The Benefits of Having a Personal Trainer
No matter the level of experience you have within health and fitness, everyone would greatly benefit from having a personal trainer (or in some cases, a coach). The purpose of having someone with the right knowledge by your side is to greatly enhance you’re overall development and “fast track” your progress towards achieving your goals!
The general objective of a personal trainer is to be able to motivate and create a tailored plan to suit the lifestyle and goals of their client. This can be quite relative, as not one person is the same, although it would include either one if not all of the below;
Goal setting
Tailored workout plans
Nutritional guidance
Fitness & measurement tracking
Lifestyle advice (life coaching in some cases)
Technique and safe practise within exercise
Injury Prevention
At Lewis Paris Fitness London we take the title personal trainer quite literally. "Personal" is the keyword, although it can be a lot to take on, in my opinion we believe it's important to set basic touch points and standards using a comprehensive consultation designed to understand everything about the person we potentially would be working with.
Working out only makes up 30% of the initial results and 70% comes from your nutrition (including lifestyle & habits) so it's very important to understand someones goals, lifestyle & nutrition to further determine which route to take so their goals are met in the most safe and efficient manner.
To compliment the consultation we also incorporate a movement analysis which is a basic fitness assessment involving mobility drills and basic movement patterns to help highlight any imbalances or weaknesses the individual may have.
Once all completed we would then be able to write a programme best suited to their needs geared towards improving the individual as a whole.
Technique is very important and we emphasis this within all our sessions, this leads to further development of the client’s knowledge regarding their body and skillset.
Encouraging belief!
No matter the fitness level (dependant on knowledge & experience), a personal trainer would be able to find a person's weaknesses and create an effective plan to strengthen them.
Whether that person will be a beginner who has basic knowledge and is coached to understand the importance of technique and nailing down the fundamentals carried throughout all exercises or a seasoned gym-goer who needs the extra motivation due to repetition of the same workout routine, lack of technique to ensure the effectiveness of the exercise or the common trap of plateauing.
Now, the misconception of to go hard or go home can be stretched here as misinformation can lead to various things. Not everyone in the general public likes to do the same thing as it's always down to preference, but it’s very important to state the facts in regards to what will work effectively and what wouldn't.
Doing classes 6 times a week cannot be sustained long enough nor is it effective, quality over quantity should be the mindset! Yes it encourages a healthy lifestyle, yes you will see results, yes its time efficient but doing it consistently over a long period of time can lead to overtraining (or under resting), injuries, muscle imbalances and workouts which are not specific to you.
Having a personal trainer onboard
Greatly increases the chances of someone reaching their goals within a specific timeframe
Increases their knowledge of exercise & technique
Provides routine to encourage good habits
Increases your training knowledge and body awareness
Prevents recurring and/or future injuries
Improves lifestyle choices and install belief.
With that said, it's very important to do your research as not all PTs provide that personal approach and may not give the same experience compared with a PT who has a vast knowledge base. Although quite costly, it's important to understand that sometimes you get what you pay for but you shouldn't shy away from the fact that this investment would literally add years to your life no matter the goal.
Be Inspired. Be Great!
#PushingYOUtoGreatness
Lewis Paris, Director, Founder & Award-Winning Personal Trainer at Lewis Paris Fitness