Personal Trainers

Me. But I'm biased

Transform wrote: »

if they start the workout with 5-10mins on the cross trainer or treadmill ask for your money back straight away

Why?

RidleyRider wrote: »

What good is it for you? Warm up for purpose not because you feel warmer after running on a treadmill.

Well I'm a novice but warm up on a crosstrainer for 7 mins. I then do my stretches and find I get a much deeper stretch than doing so from cold. So I'm curious to know why I should get rid of a trainer who gets me to warm up.

Transform wrote: »

if they start the workout with 5-10mins on the cross trainer or treadmill ask for your money back straight away

If I was trying to help someone lose a considerable amount of weight the first thing I would do is get them on the treadmill/cross trainer. Get them moving, get them burning calories and I would hop on the treadmill/cross trainer beside them and then we would discuss their goals etc and the different ways we would achieve them.

Just my opinion

RidleyRider wrote: »

Strength is a bigger fuel tank to burn calories.

If you have someone reasonably overweight, they're gonna be out of breathe quite fast from just moving more, never mind adding in talking:P

Plus, clients goals are private and although it might look clear that they want to lose weight, as a PT, it goes deeper than just 'Mary wants to lose a few stone'.

It seems as if you have just put your own goals on the imaginary client I made up, as his/her goal was to "lose a considerable amount of weight" and if you spend your first hour with this imaginary person teaching them how to deadlift/Squat/foam roll you may not see them ever again.

By considerable I meant an awful lot.

You have completely missed the point. I made up a hypothetical situation in which putting someone on a cardio machine as the first "exercise" they do is a good idea.

As a personal trainer you never have the luxury of

12 weeks down the line

you have one hour with a person who may never have stood in a gym before, who might be very restricted in the exercises they can actually preform and who might find a brisk walk a challenge.

The density, defined/sexy look people crave isn't from running on a treadmill. Show people what strength training can do and they'll be back to you saying 'I want to look like her/him'

Once again you are putting your goals on other peoiple, maybe this person's goal is to lose weight to help her chances of becoming pregnant? maybe he just wants to bring his grand children for a walk.

Look at Hanleys gym, there's zero cardio equipment in there and the people look awesome

Once again imposing your concept of success on clients.

Plus, if you want to do cardio, just do HIIT or a metcon. Save them the boredom of running endlessly on a treadmill.

Imagine someone in their 60's coming into you. Never been in a gym before but the doctor has recommended gym work to help maintain bone density and in the first hour you get them to do a metcon?

My original point was that if someone is seriously overweight I would get them walking on a treadmill while I make my introduction and go over the normal mandatory stuff you need to cover when you first meet someone such as diet and outlining goals etc, and I only made this point because transform said that would be a terrible thing to do.

I am all for resistance training/ mobility work and If I was a wizard and could make clients very motivated the second they walk in the door well then I might rethink things but in reality you might have one opportunity to make a person feel comfortable in their new surrounding and in their ability to succeed.

Now if the client I invented was a young man or woman bursting with energy and motivation then I wouldn't have them on the fecking treadmill but you never know who will walk in that door.............. could be a goblin

This is how we spent our Saturday night

Plus this is just my novice opinion and I am not a personal trainer so take it with a pinch of salt.

DonnaDarko09 wrote: »

Is it really that useless to go on the treadmill? I usually only spend 30 to 40 mins in gym and would usually warm up for 10 on treadmill or cross trainer then do weights for 20-30 mins. My goals are to just maintain some level of fitness and also weights for bone density. I would still be nearly out of breath after doing just 10 mins running! I realise I'm prob not pushing myself but I have to say as a former gymophobe I def feel better even for the half hour I just put in.

But you haven't warmed up for purpose. The object of a warm up is not just to get the heart pumping and get out of breath it is to get the muscles you are working that day moving at their full range to minimise injury potential.

A 5 minute walk on the treadmill doesn't get any muscle moving at full range. And transforms point is that you are not primed for the workout. This is just a poor generic warmup that does nothing to prevent injury.

It has nothing to do with losing weight or long term goals it is about getting ready for that day.

While a 5 min jog gets you out of breath it doesn't prime your joints and tendons or work on any temporary glitches that 5 minutes of dynamic stretching and "foam rolling" would do.

The best way to warm up your muscles before weights is to take your joints through their full range of motion trying to increase it and massage the muscle to find and destroy and knots and weak points before working the muscle through the motion you intend to load it.
Dynamic stretch movement . Roll the muscle. Then do a light version of your lift.

Even if your exercise is running on a treadmill you should still warm up your legs through their full range of motion before getting on the treadmill. If only to prepare you tendons and ensure a long and balanced stride.

If i went to a trainer who warmed me up for 5 mins just by using a treadmill and did nothing for range of motion and joint movement and muscle suppleness then I'd go elsewhere.

JJayoo wrote: »

You have completely missed the point. I made up a hypothetical situation in which putting someone on a cardio machine as the first "exercise" they do is a good idea.

As a personal trainer you never have the luxury of you have one hour with a person who may never have stood in a gym before, who might be very restricted in the exercises they can actually preform and who might find a brisk walk a challenge.



Once again you are putting your goals on other peoiple, maybe this person's goal is to lose weight to help her chances of becoming pregnant? maybe he just wants to bring his grand children for a walk.



Once again imposing your concept of success on clients.



Imagine someone in their 60's coming into you. Never been in a gym before but the doctor has recommended gym work to help maintain bone density and in the first hour you get them to do a metcon?

My original point was that if someone is seriously overweight I would get them walking on a treadmill while I make my introduction and go over the normal mandatory stuff you need to cover when you first meet someone such as diet and outlining goals etc, and I only made this point because transform said that would be a terrible thing to do.

I am all for resistance training/ mobility work and If I was a wizard and could make clients very motivated the second they walk in the door well then I might rethink things but in reality you might have one opportunity to make a person feel comfortable in their new surrounding and in their ability to succeed.

Now if the client I invented was a young man or woman bursting with energy and motivation then I wouldn't have them on the fecking treadmill but you never know who will walk in that door.............. could be a goblin

This is how we spent our Saturday night

Plus this is just my novice opinion and I am not a personal trainer so take it with a pinch of salt.

But putting them on a cardio machine first isn't a good idea. It's a bad idea. You have them on a treadmill running where they're already overweight and stomping x3 times their BW while you 'consult' them about there goals. They might not be able for that at all.

As a PT, generally you do have the luxury of in 12 weeks. IMO sticking them on a machine in public while you discuss things such as lifestyle, goals, injuries etc... is more likely not to see them back rather than sitting them down privately and going through the above and more. People lack self confidence and for the most part, will struggle to come to terms with the root of their obesity/weight gain.

They'll be screened to see where along the chain can you start them.

Regardless of the goal, the procedure is mostly the same. Resistance training, some form or cardio, diet. The first and latter being the most important IMO.

Re the person in their 60's running them ragged on the treadmill isn't going to help bone density, resistance training will.

But putting them on a cardio machine first isn't a good idea. It's a bad idea. You have them on a treadmill running where they're already overweight and stomping x3 times their BW while you 'consult' them about there goals. They might not be able for that at all.

If you disagree with me then that is 100% fine but please don't alter what I say in order to do it. I never mentioned running or stomping, I actually said someone

who might find a brisk walk a challenge.

As a PT, generally you do have the luxury of in 12 weeks

So the majority of people a trainer meets will sign up for 12 weeks? if so then great but in the situation I described you have one hour with the person.

Re the person in their 60's running them ragged on the treadmill isn't going to help bone density, resistance training will.

Once again I didn't say this