Finding a good “personal trainer” is an important choice that should not be taken lightly. It is important to not only take care of your body but finding someone who knows more that the average about the human body so you can bring out the most of your own movement capacity. The motto at ReVITALize Rehab Club is to Dream BIG! Move BIG!
Part one of this article “Fitness 101: Finding a “Personal” Trainer (Part 1)” I write about the eight factors that I will look for when choosing a personal trainer. Here they are again.
- they assess and screen
- credentials
- you do most of the talking
- they listen and take their time
- they walk the walk
- they do not make bogus claims…makes sense
- they can explain every exercise and why it is done and when it is done and how it impacts tomorrow
- they address sleep, nutrition
A good trainer will keep you motivated and excited to work out. The week in and week out meeting can blossom into a “personal” relationship that may help your trainer be one step ahead in your recovery and when you have the unavoidable “lows”. Accountability is a key component and proven as a reliable factor in maintaining consistency. What is the hardest part of any fitness journey? I believe it is staying on track and being focused. Isn’t it better when you actually enjoy the process.
Lets breakdown why the latter four are important in this decision process. As a fitness and medical professional, I understand how important it is to understand the concepts and application of all the nerdy school and seminars materials. I have to say that most biggest improvement as a practitioner and performance specialist is when I suffer an injury myself and learned how to revitalize myself to a stronger and better than ever form. There is nothing more humbling than being hurt or being in a position of vulnerability. A trainer that “walks the walk” can generally be deemed as proof of the process, however, this is not always the case. I know too many fitness professional that only has this factor and they tend to ignore the big picture of being a trainer, which is the client!
A safe proof factor to this “walk the walk” is to look at how replicable their fitness program is. If they claim to make you an olympian status. Have they produce multiple Olympians? Have they taken multiple high school athletes to top colleges? You get the idea.
The next criteria on the list goes hand in hand with the idea of “making sense” and being able to explain every detail of a program. In part one of this article, I mention that you do not have to be 100% evidence based, but you should be able to rationalize why every exercise, warm-up, or corrective exercises are important. As I plan for my client, every exercise dosages is intentional for the workout day and for the next two or three days. My goal is not to make one too sore so they cannot recover. Recovery is a factor that “elite” fitness professionals are factoring into their decisions nowadays. The idea of programming with intention is mentally exhausting to do as a performance specialist and time consuming but it is a higher reward with lower risk. A workout program goes beyond complementing push and pull (chest and back). If a client needs to run faster, then there are many strategies and methodology (even conflicting) to produce speed. If one does not know the research and does not intentionally plan a program, that is a huge safety risk. A common example of improper speed training is to conveniently add sprints to the end of a workout. This is a high risk strategy since our body is at risk for injury due to the high likelihood of being tired at the end of a workout.
I believe wellness goes beyond physical training and dieting and should include our mind. The concept of being resilient is important in being well. The idea of recovery is taken to a whole new level with the elite trainers of professional sports teams, military and athletes. Every data that can be quantified is being used. As a fitness professional without the high tech gadget, my attempt of recovery is to emphasize sleep to my clients. Lack of sleep can kill one slowly. That does not define resiliency at all.
Another method in improving a client resiliency is to incorporate meditation. I do not accept any client if they are adverse to the idea of applying meditation to their fitness program. A clear mind can make better decisions in life, like staying consistent with a fitness program. A clear mind is adaptatble to life curveballs and allow one to be focus on our life goals. A resilient mind with a resilient body is a unstoppable superhuman!
If you are interested in a 1-on-1 consultation on a fitness program or need any fitness advice, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. Congratulations on putting in that extra step to nourish your body through movement and fitness. Did you know that blending exercise with acupuncture can be a powerful one-two combo that can get results faster? Email us if you are interested in how that works. ONE LOVE!