When it comes to Personal Training and being an owner of a business the one goal in mind is to bring the client beyond their expected goals, I have a plan on how to lead the customer without pulling, pushing or taking the reigns but rather helping them acquire success through their own hard work.

Think of this as if the client were the horse (not to offend ha ha) and the water is the goal and the distance between is the path to success.

1.  Creating and clearing a path for the client.

  • Setting up a start through finish goal oriented program for the client to follow.
  •  Motivating the client to stick to the program, follow the program to the letter and making the appropriate adjustments to make it successful.
  • Pushing the client past their own limitations and objections to create the best program available.
  • Creating a support system for the client to battle through plateaus or hard times.
2.  Educating the client on the benefits of drinking the water.
  • Proper nutrition is key to the success of the client, finding the right approach to fit into a lifestyle is challenging, once the client understands why nutrition is important its time to apply it to their life.  
  • Executing great form so the appropriate muscles are isolated as well as pushed to the max is the best way to build the muscle as well as burn the necessary body fat stored by the client.  With only doing half of the effort your client will expect to see full results, help the client push through the pain and turn their body into something amazing.
3.  Educating the disadvantages of NOT drinking the water.
  • 70% of goal success is in the nutrition.
  • Missing designated cardio days will cause a delay in the process.
  • Missing training sessions will delay the muscular growth and derail the training schedule.
4.  Making the client so thirsty that by the time they reach the water, they have no choice but to drink!
  • I wrote thirst but I mean hunger, are you hungry to reach your goal? Satisfied with how you look? Are you determined to be the one who gets past your own objections? 
  • Are you motivated by your trainer? Has He/She inspired you through keeping up with your progress? 
  • Do you believe in yourself? Do others believe in you?
The truth is, the client is doing all the work, they are the ones who are pushing past the pain, past the hunger, they are the ones in pain, exhausted, and they are also the ones who reap the benefits of looking beyond all of this! 
Commit to yourself and your goals, be your OWN success by doing it for YOURSELF! A good trainer will always believe you can do it, set you up on the path to success so do not disagree with them, you are only hurting yourself! The trainer wants what is best for the client, every time, beyond what you think will work for you and your lifestyle.  To change a physical lifestyle you have to change a mental lifestyle.
All the best, every rep, meal and step counts to your success!
Imagine your life were up to the two sides of a coin and you had the ability to control which side you are on, which side best describes your personality and means to success?
Heads-Too many struggles to keep up with
Tails-The slight chance of possibility


Both are valid and both I will go into detail on how to apply principles in order to be successful.

22 years old and 162 pounds.

34 years old and 220 pounds.

Heads
Too many struggles to keep up with….

Life has a way of throwing objections at you, this I understand completely! With work, family, friends, events, and other things that will get in the way of your goals, being overwhelmed and stressed will always try and get the better of your situation, here are some factors that have helped me in so many ways.

  • Simplify! I have learned over the years about adding too much to my personal roster, I see the biggest struggles with clients due to lack of time enhanced on themselves! At the end of the day, the most important person is yourself, the only one who will succeed at the goals you have set is yourself.  
  • Prepare! Food preparation is vitally important, write down what you are going to eat for the week, this is important to educate yourself on calories and macros.  I have seen that in clients preparing the food can also be overwhelming, batch cooking does wonders and is very convenient when hungry…which is when bad decisions are made.  I have a client that does an hour of cooking once a week and prepares 30+ meals, so she doesn’t have to prepare her food, just eat.
  • Goals! Scale back on the overall goal to the 2 week goal, work with what is obtainable for now, work with the 2-4 pound loss or the 1% body fat reduction, seems small right? Do the math on 2 months of living simple.
  • Lean! Acquire help! The Force by Luke is a team that is led by many! You can help others as well as expect them to help you! Family and friends will do everything they can in order for you to achieve success, beyond vanity the program is set for you to live better and longer, there is no other reason for someone to wholeheartedly help you.
  • Time! Manage your time appropriately, work multiple body parts, combine body parts, combine your exercises to produce results in order with your goals.  Most gym memberships are within 10 minutes or 5 miles of residence, if it is outside of that range, if available join a closer gym.  Is there a workout facility at your work? Use that facility before work, lunch breaks, after work if time is permitting to do so, see the first point also, simplify! 
Tails
The slight chance of possibility….

This is definitely how I live my life, professionally as well as how I look at my goals physically.  I have written blogs in the past about how I will probably never look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, this does not mean that I will not take his training principles into perspective in order to build a better me.  With that, a common phrase I bring up is “you are only limited by your own expectations”, which also goes along with the slight chance of possibility, very slight I might add ha ha ha.  If you are an impossible person (I’m possible) then I would like you to go over a few perspectives that will help you along the path.
  • Advanced goals! For instance, if strength is your goal and you bench press 300 pounds, set your sights at 400 pounds, give yourself a year in order to achieve that goal, set the bar at 10 pounds increase per month, you will still have 2 additional months in order to achieve this.  If your goal is to enter a marathon and that marathon is 30 miles, set your sights at 10 miles and over the distance of a year add 2-3 miles to your system.  If you want a body fat of 10% and you are currently at 20% then lower that by 1% a month over the year.  
  • Programs! Find a program to increase your goals, stick to the program and follow it to the letter.  
  • Trainers! Find a trainer who will push you outside of your comfort zone, one who is committed to keeping up with you and will go that extra mile to help you accomplish.
There is tremendous power in consistency, staying hungry and working through the down times and plateaus will also produce better results! Be realistic and expect the best in yourself, push yourself harder and always keep wanting more.  It has taken me many years to accomplish what I have done, I have not taken more than a week off from working out, why? Because I love it! I guarantee you will too no matter where you are in your life or what part of the coin you just happen to fall on, whether it be a choice or chance, you are the one who benefits the most from the program and goals you have set.  Be successful, do not allow yourself to fall, keep positive company and always believe in yourself, I always do! 


TURTLE-STRATEGIC

Relating to the identification of long-term or overall aims and interests and the means of achieving them.


HARE-TACTIC

plan, procedure, or expedient for promoting a desired end or result.
I often ask my clients what their goals are, short term and long term, in order to achieve physically and be successful.  Goals are always subjective, short term goals need to be within the 2-4 week range and long term goals need to be in the 6 month range.  If you can’t think 6 months out then it might be a time to reassess your mentality for overall physique or health goals.
Short term goals-Hare
Long term goals-Turtle
Short Term (Hare)
  • What nutritional value are you bringing to the table for losing weight or body fat? 
  • Are you working each body part once a week? Smaller body parts twice a week?
  • Are you on point with your cardio?
  • Are you getting enough rest?
Long Term (Turtle)
  • Are you building lagging body parts?
  • Are you experimenting with nutrition in order to bring a better workout?
  • Are you experimenting with nutrition in order to see physically what benefits your body versus hurting it?
  • What works versus doesn’t? Be true to this answer, it will help with your next 6 month goal.
I also like to think of things just a little differently, I like to think of the hare as a straight line, eye on the prize, where as the turtles plan might be a bit jagged, overall the prize is much bigger.  The hare might be spontaneous, make mistakes, take some drawbacks it still advances forward where as the turtle foresees future problems, does its best to avoid them, knows the path well and ends at the finish line triumphant.  The hare creates loose ends where as the turtle ties up those loose ends.  The hare PUSHES themselves, exhausts themselves, dominates themselves where the turtle continues doing so for the long term! 
We are both the turtle and the hare, we both display these attitudes in life and in the gym, know yourself as well as surprise yourself! Your success is only defined by your own expectations, change these expectations and change mentally, physically and emotionally. 

Time-One of the most important factors when it comes to your workouts. 
  • Do I have enough time to get in my workout? 
  • How long does it take to get to the gym? 
  • Do I have enough time for a workout and cardio? 
  • I only have 30 minutes, is this enough time to do what I need to do?
We all have the time in our day, in order to achieve we must have the motivation behind the task that needs to be done.  In the words of one of my clients, Martha Weaver, “We will only make time for what we feel is necessary or important to us”.  
If you find yourself strapped for time, I have a few suggestions that might make a bit of a difference when it comes to fitting in your time at the gym.

Combine Exercises

Multiple body parts such as this “Lunge/Bicep” movement can really cut down time, if you workout in a circuit style, in 30 minutes you can easily fit over an hours worth of exercises.

Don’t take extended rest breaks

Over a minute rest and your heart rate begins to reduce to the point of where you are lifting for power, strength, which is a whole different blog all together! If you have only 30 minutes to workout, why are you wasting 2-3 minutes in between resting
The gym is not social hour

Quit talking to your buddies, the front desk, or on your cell phone! Just get in there and work, your friends will understand that you are on a time crunch and will let you be, but even if that pesky person comes around trying to derail you, just throw in your headphones until they take the hint….hopefully…
Circuit training

Circuit training is a great way to keep motivated, keep burning the calories, keep working continuously and a way to add multiple body parts into the workout while under the pressure of the clock.  
Come prepared

Be in your gym ready to work at whatever it is your are trying to accomplish, don’t play on your phone or music device to find what you are wanting to listen to, be ready to train! Don’t take your time getting changed, or better, have your gym clothes on! Be mentally prepared to get the best workout you can for the time that you are there.
1 Body part

Try this out next time you are in a rush, even at 3 sets you’ll be feeling the exercise.
Pec Deck x 15
Chest Press x 15
Incline Dumbbell Fly x 10
Incline Dumbbell Press x 10
Push Up x 10 (3 second pause at the bottom of the exercise)
Interval Training with Plyometrics 

This is one of my favorite ways to do cardio, I am not one who generally likes to be doing an extended duration on a treadmill, so I try to add in what I can to make it more interesting as well as get the most out of the workout.
Example: Treadmill
After warm up
1.5 minute walk on incline
30 seconds sprint
1.5 minute walk on incline
30 squat jumps

1.5 minute walk on incline
30 seconds sprint
1.5 minute walk on incline
30 medicine ball throw downs
Repeat for as long as you have time.
Home exercises

There are so many ways to bring the gym straight to your house! All of these programs that Beach Body has to offer (P90X, Insanity), TRX, Home videos or even YouTube has wonderful home exercises that you can do easily IN YOUR OWN HOME.  I always suggest the TRX for people who are travelling, home, or who want an easy structure to keep themselves in shape.  The TRX hooks up to a doorway easily and is also easily transported.  
So there we go, just some ways in order to get the full effect out of your workouts while on a restriction of time, remember if there is a will to workout and a will to improve, you will make the time, you will prioritize, you will exclude things out of your life in order to include a better healthier life.  
You have to SHOW UP to the gym, to SHOW OFF that body!

change

  

verb
to transform or convert (usually followed by into  )

The biggest part of my program is to promote change, with each outward improvement comes internal change.  Change can be a huge factor or a minor, depends on what your goals are, with change there comes with a certain amount of responsibility.  With each increased goal comes with a certain amount of restriction, a common conversation that I have with clients who want a to achieve a certain goal is, expect to change your mentality if you want to change your life.

Change your lifestyle

New to the program? Move from a sedentary lifestyle to a more active one, start with just 15 minutes, 3 times per week to create a routine and habit, with 24 hours in a day everyone has the ability and time in order to do so.  Are you a fast food eater? Start creating the same meals on your own, start separating the bad parts out and filter in the better.  Do you take on too much?  Find ways to simplify your life, plan an agenda, write down your needs and wants, utilize lists, ask for help.  Stressed? Find ways to relax, find creative ideas to release more serotonin.  

Change your eating habits

Are your goals to lose weight? Body fat? Are you eating to gain muscle? Eating for health and wellness? Sport specific? Out of all of these different goals the one common factor is nutrition.  If you are not eating right to the specific needs that you are putting your body through, you will fall behind.  Work on improvement, 

Change your perception


One perception is the perception of cardio, and that is that you have to be on a treadmill for an hour, its boring, its exhausting and its the only way to burn body fat.  I often get asked “what is the best form of cardio?” to which my response is, anything that raises your heart rate for an extended period of time! The second question is “how long should I be doing cardio?” to which I reply, 15-30 minutes.  Sounds strange, easy, accomplish-able….here is some things to look out for, don’t set yourself up for failure, set up for success! If you can do 15 minutes, strive for 25-30, if you can do 30 minutes, strive for a more intense 30 minutes! If an hour is boring, switch things up! Do half your time on a treadmill, half your time on a bike, add some plyometrics into the session, have some fun with it! 

Change your education

READ! I can not stress how important it is to read up on what your trainer is telling you, ask questions on why the nutrition is fundamental for the body desired or functionality, ask questions about supplements, ask questions about what exercises do what for which body part, learn each name of the exercise, read books, magazines, look online in chats and forums to further educate yourself on what your body is doing! 

Do not rely on what you ‘think’ you know, prove it by study!  It might just surprise you.

Change your mindset

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!”-Audrey Hepburn.  This says it all! Instead of saying you “can’t” change it to you CAN! Don’t fear the weights, don’t fear the feeling of passing out, don’t fear the pain of going through it! Embrace it! With each rep, with each step, with each small accomplishment you are on the road to becoming someone you never thought you would.  I have never approached a client with a mentality of they can not go through my sessions, I have only pushed them to where they never thought they would be or do what they never thought they could do.  It all takes time, separate your mind from perfection to improvement and make all those steps daily to accomplish it.

Change your physique

Look at yourself and find what you want to change, it could be anything, mid-section, arms, legs, bigger, smaller, whatever your goal is to change, go out there and do it! Do not be one of those people who give up, who convinced themselves of genetics, lifestyle, age, limitations of certain ailments or any reason why you CAN’T do it, take the advice of a trainer, this blog and learn nutrition, be dedicated to change, put forth all the effort you have and give it 100% every single day!