By Lisa Leath Turpin, Health and Wellness Coach
Lack of motivation, discipline and lack of knowledge are huge hurdles when it comes to working out and keeping yourself healthy, balanced and strong. You have only one body and how you handle it influences your quality of life for now and the time you have left.
A personal trainer is someone who has studied and devoted themselves to learning about the physiology of the body, i.e. how it works, kinesiology, which is the physics of movement, as well as utilizing human behavior modification, including basic nutrition. A good trainer combines all these aspects and looks at everyone INDIVIDUALLY. Everyone is a little different, but with a trainer’s knowledge, individual plans can be made with on-going evaluation, and therefore goals are reached more quickly and safely. Personal Trainers are experts in training the body so as to make the most of the time spent for a variety of personal goals people might have.
The body is intricate. Motions done incorrectly can affect you for life. For instance, a strong back is so very important. Muscularly, it is your second largest muscle group (group being the operative word) in your body. It’s comprised of your trapezius, latissimus, rhomboids and the important erector muscles. Each one of these muscles play their role in supporting the spine and holding us upright. Keeping a healthy and balanced back means to work these muscles in the way they are intended. Pulling exercises work the back. Examples are rowing or pulling yourself up in a pull-up (or pull-down if you have a machine). There are numerous exercises to choose from, but what is important is keeping it safe. Range of motion, speed of movements, and knowing how to stabilize your positions are extremely important. Full range of motion is more safely achieved when your speed of movement is slow and controlled, otherwise you will have semi-spastic movement which leads to injury, either over time, or during a single workout. Moving slow and controlled recruits more muscle instead of working joints and ligaments. The goal of exercising is to work your muscles with little to no damage to joints, tendons and ligaments.
Sometimes in sports you have to train with very quick and explosive movements. This type of training is called sports specific training. Sports specific has its place for competitive athletes or certain individual goals, and is monitored closely by trainers and coaches. This means that there is a place for that training, but the risks go up; those that choose certain sports weigh the risk to play the sport. It’s good to change speeds, WITH proper progression, when your body is ready for it. Strength + Speed = POWER. That is a true formula, but it has limitations— and those limitations are an individual thing.
Types of personal training sessions are: one-on-one sessions, partner sessions (two people), and small group training, which I like to have between three to six people. There are benefits to each. One-on-one gives undivided attention. It’s tailored to you and you alone. These are called private sessions and are the most expensive, because they are more focused and exclusive. Partner training breaks the fee in half for each individual and gives you a partner to share the workout with. Small group training is still exclusive and trainers are still able to tailor, but the group’s goals have to be somewhat similar. So, this works very well with basic fitness goals and staying healthy, and most LOVE the comradery.
All types of training keep you on track and consistent. Group training is a great way to keep costs down and still get individual attention. The trainer designs the workout, watches and teaches proper movement, and motivates everyone to complete and stay consistent weekly. Training can be done on the beach, in-home or in a private facility. If you have questions or would like to inquire about hiring me as your personal trainer, feel free to TEXT at (850) 974-2005 and I’ll give you a call with more details. It’s my passion to help educate others using my Sports Fitness Management degree and educational training for more than 25 years.
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