I AM THE ANTI PERSONAL TRAINER
Don’t worry, this blog isn’t going to be all about me. That’d be boring as I’m really not that interesting 😀
What I want to address in this blog, is the sheer volume of people who are finding exercise/training and nutrition such hard work and why.
For those who know me, know that I am far from perfect.
I like my beer/rum. A little too much at times some might say.
I like my junk food.
I don’t handle stress very well at all.
I don’t always make sensible choices with exercise and nutrition either.
However, I do seem to be doing an ok job of advising others how to do the above better.
I’d like to think I can relate and empathise with my clients more so than the average PT.
I love exercise.
Road and mountain biking, football, tennis, cricket, squash plus about a billion more things I want to do and try.
I fully understand that some people absolutely hate exercise.
It’s just not their bag.
The Personal Trainer Norm
Most people’s perception of training and fitness is you have to work your absolute tits off to get any form of decent results.
Go and see a Personal Trainer as you need to be beasted right?
I get that.
I used to be that guy *rolls eyes*
Go hard, go home or don’t bother.
Sound familiar?
I would strongly suggest that this attitude is the exact reason as to why a lot of people find exercise a complete chore, or “fall off the wagon” a lot.
Go and see a Personal Trainer, who gives you rounds after rounds of hard and heavy everything to get any form of results.
Is that the right way to do things?
I’m going to say in my experience, absolutely no, for most of the population.
Why do we do things differently?
Everything is goal dependent.
If someone is trying to lose weight, then we base training and nutrition around that.
If someone is trying to run a marathon, then we adjust.
Absolutely smashing someone in to the ground usually only ends up in one result – Fatigue, dietary failure, injury and quitting.
Results
I don’t like to take life too seriously.
It might sound shocking especially after the first paragraph where I mentioned about my favourite types of alcohol (2 out of 100), but DMF (Dan Mitchell Fitness) wouldn’t still be going if we had shitty results.
Results are the most important thing that people pay me for.
I have to deliver those, although some people’s results are often different to what they originally come in for.
Example – client couple Jay and Claire wanted weight loss, Claire had struggled for a long time and had bounced around a weight and couldn’t get below it.
The main focus switched from exercise to improving sleep quality and quantity.
Now both of them sleep between 7-8 hours a night, whereas before they slept 5 hours max.
This had a massive effect on appetite and controlling intake, from here we were able to get appetite under control and improve food choices.
***I’m waffling***
Anyway, the days of going to see a Personal Trainer 3 x a week and handing over a fistful of cash to be beasted and given a crappy meal plan are done.
Why?
Because it doesn’t yield long term results.
This isn’t an article to create sales.
I’m not aiming this to try and gain clients or income.
I’m just writing it to tell people what they SHOULD expect from Personal Trainers in 2017 and not accept anything less.
I have to get short term and quick results, however, its what happens long term that really really counts.
Getting someone in the gym and making them progress.
Get them stronger, leaner, fitter and looking and feeling their best is important.
Showing them how exercise and training can be amazing and not a complete disgusting slog.
I can’t tell you how many people have said “Do I have to use the treadmill” Since I’ve opened the gym.
We don’t have any traditional cardio equipment in the gym.
I ABSOLUTELY HATE DOING CARDIO INSIDE A GYM. I couldn’t make someone else do it.
Plus treadmills are sodding expensive 😀
I want people to say “I’m really enjoying this, I never thought I would, but I’m loving it.”
They do and from a purely selfish point of view, it feels good.
Monotony
I change my clients training every four weeks.
It keeps them progressing and improving and it stops staleness creeping in.
They show up, do the stuffs and go home and eat the things.
I look after everything else.
Taking out the monotony of doing the same boring crap week in week out is motivating in itself.
There is nothing worse than going in to something completely blind and not having a sodding clue what you’re doing, how to change it or how to improve.
I hate that.
How do we find out what we’re meant to do, when there is so many conflicting things out there?
Women shouldn’t lift heavy weights, they will get bulky, high reps low weights is the way forward = wrong
Women should lift heavy weights, they won’t get bulky, heavy weights is the way forward = semi correct
Women should lift weights, in varied rep ranges at varied angles to create a good balanced physique that’s both attainable and sustainable for life = better.
All of those statements are banded around and by some pretty big media influences.
How the hell are people meant to know what to listen to!?
This is my job to take the guesswork out of it.
Summary – Anti Personal Trainer
I don’t eat clean.
I don’t train me or my clients balls to the wall all the time.
I like drinking rum.
I eat junk.
I don’t live and breathe fitness, I have other interests.
I’m definitely not shredded all year round.
I want people to have fun in an exercise session.
If more people thought like this, they would be able to remain in the shape they want (or close to, if we’re referring to my current Dad Bod) for a lot longer.
Times have changed.
Maybe our attitudes towards health and fitness should too.
Beast Mode officially off today.
