A year ago I wrote an article “How to lose 25 kg and have a perfect body at 40”. This is the story of my friend Anna Bryukhanova, who was able to improve her health by changing her lifestyle, primarily through strength training. Now Anya is my personal advisor in matters of physical activity and – often – nutrition. Today I want to share her personal training recommendations. Here is what Anya advises for those who want to work with an individual trainer:
“Everything written below is my personal opinion based on 7 years of experience of regular visits to a fitness club, for at least 6 years out of these 7 I train with a personal trainer 3 times a week and twice on my own. Also, I certainly watch the other coaches in my club and follow the progress of their clients.
If you have just started training and you are seriously focused on the result, then yes, you need a coach, at least for the first time. Finding the perfect coach is very difficult. This can take years. This is MY opinion and MY experience. But the questions of how to find a coach arise all the time.
I see it like this:
Your coach should know all your sores, small and large, the history of your previous classes, if any. Details of how you gained weight as you were when you were 20. Details of your family history with regard to illness and weight. Details of past and present drug use. Details of your minor and major injuries. He may suspect you have a health problem and recommend what you need to check with your doctor.
Under no circumstances can a coach tell you: you cannot.
He should explain to you that it will be difficult and why in your particular case it will be difficult and will require additional effort. Ask if you are willing to put in the effort and if the game is worth the candle.
Hearing an affirmative answer, he must say: let’s try.
If a trainer tells you about age, about nature, about genetics that makes you fat, that there is no trick against scrap, you cannot argue with nature, find another trainer who will understand you and say – this is difficult, but let’s try.
The trainer must know at least theoretically about extreme types of preparation, training and nutrition for getting rid of fat or for gaining muscle mass, must be familiar with sports nutrition and supplements. I am obliged to know this at least in order to warn the client about the risks, side effects, etc. Must! He must be able to adjust your diet in accordance with your goals. Your nutrition is 70% (if not more) of success.
A coach cannot simply “sell” you training, he must be interested in your result, of course, based on the fact that you are ready to make efforts, he must evaluate and explain to you what kind of efforts – moderate or extreme, you will face, based on your data. To do this, he must be able to objectively evaluate your data.
Don’t blindly trust certificates, see if your coach has a brain and can think of them.
If you explained your goals to the coach, and he continues to snatch you newfangled trends in the fitness industry, a lecture about which he recently listened to, and this goes against your goals – refuse to do what you do not like. Exercise should not only make you stronger and healthier, you should like it, you should receive strength and energy from it. Your mood should improve. You have to get involved in it. You should, if not look forward to the next workout, then at least not crawl to the club from under the stick.
The coach should not yell at you foaming at the mouth: come on, press, more, etc. You can kill such a dumbbell trainer right away. Let it stand calmly, look closely at your technique, correct it, not be distracted around and insure !!! You must feel his presence and be confident in this insurance!
Educate yourself! See, seek, read, think. This is your body and it is up to you to decide how it should be. THIS IS YOUR CHOICE! A coach should help you achieve your goals without causing harm and reducing the risks that are always there and with any kind of physical activity. Minimizing these risks and preventing damage to health is his main task.
And yes. Almost nothing is impossible if you really want it. It all depends on your stubbornness, not on the coach.
And you have responsibilities in relation to the coach too: listen carefully, understand and analyze everything that he says, follow his recommendations, Think with your head and watch your health! “