It has been said that us British are not very good at blowing our own horn, in a manner of speaking.
Which got me to thinking about the services I offer - it's one thing to put up a list of what I include in my services with a line or two about the benefits to you. It's another to show you a little bit of what is on offer so you can see the resources I have built up to help you towards your goal. You see, when you invest in my personal training services, I offer more than just personal training sessions with some nutritional chat thrown in. In this post, I wanted to give you an idea of what I offer in my private Facebook group, along with a few photos. For all personal training packages, you are given access to this group for the duration. - You need ideas for what to eat? I have at least 300 recipes all grouped together for your convenience along with lists to help you sort food into macros. - You worry about what to do when you travel? when you're going out for a meal or to a party? I have a guide with tips and trick in the VIP group - You struggle with getting your mindset into the right frame for achieving your goals? I have a guide for that too with tips and tasks for you in the VIP group - You feel tight and would like ideas for short mobility routines you can put together? Guess what, I have a guide for that in the VIP group too! - Looking for help or ideas for something and it isn't in the group - you can ask me and I'll get to work researching it and put the information together for you! (Put me to work!) - The VIP group also contains my nutritional coaching units - each comes with information or a PDF of tasks to follow to help you through the unit - Get stuck on a habit, come and ask me!
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When you hear the term "assessment" in a fitness setting do you instantly recall the horror of doing a bleep test at school and trying not to throw up in front of your class? Maybe you think it's more army based - how many press ups, sit ups and pull ups can you do in 2 minutes along with running 1.5 miles in less than a set time? Maybe you think it's sitting down and talking about your medical history whilst someone furiously scribbles away on a sheet on paper? (I kinda do this) Maybe you think it's all a waste of time and you should just get on with it in the gym... A few things to consider: 1) Everyone is different - some can overhead press, some can't. Some can squat all the way down to the floor, some can't. 2) You shouldn't try to force range of motion of an exercise if your joint anatomy won't let you because... see next point 3) I've worked with a number of people with shoulder, knee, hip and low back issues because they were blindly doing certain exercises that weren't right for them. Over time the joints take a beating until something gives way. If you cannot do an overhead shoulder flexion pain free and without compensating in the lower back, you might not be ready for overhead pressing. Where to start When you hire a personal trainer, a fitness assessment is an important part of the initial process. It may not be the sexiest thing in the world yet a properly conducted assessment can be a useful tool to helping you achieve your fitness goals in the best way possible. Even if you do not want to hire the trainer for sessions, going through an assessment can provide valuable insights to help you. Side note: If you sit down with a trainer and they do not go through at least some of these, maybe look elsewhere. What is in an assessment? Trainers approach assessments in different ways and for me they should cover the following in some way: - Medical Screen / PAR-Q. This is a basic health questionnaire that goes through the major red flags - do you have chest pains / dizziness / joint issues / pregnant / medical conditions etc. This tells the trainer what they may need to be aware of when putting you through a program / workouts. It may also flag up issues you weren't aware of and may need to get checked out. It wouldn't be the first time I've had a conversation like this: Me: "So you've ticked you experience chest pains when not exercising. Do you know what caused this or have you seen a doctor about it?" Person: "Not a clue and I didn't go to the doctors" Me: "Ok, well before I can put you through any exercise I need you to see the doctor first and provide a note stating you're cleared to exercise. - Movement assessment. These can be straightforward with little need to go way over the top in-depth "Hmm, your big toe points inwards 3 degrees more than normal". The underlying principle is to look at how different joints move by themselves and /or as part of an exercise pattern - is it within an acceptable range? Is there a difference between what you can passively do (someone moving a joint into a position) versus what you can actively do (you trying to get your joint in the same position)? Is there any pain with those movements? Are you able to do basic squat, lunge and hip hinge patterns? Are you flexible like a wet noodle or like an iron bar? Information like that can shape the individualised service to you and help to build your warm ups and workout programs whilst keeping you pain free. For example three of the biggest issues I see when running someone through an assessment are: 1) They shouldn't really do any straight overhead work right now such as barbell shoulder presses. Landmine shoulder presses may be a friendlier version. 2) Foot positions have a dramatic effect on the look and feel of doing squats. I've recently helped two people to reduce / remove hip pain when squatting, simply by altering their foot stance. 3) Hip hinge patterns need a lot of work (the way the hips and spine move during exercises such as Romanian Deadlifts and Kettlebell Swings. When I see other trainers neglecting these basics, I cry a little on the inside. Some people should squat with toes forward, some with toes out, some with one foot facing forward one pointing out. A good assessment will help to determine this.
- You, You, You I go through a series of questions to give an insight to your training experience, level of knowledge, likes , dislikes, availability, whether you prefer cats or dogs, and outside activities. The idea is that these questions are used to further build your workouts to make them as suitable to you as possible. It's like working to meet you where you're at: Person: "So how many times a week should I come to the gym?" Me: "How many times do you think you can get here?" Person: "Every day!!!!!" Me: "Ok, how many times do you realistically think you can get here?" Person: "2 times definitely, 3 times at a push" Another example: I've had people tell me they absolutely cannot stand mountain climbers and love doing lunges. So guess what I'm going to leave out of their programs and what I'm going to put more of in? Even the time of day makes a big difference to a training program. Have you ever visited commercial gym at 7 o'clock in the morning compared to 6 o'clock in the evening? Good luck getting on the cable machines and benches. - Cardio This can be important depending on client goals. For example if you're going in the military / police / prisons (officer not prisoner), you need to be able to beat a set distance within the given time and it needs focus. I deal with a lot of general population clients so cardio assessments do not need to be as detailed. That said, there is a general formula for maximum heart rate and % based training is given from this i.e. "work at 60% of your maximum heart rate". The formula is 220 - Age = Max Heart Rate This is pretty dated and there are more accurate methods and formulas available to help you work to a more suitable level so you're not selling yourself short in the gym. To summarise, assessments can be a highly useful (if not often overlooked) tool to individualise workouts to your specific needs, abilities and restrictions. They can help to identify issues and work around them to keep you training hard in the gym in a safe manner. The assessments themselves can be tailored to the person as well. I.e. a 30 year old mum wanting to lose weight and get stronger would have a slightly different assessment to a professional athlete who would have a slightly different assessment to someone training to get into the army or police force. Along with tight adductors (see last week's post), many people also have tight thigh muscles. Unfortunately, they either get the token 5 second stretch or aren't stretched properly at all. If you have been neglecting these stretches, go easy on this one for a start as you will likely find your legs a lot tighter than you thought for. If you are office based or spend a lot of your time sitting then I would recommend using this exercise as part of your warm up. I would also recommend putting some cushioning underneath the knee as hard floors are quite unforgiving. Key Points
Another one of my top mobility exercises (seems I'm giving all my 'secrets' away). I like this one as many people have tight adductors aka inner thigh muscles. Which is understandable as most daily life and activities don't involve them needing to be worked or stretched out. If the muscles are really tight then this can contribute to low back pain in some situations. Stretching them out and mobilising them before a workout can help improve range of motion, helping you to get more out of the leg exercises. Key Points
Another mobility favourite of mine that ends up in a lot of client workouts. The chest and shoulder muscles are usually tight for a lot of people so this ends up being one of those exercises that looks easy but can be tough to begin with. I would also recommend starting with a lighter band as this has a bit more stretch to it which can be kinder to the shoulders. The exercise can also be done with a bar although I find holding the bar can be uncomfortable on people's wrists - where you don't get that with the bands. Key Points
Many people have tight lat muscles - the muscles that run down either side of your back I picked this mobility drill / stretch up from Dean Somerset and it gives them a good stretch making it great to do as part of a warm up. This exercise can be performed facing the wall or standing sideways. Both versions will stretch out the back muscles slightly differently. Key Points
Bench presses - both dumbbell and barbell - work the chest muscles but not always to the extent you would think. Especially if your shoulders and triceps have a tendency to overpower the chest muscles. This is where an exercise like a squeeze press would be a great addition to your workouts. The chest muscles are worked when adduction takes place (the arm moves closer to the mid-line of the body). By squeezing two dumbbells together it puts the chest in constant adduction throughout the exercise. If you want a quick demo of how this would feel - place your hands together in front of you and squeeze them hard. You should feel your chest muscles kicking in. Key Points
These are one of my favourite triceps exercises as they force the triceps to do a lot more work than the equivalent dumbbell or barbell versions you see many people do. At the top of the movement, a dumbbell or barbell would "sit" directly down onto the arms so the triceps would get a momentary rest. Due to the position of the kettlebells, this means the weight is constantly engaging the triceps muscles to stop the arm bending. Therefore working the muscles harder. Key Points
It's all too common to see people using momentum or half reps when bicep curling. Partial reps can have a place in a workout. However, if you're doing it all the time.. That's not partials, that's ego lifting. The deadstop variation can be an ego killer if you're not used to it as a lighter than normal weight will be required. However, I've seen people improve their arms by lifting that little bit lighter and going for a greater range of motion. Key Points
21's are traditionally done by performing the bottom half of a bicep curl (7 reps), then the top half (7 reps) and then the full reps (7). This is a one way to switch it up to give the muscles a new stimulus: You start by performing the full 7 reps first. Then complete 7 half reps from the bottom. Then finish off with 7 half reps to the top. And whilst these are called "21's".... because of the 7,7,7 reps - there is no reason why they cannot be done with other rep schemes. For example, if you want to do 5, 5 and 5. Or 10, 10 and 10... there's nothing stopping you. Key Points
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AuthorThis is my, mostly, Personal Trainer musings and information which I hope you'll find helpful! Archives
May 2021
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