What Is a Personal Trainer and How Do I Use One?

Wellllll, that may be one reason. Or maybe because YOU WANT RESULTS. Or maybe you just want to learn new 'tricks' in the gym?? Or need motivation or accountability??

So, as a certified personal trainer, let me tell you, the list of reasons why people want to hire me goes on and on...and on! It's like everyone has a goal they're chasing after, which is not a bad thing. My goal for my clients is to empower them with the knowledge and confidence to walk into the weight room, any weight room, and have a safe, functional, and effective workout. For some, this takes a bit longer than others, and we work together on this. For others, they want me in their back pocket on a regular basis.

How Do I Use One?

The answer to this question is as wide spread as to the 'why'. It's relatively important that you have goals. Short and long term preferably. BUT, I have had several clients receive gift certificates for personal training with me and I work with them on setting some goals. The gift that keeps on giving!

Any good programming has at minimum 3 main components: Is it safe? Is it effective? Is it measurable?

Is it safe?? Well, that's where my expertise comes in. Safety first. ALWAYS. If you cannot safely execute a burpee (which I never assign), then we will not do them.

Is it effective? This means a few things....let's use a leg extension as an example and weight loss for our reason for training. The leg extension is an effective exercise for isolating and strengthening the quadriceps, the large muscles on the front of the thighs. By allowing you to target this muscle group specifically, it helps improve leg strength, knee stability, and endurance. This exercise is especially beneficial for athletes or anyone looking to enhance lower-body performance, as strong quadriceps play a critical role in movements like running, jumping, and squatting. When done with proper form, leg extensions can also help define and sculpt the quads, making it a valuable addition to a well-rounded leg day routine.

Aaaaaand to be quite honest, it's one of the best exercises to watch your muscles in action!

If weight loss is our reason for hiring a personal trainer, this exercise would be considered effective when my client is seeing improvements in overall leg shape. The weight loss falls somewhere in the middle.

Is it measurable? Let's use the leg extension again as an example. We can consider the leg extension measurable in its effectiveness when weight loads are increased safely. That's our measuring tool, as well as pictures. Another big measuring stick is if the client's goal is weight loss, "how are your clothes fitting?"

I TRY to encourage my clients to take pictures. I don't need to see them.....until we have that inevitable chat surrounding how long it takes to see changes. Then we repeat the pictures and I show them comparisons. The end result is almost always positive! Sometimes we need that motivation of seeing changes to show up next time.

WHAT IF......

A few years back, I was strongly encouraging my sister to hire a personal trainer. She lived an hour away from me, otherwise I would have gladly kicked her booty. Sis had already completed a triathlon and several foot races, including 5k and further, so she wasn't a stranger to hard work. She bit the bullet to further progress her fitness, and it did not go well. She just did not click with her trainer. There were a few really poor business choices on the part of said trainer as well, but my sister and this trainer were not a good fit.

Well, well, well... Looks like even trainers have their off days! But fear not, my friend. There are plenty of fish in the sea... I mean, trainers in the gym! Keep calm and carry dumbbells!