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This week I caught up with Dan Petreski, head Personal Trainer at Gfitness Rhodes, to discuss the benefits of personal training. Dan had 4 very succinct reasons why I should spend my time and money on personal training and they are hard to argue with….
Ok, so you have made the decision to work on your fitness, lose weight, flatten out that Winter tummy, build muscle or maybe you just want to improve your general health.
What’s next???
The first of Dan’s points is particularly relevant for me – MOTIVATION & ACCOUNTABILITY
According to Dan, “one of the main reasons people benefit from a personal trainer is that they lose motivation to stick with a consistent exercise program. Certified personal trainers can provide structure and accountability and help you develop a lifestyle that encourages health.???
Who can argue with that!! While I have the best of intentions in the beginning, it is the ongoing motivation that is ultimately my undoing! I will set my alarm for 5:30am, have my trainers next to my bed, even sleep in my active gear but when that alarm goes off and the prospect of plodding along in the cold to the tunes of Avici seems entirely ridiculous and unnecessary – ‘I’ll go tomorrow’ I tell myself in the optimistic but ultimately naive way that we humans do – and I turn off the alarm.
One of the major problems with this situation is that I have a lack of knowledge regarding what kind of exercise I should be doing in the first place. I know I want to tone up and improve my general fitness but the only option I really know of is the dreaded foot pounding, lung burning morning run.
Dan’s next point is significant here – PERSONALISED PROGRAM
According to Dan – ‘If you have training goals, injuries or any chronic health conditions a trainer will work with you and plan an efficient program that considers these needs and enable you to reach your health goals.???
You might be thinking ‘well I don’t have a training goal – I just want to lose a little weight, tone my thighs and look banging for Summer’ – Let me tell you that each of those things are a training goal. Training goals can vary from stress relief to wanting big guns! Maybe you want to improve your daily activities – be able to pick up your child or grandchild or get ride of the general aches and pains…
No goal should be minimized.
Dan took me through a program session that each and every member of G fitness is offered on joining – I am secretly relieved because apart of this program is a demonstration of how to use the machines and the weights section of the gym. – The terrifying no-go weights zone – becomes a whole lot less scary and my world becomes a little bigger!
Completing the program allowed me to voice my goals and with the help of a professional trainer establish an personalised program that took into account my goal, current fitness level and capacity. It also helped me come up with some quantifiable numbers by which I could measure my progress. Current weight, BMI, fat % – scary as it is to consider what your numbers might be, once you know them, you have a base line from which to work from.
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So now I have my base line – Dan tells me that one of the most valuable reasons for having a PT is – EFFICIENCY –
“Personal trainers help you focus on results, set achievable goals, and help you avoid inefficient workouts. A personal trainer has a plan and will help you get maximum results in minimum time.???
Hours in the day – (Effort x Time) = Free Time
If your goal is to have toned thighs – running long distances will help you lose weight but will not give you the toned thighs that weight resistant squats & lunges will.Getting a work out program that is targeted and refined regularly is the most EFFICIENT & EFFECTIVE way to reach your goals.
Personal Training will give you the “biggest bang for your buck???, according to Bianca Pereira, PT and longtime Gfitness employee. “Out of all of the points mentioned in this interview, I think that efficiency is the important! Personal training is an investment and the return is 3 fold! In that hour you will burn more calories, squat better, walk taller, push harder than you could ever possibly do on your own!???
Knowledge is power!
Referring to an expert in any field is always the best way to get educated and effective advice.
Dan’s last argument for the benefits of personal training is that you will IMPROVE TECHNICAL SKILLS.
“If you play a particular sport, the right personal trainer will help you improve your skill by showing you new training techniques specific to your sport. The Trainer will incorporate skills training into your program so you improve not only your strength and endurance, but your agility and mental focus as well.???
Good Form is essential in all forms of exercise. Carla Torres, Personal Trainer & general legend, tells me that ‘Maintaining good posture is a fundamental part of any exercise technique. That’s because when you use correct form, stress is evenly distributed throughout the muscles, bones and joints, making you less prone to injuries. Besides if body structures are well-aligned, muscle recruitment is more efficient, which means that the most adequate muscles for the activity will be called into play, requiring less effort and energy to perform it.’ Carla will expand on this in a blog next week.
Anyone can Google exercises or imitate the use of equipment in the gym – but “real injury can follow when people think they know what they are doing but recruit the wrong muscles and reinforce incorrect motor patterns. This can lead to injuries and bad posture???, Carla tells me. – Sounds pretty intuitive to me – Fear of injuring myself has been one of the factors holding me back from approaching the gym floor in the past.
So WHAT IS ALL THE FUSS ABOUT PERSONAL TRAINING ANYWAY??
It seems to me that Personal Training provides the knowledge required to exercise safely and effectively. Regular sessions will help you with the motivation to show up and the accountability to work hard. So why spend the money? Most of us are time poor and sessions with a PT provide the best results in the shortest amount of time. It all seems pretty peachy to me – I will continue to explore and keep you updated on what I discover!!
BLOG AUTHORED BY
Ebonie Fielder-Gill
A little about Ebonie:
My philosophy is Love Life, Live Love! As a yoga teacher I am an active and healthy person however the gym has always been an anomaly to me. I have always wanted to join a gym and be more active. This year I was fortunate enough to begin teaching yoga at Gfitness in Rhodes and ever since I have been exploring my own potential. Very timidly. I look forward to continuing to learn more about fitness, nutrition and training. Expelling the many myths I have formed in regards to weight training and facing my fear of the gym floor. I invite you to come on this journey with me as I blog about the ‘Ah Ha’ moments as they come. [/one_half_last]