Personal Training Archives - First Steps Fitness

10 Key Traits of a Great Personal Trainer

5 August, 2016 By admin

Hiring a personal trainer is a big commitment both mentally and physically, as it requires you to put your all into focusing on your health and how you train your body. However, have you also considered the fact that it’s a monetary investment? These experts can be incredibly smart and effective, but they do cost money in order to train with on a regular basis. This is why it’s so important to make sure you’re working with someone who encompasses the qualities that you’d want in this type of professional. To help make sure you select an individual you can feel confident working with, look for the following 10 key traits of a great personal trainer:

1. Friendly Personality

While it might be alright to be treated as just another customer when you checkout at the grocery store, this shouldn’t be the case when you’re working with a personal trainer. They should have a friendly personality that’s genuinely welcoming to you every time your there. They should feel more like your friend than someone who you’re paying to help you. This type of training is incredibly personal, so you want to have someone around who you feel a good camaraderie with. Perhaps this is why it’s recommended to interview at least a few trainers before you select the one that you “click” with the best. Remember, not all trainers have a “let’s be friends” personality, so it’s crucial to briefly talk with them before you get started training.

2. Encouraging

The last thing most clients want is for their trainer to just give them instructions and count their reps, as this won’t motivate them to push harder. This is why it’s important to look for a trainer who is going to encourage you every step of the way and root you on to do more. With them cheering you on while you’re lifting weights or running, you are going to be much more likely to reach your goals. Are you the type of person who gives up easily, especially while tired? Then you’ll want a trainer who is dedicated to motivating you to push yourself and reach every single goal you have in mind.

3. Enthusiastic

Your entire state of mind can change when you walk into the gym and are greeted by a trainer who is excited to see you. With a big smile on their face they’ll get you started with the routine for the day and help you do more with your body. This trait isn’t one that all trainers have, but with those who do, it can make a big difference in your experience. An enthusiastic attitude can even brush off on you and give you more excitement for your training sessions.

4. Educated

You wouldn’t see a doctor who hadn’t been to medical school, so why would you see a trainer who didn’t have a fitness certification? This is one of the first things you should ask about, just to make sure your trainer is truly a professional. In addition to knowledge on training, this will prove that they have knowledge of exercise procedures, body anatomy, physiology, nutrition, and management of weight. All of these things are going to provide you as the client with a much better experience because you’ll get more solid advice.

5. Experienced

Just like with any job, the more experience you have the better you’re going to be at what you do. This is especially true of trainers, as the more time they have working with clients, the better they get at catering to their needs. Not to mention a trainer who has experience is likely to have many stories of success, meaning clients they’ve helped reach all types of different goals. Of course it’s always an option to take a chance with a new trainer, but if you’re looking for the best, then experience is very important.

6. Punctual

Training sessions can be expensive and take up time in your schedule, which is why punctuality is a trait every trainer should have. They should be there on time for every session, and if they are going to be late for some reason, that’s something they should tell you ahead of time. On the flip side you should make sure you work to encompass this quality as well, because your trainer won’t want to train you if you’re constantly running late.

7. Understanding

Whether you believe it or not, there are a lot of emotions that can come up when you’re pushing your body and mind to their limits in the gym. This is why it’s beneficial to work with someone who will take the time to understand where you’re coming from, why you feel the way you do, and how your emotions may be mentally blocking your progress. Sure this might feel like a therapy session, but a good trainer will be able to roll with it and help you overcome hurdles.

8. Communicative

Guiding you through exercises is important, especially as you first begin in the gym. Your trainer should have open communication about what you’ll do, how many reps you’ll do, and what’s expected of you. In addition to this, they should take the time to openly discuss your goals and what you want to achieve in the coming days, months, and even years.

9. Attentive

Are you doing a lift the right way? Is your posture correct while you’re doing pushups? These are things you need to know in order to make sure you are being safe and minimizing your risk of injury. When doing any exercise your trainer should be right there next to you, giving you advice, encouraging you to continue, and giving you motivation for pushing yourself harder. If they are not attentive, then what’s the point of working with them?

10. Patience

When working with a personal trainer, patience is one trait you will be most grateful that they have. Otherwise if you’re not as fast as other clients or need to do things over again, your trainer may become frustrated and eager to push you along more quickly. If you instead work with someone who is patient, they’ll be excited to see you progress and motivated to determine what changes they can make in your regimen to create a more effective workout.

These 3 Simple Changes Will Maximize Your Fat Loss

3 August, 2016 By admin

Losing weight is something that takes time, whether you’re doing it through diet, exercise, or a combination of both…as well, whether you’re on this journey alone or have a trainer that can guide and support you on your path.

While there’s no way to rush this so it happens overnight, what if there were ways you could maximize your fat loss so your efforts went even further? The good news is that this may be a reality if you’re willing to change a few things about the way you live and workout. If you’re curious about what you can do to get started, keep reading to learn the top three simple changes you can make listed below. They have been effective for helping many people burn more fat and may be helpful for you as well.

1. Work on Building Muscle

Even if aerobic exercise is what you stick with on a daily basis, it’s important to try to fit in some muscle-building workouts as well. Why is this important? Because your body will burn more fat while resting when you have more muscle within it. In fact, studies have shown that hours after you finish a muscle-building workout you burn more calories than you would doing any other type of exercise. What’s even better is the fact that the muscle can help ramp up your metabolism so you continue to burn fat and calories at a faster rate all throughout the day.

To get started with building muscle you don’t have to spend hours at the gym lifting things that are far out of your comfort zone. Instead you can do something like push-ups, pull-ups, or squats so your own body weight provides you with resistance. If you want to stay in the gym and utilize those tools, consider working with a trainer to learn more about lifting weights. They can teach you the basics as well as the proper posture to use while lifting. By incorporating this a few days per week, you’ll likely find that you burn more fat and feel better as well!

2. Monitor Your Heart Rate

When you’re working out, how much attention do you pay to your heart rate? While you might know it’s elevated, it’s unlikely you know how fast it is unless you’re regularly tracking it. The benefit of paying more attention to your heart rate is he fact that you’ll know when you’re in the fat burning zone. To determine when you’re in this zone, it’s beneficial to start with having a heart rate monitor. This makes things a lot easier and takes much of the work out of tracking your own pulse. Once you have this, figure out your max heart rate and fat burning zone, which can be done in the following steps.

Step 1: Calculate 220 – Your Age (for example 220-25 years old is a maximum heart rate of 195)
Step 2: Multiply your max heart rate by .7 to determine the highest your heart rate should go (using the example above, 195 x .7 = 136.5).
Step 3: Multiply your max heart rate by .6 to determine the lowest your heart rate should go (using the example above, 195 x .6 = 117).

Once you have these numbers, you’ll know the range that you have to stay in (which is 117-136 beats per minute using the example above). When you begin working out, track your heart rate to make sure it’s staying within this zone and you’ll be maximizing the amount of fat that you burn. However, watch closely because if you go above this you will only burn off what you’ve recently eaten and if you go under this you will be burning as much fat.

3. Try HIIT

HIIT, otherwise known as high intensity interval training, has become popular with everyday exercisers as well as professional athletes. This is because it’s an effective way of boosting workouts to build endurance, strengthen muscles, and maximize the rate that fat is burned. Before you learn how to do this type of training, it’s important to know that it can help you burn abdominal fat very well if you stick with it. However, most experts recommend that you only do this twice per week in order to allow your body the time it needs to recover.

To get started with this, you’ll need to do short periods of fast-past exercise during your workout. For example, if you were out jogging for an hour, you might want to sprint for 30 seconds every 2 minutes followed by one minute of fast-paced walking. The amount of time that you do your intervals will depend on what you’re comfortable with, but they should become more intense as you become more conditioned in the future. The good news about HIIT is that you can do it with any type of exercise out there, so it’s something you can easily incorporate into your workouts.

Getting Started with Changes

To get started with these changes, start by creating a schedule of workouts that you enjoy doing. For example:

Monday – Treadmill running for 60 minutes with HIIT intervals every 3 minutes
Tuesday – Weights for 30 minutes
Wednesday – Rest Day
Thursday – 1 hour of swimming
Friday – Treadmill running for 60 minutes with HIIT intervals every 3 minutes
Saturday – A long walk with pushups
Sunday – Rest Day

By having a schedule like this, it will be easy to fit in the changes that are listed above. You can change the schedule every week or as you explore different workouts, which means having a lot of flexibility with the way you workout and how you maximize fat loss. Just make sure to track your heart rate with your most intense exercises so you stay within the fat-burning zone and make the most of your workouts.

Maximizing Fat Loss in Daily Life

The three options listed above for helping to maximize fat loss have been found to be effective for many people who exercise and practice healthy eating on a daily basis. However, it’s important to remember that they do not produce pounds and pounds of extra fat loss per day. By having realistic expectations you’ll be able to enjoy your progress and the little boost that these changes may offer. The key is to stick with the exercise and diet that you’ve selected so that even without these changes you’re still working towards a healthier body that’s conditioned and in shape. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s always good to consult with a fitness or personal trainer, as well as your doctor to ensure that whatever plan you implement is done safely.

How a Personal Trainer Can Help Reach Your Fitness Goals

4 February, 2016 By Cecille

It’s certainly possible to lose weight without the help of a personal trainer, but if you have fitness goals you want to reach, then you may want to consider hiring a personal trainer to help get you there. Their expertise and knowledge of fitness is something that comes from experience as well as a formal education, so you can trust the advice and guidance they provide you with. Ultimately this can contribute to having a better understanding of your body and knowing what it needs in order to achieve your desired results. If working with this type of professional is still something you’re not sure about, then consider the following advantages of their service.

1. Exercise Guidance

When you go to the gym, do you normally stick with a few different machines that you’re familiar with? This is something that most people also do because they’re just not comfortable with machines they’ve never used before. With a personal trainer, this will change. They will walk you through all the machines in your gym so you know what they are, how to use them, and what they do. This will not only get you more out of your gym membership but it will also mean being able to work out different parts of the body simply by taking advantage of different machines.

Personal trainers want you to be confident with using machines, and that’s why they spend time educating you about them. They will give you tips for using them while watching you so you’re using the proper form and minimize your risk of injury. Why be intimidated working out? With the information you receive from your trainer, you’ll be able to walk into the gym knowing which machines you should use to work different areas of your body.

2. Efficiency

Most people don’t have a lot of time to spend at the gym, which often leads to them avoiding going in the first place. However, if you have the guidance of a trainer, you can see a lot of time saved on everyday workouts. They’ll teach you the best circuits to use in order to achieve the results, and because you’ll be familiar with the machines, you can plan which you’re going to do ahead of time. This information alone can save you 15 minutes every workout, which is a lot of time in a week.

3. Custom Workout Plan

When you first meet with your personal trainer and discuss your goals, they’ll put together a custom workout plan just for you. This will begin with a certain number of sets for various machines, but as you progress and get stronger, you’ll move onto increased sets and weights. They’ll even track your progress, including monitoring fat percentages and muscle, so that the plan can be custom tailored based on what’s working the best.

4. Motivation

Who motivates you to get up off the couch or drive to the gym after work? Nobody but yourself! However, when you have a trainer working to help you reach your fitness goals, they’ll also help motivate you and keep you accountable. They’ll remind you of appointments, give you progress reports to show how far you’ve came, and they’ll even give you tips for healthy eating so you can see more progress. Of course another motivating factor is that you’ll be paying them for every session, which means you’ll be required to show up or lose what you paid. All of this can add up to going to the gym regularly and fighting the “couch potato” lifestyle much more effectively.

5. Results

While working out on your own is certainly important for staying in shape, it does put you at risk for not seeing the results that you desire. This could be due to the fact that you’re not using the right machines, putting on the right weights, or even using the proper posture. By hiring a personal trainer all of those risks are eliminated, which means you’re much more likely to see the results that you want. Whether that means having less body fat or finally growing your calf muscles, they’ll work hard with you to ensure you like what you see in the mirror.

Focusing on Yourself

Why not educate yourself on fitness with a professional who focuses on it every single day? They will help you achieve your results, gain a better understanding of your body, and really have a greater appreciation for your body.

How Can Hiring A Personal Trainer Elevate Your Fitness?

1 December, 2015 By admin

Working to keep your body strong, healthy and active should be a top priority in everyone’s lives, as it is the best way to prevent disease and protect yourself against injury. It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you’re male or female or whether you wish to be an Olympic champion or just shed a few pounds. Having your own personal trainer will not only keep you on track, they will also help you achieve your goals faster!

There are many ways in which hiring your own personal trainer will help elevate your fitness, such as providing one on one training, motivation, safety direction, diet advice, positive reinforcement, health and fitness education, as well as their ability to help push you to improve on your own personal best!

Personal Perspective: One of the great things about having your own personal trainer is that they get to know you, what your goals are as well as your strengths and perhaps the areas you could work on. Because of this they can specially tailor a workout regime to suit your requirements and continue to adapt and adjust it as you become fitter and stronger, to help ensure that you are always progressing towards your goals. They will also be able to advise you against practices that may not be beneficial for you, depending on any pre-existing health conditions.

Motivation: Sometimes exercising is the very last thing we want to be doing. Yet ironically exercise can often be just what you need to pick you up and get you buzzing with energy. This is because exercising gets your heart rate up and your muscles pumping which works to increase the level of endorphins in your body, which are your own natural happy chemicals! Exercise also works to reduce the level of stress hormones in your body such as cortisol. High levels of cortisol contribute to excess abdominal fat, decreased immunity and the breakdown of muscle and bone. So getting up and at it will not only make you feel energised, it will also improve your overall quality of life.

If you don’t want to improve upon your current level of fitness, or achieve your fitness goals, then don’t bother hiring a personal trainer. They will not only be encouraging you to attend all your training sessions and to continue with exercise outside of session time, they are also going to make you accountable for trying to skip them! A common tool they use is documenting your progress on a chart or record. This allows you to see your progression, perhaps even noticing weeks where you may have been a little slack, and helps motivate you to stay on track.

Prevent Injury: Another important reason why hiring a personal trainer will help you elevate your fitness level is the simple fact that they are a trained professional and they know what they are doing. This means that they have studied and trained in the correct and safe way to participate in specific exercise techniques, so that they can help guide you in the correct form and technique to help prevent you from injuring yourself.

Encourage Healthy Eating Habits: Being fit and healthy is not just about exercise, what you eat and drink also plays an important role. Many people are led astray thinking that if food products say ‘low fat’ or ‘diet’ that they must be good for you, however the truth is that often they are not. A qualified fitness instructor will be able to sit down with you and go over the list of foods you eat on a regular basis and talk with you about how you can improve your diet. Eating healthy is important to maintain a healthy body, but it is also important for fuelling your body with energy. If you are not eating the right foods, you may not be getting the energy needed to pursue your fitness goals, or alternatively you may be consuming too much energy which will ends up being stored as fat.

Introduce New Ideas: If you are already into fitness, then you may find that you often stick to the same kinds of exercises and workouts. Your personal trainer will give you a whole new perspective on health and fitness and likely be able to introduce you to some new exercises that will help you achieve your fitness goals and keep you moving forward.

Positive reinforcement: Having someone support you on your journey to a fitter and healthier you is not only encouraging, it also help keep things in perspective. Especially when they are the ones seeing just how much effort you are putting into your health. Your personal trainer will be able to provide you with genuine, non-judgemental encouragement and support which will help you as you progress towards your fitness goals.

Keep You Moving Forwards: Training to increase your fitness isn’t just about turning up to a workout session; it is about gradually increasing your strength and stamina whilst working on toning your whole body. In order to do this, you need to be pushing yourself to improve. This means gradually aiming for more reps, stronger weights, longer runs and faster times. Your personal trainer will not only get to know what you can do, they will also know what you are capable of achieving and will keep encouraging you to reach for your goals.

Learn About Your Body: Another benefit of having your own personal trainer is that they come with their own built in knowledge of anatomy and physiology. As they teach you about different exercises, and how they will benefit you, you will also be learning about your body and the mechanics of how it works. Learning about your body helps you to better understand the importance of keeping active and fit, as well as makes the fitness journey that much more interesting and enjoyable. With your own personal trainer you will have a savvy person on hand for any of your fitness based questions!

Why You Need To Hire A Personal Trainer To Achieve Your Health Goals

18 May, 2015 By Cecille

Everyone’s a little more fitness conscious nowadays. But most people aren’t as engaged with completely changing their lifestyles in order to become more healthy and fit. Those that do, however, need help to accomplish their health and fitness goals.

Sure, some people assume they can do it by themselves. But in most cases, they can’t. It’s very hard to get off the ground when it comes to becoming more fit. Not only do most people ‘fall off the wagon’ just a month or two into their health and fitness regime, some completely give up if they feel like it’s not worth trying.

But becoming healthier is worth trying, especially when you have someone aboard to support you along the way.

That ‘someone’ is best known as a personal trainer. Personal trainers specialize in advising and assisting people with their fitness-related goals. They’re best known for helping to motivate clients who want to get fit and also act as an accountability partner to ensure their client sees their goals to the end.

As you can see, personal trainers play a very important role when it comes to getting fit. But why should you hire a personal trainer? In this article, we’re going to review a few reasons why you need to hire a personal trainer.

Achieve Your Health Goals: Why You Need To Hire A Personal Trainer

Personal trainers are essential to anyone who wants to make an active change in their lifestyle. If you’re serious about becoming healthier and fit, it’s imperative to hire someone who can encourage you to make that lifestyle change. After all, a little encouragement is what it takes to make an active change in your life.

1. Personal trainers motivate.

When it comes to getting fit, a little motivation goes a long way. Personal trainers often play many roles in helping their clients get motivated to become fit. While some personal trainers step in and help their clients learn how to effectively exercise, others act as a supporting role model for their weight loss journey.

2. Personal trainers help keep you on track.

It’s hard to stick to a fitness regime. People who do it alone often end up quitting a few weeks into their program. But if you have a personal trainer by your side, it gets a little hard to say no to quitting. Many people who work with personal trainers get in contact with them often, so they can stay on track and achieve their fitness goals.

3. Personal trainers can figure out what works best for you.

Not every fitness program works for everyone. Some people respond better to proactive forms of fitness, while others do well with a more subdued fitness or training regime. It’s a personal trainer’s job to help develop a fitness program that suits you the best, based on what works for your fitness profile.

4. Safety matters with personal trainers.

If you don’t know how to use certain fitness equipment or perform a specific exercise, your fitness trainer can help you. Many personal trainers are trained to inform their clients about what exercises may work best for them, what equipment to use and how to practice fitness activities in the safest way possible.

5. Personal trainers design effective workouts.

If you’re unsure about how to go about your fitness routine, your personal trainer can show you how to accomplish that. Personal trainers know how to use their time to help you design a workout that fits your lifestyle and fitness levels. With their help, you’ll eventually learn how to perform a routine that works for you.

6. Personal trainers are there for you during workouts.

Personal trainers also act as workout partners. They help you perform exercises, provide feedback and other helpful tasks during a daily fitness routine. If you’re the type who needs a hand during a fitness regime, it’s highly recommended to get in touch with a personal trainer.

Why You Need To Hire A Personal Trainer

If you’re thinking about becoming healthier and more fit, you can always start building your own health and fitness routine on your own. But, in most cases, it’s much easier to get fit if you have someone willing to assist you throughout the entire process.

Sure, some people might balk at the idea of spending money on a personal trainer—after all, the only people who can ‘afford’ a personal trainer are often the rich and famous. So-called ordinary people, on the other hand, can benefit from hiring a personal trainer and not break the bank, at that.

Personal trainers know what people need in order to get fit, especially if they can’t figure out those details on their own. The best thing that a personal trainer can do for their clients is design a personalized health and fitness plan that does give their clients results after a few weeks or months. Couple that with having the expertise to show clients how to go about becoming more active, and you have a pretty good case for hiring a personal trainer in the first place.

10 Signs That You Hired the Wrong Personal Trainer

13 March, 2015 By admin

A personal trainer can be a great form of assistance for those who want to improve their health and fitness levels. Getting in shape can be done at a significantly faster and more efficient pace if you have someone to hold you accountable and someone to give you motivation. While personal motivation is key to any form of self-improvement you can always benefit from a little extra push from someone other than yourself. In fact, many people prefer to work out with a friend or a partner like a trainer because they don’t trust themselves.

Now that being said it is nonetheless possible to have picked the wrong trainer. Personal training is not the least expensive thing in the world and if you are not achieving your goals then you may in fact be wasting your money.

Below are 10 signs that you hired the wrong personal trainer:

If your trainer does not pay attention to you while you are training with them and is often distracted, then it may be time for a change. Some examples are if your trainer takes phone calls or keeps checking their phone during your sessions; your trainer disappears for extended periods of time; or she is not present and is deep in thought about other things but the training session itself. Fitness trainers are there to motivate, provide instructions, challenge and provide you with support. They don’t get paid to waste your time by not focusing on you and the training.
If your trainer is not responsive then you may need to hire a new trainer. Trainers should be there for you in and out of the sessions. You may have a question or a concern in between sessions, so the right trainer will be more than happy to put you at ease by addressing your concerns in a timely manner. No excuses.
Your fitness trainer doesn’t challenge you enough. Some trainers will placate you and will not push you enough to actually meet your goals or make any progress. This could be a sign that your trainer isn’t experienced or knowledgeable. The trainer may not know how to determine that the client isn’t challenged; the trainer isn’t in tuned with your goals; or the trainer may not know enough fitness routines in their arsenal to provide you with complex or transitional exercises. Further more, your trainer could be afraid of confrontation – fearful of how you would react to a difficult exercise. If you have one of these trainers…it’s time to sever their services.
The opposite is also a problem. There are some personal trainers who will work you too hard. Throughout your fitness journey you will be working muscles that you’ve not worked before so expect to go through muscle aches and pains. However, if you’re being asked to do a fitness routine and you feel pain or it’s physically impossible at your current fitness level then your trainer should be fired. A trainer cannot put you at risk for injury and must not ignore your concerns.
If your so called fitness expert is pushing questionable supplements and pills, you should steer clear. There is no magic pill to health and fitness, except exercising and eating right. A personal trainer is not necessarily qualified to provide you with these kinds of recommendations, and if she’s putting your health at risk by suggesting you ingest something that you don’t know anything about nor how your body would react, then she’s the wrong trainer.
If your trainer diagnoses injuries you should probably find a new trainer. If you are hurt while you are working out with them, they might recognize the symptoms and be able to tell you what it might be based on their previous experience with client injuries, but they should never diagnose it unless they are a trained physician. They should always recommend that you speak with your doctor immediately for any injuries that you sustain and they should not allow you to work out if you are seriously injured. If your injury is localized–meaning it affects one particular area such as a sprained wrist–you might still be able to do some careful exercises that do not involve that area at all such as leg presses.
If your trainer does not customize your training program and (if applicable) your nutrition plan then you should look into someone else. Each person if different and has different needs and goals based on their personal level of health as well as their age. Your trainer should not just send you a copy of the plan that they gave to the last client unless their last client is a carbon copy of you – the same build, size, age, gender, and exactly the same fitness goals. A great personal trainer should determine first hand, what your objectives are, your concerns, health issues, etc. and based on the information you provide, he should create a customized plan to help you reach your health and fitness goals.
If your fitness trainer is not 100% professional then it’s time to find a new one. Vulgar language and behaviour, unkempt and dirty appearance, always late for your appointment, constantly cancelling your sessions are some examples of unprofessionalism and should not be tolerated. A good trainer should always be respectful of your time, and she should always be professional in how they work.
If your trainer is not experienced or qualified then you should find another one who is. As mentioned earlier, you’re paying them for their expertise, and their rate should reflect their qualifications and specializations. The lower the rate the more you want to question their qualifications. Although price can be a factor in hiring a trainer, you should never hire someone because he charges the cheapest hourly rate. Remember, you get what you pay for.
If your trainer does not keep themselves apprise to industry best practices, current credentials and overall education and research, then you might want someone else. A great trainer should always be bettering herself in industry knowledge, and health and fitness trends and information.