What to look for in a Personal Trainer (IMO)

Hi Everyone,

What another busy week! We have just started a couple of new programs at the gym which is always exciting. One is a Mums and Bubs Fitness class for mums who want to exercise and bring their babies along. The other is a Mind, Exercise and Nutrition program for kids who are overweight which i think is great as we have far too many obese or overweight kids in our country and education really is the key.

What I want to talk about today though is a little bit of a rant (I try not to do this too often lol) and also a little bit of advice IMO (in my opinion) for those people out there who may be looking for a trainer to help them but aren't exactly sure what they are looking for.

My number one rule when looking for anyone who considers themselves a professional at their career is make sure they "walk the walk" and don't just "talk the talk". That is, they have to practise what they preach. Would you book an appointment with a hairdresser who had an awful haircut? Would you eat at a restaurant where the chef didn't eat his own food yet told you it was delicious? Probably not.

In the same respect would you hire a personal trainer who told you they could help you lose weight, get fit, gain muscle but were overweight, possessed no muscle tone themselves or had a poor level of fitness? I don't know about you but my answer would definitely be NO.

In my experience as a personal trainer, a lot of people believe the job simply entails spending the hour or however long the session may be telling other people what to do in order to achieve their health and fitness goals. For some trainers this may be the case but for me personal training isn't a job it has slowly but surely become a lifestyle. I think at some point that is only natural.

As I have said in previous posts, i believe to be a great personal trainer you have to have walked in your clients shoes so to speak. This doesn't mean you have to have struggled with weight like I have but it means you have to have been pushed out of your comfort zone, felt the physical pain, struggled with the mental challenges. You have to have had a goal and stuck to it despite all these things, committed to something and not given in till the results have come.

Lets be honest your clients shouldn't really look fitter, stronger and healthier than you do because at the end of the day- how is it that you can push a person towards their goal but can't push yourself anywhere near as hard?

Another annoyance would have to be trainers who post things on Facebook of all places about eating ice cream and chocolate etc. Don't get me wrong yes we are human and I know I indulge occasionally but don't put it all over social media and then turn around and try and tell your clients they can't eat the same thing! You as the trainer are supposed to be an example, a role model, someone to look up to. Don't just preach- PRACTISE WHAT YOU PREACH!

My advice to people looking for a good trainer is not to just go on price, or how many clients they have, or how intense a session may be. While these are all important factors I recommend looking for a trainer who doesn't just talk about the lifestyle, someone who actually lives and breathes it. Look for someone who pushes themselves just as hard if not harder than they push you, someone who doesn't just talk about eating clean and its benefits but actually does it (and trust me you can tell who these people are.) The good news is that most personal trainers are just like this, they live the lifestyle and love it- it's not just a job it's a passion. But just be aware that unfortunately there are some out there who simply should not be in the profession.  

So there is my little rant/opinion on what to look for in a PT. As you guys know I take my job pretty seriously so hate to see people out there paying for trainers who are really not in it. If you are going to spend the money make it worth your while! In relation to this post I will be starting up a Facebook page very soon with pics of my own transformation (to prove I practise what I preach), plus links to this blog, motivational stuff, videos and more so watch this space!

Will try to get a fit FREAK up this week but as mentioned its been very crazy this week so if not this week next week for sure. In the meantime as always eat CLEAN, train MEAN and live LEAN :)
   

Managing an injury or serious illness

Hi Guys

Quick post today but nonetheless an important one. Sometimes unfortunately as much as we may try to look after our bodies, feed them well,train them hard and rest them, they do from time to time let us down with illness or injury.

I know myself that in times I have come down with a slight cold (very rare now due to my lifestyle) I have been frustrated and stubborn and continued to train in spite of it. However there is a difference between pushing through a slight cold (I’m usually lucky to shake it within a day) and trying to train through a serious injury or illness - A BIG DIFFERENCE.

Injuries or illness are more so than often a sign from our body that it needs a break, that you have pushed it to hard and that it needs time to recover so that it can come back and serve you better than ever.Injuries can also be a sign of poor technique, lack of stretching/adequate recovery time and so on.

WHATEVER the case may be, training through an injury or serious illness is not advisable by myself or im sure any doctor or health professional. If you’re sick or injured take a break, let your body rest and recover and listen to what it is trying to tell you. If you are worried about missing training and putting on weight, don’t be. Just be a little more cautious of what you are eating and when you are eating it and you should have no troubles staying on track with your goals or getting back into them when you recover. If you really want the goal that you are working towards then you will most likely be spurred on to work even harder when you get back in the gym.Setbacks happen, just don’t let your own pride create a longer setback by ignoring the signs of injury or illness.

This is a REALLY important one guys, our bodies are the one place we have to live so listen to them and look after them even if that means a few days off training (it won’t kill you I promise).

Until next time look after yourselves and eat CLEAN, trainMEAN (injury/illness free) and you will live LEAN (and longer!) :)

Fit FREAK of the week!

In the Health and Fitness industry one of the most important qualities to have is a positive attitude and a passion for what you do. I have chosen this week’s fit FREAK as she not only possesses both of these qualities,she lives and breathes fitness has a great body (has overcome a double hip reconstruction), successful business, and one of the things I also admire about her is that she writes which as you all know is an equal passion of mine to fitness!

 

PENNY LOMAS picked up her first dumbbell at just 14 years old using exercise as an escape. She credits the gym for where she taught herself the positive self-talk that she has carried into her adult life.

She first discovered the bodybuilding world in her early 20’s and as she describes it went from “being a girl who ‘worked out’ to a woman who ‘trained’”.

After competing in her first figure comp in 2009 she became hooked and quit her job as a Personal Assistant to pursue a career in Personal Training. Around the same time Penny found the fitness magazine “Oxygen” and loved it. She decided to make it her goal to be on the cover within 5 years. It took her just 6months to first grace the cover of the popular magazine and since then there’s been no looking back.

 

Penny underwent double hip reconstruction in 2011. For most people this would have been a major set-back and a struggle to come back from but not Penny. She was back on the stage within 9 months. Pure determination, focus and commitment (what I was discussing yesterday) was what got her there.

Penny trains on a split program and has done for the past few years training weights 4 days and incorporating HIIT 3-4 days a week aswell. She also loves sledding and will use this as a Sunday morning cardio session.

She describes her eating plan as “eating a lot and eating often” lol. Penny follows a diet similar to Paleo (high protein, high good fats low carb/no dairy). She eats a lot of meat, veg, salads, and good fats such as coconut butter/flaxseed oil. She also follows a gluten free lifestyle. Penny says that her diet has taken many adjustments to find what works for her and like me believes there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to dieting.

Penny now runs her own personal training business located in Melbourne specialising in nutrition, hormone coaching and body transformation.She is also a Biosignature modulation practioner, pilates instructor, fitness model and athlete as well a health and well being writer and a proud ambassador of Oxygen magazine.

You can find out more about her or read some of her great pieces at www.pennylomas.com.au.

 

 

 

You only get OUT what you put IN

One of the things I see frequently being in the gym everyday is what I like to call the self-assuring gym goers. By this I mean those people who may come in and walk on the treadmill slowly for 15-20 mins, get off, do some sets on machine weights (more than often with no sense of what they are doing) then do some core work (because of course this is how you get a flatstomach and killer abs). They then trot along home ASSURING themselves that they are going to reach their goal of a killer body just because “they go to the gym” oh and “they eat pretty healthy too.”

It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest when 6 months down the track they have seen no changes to their physique, I mean have they really put in 100% effort? If they were honest with themselves are they really eating all that healthy? Probably not or they would be seeing some kind of result by now.

Being a trainer it is obviously my job to help people reach their goals no matter what they are. But it drives me mad to no end that some people seem to think I have a magic little wand to wave and give them a dream body (complete with those killer abs).  

I design sessions to challenge a person and in order to meet their goals but I can’t do the work for them. That’s where your will to CHANGE has to kick in and make you work for it. Most of the time people with a trainer(a good trainer that is) will achieve results but if they don’t always get there is it going to be the trainers fault? Yes the trainer designs the session,and is there to motivate their client through it and in my case will often joinin through the hardest parts to help the client through. BUT the trainer isn’t the one doing the work. The trainer isn’t the one who has to watch what theyeat as well in order to meet their goals. The trainer isn’t the one who has to put in extra sessions OUTSIDE of PT or Bootcamp if they really want to get somewhere. Why? Because that’s YOUR JOB.

As I always say at the end of the day it’s your own goal and nobody can achieve it but YOU. Trainers can motivate you, offer you guidance and advice, put in hard sessions with you, family and friends can support you but at the end of the day YOU have to do the work. YOU have to want it bad enough to be willing to commit, make some sacrifices and basically do whatever it takes to get there.

I will make the point of saying that of course no trainer is perfect and sometimes we need feedback in order to help you. If you don’t find the session challenging or it isn’t working towards your specific goals then speak up, we have a lot of qualifications but I know I for one am still yet to perfect mind reading.

So this week I’m asking everyone to be honest with themselves. If you aren’t where you would like to be then ask yourself why? Is it that your trainer has been slacking off? Is it that your best friend keeps encouraging you to eat cake and drink wine on the weekends? Or is it because you haven’t been as committed to your goal as you would like? Whatever the answer make sure that something changes because without that honesty within yourself you will struggle to reach your goal.

Fit FREAK will be posted tomorrow. In the meantime eat CLEAN, train MEAN, and keep on living LEAN ;)

Fit FREAK's of the week!

So it turns out I was lucky in the fact that due to the topic of this weeks fit FREAK being "aesthetic male bodies" a short bout of research found that simplyshredded.com had done all the work for me!

If you follow the below link http://www.simplyshredded.com/inspirational-physiques-10-of-the-most-shredded-guys-featured-on-simplyshredded-com-part-1.html you can check out what simply shredded have rated as the top 10 most aesthetic physiques to hit their website and guess what?They all train legs! Shocking huh! Lol

It features the likes of Greg Plitt, Obi Obidake, Rob Riches and Julian Greaux just to name a few. All with shredded physiques that show off a lot of hard training and clean eating. For the guys it's a good place to find some training tips reading the interviews and following the web links and for the girls well basically you can just have a good perve at these finely sculptured bodies ;) Enjoy!

Half man half chicken?

Today while I was up in the gym training a client, a guy sat across the room on the Lat pulldown machine. My client was resting between sets so I watched this guy perform a few reps, noticing he had very good technique not to mention impressive definition throughout his back, chest and shoulders.Then he stood up, and I saw that it all went downhill from his waist line. His shorts swam on his barely-there quads which have obviously never done a leg press, his ass was so flat he clearly hasn’t heard of a squat and I could have wrapped my thumb and forefinger around his ankle.

Sounding pretty harsh? Maybe. But one of my biggest pet hates in the gym is the “every day is upper body day bros”. You know the guys-they come to the gym and “wanna get big and ripped” but train arms, chest or back repeatedly and somehow fail to see how the lower half of their body needs to be paid some attention too.

Sorry guys but in my opinion (and I’m quite positive many others would agree) nothing is less attractive than having a beast upper body and looking down to see legs resembling those of a chicken. It looks nothing but unproportional and just plain ridiculous.

I once had a guy tell me (whilst I was training legs) that he didn’t train legs “Cause its hard”. I thought to myself, is it really that much harder than training your upper body? I train on a 5 day split and yep it all gets hard sometimes no matter what muscle group is targeted, but that isn’t going to be my excuse to skip a whole section of my body. It’s hard? I felt like telling him maybe he needed something HARD to HARDen up!

Wanna get big? Wanna get shredded? Wanna be a bodybuilder?Then allow me to let you in on a little secret… YOU HAVE TO TRAIN YOUR LOWER BODY TOO. The term body building refers to your whole body, not just half of it. You can’t be half man, half chicken. Well not unless you wanna look completely stupid. Aesthetics plays a big role in males going to the gym these days but you look at the most aesthetic guys out there and they have reached that stage because they train each part of their body as an equal. They hold complete proportion and to put it plainly they look damn good!

Nobody’s saying you have to get quads the size of Phil Green or big Ronnie Coleman but come on give them some love and attention at least!

Anyway that’s my rant for the week lol. In keeping with this theme Fit FREAK this week will be someone showing off an aesthetically pleasing body just to prove the point here.

In the meantime continue to eat CLEAN, train MEAN and liveLEAN and guys - give the chickens back their legs and grow some real ones!

 

 

  

The importance of eating before you train

Hi Everyone, hope we have all had a good week training hard,eating clean and (after last week) keeping our ego in check whilst in the gym;)

I have recently started a new session of Bootcamp and with this 8 wk program I am also running a nutrition component. Basically I have gotten all the girls involved to keep a food diary and each week we have 45-60minute session addressing problems and giving them better guidance so that they can reach their full potential in their goals :)

We had our first session this week and during the session whilst the girls were posing questions I was again reminded just how much uncertainty there is when it comes to good nutrition and the “right” things to do. One of the issues that came up was eating before they come to Bootcamp(6am) of a morning. It was interesting for me to discover that not one of them ate before they come and trained for that hour on an empty stomach, only to eat when they had breakfast after.

It was there I decided that even though I have discussed fuelling your body to train before that maybe I needed to re-iterate its importance.

I know it can be difficult for some people to stomach food at such an early hour of the morning but no matter what time of day you train your body still needs the right fuel to do so, otherwise you won't be able to perform at your full potential nor will you reap the full benefits of the session. Our bodies work much like a car. Your car isn’t going to run efficiently if you don’t continue to put petrol in it is it? No. Similarly if we don’t put food “fuel” in our bodies we are not going to be able to function efficiently in the gym.

Before doing any kind of strength or high intensity cardio(bootcamp contains both) you need to be consuming some form of carbohydrate and protein. Why? The carbohydrate gives your body the energy it needs to perform as carbohydrates are the easiest of the 3 nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) to break down into energy form. The protein will help to build and repair the muscle which is essential when strength training.

Some people think that if they don’t eat then it will be better as the body will use their excess fat as energy and they will lose weight. THIS IS NOT TRUE! Yes your body will use some of your fat stores but fat is harder to break down then carbohydrates and once the body uses what it can it will start to try and break down protein stores in the body which results in the loss of lean muscle. Not something we want! The best idea for fat burn is light to moderate cardioon an empty stomach when your first wake up and this is something that I have incorporated into my daily routine.

Now depending how long before you train you are eating will also depend on what is best to eat. As I have mentioned before I am someone who usually trains fairly early and therefore I need something that is prettyeasily digested before I train so that I don’t have to get up even earlier.Bananas are a great source of energy for early morning sessions as they are easily broken down (a simple carbohydrate). I usually have just half a banana,a few strawberries (while in season) and some yoghurt for a source of protein.  This is something simple, not too filling, yet enough to give me energy within 20-30 mins to carry out a hard session.

I will admit that in the past I used to be a culprit of training on an empty stomach. Now that I have started eating before a weights session and have noticed the difference it makes in my performance and results there is no way I would go back. For someone who also once found it hard to eat so early my body has now adjusted (in the amazing way our bodies do) to accommodate this new routine.

So even if it means getting up 10 mins earlier and justeating half a banana and a few spoons of yoghurt or even just half a banana,don’t miss out on reaching your full potential. Give your body the fuel it needs to perform and watch the changes unravel.

Eat CLEAN, train MEAN, live LEAN :)