Why You Need a ‘Topp’ Personal Trainer

I have been in the fitness industry for a long time and shared in a lot of sweat, plenty of joy and a few tears. I’ve just about seen it all and heard all the excuses. Over the years I have observed human behaviour and figured out why some people get results and why others don’t. Some people don’t do any exercise, others aren’t training enough or at the right level and a few are doing too much beyond their fitness level. Only a small percentage of highly motivated people get it right which is why almost everyone could do with a personal trainer. If you think it’s a luxury or you can just do it yourself, it’s time to think again.

Just ‘Didn’t’ Do It

Humans are inherently lazy. This is not a flaw in our character, it is inbuilt into our genes to preserve energy and not expend it unnecessarily. Wind back the clock a few thousand years and it wasn’t part of the survival plan to go for a 10km run after you spent all day chasing saber-tooth tigers to eat (not even sure we actually did that but your get the point). Preserving our energy helped to keep us alive. The world has changed and we now need to consciously override our genetic laziness and exercise to stay healthy. One of the most significant benefits of a personal trainer is having an appointment you will turn up too. On your own it is way too easy to switch off the alarm clock and doze off for another hour or skip the gym in favour of a few drinks after work. Booking a PT session means you will get a workout ticked off.

A helping had

Everyone knows to lose weight, get fit and healthy you need to eat well and exercise. But why do so many people struggle to achieve their goals? The key to success is accountability and support. A trainer will keep you accountable, on track and support you on your fitness journey. On your own it is more likely that you will give up when it gets too hard. It is hard to self-motivate. From my experience only a small percentage of people are highly motivated, the rest of us need a helping hand. Again, it’s not a character flaw to be unmotivated, it’s called being human. That’s why you need a coach to motivate, inspire you and keep you on track until you actually reach your goals. They will also educate you on healthy eating and healthy living so you can support your exercise with a healthy lifestyle, or at least a good trainer will.

Get it right

Standing at the gym reception looking out on the gym floor I have observed two types of people working out. A few follow a structured program, have a routine and train hard and reap the rewards of looking (and feeling) fantastic. The rest wonder in, don’t really have a plan, don’t really know what they are doing and don’t even work up a sweat. They walk out looking as fresh as they did when they walked in! I have often felt like shouting, ‘Hey you, get back in there and do a real workout!’. Everyone needs a trainer to show them how to perform exercises correctly, create a structured exercise program and understand the right level to work out at.

Weights for the boys and cardio for the girls

Another common observation is the difference in attitude to exercise between men and women. Guys walk in and head to the weights floor and hit the bench press followed by bicep curls, doing both with too much weight and not enough technique. They skip the cardio, skip stretching and might do a few sit ups for abs. The girls head to the cardio area and skip the weights because they don’t want to get ‘muscly’. Almost everyone needs a more balance approach to their exercise. Not just doing the stuff they like. Everyone needs to be doing weights or resistance for strength, cardio for fitness, core exercises (not sit ups) and stretching for flexibility. A trainer will give you a balanced and correct approach to exercise that is suitable to where you are at now.

The right exercises for you

It surprises me that even some personal trainers don’t prescribe exercises that are suitable and appropriate to their clients needs. I have seen trainers give clients who are new to it exercises way beyond their pay grade. ‘Dude, start that person off with a brisk walk and some bodyweight exercises not sand sprints and sledge pulls!’ There is a correct progression to exercise. Just like in martial arts, you start at white belt and gradually evolve your skills and techniques to become quicker, faster and more advanced. A good trainer should put together a correct balance of exercises that are suitable to your current fitness level and take into consideration working around injuries s you don’t hurt yourself. You should walk away from a session feeling good, even feeling like you could of done a little more. You should wake up the next day and feel like you had a workout the day before and not aching from head to toe for days on end!

Variety is the spice of life

Exercise can get a bit boring. I have seen people in the gym standing in the same spot doing them same exercise with the same weight, for years! On your own it is too easy to fall into the same old habits, working at the same intensity level. Ask yourself when was the last time you changed your workout routine? A trainer will add variety and help you with exercises you ordinarily can’t or wouldn’t do on your own. Boxing is a classic. You can’t do boxing pad work on your own but you can with a trainer. If you don’t know what a Russian twist or Turkish getup or bosu is you might like to consider a trainer to help spice up your routine: change it, mix it up and make it more fun!

Rusty Results

Some people do work with a personal trainer and get results and then go on to workout on their own. That’s great because hopefully you should of learn a lot about correct and effective exercise. However, I have observed, after achieving goals old clients can slip back in their progress because they have lost the accountability and support. This really is the key holy grail of personal training, keeping people on track because on your own it’s too easy to let it slide. You don’t have to have a trainer three times a week for the rest of your life. You can get a trainer to achieve a certain goal but consider a maintenance session once a week once a month or every three months to keep some accountability and maintain the results you worked hard to achieve.

How to find a ‘Topp ’Trainer

So with all this talk about personal trainers how do you find a good one? No, this is not a sales pitch to sign up with me, although I would love to help you of course. I would like to share with you a few questions to help you pick a good one so you don’t get injured!

1. Are they registered with Fitness Industry Australia the national industry body?
2. Do they hold current first aid and insurance?
3. Are they tertiary educated and what qualifications do they have?
4. Can they provide you with a solid history of testimonials on their website and independent organic ones on google or social media?
5. What kind of person do they typically work with? Do they have a niche audience that you fit in with? Is this apparent from their website or social media images?
6. Do they have an unusual Finnish name? (A little oy my unique personal trainer humour here).

Conclusion

If you want to make a real difference to your fitness, physique and quality of life you must invest – at some level – in a personal trainer even to simply educate you on a basic exercise program and how to do exercises correctly. Some people think it’s expensive but what is more expensive is wasting money on gym memberships you never use, diets you flunk or home gym equipment you buy and never use. Why not invest in a proper program and actually get the results you want and deserve?

Summary

So here are some questions to ask whether you need a personal trainer?

• Are you making more excuses than you are working out?
• Do you know the difference between a get-up and sit up?
• Have you been doing the same old workout for years?
• Do you have an injury or health concern holding you back?
• Are you actually proud to look in the mirror in the morning?
• Did you get results with a trainer but the buff has turned into a bulge?

At the end of the day a Personal Trainer will help you get results and make a real difference to how you look and feel and add value to your ability to enjoy life. Now isn’t that a worthy investment?