With interest in Personal Training increasing The MANual interviews two from the field to find the do’s and don’ts of Personal Training.
Richie Bentley – Strength & Conditioning Coach at Notts CCC
Richie recommends beginning with cardio.
Why use a personal trainer?
Personal trainers are health and fitness professionals who are specially trained to help you achieve your fitness goals. You may choose to hire a personal trainer to help you lose weight, build muscle or increase endurance. Perhaps you just want to look and feel better. A personal trainer can help you set realistic goals and show you how to achieve them.
What type of training should a beginner do when starting out at the gym?
I would strongly recommend that cardiovascular exercise is done but the intensity and type of exercise is dependent upon the capabilities of the individual for example for somebody who has no previous experience of exercise they should start off with a low intensity exercise which will held build a foundation to move onto more intense exercise.
How long should a workout last?
To build muscle and get stronger you want to get to the gym hit it hard, stimulate size and strength gains, and then get out. That means no more than sixty minutes total, excluding warm up time. When you start training your body will naturally boost testosterone levels significantly higher than normal. This increased output peaks somewhere around a half hour into your workout. By taking blood samples of their athletes, sports science researchers found that at the 45-minute mark your testosterone levels are coming back down to baseline. And after sixty minutes your body will start to produce less testosterone and more cortisol, which is a hormone that eats muscle tissue and increases body fat storage. Obviously this is a scenario you want to avoid.
When can I expect to see results?
If you’re a beginner to working out, the first 6 weeks of your training program are very important even though you may not see significant results. These first 6 weeks are known as the “neuromuscular adaptation phase” and are characterized by an increased in muscular co-ordination and improved strength without a significant physical transformation, therefore you will not experience immediate results, just remember that the first 6 weeks lay the foundation. After that, the weight will start to fall off or the muscles development will start to be visible.
What are the most common mistakes in the gym?
The most common mistake I encounter is people not having a warm-up. Muscles don’t stretch or contract fully until warmed. Expecting them to do so without preparing them sets you up for tears and pulls. If you want to stay injury free, your body absolutely must warm up properly. Do something to gently increase the temperature of your muscles – walk a few minutes very easy on the treadmill or do a set of reps on the machines at a very low weight. The next common is Setting Unrealistic Goals For example If your goal is to be the next Bradley Wiggins, and you only have 30 minutes a day to train, how realistic is that? You need to set appropriate goals that start from where you are and progress at a reasonable rate, or you’re sure to get frustrated and quit.
What piece of advice would you give to somebody wanting to get fit?
Before starting in the gym you should set a goal. This will be crucial for the adherence of the programme because it will allow you to be able to monitor their progress towards that goal. This has important benefits both emotionally and psychologically which will help you achieve this goal. The thrill of achieving will spur you on to work harder on that next goal.
Nathan Walters – Personal Trainer at Bannatyne’s Health Club, Mansfield
Nathan believes you are never too old for a PT.
Why Personal Training?
Personal training can be used for many different reasons, whether you are training for a certain goal, need a training partner to push yourself or just need a reason to actually train. Personal training is not just about pumping weights or pounding the treadmill in the gym with someone shouting at you, it’s much more than that, personal trainers will improve your technique, give a variety of training that is tailored to your goals and provide professional advice on diet, nutrition and lifestyle.
Am I too old for a Personal Trainer?
You are never too old for personal training. It doesn’t matter how old you are personal training is for everyone, a personal trainer will devise a training and diet plan around your specific goals whether that is to compete in a bodybuilding competition or just to make the day easier to get through.
Do I have to be very fit in the first place?
No a high level of fitness is not a necessity when starting personal training, the personal trainer will talk to you about your goals then run several tests on you that test different aspects of your fitness before you start so that you can start at a manageable level and then build from there, so there is no worry you will be asked to do anything that is completely out of your capabilities.
How often should I train?
This depends on your goals and the time spent training per day, the standard is 3-4 days per week which can be all spent with a personal trainer or some days just on your own following the programme set by them. As important as it is to train, it is as important to rest, rest days give the body a chance to recover and adapt to the training done.
When can I expect to see results?
Depending on your body’s ability to adapt to a change in your workouts it could be within two weeks, usually you can see and feel changes after around a month. The results will also not just be things you can see such as bigger or more toned muscles but also internally such as feeling less tired in the day, feeling happier through the release of endorphins via exercise and also how normal day to day activities feel easier.
Will I enjoy it?
You should do. This depends on the personal trainer really but maybe you won’t when your been pushed to work harder than you have in the past but when you start to feel and see the results you will be hooked and will start to enjoy your sessions. It’s also very important to build up a relationship with your personal trainer and when this has been done you will start to trust them and believe in what they are doing to help you reach your goals.
What’s the best piece of advice you can give to someone wanting to get fit?
It is imprtant when getting fit to build things up gradually while also pushing yourself to improve. That might sound like a contradicting statement but it’s a mistake a lot of people make, they start of really hammering themselves and end up losing all motivation or people achieve a certain milestone and decide to just stick at that, the problem with that is the body adapts very quickly and you will plateau if you don’t push yourself. The best way to do this is when you have reached a certain weight or distance increase it the next time till you can do then complete the new target then increase again. So, my best piece of advice would be to put mind over matter. Know your abilites and let your brain work with your braun to maximise your fitness programme.
