an experienced Personal Trainer can help you decide what you need to do to stay strong without detracting from your other training. He can also help create a training program and map out a periodisation plan for the coming event. Just make sure he's experienced in the sport you're training for since not all trainers do sport-specific training.

9. You want supervision and support. Some people do know how to exercise for best results and do know how to exercise safely but still want to have a Personal Trainer around to supervise their workout and provide support (including spotting heavy weights) during the workout. The Personal Trainer then becomes more of a training partner.

10. You want to workout at home. Many people have a good collection of exercise equipment at home but aren't sure how to use what they have or, lack the motivation and discipline to actually exercise. A Personal Trainer can show you exactly how to use what you have got and the knowledge that your Trainer will be arriving at a particular time in the specified day will help motivate you to do the work.

Now that you have some really compelling reasons why you should use a Personal Trainer, the next question is: How do you pick the best one?

I could be facetious and simply say, "pick me!" but there are some fundamental, and non-negotiable, criteria that you should insist on seeing. The first of these is an appropriate, recognise qualification in fitness or exercise science. As an absolute minimum, the Personal Trainer must have a Certificate III & IV in Fitness. If they have a Diploma in Fitness or Under Graduate Degree in Sports or Exercise Science, then so much the better.

Secondly, if they do not have additional qualifications, e.g. Certificate or Diploma level, in Nutrition or Dietetics, they should not be offering nutritional or dietary advice beyond the scope of the National Dietary Guidelines. If, on the other hand, they do have additional qualifications in Nutrition and/or Dietetics, they can help you analyse your diet and offer nutritional guidance and advice.

The third factor to consider is their specialisation. Every Personal Trainer has been educated to a level that will allow them to offer support and guidance to a broad range of people with a broad range of objectives and challenges. However, I have yet to meet a single Personal Trainer who does not have a specialisation or, a preference for a particular type of training. If you have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and your goal is to lose weight and control your condition, it would be pointless teaming up with a Personal Trainer whose specialisation or preference is for body building and competition. It would be equally pointless for an aspiring body builder to team up with a Trainer who specialises in post-pregnancy weight loss. The experience would be underwhelming and frustrating for both parties.

Finally, compatibility is a key factor in deciding who you should entrust with your health and fitness journey. You might have found the best Personal Trainer on the planet but if he has a huge ego and has difficulty relating to you, on your level, he is not the guy for you. Spend the time to sit down and have a chat, find out something about the Trainer's background, their personal fitness journey and what they enjoy doing in the gym. If you find a kindred spirit who has all of the qualifications and a specialisation that fits your needs, they are the Trainer for you.

When you do find that perfect Personal Trainer, don't make the mistake of putting dollars in the way of achieving your goals. The investment in the right Personal Trainer will be worth every cent. Let's say you are asked to invest $50 per session twice every week to get the Trainer of your choice. In isolation, $100 can seem like quite a large amount of money but you need to put it into context; what is your life and long term health worth? If you eliminated all junk food, cigarettes and alcohol from your diet, how much would that save you each week? If you were able to stop taking the drugs that are currently keeping you healthy, how much would you save? The dollars should not be the determining factor.

It is very easy for me to state "I can get you into the best shape of your life" and in fact, many of my contemporaries do exactly that in their advertising, but what does that mean in the context of your life? I would much rather say: "I can help you find the strength of purpose and discipline to be fit and healthy for the rest of your life." This is a reality that we can both commit to and make it happen. Only you can change your life; I can teach you how and help you achieve it.


My name is Drew Dale and I own Healthy Life Fitness. I help ordinary people become healthier, happier and safer through my Functional Fitness and Self Defence training programs. Visit: Healthy Life Fitness for more details.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Drew_S_Dale

Why You Should Use Boot Camp Music In Your Workouts

Everything is an effort, lethargy is setting in. You know this feeling well, we all get it, but how can you help your boot camp members when they are feeling like this, as you can bet your bottom dollar this happens to them too.

Music has a tremendous ability to manipulate emotions within the brain. We all have a favourite bit of music, and more than likely there is an emotion or memory attached to the music. Recent studies being carried out suggest that rapid tempos and upbeat music can evoke a happy emotion within the body.

Soft, slow music is often played in doctor's waiting rooms or when you are having a massage to induce emotions of calmness and tranquility. If music can create these types emotions it can also induce emotions of motivation and drive. Happy uplifting music can make a workout when you are tired and lethargic just seem a touch more pleasant.

So let's go back to your boot camp session. Your members are tired, they have another 3 rounds of intervals to go, they are flagging. Then an uplifting piece of automated boot camp music comes on. You know how long till the next interval starts, the beat is pumping, your breathing regulates to the music as does your body, in fact your body is tuning into the music.

The music is evoking emotions of excitement in your body, it is time to smash this workout, and it will not get the better of you. When the music comes on it works as a distraction to your mind, concentration switches from feelings of tiredness to listening to the music. You are enjoying the music and in turn enjoying your workout. Only 10 seconds remaining of the interval and you feel the swell of the beat from the music and you can complete this workout, in fact you don't just complete it you smash it.

Music works better as a motivational tool than any type of shouting and motivational speak to clients. Isn't it time you added music to your workouts?

Boot camps are springing up all over the country, so what can set one apart from the other - well music can.

If you are the boot camp operating without music then you are likely to be the one that loses out, because the boot camp that does use music to motivate its clients, knows the value of peoples need to groove and move.


Boot Camp Music is perfect for fitness instructors to use in their classes or fitness enthusiasts who want automated workout music

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Steptoe-Thompson

Why You Need Boot Camp Music In Your Boot Camp

Having music on during a boot camp session can be a highly motivational tool for your participants. Humans and songbirds are the only creatures that can automatically feel the beat of the music. Everyone has a song that just makes them want to get up and move to the beat, the heart will synchronise to the beat. Music makes the body want to move, the body will want to synchronise its movements to the music.

Although not fully understood in science, music's reaction within the body ranges through physiology, to bio-mechanics to neurology. In the book Applied Sports Psychology, it talks about "alleviating choking - the sounds of distraction" This looked at basketball players whom when playing at high levels "chocked" under the pressure. They found that if the basketball players that were prone to chocking, listened to upbeat motivating music prior to their match, their performance was significantly improved, but why?

Music has the ability to distract the listener from oneself and from everything going on around them. It means the brains attention is directed to the music rather than being misdirected elsewhere.

Music has both a psychological effect and a physiological effect. So rather than your participants focusing on how hard the burpees are at that moment in time and how tired and fatigued they are, their mind is distracted by the music and at the same time the music is elevating the heart beat and breathing, making the body want to move to the rhythm and the beat, so a double whammy if you like.

Loud upbeat music has an energising effect on the body; it can promote feelings such as excitement and vitality. It can help the listener to push themselves an extra 10% harder by pushing away the feelings of fatigue and exhaustion.

Why not try it for yourself? Set yourself a timed workout, firstly do the workout without any music, then do it the next day with slow, calming music, then do it the following day with upbeat motivating music. Record your results and see how music can motivate you to work harder.

This is where automated music can make your job so much easier. Let's look at the benefits:

1 - - > Countdown to begin the workout. The music counts your participants into their interval. So no surprises when you shout go, there are no excuses of not realising the workout is about to begin and no time wasted. This frees you up from clicking on your stop watch and you can watch your participants from the word go.

2 - - > The participants know how long they have to go and so do you. This gives them extra motivation to complete the workout. Prompts from the music of 10 seconds remaining can help participants to push themselves that little bit harder.

3 - - > No checking your stop watch. Automated music means no more checking your stop watch for time and no whistle blowing to stop the workouts. This frees you up to completely concentrate on your client's workout. Gives you a chance to give uninterrupted motivational help and to ensure clients are using the correct techniques and working to the best of their ability.

4 - - > Rest times. Automated music also lets your participants know their rest time and the countdown to the next interval, giving them time to prepare and recover for the next exercise.

5 - - > The music is motivational. Music helps people both psychologically and physiologically to push themselves an extra 10% in their workouts, meaning a benefit to both you and the participants.


Chose automated workout music for your boot camp.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Steptoe-Thompson

Exercises and Workouts - 10 Lower Body Builders To Know

Looking for a firmer lower body? If so, you must get your list down pat of which exercises will get the job done. Too many people run straight towards the cardio machines when they want to firm up their lower body - and this is only going to lead to significant disappointment when they don't see the results they are looking for.

So what can you do instead? Here are 10 of the top lower body exercises to include in your workout routine - along with a quick tip on how to perform them to perfection.

1. Squats. When doing this lower body builder, make sure you lower yourself down the full way, not just to 90 degrees. This will help to hit those glutes maximally.

2. Jump Squats. Want to boost your plyometric power? If so, look no further than jump squats. Springing up and down and reaching as high as you can go, will help you see optimal results.

3. Lunges. As you lunge, watch you keep your knee moving directly over your toes to avoid suffering from any knee pain due to grinding of the knee joint.

4. Split Squats. As you perform your split squats, think of pressing up through your heel for optimal results. Doing so is going to ensure you hit those glutes maximally, taking less stress off the quads.

5. Step-Ups. Step-ups are ideal for anyone who wants to boost quad and hamstring strength. When doing these, keep your body in an upright position to prevent lower back pain.

6. Leg Press. The press is a perfect lower body builder that is going to strengthen your hamstrings, quads, and glutes. Arrange your feet on the platform so they are in the center to target your quads more, and to the top of the platform to hit the hamstrings. Change your position based on your goals.

7. Sumo Squats. Want firmer inner thighs? Sumo squats should be your go-to move. When doing this one, make sure you keep the knees over your toes as well. Far too many make the mistake of allowing them to move inwards.

8. Deadlifts. For a firmer backside, deadlifts are key. Think of squeezing up through the glute muscles as you perform this one for optimal benefits.

9. Single Leg Deadlifts. Ready to take deadlifts up a notch? Try them on one leg. As you do, drop the weight at first so you can get used to the movement pattern.

10. Leg Extension. This isolation exercise is a great add at the end of your exercises to ensure fully exhausting your leg muscle. Do it using a higher rep, lighter weight protocol.

So next time you're in the gym for a lower body day, give any one of these exercises a try. They won't disappoint you!


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What Is Functional Training and How Can Kettlebells Be Applied to the Movements?

Step away from the dumbbells and barbells because the kettlebell is here to stay in terms of improving your functional training capabilities and fitness levels. Functional training is a method that is being discussed on many internet fitness forums and there is a lot of 'Bro-Science' being bandied around by some of these websites. Therefore, this article will cut the wheat from the chaff, discussing what actually functional fitness is and how can training with kettlebells help to improve it. Please read on!

Functional Training

Over the past decade, there has been a shift in making training more functional. The revolution started with physical therapists and filtered its way into personal training and coaching. Functional fitness involves training for activities that we perform in our daily tasks, and simulating the common movements that are performed at work, home or in sports. The functional exercises have been designed to develop your strength which makes it easier/safer to perform everyday activities without getting injured. Below are some examples of some of the activities that are simulated when functional training:

· picking things up off the floor e.g. clothes and shopping

· putting things away over your head e.g. putting shopping away in cupboards over your head

· carrying items e.g. bags of shopping

· squatting down e.g. DIY

· reaching and rotating e.g. gardening and DIY around the house

Therefore, each exercise focuses on more than one body part, instead of using one muscle e.g. the bicep curl, all of the muscles work together to produce more compound movements e.g. the kettlebell bicep curl with a step up onto a box. This is an important concept because all our muscles depend on each other and they also work together during daily activities. Thus, by using more compound movements during the kettlebell session; your daily movements will become more energy efficient by using less energy and reducing stress placed on your body. The List below is an example of how kettlebells can be applied to a variety of functional movements:

Exercise

Snatch - Pushing

Military press - Pushing

Floor chest press - Pushing

High pull - Pulling

Bent over rows - Pulling

Sumo high pulls - Pulling

Russian twists - Twisting

Wood choppers - Twisting

Ballet twists - Twisting

Squats - Bending

Lunges - Bending

Side bends - Bending

# Please note there may be some cross over in exercise and their primary movement categories e.g. front squats where you bend your knees to power up through your heels and then you push the kettelebell/s above your head.

The Benefits of Functional Training

Resistance type exercises that only use one muscle are important for building muscle mass but unfortunately they can cause 'disproportion'. By adding functional exercises with kettlebells into your exercise routine, your balance, coordination and core stability will work together as a bodily unit, thereby enabling you to perform daily tasks a lot more efficiently. This will lead to the following health and fitness benefits:

· It makes daily tasks and activities a lot easier because the body is more conditioned

· Improves the overall musculoskeletal and joint function within the body

· Reduces your risk of injury and falling

· Enhances your quality of life

· Enhances stability, coordination and balance

· Develops strength in your muscle stabilizers e.g. shoulder, hip and core

· It boosts physical endurance

· Increases your resting metabolism because resting muscle requires more energy to function than fat

· Improves your posture by strengthening the lower back and core

· Helps to eliminate arthritic pain, back pain, upper extremity pain and joint pain e.g. the knee

· Improves range of motion at the joints e.g. the shoulder and hips.

The impact of functional training with kettlebells

Functional training with kettlebell/s works on different bodily movement planes e.g. frontal, sagittal and transverse, hitting different angles, recruits the muscle stabilisers as well as using the main muscle groups and the core. The kettlebell also has a unique design and it has a centre of gravity that is around 6-7 inches outside of your hand grip and this actually duplicates the forces used in daily activities such as carrying the shopping. It also improves your grip strength because of the increased activation of your forearm muscles.

In addition, the shape of the kettlebell allows positioning of the weight to be above your centre of gravity. This has a positive effect in that it permits you to keep your arms/wrists in a neutral position and it is that concept that allows you to perform a greater range of functional moves for a longer period of time. Therefore, you can perform a larger amount of functional moves; this increases your functional fitness and its associated benefits a lot quicker than using dumbbells and/or barbells.

Kettlebell training also works all planes of your body unilaterally and this ensures that all of the major muscle groups are worked and there are no imbalances in the kinetic chain. An advantage of using kettlebells is that they engage the posterior kinetic chain and the muscles activated include the hamstrings, glutes, calfs and the core. For example by strengthening your glutes will prevent your erector spinae from overcompensating when performing functional every lifting movements.

Back pain is a major cause of absenteeism in the work place and one of the main benefits of functional training with kettlebell is that it strengthens your back in a variety of ways. Firstly, it helps to increase your hip flexibility; this produces a pelvic tilt and reduces the load on your lower back. The next key benefit is that strengthens the erector spinae and multifidus muscles which are important for posture and spinal stability. Last but by no means least it helps with bracing which is another important factor in spinal stability, good back health and injury prevention.


http://www.troyvanspanje.com. For a functional kettlebell workout https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-iO7pHqpJo. Troy van spanje is a Personal Trainer and Kettlebell expert

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Why Opt For Custom Fitness Training?

Are you bored with the same workouts that you perform everyday when you go to the gym? Has your home fitness routine become a drag? Do you find excuses to skip your fitness routine as it no longer has the charm that it once had? If your answer is a resounding "yes" to all or most of these questions, it's time to shake up your workout schedule and introduce custom fitness training in your routine.

What is custom fitness training?

Different people have bodies that respond differently to exercises. The same set of exercises can show significant results in some people while others may see no visible difference in their physique. Then, there are some who have certain health conditions that need to be taken care of while planning a fitness schedule. Due to these factors, a one-routine-fits-all is no longer a good idea. This is where custom fitness training can help. This is a personalized training, which is developed to suit your specific needs, while being fun, satisfactory and safe too. Whether you need to focus on improving your flexibility, do some cardiovascular exercises, or add some resistance training components to your fitness routine, custom fitness training can do it all. By offering a variety of fitness programs to meet the unique needs of each user, such training has become the norm these days.

Benefits of custom fitness training

If you are still in a dilemma and can't decide whether you should choose custom fitness training or not, here are some benefits that such a training can bring your way:


Workouts just the way you need: Since the workouts are tailored to fit your body type, fitness level and goals, they give way better results than run-of-the-mill exercises that everyone in the gym otherwise does. With personalized attention to your fitness goals, you can devise a workout that helps you meet your targets, be it gaining strength, increasing flexibility, shedding that extra flab or all of these.

Get optimum results with effective time management: With personalized fitness training, you can get the most efficient workout within a stipulated time. In other words, you can maximize the time spent on your workouts and enjoy speedy results too.

Use tools to track progress: With modern technology, it has become easier than ever to track your progress. For instance, if you use iFit on your fitness equipment, you can sign into your account and your workout stats will get uploaded to your account automatically. You can access them at anytime and from anywhere to track every workout of yours. Though you may know about such tools, a custom fitness trainer will help you to select the right ones, using which you can monitor your progress effectively.



If you are ready to bring your fitness goals on track again, now is the time to opt for custom fitness training.


To bring some variety to your workouts, you can download a variety of maps for your iFit-equipped Nordictrack, ProForm and FreeMotionFitness treadmills as well as ellipticals, bike and incline trainer.

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Pole Dancing Aerobics

Pole dancing aerobics is one of the emerging trends in the field of health and fitness these days. If you are getting bored of seeing the same old treadmill and other fitness equipment inside the gym, then pole dancing aerobics could be right for you. This exercise in itself is a form of sport that incorporates art and skill. It integrates ballet, modern dance and gymnastic movements around a single polished pole.

There could be countless of tricks and varieties that may be performed in a choreographed pole dance routine. Most of the body movements would include static poses, body inverts, climbs and spins. Your pole aerobics instructor may also add a little floor work and several seductive filler moves to complete your pole dance routine.

As a fitness routine, pole aerobics gained its popularity since the previous decade as the people were becoming aware of its health benefits. Pole dancing aerobics is often thought of as a sensual dance but nevertheless, there are wide varieties of pole dancing steps to choose from that will shape your body, increase flexibility and so much more.


This fantastic form of exercise can also help you tone your entire body while enhancing self-esteem and overall fitness. Strengthen every part of your body as you enjoy the routine's fun dance steps without thinking what you will look like. It is also believed to enhance your confidence and fitness level at a personalized pace and give you a feeling of wellness.

Pole aerobics consists of three different styles namely exotic dance, pole fitness and empowerment. Exotic dance is perhaps what initially comes into the minds of people. This could be the sleazy image but does not have to be the case. It does make several women feel seductive and they will still want this form of dancing on their exercise routines. This kind of dancing can be beautiful to watch and have been likened to a 'gliding swan'.

Several women have also experienced empowerment after they get used to pole dancing exercises. It may provide emotional advantages such as enhanced self-esteem and confidence levels. It could also make women feel taller, stronger and more confident. According to research studies, physical exertion results to a positive effect on the brain's sensory areas thus releasing serotonin and endorphins. These major neurotransmitters are responsible for the feelings of euphoria and happiness and act as the human body's natural analgesics.

This type of workout is now a recognized form of exercise for toning and strength training. Participants should expect toning from head to toe and an increased muscle definition in the thighs, buttocks and arms. For health buffs out there, a good pole dance aerobic sessions could help you burn up to 400 calories in an hour.

Learning the right pole dance techniques can be hard at first. There are plenty of moves and strategies that you need to learn starting from beginners to intermediates and advanced. You do not need to be really fit or flexible in the beginning since you gradually build up strength, skills and flexibility through time.


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