Personal trainers have been around for a few years now. We used to be based in gyms, usually private ones such as David Lloyds or LA Fitness, but now we operate in leisure centres, private studios and even home visits. onesixeight: fitness does home visits to relieve the stress of travelling to and from a gym, parking and then waiting for equipment.
This week I want to talk about how a personal trainer can benefit you and how it doesn't have to be expensive - especially if you use onesixeight: fitness
Firstly, personal training is for people who need motivation. Beginners especially may need someone to motivate them until they are into the habit and routine of doing exercise on a regular basis. A good personal trainer will offer continuous encouragement and remind you of your achievements which in turn helps to keep you on track and working towards your goals.
Linked to that is a personal trainer provides focus. Sometimes we try to achieve too much in too short time and end up not achieving anything. A personal trainer will discuss long-term goals and set out a short and medium-term strategy for achieving those goals. This provides focus for you and your trainer so you can see how each session will benefit you.
A personal trainer isn't just for beginners - experienced exercisers and athletes use personal training to help progress towards achieving a higher level of fitness. A personal trainer will have the knowledge to progress your fitness over a period of time rather than too much too soon.
Personal trainers can also help with injury rehab. Sometimes an injury can put people off exercise completely for fear they may get injured again. This is where a personal trainer can help by assessing the injury and providing exercises to help strengthen the injured body part and regain full movement. Personal trainers will work with your physio to ensure we have all the relevant information to help you get back to full fitness. onesixeight: fitness specialises in mini-trampoline exercise which is especially good for injury rehab as it is low impact and challenges the balance. Rebounders can also be used for strength and conditioning.
A client of mine was suffering from lower back pain and as a result chose not to exercise because he associated exercise with risk of making his back worse. What he found, however, was that I was able to prevent his back from hurting whilst exercising through my choice of suitable exercises and watching his range of movement. The sessions we did initially focused on building up his core muscles to strengthen the back and improve his posture and now we have relieved his lower back pain. A personal trainer will know what to do (and what exercises not to do) to help do the same.
You may know what you want but not how to get it. This is where a personal trainer can set specific exercises to help target the areas you want to improve whether it be specific body toning, losing/gaining weight or developing speed/endurance- personal training is exactly that personal and individual to your needs.
A good personal trainer who is qualified in specific exercises and has been trained to use certain equipment will be able to demonstrate the correct technique and help you to perform the exercises with the same safe and efficient technique. if something doesn't feel right whilst doing an exercise, a personal trainer should be able to spot what needs correcting and provide suggestions or alternatives to help improve.
One of the best examples I have of this is a client who enjoyed running. He never realised he didn't use his arms until I assessed his technique and encouraged him to power with the arms. We practiced this technique and he now runs more efficiently and ultimately faster and for longer without fatigue. Without my help he would never have made this small but evidently very important adjustment.
When your personal trainer is satisfied with your technique it would be perfectly acceptable to only have one session per week/every fortnight for maintenance. In a week or two you will have progressed to the next level and may need progressions to be implemented such as increase the weight or repetitions or duration or exercises. A personal trainer is someone to check up on your progress and ensure you are heading in the right direction. onesixeight: fitness will monitor your increase in fitness each and every session by asking for feedback and making observations. We will also plan in complimentary profiling sessions every 6 weeks of the programme to keep record of your progress.
Finally, and what I think is most importantly, your personal trainer should make the exercising experience enjoyable. Enjoyment can mean different things to different people and your personal trainer should be able to work out what your definition of enjoyment is. For example, I know some of my clients love the feeling of being out of breath, getting sweaty and knowing they have worked hard so that's what they get! On the other hand are my clients who like to feel challenged but want to be able to hold a conversation whilst exercising and to be able to tell me about their day so that's the experience I provide for them.
What my clients say:
"I just wouldn't do it (exercise) if Becky didn't come to my house. I enjoy it when I'm doing it but I know I wouldn't do it otherwise" Female client - new to exercise
"Becky provided a training programme and equipment for me and my daughter to exercise even when Becky isn't there" Female client - bounced back into exercise routine
"Supportive rapport, meticulous about technique and sufficiently challenging" Male client - needed more energy
If you have any questions or would like to arrange a no obligation 'taster' personal training session please email info@onesixeightfitness.com
onesixeight: fitness is a group fitness, personal training, nutritional analysis and lifestyle consultancy service based in Loughborough and working throughout Leicestershire and the East Midlands. We specialise in rebounding exercise on mini-trampolines and help clients Achieve the Results They Want... FAST!