I mentioned in my intro that I tend to shy away from some of the typical habits of personal trainers. For example, there are some trainers out there who tend not to teach their clients too much. The theory is that the more the client learns, the less likely the client will stay on for a long period of time. What happens then? The client leaves and the trainer loses that income.
On the other hand, another habit I follow that many of my colleagues do not agree with is I believe after a series of sessions (it could be 8 sessions it could be 24+ sessions) YOU, my client should be made to train on your own for at least 2 weeks.
Why? Because I need to know that you learned something during our training sessions. And that, heaven forbid something happens to me, you will be left in capable hands. I want to know what you have retained, where you struggle, what you may like and what you definitely won’t do unless I am breathing down your neck.
For some trainers, it is difficult to cut the cord. It’s much like a parent sending a child off to college. I am confident that if you have done your job as a parent, then the student will march off to college with ease. If you did not prepare your young adult for the rigors of the outside world and college life, it is probably torture for both parties.
Some trainers are not secure enough to make their client prove that he or she has learned something. Other times, it is simply that the trainer can’t do without the income.
FYI- FOR ALL MY READERS … If you are training with a trainer who simply cannot do without the income, then they are the Wrong Trainer for YOU. Your trainer should have a waiting list a mile long and no space to fit everyone into the schedule. If your trainer is not in demand, then you need to ask why.
Another trait that many in personal training tend to lean towards has to do with the client’s first few visits. I have heard horror story after horror story of trainers who make the client so sore after the first session that brushing teeth is a truly painful experience. I have many suspicions as to why this happens. But it really is not necessary.
Let me make something very clear however…
If I have you as a new client, and you are truly new to fitness, there is a certain amount of soreness that comes with the territory. I really do not feel like I have done my job for my clients, or even in my own workouts for that matter, if I do not feel a little tight and sore the next day. It is a necessary evil in the morning and even after months of working out, it is like a badge of honor.
So in short, feeling your muscles when you sit down to use the rest room is good. But feeling as if you need a visit to the Emergency Room is bad. Got it??
This leads to what my clients are doing now. They are doing what I call the Base Workout. This is the “getting back into the program workout” that I put all my clients through after a break. This is to ensure they are ready to get back into a program, to make sure there are no imbalances that have crept up from lack of training, stretching or an old injury. I want to know that you and all my clients are ready to get back into an interval training program that will ensure you are ready to take off pounds of fat and put on lean muscle mass.
So what is the program??
It’s simple. Follow this simple training program and you will feel a little bit sore after the first few workouts. But by the end of week two, you are no longer sore. You are ready to go for it.
This routine is also perfect if you’ve procrastinated on starting any work out program.
If that is the case, get off your tail and get moving now. Think of how great you’ll feel by Thanksgiving knowing you have shed 10-20 pounds of fat and you are going into the holidays healthy and happy instead of frumpy and miserable.
Trust me, this routine is easy. If for some reason you cannot think of moves to insert into the program, go to the newsletter archives and you will get tons of ideas.
Have fun and see you in 14 days!
Interval Days
* Warm-up by walking for 7- 10 minutes
Now do a series of intervals that follows the guidelines below.
* Do each exercise for 12 reps then move on to the next exercise in the interval without stopping. As soon as you have gone through the interval, repeat the exercises in that interval without stopping until you have done the routine 2x. It should take about 4-6 minutes.
* Then take a 2 minute rest and do the next interval. You should be done with all the intervals in
35 -45 minutes.
1. Lower body move (ex. squats, walking lunges, leg extensions, leg press)
2. Upper body move (ex. push ups, back rows, overhead press, dips, bicep curls)
3. Core move (ex. Crunches, bridge, plank, ball crunches, reverse crunch)
4. Cardio move (do this for 1 minute instead of 12 reps) (ex. jump rope, step up, jog in place, stairs, stationary bike)
Remember: Go through the interval series 2 times without stopping and do 4-5 intervals. Then stretch.
This is done 3 days a week (ex. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday)
For 2 days a week (ex. Tuesday and Thursday), go for a 30 minute walk.
* Start off with a 7 minute warm up
* Now do 6-10 intervals consisting of 90 seconds of walking and 30 seconds of jogging/running.
* Finish with a 5 minute cool down and stretch.
There it is folks, your base workout. You should be sore for the first few workouts. Then you will be feeling energized and strong after working out. Once you have done this workout six to ten times, you should resume your normal training. And you will feel like you never missed a beat!
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