Personal trainers have to somehow connect to their clients. Some do it through loud onslaughts of inspiration. Others, like Tasha, lead by example. See, she wasn't always the healthy, fit beauty you see in the header. She endured years of the fat battle. When she finally defeated her negative self, she sought to share her success with others.
Don't mistake this Canadian princess for the storybook belle. She worked hard to insure her own success. She works just as hard for her clients. The time for change comes to everyone. The question is whether or not you will make that choice. When, or if, you do, a great trainer can guide you to your goals.
After fighting years of depression and body image, I decided to make a change to get my life and happiness back. I began my journey to get healthy. Once I accomplished my weight loss goal, I decided to become a trainer and have since started fitness modeling.
Three years after getting to my weight loss goal I became a trainer so I could help people to never feel like I used to. I show them they can be happy and love their bodies.
I alter it to the individual. I don't often do "boot camp" style training. I like to give a workout that's hard, but doesn't make them dread coming to the next session, especially since most are beginners. I push each client to where I know they're comfortable and get results at the same time.
I've seen so many of my clients transform into different people, even in the way they walk. I have seen them reduce chronic pain, medications, insomnia, lack of energy, you name it. I have clients who have lost more than 100 pounds and are now running marathons. I also have clients who have now become personal trainers also and are inspiring others and teaching them what I first helped them do.
I treat each person individually and make programs specific to them. For nutrition, we sit down and they tell me their favorite foods. I will show them how they can work those foods into six small meals in a healthy way (with moderation of comfort foods) and still get the results they want. I give my clients training routines and homework if they don't come on a regular basis. Sessions usually consist of a full-body workout with resistance training plus high intensity cardio and plyometric intervals. I find this gives them the best bang for their buck.
Not knowing how to eat properly. Often clients come to me saying they've tried everything a million times, but they weren't doing it properly. The go-to mistake of under-eating for a couple days, and then falling off the wagon is common.
Thinking you can communicate with every person the same way. What works for one person, will not necessarily work for the next. Some need tough love; some are already way too hard on themselves and need a softer approach.
I give them the tools to be able to make their own diet plan. I show them how to work with all the foods they like so they know what to do without me. I write out routines for them to do when we're not training together.
Very much so! But, I love it. I love to hear about their lives as we go on. Personal training has so much to do with a mental state of mind that it would be silly to ignore the psychological part. I try to help them better themselves in every way possible: family, career, and love. If that means just listening, then so be it.
We schedule bi-weekly weigh-ins and monthly measurements. We set mini- and long-term goals. I also lead by example. I remind them of all the great things to come. There are millions of ways to keep them motivated.
Not really, again it depends on the end goal. I train people who want to gain weight and mass the same, regardless of the sex. The same goes for weight loss. It's the same methods with adjusted calories and weights.
No, because what I have always done, has always worked. Of course I learn more every year about myself and my profession. That makes me a better trainer.
I basically just get to know them. I ask about their life and what they want out of a trainer. I can assess their fitness levels as we go and adjust accordingly.
I don't prefer one or the other, but I do find I have a special bond with women. I feel I'm on a team with them and we all need to stick together and support each other. People of the same sex can often relate to each other on another level, but opposites can work too!