Now more than ever, keeping fit is recognized as the best way to ward off disease and the effects of aging. Keeping the body in tip-top shape ensures that the mind and spirit remain youthful as well. A vigorous, agile body can be considered not a luxury, but a fundamental obligation to yourself and your well-being.
That said, it is not always easy to begin an exercise program, nor if one has been hitting the gym religiously, to break out of training plateaus that hinder progress or induce boredom. This is where a personal fitness trainer can become—literally—your best friend.
I draw on my extensive experience as a professional educator and seasoned athlete to provide my clients
with effective, efficient and challenging workouts that ensure results. I make our time together lively,
informative and interesting.
Initially, my focus is on analyzing the current physical condition of my client. Our first session is a Fitness Assessment which allows me to evaluate body composition (muscle mass vs. fat), muscular imbalances (tight muscles vs. weak) and the overall condition of the cardiovascular system (heart and lungs). We also discuss fitness goals and aspirations, past inhibitors to fitness training, and ways to get past those roadblocks. I then devise a comprehensive program of core and balance training, flexibility training (stretching), resistance training, cardiovascular exercise and nutrition to achieve those goals.
The most significant advance in recent years in fitness training has been the elevation of the importance of core training. (In 2004 I attained a second certification, through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, largely to hone my expertise in this crucial aspect of training.) The core, the trunk of the body where all movement in the body originates, includes muscles that are fundamental to stabilizing the body during movement. Without a strong core, it is impossible to maximize size and strength in the extremities. A common misconception is that core = abdominals. While the abs are an important component, the core also includes the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, the glutes and the thoracic and cervical spine. I design core training programs that help clients develop stabilization, strength, power, muscular endurance and neuromuscular control.
Once the core systems are sufficiently conditioned, most of our time together is spent engaged in resistance (weightlifting) and flexibility (stretching) training. I adhere to the concept of “functional training”, another exciting advance in fitness training in the past decade or so. The concept behind functional training is to condition the body to perform tasks that it will need to perform in the client’s real world, whether that means completing a triathlon (athlete) or lifting a baby (grandmother). Where many “old school” programs miss the boat is training exclusively in a single plain of motion (for example, chest press) in a stable environment (to continue the example, lying on a flat bench). In the real world, you typically move in multiple planes of motion at once, often with the instability inherent in living in our 3D world.
So my training includes all muscle groups in all planes of motion; bodyweight exercises that can be performed anywhere; controlled unstable environments (for example, standing on one foot or lying on a stability ball); and a great deal of torso rotation. The best part is this type of training is that it is far more enjoyable than that old school training and in fact builds stronger bodies faster and more efficiently!
Muscle growth occurs when muscle fibers are pushed beyond what they are used to doing. This work causes tiny microscopic tears in the fibers, which are repaired by the body during periods of rest, leading to hypertrophy, or muscle growth.
What I aim for with each workout is a reasonable level of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) on the following day. This indicates that the muscle fibers reached a sufficient level of fatigue to break down, then grow. Note the difference between the immediate ache of a set (lactic acid build-up) and DOMS caused by micro-tears.
During the first month or two, we will typically do “full body” workouts, meaning we will work all body parts (including of course the core). After you have achieved a sufficient level of overall strength, I systematically change the muscle groups worked during a single session, for instance, combining chest and triceps on Monday of one week, and working chest and back (opposing muscle groups) on the same day the next week. The muscle groups worked are alternated to ensure adequate non-training days to allow for the tissue repair and building process that lead to stronger, larger muscles.
To ensure that an effective cycle of breakdown and repair continues to build muscle, I continuously vary the workouts of my clients. In fact, it is rare that we repeat verbatim a particular workout. I am a strong advocate of periodization, the prevailing trend in resistance training, in which workouts are continually modified to bolster hypertrophy. I follow the NASM guidelines for seven periodization phases, which I will discuss with you at our initial meeting.
The number of variables at our disposal is large and includes changes in the exercises performed or the order thereof; the level of instability (for instance standing on one foot or two, or lying on a stability ball); the amount of weight; number of repetitions; the range of motion; body alignment; bench angle; speed of execution, etc. I often tell my clients that one of my goals in life is to find new uses for existing equipment, and I have developed a number of exercises that I believe are particularly effective. You can view a number of these by visiting my exercise pages. In addition, I have become a strong advocate of body-weight exercises that require no equipment at all. For instance, the push-up, often overlooked and frequently performed incorrectly, is one of the best overall upper body exercises, with the added benefit of training the core and balance systems.To effectively overload the muscles, I also incorporate aggregate sets such as supersets (two or more sets performed for the same muscle group with minimal rest in between); compound sets (two or more sets performed for opposing muscle groups with minimal rest); and drop sets (a single exercise performed continuously as weight is removed as the muscle becomes fatigued.)
The point of all these variations is to "shock" the muscle into growth, with the added benefit of eliminating boredom and making each workout unique and interesting. And on the days that you go it alone, you'll be able to draw on this large range of exercises to devise your own workout.
Virtually all of my clients have made substantial gains using my techniques. My approach to fitness has been particularly potent for clients who have been working out on their own with little progress. Most come in saying that their routine isn't working. The fact that they use the word "routine" is a red flag because it implies stagnant, changeless workouts. It takes a bit of getting used to the concept of a novel workout every time we meet, but when the results become apparent in short order, they are sold.
Finally, I am a great motivator and provide continuous feedback and encouragement that will keep you coming to the gym and enjoying it. After all, it's not the destination but the journey that counts. In other words, to ensure success, one must enjoy the process (working out) as much as the results (a better body).
Whether your goal is bodybuilding, weight loss or increased flexibility, allow me to develop a robust program that will help you attain and maintain your goals.
