personal training - fitknitchick

Why over 40 women make the best personal training clients (for me)

March 4, 2013 by Tamara 47 Comments

When I first started working as a personal trainer in a public facility I trained whoever my supervisor asked me to.

Young (13 year old Irish dancer training for the Canadian nationals), old (75 year old grandmother wanting to keep up with her grandkids), women (new-to-the-weight room cardio junkies) and men (out of shape weekend warriors). Whatever their goals, I trained them all.

For many of them, I was not the trainer they needed.

Our fitness perspectives and life experiences didn’t mesh. I didn’t get them. They didn’t get me. Clients came and went. Some met their goals. Some didn’t. Some found other trainers. Some disappeared off the face of the earth (or at least from the gym ).

Those that have stuck with me over the years (and through my evolution as a personal trainer) are members of a very specific demographic; all are women over the age of 40.

In fact, 22 of the 24 clients I train regularly are over 40 women. Women who have sought me out to be their trainer as a consequence of attending my group fitness classes, a friend’s referral or seeing me training other over 40 women in the gym.

Why the change? I believe that personal training clients are attracted to trainers they perceive as having similar values and life experience. Trainer who will understand their perspective while motivating and encouraging them towards their fitness and health goals.

For me, over 40 women make the best personal training clients because;

They’re in it for the long haul. Let’s face it; older women often have more disposable time and income than their younger counterparts. Both of which are required for a successful personal training relationship. They also don’t expect results in a month and aren’t training to fit into a wedding dress or vacation bikini (although many of them rock theirs!)
They value function over aesthetics. While still wanting to look their best, they don’t worry about 6-pack abs or buns of steel. They understand the functional benefits of lifting weights and celebrate being able to do more challenging work over time.
They’re quick to identify non-scale victories. Better sleep, better sex (personal trainers are kind of like therapists; we talk about everything with our clients!), fewer aches and pains upon waking, more energy, and better range of motion are just a few of the many non-weight related benefits my clients spontaneously report to me.
They rarely cancel because something better came along. They know that there IS nothing better than a good session with their personal trainer! They prioritize their own health and well-being and enjoy the hour we have to work together towards their goals.
They love to learn and ask lots of questions. My clients, like me, are almost all women who’ve discovered strength training a bit later in their lives. When I ask them to do something, more often than not, they challenge me and ask why. What muscles am I using? Where should I be feeling this exercise? How will it help me reach my goals? Education is one of my favourite parts of the job and they frequently give me opportunity to share information and knowledge.
They’re not intimidated by the free weights section of the gym. Indeed, many of the young men grunting and groaning in the squat rack are young enough to be their sons!

The two clients who aren’t over-4′ women? One is close (but I won’t rush her) and the other, an over-70 male who shares many of the attributes of my female clientele (without the extra X chromosome…’atta boy, John!’). I love training them just as much as my over 40 women, despite their respective youth and gender

Are you an over 40 woman looking for an experienced and knowledgable over 40 personal trainer? Why not try online personal training with fitknitchick? I’d love to help YOU reach your health and fitness goals!

Do you consider similarity in age and life experience when you choose a personal trainer?

Personal trainers; do you have a specific client demographic that you prefer to train?

{47 Comments }

January motivation and inspiration | tearing into 2013

December 12, 2012 by Tamara 25 Comments

Assuming we survive the Mayan end of the world, January 2013 will be here before you know it.

Even with the best of exercise and health eating intentions, most of us will indulge over the holidays and be looking for ways to get back on track come the new year.

How about we jump on the January motivation and inspiration train a bit early this year?

I’ve got four announcements to get through today. Three of them are exercise and weight loss-themed. The fourth is for my fellow healthy living bloggers (or any of you are thinking of starting a blog, but haven’t the faintest idea where to start).

January motivation

Choose one (or more!) of the options below, commit to following through come January and enjoy the holidays knowing that you have a plan in place to quickly (and painlessly too, I hope) get right back to where you were health and fitness-wise before the seasonal madness began!

1. Need to lose a few pounds? Join my DietBet!

I’m excited to be partnering with the newest online weight loss program, DietBet! Ante up ($25), challenge yourself to lose 4% of your body weight in four weeks (January 6th through February 2nd) and split the pot with everyone else who succeeds! DietBet provides an online platform for interacting with the other challenge participants; a place to motivate, inspire and encourage each other daily. More details to follow!

Click on the link to join Fitknitchick’s DietBet. I’ve already thrown my $25 into the pot; I know that I’ll be looking to shed a few pounds in the new year…

2. Fell out of your gym routine? Try my #freshstartfitness challenge take 2!

Last fall’s #freshstartfitness challenge was such a success, I’m repeating it this January, with a twist. Rather than have participants visit my blog and log their responses to the weekly challenges there, I’ll be taking the whole thing over to my Facebook page. Each and every day in January, I’ll be posting a pinnable workout that you can print and take to the gym with you. Workouts will require minimal equipment and will be appropriate for new and returning-to-exercise-after-a-hiatus peeps.

All you need to do to join in is ‘like’ my Facebook fan page and make sure you add it to your interests list (otherwise you may not see all of my posts!). Don’t know how to do this? See below*** for step-by-step instructions!

3. Need a little one-on-one attention? Try online personal training!

I’ve had so many queries about online training, I decided to plunge right in! If you’re interested in working with a certified and knowledgable personal trainer to achieve your health and fitness goals, I’m your girl!

I’m a big believer in ‘relationship-based training’. In order for personal training to really work, clients need to trust their trainer. And trainers need to take the time to really get to know their clients before creating an individualized roadmap to health and wellness. Click the links to read more about my credentials, some client testimonials and the online personal training services I offer.

And as a special incentive to commit to a January training plan, I’m offering the first 5 registrants a 33% savings on the introductory 8 week package ($100 rather than $150). What are you waiting for?

4. Want to expand your blogging skills? Register for The Blog Genie’s “Blog Challenge Program”

Rita, the owner and chief designer of Blog Genie is running a year long Blog Challenge Program to help new and aspiring bloggers to take their ‘baby’ to the next level. Each month, her online learning program will feature a different topic, ranging from content creation to social media marketing to monetization and beyond! Registration is ongoing, but register before December 19th and you’ll also receive your choice of one of two ‘gifts’; free transfer of your existing blog to WordPress self-hosted OR a Premium StudioPress Theme.

Why am I sharing this with you? Last April, Rita worked with me to redesign and transfer my WordPress.com blog to WordPress self-hosted. She also happily held my hand as I learned how to manage the ‘behind the curtain’ details of my blog. Just this past weekend she answered my desperate email about fixing a broken blog (why do blogs always break on Sunday nights???).

I think referrals are the highest form of praise, don’t you?

And Rita was kind enough to give me a coupon code to share with my readers! Valid from December 12 until 11:59 (MT) December 19th, it’s good for $50 off the cost of the program!

There you have it. January motivation and inspiration before December is even finished. Just what you need to tackle the holidays with confidence and hope!

Have your regularly scheduled fitness and nutrition routines taken a back seat to holiday preparations?

Do you have a plan for getting back on track?

*** If you want to see ALL of my Facebook updates, please take a moment and do this-

Facebook is now pushing administrators to PAY to promote every post/update from their page. In an attempt to make page administrators pay for “promoted posts,” Facebook will now only let 7% of you receive each update I post.

Meaning that now, in order to receive all of my messages/posts, you must do the following:

1) Go to my Fitknitchick fan page.

2) Hover your mouse over where it says “LIKED” and click on “ADD TO INTEREST LISTS”

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

{25 Comments }

Avoiding overtraining syndrome: tips for the fitness professional

July 23, 2012 by Tamara 41 Comments

Overtraining syndrome –

a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual’s exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness. Overtraining is a common problem in weight training, but it can also be experienced by runners and other athletes. ~ Wikipedia

Recently, my friend and fellow fitness professional Suzanne (of WorkoutNirvana fame!) asked me a question on Twitter;

overtraining symptoms

Personal trainers and group fitness instructors frequently suffer from overtraining. They teach a lot of classes. They repeatedly demonstrate the same exercises. They insist on fitting in their own training (like they’re not already working out enough!).

Typical overtraining syndrome symptoms include (but are not limited to); weight loss or gain, fatigue, plateaus or loss of strength gains, persistent muscle soreness, joint aches and pains, elevated resting heart rate, sleep difficulties, depression, suppressed immunity and an increased incidence of illness and injury.

avoiding overtraining syndrome

Danny-J, of The SweatyBetties joined in the conversation;

overtraining prevention

overtraining symptoms

symptoms of overtraining

Our conversation got me thinking about how fitness professionals might reduce their risk of developing overtraining syndrome. Of course, the following suggestions are also relevant to those of you who aren’t fitness professionals, but spend a lot of time at the gym… (you know who you are!);

Limit the number of classes you teach (or attend). In the summer time, this is particularly difficult. Many of your colleagues will be taking time off for vacation and looking for subs to cover their classes. Don’t over-volunteer.
If you do agree to sub extra classes, don’t participate fully in each one. Remember, when you’re teaching, it’s not your workout (unless you’re spinning; it’s really hard to fake your participation on a spinning bike!). I know that participants like to see their instructors participating, but it doesn’t need to be at your highest intensity.
If you do consider some of your classes to be a ‘personal workout’, make sure you count them in your weekly workout schedule. I know many instructors who teach 6-8 classes each week and still feel the need to get another 3 or 4 of ‘their own’ workouts in.
Choose lighter weights when teaching a class than you would when doing your own workout.
Same with demonstrating exercises for your personal training clients. Many movements can be demonstrated without any added weight at all.
Make sure you’re not always demonstrating exercises with the same side of your body. When I teach group fitness, I face my class and always ‘concede the dominant’ to them. That means that I start unilateral exercises with my left arm or leg. Because I usually put my weights down after 5 or 6 reps and walk around the class coaching, my left side gets over-used relative to my right.
Plan at least 1 day away from the gym or studio each week. It not only aids your physical health, it’s good for you psychologically as well.
Treat your body well. Get lots of sleep and pay attention to nutrition.
Branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s) and glucosamine may speed up muscle recovery between classes and reduce joint pain and inflammation.
See your doctor or physiotherapist at the first sign of an injury. Ignore little pains and clicks at your peril…
Plan on a rest week every 3 months or so. No teaching, no clients, no working out. (This is probably the most difficult suggestion of all!).

Make sure to follow us all on Twitter (fitknitchick_1, WorkoutNirvana and SweatyBetties) and join in with your thoughts next time you see us conversing!

Have you ever experienced the symptoms of overtraining?

How do you avoid overtraining?

{41 Comments }

New to weight training? Use your own body weight to get strong and lean

November 3, 2011 by Tamara Leave a Comment

For many reasons, people (women in particular) are intimidated by dumbbells (that aren’t pink…), barbells and squat racks. Rather than cross over to the free-weight section of their gym (where the ‘gym rats’ hang out), they head for the machines (hamstring curl, leg extensions, seated shoulder press, chest press and row, to name a few).

Source

While machines have their place in some people’s fitness programs (correcting muscular imbalances, rehabilitating injuries, improving range of motion and breaking through plateaus are how I typically use them with my clients, when I use them at all…), they’re not so great for metabolism raising, fat burning or improving day-to-day functional movements. The three primary reasons people choose to exercise.

Why? Because you sit at machines, rather than standing on your own two feet. Sitting does not require you to activate your glutes or engage your core to any great extent, both of which will dramatically improve your posture, fitness level and caloric burn.

For those of you who are still not convinced that you need to learn to love free weights (or get to the gym in the first place), I’ve put together a list of my favorite body weight exercises. Exercises that can be done at home with minimal equipment, or at the gym in the corner or in the ‘stretching’ section of the weight room.

These are all ‘bang for your buck’ exercises, in that they use multiple muscle groups and require you to stabilize your shoulder girdle and core throughout. When done correctly and at a good tempo, they’ll also elevate your heart rate, blurring the lines between ‘cardio’ and ‘strength training’.

A word of warning; some of these exercises are not for beginners. Just because you’re not lifting dumbbells or barbells doesn’t mean the exercise is easy; pushups and pull ups require you to push and pull 75-100% of your body weight (dumbbells are starting to sound like a good idea after all, aren’t they!).

Source

That being said, there are modifications that you can do as you progress towards full pushups and pull ups. I’ve written previously about learning to do chin ups; you can apply the same rules in your quest for the pull up, just widen and reverse your grip (palms face forward). Check back tomorrow for ways to progress your ‘knee’ pushups to full on ‘toe’ pushups. Click on the links below for exercise descriptions and images.

Fitknitchick’s best body weight exercises

Source

Pushups
Pull ups or chin ups
Planks (of all type)
Squats (there are tons of great variations)
Lunges (again, variations aplenty)
Bird dog (looks easy, but isn’t and is extremely beneficial to all)
Back extensions (on the ball, floor or the back extension apparatus)
Burpees (half or full-on)
Skipping rope

Are you already doing some of these exercises in your daily workouts?

Anything I missed?

As always, I love to hear from you!

{Leave a Comment }

Optimist or pessimist? How attitude affects your workouts

July 21, 2011 by Tamara 4 Comments

As I sat down to write this post, I happened upon a quote (thanks Tiffany of The Gracious Pantry, and of course, Henry Ford, who said it first!) that perfectly captured the ideas I had been pondering. It’s all about attitude.

Is the cup half full or half empty?

Do you think you can or do you have doubts?

Are you your own fiercest coach or biggest under-miner?

When it comes to exercise, attitude is everything.

Optimist or pessimist? Think about how attitude affects your workouts.

In my job as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor I see examples of exercise optimists and pessimists on a daily basis.

Optimists are always up for a challenge. They willingly try the most difficult level of an exercise first, only scaling it back if they truly can’t manage to do it in proper form. They accept the heaviest weights offered and are determined to finish a set, no matter how demanding, even when I give them the option of quitting early. They smile while they exercise (sometimes that smile is forced through gritted teeth, but it is a smile, none the less!).

Although they may not be the strongest, leanest or fittest members at the gym, they are my favourite clients to work with. Sessions are fun, productive and rewarding, and leave me feeling good about my role as a trainer.

Contrast exercise optimists with their pessimistic counterparts.

Although clearly (to me!) capable of performing challenging exercises, they regularly finish their sets early, fail to take the initiative in progressing their programs and upping their weights, and routinely tell me they’re not sure they can do what I ask of them. They attempt to distract me with questions (yes, I know this is a stalling tactic ).

Which group is more likely to stick with an exercise program and reap its benefits?

You guessed it! The more positive and can-do the attitude the better the adherence to the program. Although exercise optimists don’t always reach their goals more quickly than pessimists (weight and fat loss goals must also be addressed in the kitchen…), they tend to enjoy the process more and can readily identify unanticipated changes brought about by their efforts (e.g., better sleep, more energy, happier demeanor).

So, is the cup half full or half empty?

Remember, whichever way you look at it, you’re right, but one perspective will take you farther than the other…

Do you think you can? Or are you pessimistic about your fitness efforts?

What’s your biggest health and fitness accomplishment?

{4 Comments }

A change is as good as a rest!

May 24, 2011 by Tamara 5 Comments

As a personal trainer at a public facility, I have a lot of occasional or sporadic clients (somehow the word ‘irregular’ doesn’t seem quite right…). Clients who see me not for regular training sessions, but for a new program to do on their own.

Inevitably, the question ‘how long should I stay on this program‘ arises. Now of course, the answer depends on the client’s individual training goals and how frequently (and with what intensity) they execute their program. But in general, I suggest that they should be ready to have their program ‘tweaked’ in about 3 weeks and overhauled in 5 to 6.

Why?

Source: http://www.medichere.com/wp-content/uploads/wt.jpg

The human body adapts very quickly to any new demand placed upon it. While our muscles are initially challenged by a new exercise or an increase in load or volume (more reps or sets), within as little as two weeks, our muscles may stop responding unless further challenged. That’s why weight training is also called ‘progressive resistance’ training. In order to continue make gains, you need to continually increase the challenge to your body.

In addition to hitting physical plateaus, it’s also easy to become bored with your exercise routine. In my experience, psychological plateaus usually kick in at the 3-4 week mark. When my clients become bored with their programs, they find reasons to stop coming to the gym. Or worse yet, I find them pounding out miles and miles on the treadmill or the elliptical, often while reading a magazine or talking on the phone. Not my idea of a high intensity workout and completely contradictory to my views on the relative value of strength training and cardio (but that’s a post for another day…).

In my own training, I aim to stick with a planned program for 4 to 6 weeks. While this is a longer programming interval that I recommend to my clients, I make small changes to my program on a weekly basis. I increase load or advance at least one exercise every 2nd or 3rd workout. I change the angle of my bench to target different muscle fibers. I add longer bouts of plyometrics every week or two. In effect, my program is continually changing. (Not to mention that I teach 4-8 group fitness classes per week, never repeating a workout; my body never knows what’s going to hit it next!)

I’ve spent the last few months working through phases 1 and 2 of the New Rules of Lifting for Abs.

It’s been a great program. My core strength has definitely increased and I’ve regularly upped my weights on all of the exercises except one (after I hurt my knee doing heavy step ups, I backed off on the load and just concentrated on proper form). There is a phase 3, but I’m ready for a break from whole body, core-based training. I’m a bit bored with it!

For the next little while, I’ll be returning to a more classic way of training, working 2 or 3 body parts at a time for a total of three days per week in the weight room. That means I’ll only be training shoulders, say, once per week. My reps will be in the 8-10 range and I’ll be using a super- or tri-set approach, as is appropriate for my current goal of putting on a bit more size. As long as my weights are heavy enough, I’ll continue to burn fat. I’ll get my cardio done on the step and in the spinning studio.

Out of necessity (three school age children on summer holidays!), I’ll need to switch it up again in about 5 weeks. Too difficult to get to the gym regularly, I’ll most likely revert to my summer approach of TRX-ing in the backyard and working extra hard in the classes I teach (participants be warned!).