(WFN) Want to get more power in your lift? More spin in your spinning? Bigger, stronger, more fit? Are you going to the gym or working out at home but disappointed with the results? Maybe it’s time to seek out some expert help and get yourself a personal trainer. Skilled and capable instructors are standing by and ready to help you achieve the fitness goals you desire. All you have to do is make the call.
Professional athletes, famous actors and actresses, corporate honchos and the beautiful people all have them. That doesn’t mean, however, that the average ‘Joe the Plumber’ can’t have one too. In fact, taking advantage of a personal trainer is not only a good investment; it doesn’t have to be expensive. With the amount of focus a personal trainer can bring to your fitness goals, hiring one may be the smartest value around.
What kind of trainer should you seek out? That depends on your needs and goals. The range of expertise and specialty are vast and therefore you should know beforehand what you want to achieve. Do you want to build a more sculpted look? Are you in training for an event such as a marathon or the Iditarod? Recovering from surgery? Are you ramping up to climb K-2? Or are you getting more fit so you can better tackle the enormous obstacles that await you every day when you get to your desk at 8:55AM?
Whatever your aims, a competent and enthusiastic personal trainer can make or break your workout. We are all unique and a personal trainer can enhance our lifestyle choices by helping us develop a greater physical condition and mental acuity. As stated on the website www.personaltrainer.net,
“A personal trainer will employ strategies aimed at overcoming any obstacle that could inhibit your approach towards attaining your personal goals. He or she can construct a regime based upon your own personal circumstances and lifestyle, aimed at making your training experience both enjoyable and beneficial.”
There are personal trainers for every sort of need: fitness trainers; bodybuilding experts; trainers for seniors; cancer patients; cardiac patients; HIV/AIDS sufferers; obese children; diabetics; stress management and weight loss specialists. The key again is to have a personal trainer design and adapt a program to fit your goals and current condition. A good trainer will assess his or her client to make sure that the routines prescribed are focused, goal oriented, appropriate and achievable.
“The first question I ask my client is “why do they need a trainer?” says New York City based personal trainer Barbara Jaffee, who happens to specialize in fitness for seniors. Barbara leads group classes at New York Sports Club and Club H but also does a lot of one-on-one personal training at her client’s home or gym. Barbara feels that if she understands their motives and their “issue” then she can best determine what the proper course of training will be.
The next thing she will determine is whether or not the client has a “certain amount of determination.” Are they willing to do the work and put in the time? If they are, than Barbara is ready to deliver on her part of the equation: enthusiasm, motivation and a real good time! “Fun is important” she says. “It keeps them coming back. I’ve had some clients for years. To properly evaluate her clients Barbara insists they commit to at least 3 sessions before she can design “something they can do that makes sense and is as much fun as possible.”
Diet is part of her approach as well as exercise. “Let’s say that someone has had surgery. Then I need to know what the problem is and what their specific needs are,” medically and mentally. A good deal of listening is involved so that she can really learn what the individual needs and attitudes are. After that, “everything is form! If they have good form and do the exercises correctly than I know they’ll have success and I’ll have done my job.”
The same goes for Harold Raschke-Robinson, a 16 year veteran trainer who works out of New York’s Chelsea Piers. “I listen to the individual and devise a program that best fits their needs. As they go along I tweak their program to insure they meet their long term goals.” But there must be a commitment. “Most come in with great expectations but are unwilling to make the time commitment.”
Mark Smith, a corporate executive from Athens, GA, praises the benefits of his personal trainer, Jason Argo for designing a program that helped him overcome a chronic back condition. “I was always very active. I played a lot of tennis, paddle tennis, and had run several 10Ks. I had a minor back injury that didn’t get handled right away and became a persistent problem.
After months of trying everything from painkillers to chiropractic care I had a talk with a doctor who suggested a set of exercises. While at my health club I met Jason who understood the diagnosis and took my doctors suggestions and developed a great one hour workout that encompassed all the stretches and exercises the doctor told me to do.
As I got stronger and healthier he was able to add to my program and my back problem has cleared up 100%, allowing me to do the things I really want to do. Without Jason I don’t think I would have had that kind of success.” The key, said Smith rather tongue-in-cheek, was having someone to guide him, encourage him and literally “watch my back.”
A personal trainer can be the difference between a casual work out and a great fitness plan. If you’re not getting all you think you can from your fitness routine than ask about a personal trainer at your gym or health club. Or ask your friends. A first hand personal recommendation is often the best way to find the right trainer for you.