Friday, September 30, 2016

What to Tell Your Personal Trainer Before You Get Started

What to Tell Your Personal Trainer Before You Get Started





Fitness Together personal trainer Cody Plank spotting a client during an exercise
So you and your trainer have hashed out a few things – your fitness goals, the days and times you can meet, and just how proficient (or not) you are with lunges and crunches.  However, there are several things you should add to that list to make the most of your sessions.  After all, don’t you want to get everything you can out of your investment of time and money?  We thought so.  That’s why we want to share with you the five things you need to share with your personal trainer, pronto.

  1. Your internal dialogue.  Coming into your training session, are you scared or excited?  Stressed, apprehensive, or optimistic?  Or are you just having a particularly chaotic day?  “Belief powers the trigger to do.”  This quote by author David Schwartz speaks volumes about how the state of your mind will often direct your fitness journey.  Be honest with your trainer about how you’re feeling so he or she knows how to best help you.  
     
  2. Your exercise history.  Whether you’re on an amazing weight loss journey, have run a marathon, or just recently started exercising for the first time ever, your trainer should know.  Your fitness history, or lack thereof, can significantly impact how your trainer directs your workouts, and your success with them.
     
  3. Your aches and pains.  Forget about trying to silently and valiantly muscle through a session with that stiff ankle or sore shoulder.  Painful parts are your body’s way of telling you that something’s amiss, and it’s not a great choice to ignore that message.  Your trainer can adapt your session to be easy on your sore spots, but challenging for the rest of you.  Oh, and if you’re fighting a cold or other illness?  Let them know that, too.  They might even be able to clue you in on some immunity-boosting dietary tips.
     
  4. Your weaknesses.  You can only be helped to the degree that you’re willing to share.   Swoon at the sight of sweets?  Weaken with waffle fries?  Don’t be afraid to let out your secret indulgence.  Our trainers’ nutrition expertise can help shed some light into why you have certain cravings, and how to put them to rest.
     
  5. Your secret self-consciousness.  Author and pastor Steve Furtick said, “the reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.”  If you have hang-ups about parts of your body, or your ability to do certain exercises, they’ll only hold you back.  Letting them out into the open will shed proper light into your insecurities, which tend to only grow bigger in the dark.  Your trainer has experience with all body types and all kinds of people, and they can help you put your hang-ups into realistic perspective. 
You didn’t know that being candid and honest with your trainer was so important?  Well, now that you do, it might be time to make an appointment with him or her, and share what’s really going on inside of you.   With the information you share, they can only use it to help you improve, grow, and get stronger.


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