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Personal Training
May 17, 2009
A new client came to see me this morning. As part of the standard fitness assessment I perform at my facility, the Personal Training Center for Women, I asked her if she had any aversions to exercise. Her response: “Actually, yes. My last trainer put me through a workout that ended up causing a tear in my meniscus. The pain was so bad I had to have surgery.” That incident happened over a year ago. Until now, the woman had been afraid to exercise again.
If this was an isolated case, I could brush it off as an anomaly. After all, there are bad apples in every profession. But the sad fact is, I hear these types of stories over and over again. And what upsets me most is that it casts a bad light on the industry as a whole.
Unfortunately, the field of personal training is largely unregulated. Anyone can hang a shingle on their door and call themselves a “fitness professional.” You don’t need any education or certification. Heck, you don’t even need to have ever lifted a weight in your life! Think about it: Hair dressers and manicurists need to be licensed but personal trainers don’t. Who do you surmise can cause greater harm to their clients?
So how does one go about selecting a competent trainer. Until legislation is enacted that sets proper standards for those in the field, here are some things to consider:
1) What are the trainer’s academic credentials? Does he/she have at least some schooling in exercise science? A college degree in an exercise-related major is good. A master’s degree is even better. There also are vocational schools specifically devoted to the science and art of personal training. I’m on the faculty of the American Academy of Personal Training American Academy of Personal Training where I teach aspiring trainers how to hone their craft. Students get extensive schooling in exercise physiology and applied anatomy, as well as learning basic nutritional science. They receive both lecture-based instruction as well as hands-on experience. By the time they graduate, they’re well-prepared to create and carry out fitness programs in a one-on-one setting.
2) Is the trainer certified? If so, by what organization? There is literally an alphabet soup of organizations that certify personal trainers. Most of them, however, aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. A colleague of mine actually got his 9 year old son certified by one of the fly-by-nighters simply by paying the necessary fee. I’m sure I could find an organization that would certify my pet bulldog! Only a few select certifying bodies are nationally accredited. For me, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is at the top of the list. Their trainers tend to be the most knowledgeable based on my experience. Other well-respected certifications include the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
3) What experience does the trainer have? While knowledge is extremely important, the application of knowledge takes time to get right. A trainer should have a minimum of a year or two experience “in the trenches”. Any less and they’re still learning on the job. Don’t hesitate to ask for references if you have any doubts.
Want to spot a bad trainer? Here are a few giveaways:
1) The trainer doesn’t do an extensive fitness assessment. You can’t train someone properly if you don’t know anything about them. A good trainer will always perform an assessment that provides insight into things like medical history, needs and goals, body fat analysis, and strength testing. I never start training a client without spending a good hour or so going through all these things and more.
2) The trainer doesn’t chart your workout. This one is a real pet peeve of mine. It’s amazing how many trainers don’t take this basic step to heart. Any trainer worth his salt will be training multiple clients a day. How can he possibly remember what exercises you did in the previous session, not to mention your workout a week or two ago? Answer: he can’t. The only way to properly structure a workout is by noting everything the client does in every session. This means the trainer should carry a clip board and pen with your training chart throughout your workout.
3) The trainer takes you through the same workout every session. I can’t tell you how many times I hear this from people. Either their trainers are lazy, don’t care, and/or don’t know any better. Regardless, it’s a surefire prescription to poor results. Variety is the spice of fitness. Not only does changing a workout help to ensure continued progress, but it also helps to prevent exercise boredom. Routines should be varied on a regular basis. If not, the trainer isn’t earning his fee.
If you need any further advice on this topic, post a comment or shoot me an email. I’m always happy to respond.
Stay Fit!
Brad
Nutrition
April 21, 2009
“Oh, no! Not again…” This is what I find myself saying every time I hear a commercial for a weight loss product called Ever Cleanse — which unfortunately seems air every time I turn on the radio. In case you’ve somehow missed it, the ad copy goes something like this (I’ll insert my own comments in parentheses):
“Guys, we eat too much red meat, fast foods and processed foods. This keeps the belly flabby and keeps our bodies overweight”
(Probably the only statement in the commercial that has any credence. They should have quit while they were ahead.)
“Ladies, have you ever said ‘I feel fat today!’?”
(A clear attempt at tapping into a woman’s emotions. After all, is there any woman on the planet who hasn’t uttered these words at one time or another. But the hype is just beginning…)
“And how many of you have been trying to shed the same 10 to 20 pounds for years?”
(Another blatant emotional ploy. By now they’ve no doubt got the attention of virtually every listener. Mission accomplished.)
“There’s a healthy and faster way to lose weight!”
(Really? Faster than what? And for the record, ‘healthy’ weight loss doesn’t come fast. To lose a pound of fat you need to create a caloric deficit of about 3500 calories–count them up and see that you’re lucky to lose two pounds a week of body fat under the best of conditions.)
“It’s called Ever Cleanse; a clinically proven weight loss and detox formula that helps you lose weight and get rid of the 10 to 25 pounds of waste that some experts say is trapped to the colon walls like spackle or paste.”
(Whoa! Clinically proven? Where’s the clinical proof? Not a shred of evidence is cited in the commercial as to the product’s efficacy. For the record, I did a search on Medline and couldn’t locate a single peer-reviewed study that investigated Ever Cleanse in any capacity. Moreover, who are these experts that say we have spackled waste clinging to our colon? The only “experts” that I can imagine making such claims would be marketing experts who hawk products purported to reduce colon waste.)
“Two weeks of Evercleanse may be equal to months of dieting. It’s simple too. Natural, tasteless crystals dissolve in any food.”
(Gee, and here I’ve spent the better part of my life studying the science of exercise and nutrition and the answer to weight loss is actually as simple as sprinkling some tasteless crystals into my Big Mac and Fries. Whoopee, I can stop sweating and go back to being a couch potato!)
“Evercleanse will flatten out your midsection, reduce love handles; bellies and bloating have been disappearing in just days.”
(Say what? No more love handles? Bellies disappearing in days? Are they kidding? In case the ad copy writers played hooky during high school physiology, ‘love handles’ are, by defintion, the result of a buildup of excess body fat–not colonic waste. And while it’s possible that some people may have impacted colonic fecal matter, this certainly isn’t what is making them fat. Go back to the first line of the ad: the problem in today’s society is that people tend to eat too much and don’t exercise enough. Plain and simple.).
The ad spirals further downhill from here, making increasingly outrageous statements about the benefits of Ever Cleanse, but I’m sure you get the point. While I wish I could just dismiss it as a bad joke, the sad fact is that every day thousands of people buy into the hype and plunk down their hard earned money for worthless weight loss products. Consumers have been led to believe that if a product is advertised in the media then the claims made must be true. Wrong! Fact: The supplement industry is pretty much completely unregulated. That means any company claim virtually whatever they want without fear of retribution. And that means buyer beware.
Bottom line: Forget the weight loss shortcuts. Save your money and realize there are no secret formulas out there that magically melt away the pounds. If you want to maintain a healthy, fit body, you need to eat properly and exercise. No two ways about it. Fortunately, if you adhere to a fitness lifestyle, you’ll look great into your golden years and enjoy a better quality of life. And that’s no hype.
Stay Fit!
Brad
Media Appearances
March 25, 2009
Wanted to let everyone know that I’ll be doing a radio interview today (Weds, March 25), with Ron Kuby on the Air America Radio Network. The show is broadcast nationally. Here is a link to the show and info on where you can find local stations in your area. Hope you can tune in!
Doing Time With Ron Kuby
Stay Fit!
Brad
Media Appearances
March 19, 2009
The New York Times featured me today in an interview about how to get arms like Michelle Obama. Here’s a link to the article:
Want Michelle Obama’s Arms?
Stay Fit!
Brad
Exercise, Fitness
January 23, 2009
Given the overwhelmingly positive feedback on my previous posts debunking common exercise myths, here are my insights on a few more myths that continue to pervade the industry.
Hopefully by setting the record straight, we can put these misperceptions to rest once and for all and, in the process, improve your toning and weight losss results!
MYTH: Using the Stairmaster will give you a big butt.
TRUTH: This myth might be humorous if so many women didn’t accept it as fact. It came about after a popular magazine quoted a so-called fitness expert who cautioned that stair climbing was a one-way ticket to a movie screen-sized derriere. The “expert” apparently had never studied exercise physiology.
Truth is it’s virtually impossible to substantially increase muscle mass from stair climbing… or any other aerobic activity for that matter. Understand that during cardiovascular exercise the primary type of muscle fibers utilized are the endurance-related slow-twitch fibers. These fibers get much of their energy by burning fat for fuel, contracting very slowly but having the ability to endure extended periods of activity.
The kicker: Slow twitch fibers have only a limited ability to increase in size. It’s the strength-related fast-twitch fibers that have the capacity to grow sufficiently large. And since fast twitch fibers aren’t recruited to any great extent, the chances of your butt beefing up are just about nil.
Bottom Line: If you enjoy using the Stairmaster, go ahead and climb away without worrying that your booty will expand to the size of a city bus. If anything, you’ll ultimately reduce the size of your butt due to its fat-burning effects.
MYTH: Women should train with very light weights so they won’t bulk up.
TRUTH: Go into any gym and you’ll invariably notice women lifting weights that are far too light for their abilities. I’ve actually seen women talking on their cell phones while doing a set of curls or reading magazines while doing leg presses. In most cases, this is a conscious decision due to an inherent fear of looking like a she-man.
The fear, however, is completely unfounded.
Women have very low levels of testosterone — the body’s primary muscle-building hormone. On average, women produce only about 1/20th the amount of testosterone as their male counterparts. This is nature’s way of preserving “femininity.” As a result, it’s difficult for women to add a significant amount of muscular bulk to their frame.
Without an anabolic stimulus, muscle tissue simply has no impetus to grow larger (hypertrophy) and muscular growth remains modest, even at advanced levels of training.
Bottom Line: If your goal is to tone up, then you need to lift weights that sufficiently tax your body. If you don’t challenge your body beyond its present capacity, you simply won’t provide a stimulus for improving body composition. Your goal should be to choose a weight that causes you to struggle on the last few reps. If you’re not struggling, the weight is too light!
MYTH: Lactic acid causes muscle soreness.
TRUTH: Contrary to popular belief, lactic acid is not the bad boy of exercise that some make it out to be. It certainly is not involved in making you sore after a workout.
Truth is any lactic acid that accumulates in muscle is rapidly cleared within an hour or two after exercise. Since delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) doesn’t manifest until about 24 hours after a training session, it therefore follows that lactic acid cannot play a role in its origin.
So what causes DOMS? It’s actually a product of damage to muscle tissue. Intense exercise produces small microtears in the working muscle fibers, primarily as a result of eccentric activity (i.e. lengthening a muscle against tension). These microtears allow calcium to escape from the muscles, disrupting their intracellular balance. Metabolic waste is produced and that interacts with the free nerve endings surrounding the damaged fibers, resulting in localized pain and stiffness.
In response, white blood cells migrate to the site of injury, generating free radicals that further exacerbate the sensation of pain. The discomfort can last for several days or even up to a week, depending on the extent of muscle damage.
Bottom Line: Don’t blame lactic acid buildup for making you sore after a workout. It’s merely a sign that you’ve trained hard. If you experience DOMS, the best thing you can do is to stay active, enhancing blood flow to the affected area. This will expedite nutrients to the muscles, accelerating the rate of their repair and consequently reducing associated discomfort.
Until next time, stay fit!
Brad
Exercise, Fitness
January 18, 2009
I wanted to let everyone know that I’ve added a free, downloadable exercise diary on my site. The diary allows you to track your workouts on a consistent basis and thus be better able to make necessary adjustments to your routine. I highly recommend you keep a journal for optimal results. You can download a copy at the link below (the link is located at the bottom of the page–just scroll down and click on the PDF icon):
http://www.lookgreatnaked.com/services/sculpting.htm
Enjoy and Stay Fit!
Brad
Exercise, Fitness
December 26, 2008
In my last blog I covered a few of the more common fitness myths that pervade society. In the true spirit of the adage, “Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see!” here are three more exercise myths that come up again and again.
MYTH 1: You should perform cardio in your “fat burning zone.”
TRUTH: Step into any gym and you’ll hear personal trainers preaching that the best way to lose weight is by exercising in your “fat burning zone.” While this might sound good in theory, the “fat burning zone” is actually based on faulty interpretation of research showing activities performed at a low intensity (60 to 80 percent of max heart rate) burn a greater percentage of fat calories than higher intensity activities.
Fact is burning a greater percentage of fat doesn’t equate to burning more total fat calories. High-intensity exercise burns more fat calories on an absolute basis than lower intensity activities, making it the preferred choice for those looking to optimize fat loss.
One of the best fat-burning forms of cardio is interval training, where you intersperse periods of high-intensity exercise with periods of low-intensity exercise. This not only maximizes fat burning during the activity, but also increases a phenomenon called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) — the amount of calories burned once the activity is finished — which helps keep your metabolism elevated long after you’ve stopped working out.
MYTH 2: Sweat is a good indicator of exercise intensity.
TRUTH: You’ve no doubt heard fitness pros utter the phrase, “Ya gotta sweat.” Many people adopt this as an exercise mantra, believing it’s the key to a successful workout. Not!
While sweat tends to be associated with rigorous exercise, it is by no means essential to achieving results. If it was, you’d get buff lounging in a sauna!
Fact is sweat is an indicator that your body temperature is rising, not necessarily that you are exercising at an intense level. Your body regulates its temperature by activating your sweat glands, which then pores as a cooling mechanism.
Rather than focusing on how much you sweat, the best way to monitor exercise intensity is by using a rating of perceived exertion (RPE). This is a subjective scale that estimates how difficult an activity is to perform. I like to keep it simple and use a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being complete inactivity and 10 being all-out effort. If you want to exercise intensely, maintain a level of an 8 or more on the RPE scale.
MYTH 3: If you stop lifting weights, your muscle will turn to fat.
TRUTH: Some people refuse to lift weights for fear that their hard-earned muscle will simply morph into fat if they stop working out. Nonsense! Muscle and fat are two separate and distinct properties that have completely different molecular structures.
Muscle is a protein-based tissue comprised of filaments called actin and myosin. Body fat, on the other hand, consists of stored triglycerides, which are made up of a carbohydrate (glycerol) and three fatty acids. Hence, the possibility of muscle turning into fat (or vice versa) is akin to an apple becoming an orange: There’s simply no mechanism for it to happen.
Bottom line: don’t let the “muscle-to-fat myth” deter you from lifting weights. The only thing that happens when you stop weight training is that you ultimately lose the muscle that you’d developed.
On the plus side, muscle has “memory” so it’s easier to get back that muscle when you re-start your routine!
Stay Fit!
Brad
Exercise, Fitness
December 9, 2008
“Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see…”
Nowhere are these words of wisdom more apt than in the fitness field. Fact is, anyone can hang a shingle on their door and call themselves a personal trainer or fitness expert. No knowledge of exercise required.The upshot: There are a lot of people out there perpetrating fitness myths that are at best misleading and at worst potentially dangerous. Here are three of the most common.
MYTH 1. You shouldn’t lift weights until you get down to your ideal body weight.
TRUTH: This myth is based on the premise that adding muscle if you’re overweight will make you look even fatter. This has resulted in a legion of people who try to diet their way to fat loss and just focus on cardio. Bad idea.
Fact is weight training helps to promote fat loss. Muscle mass increases your metabolic rate, which directly aids in the burning of fat as fuel. Studies have shown that for each pound of muscle added to your body, you burn an additional 30 to 50 calories a day at rest. Avoid weight training and your body actually cannibalizes its own muscle, suppressing metabolism and ultimately leading to a rebound effect.
Bottom line: If you want to lose weight and keep it off, lift weights! It’s essential to sustaining fat loss and even more important than cardiovascular exercise for long-term weight maintenance.
MYTH 2. Performing abdominal exercises will give you a flat stomach.
TRUTH: Watch late night TV and you’re bound to see an infomercial for some new ab blasting device that claims to whittle away your gut. Wishful thinking.
Fact is the body can’t selectively target fat on any part of your body, including the midsection. The only way to get a flat stomach is to strip away abdominal fat. This is accomplished by having a proper nutritional regimen, performing cardiovascular exercise to help burn calories, and increasing lean muscle to increase metabolism (see Myth 1).
Bottom line: Ab training will help to develop the abdominal muscles, but you’ll never see that “six pack” unless the fat in this area is stripped away.
MYTH 3. You should train your abdominals every day to get a “six pack”.
TRUTH: This fallacy goes hand-in-hand with Myth 2. It is widely believed that the abdominals exercises can and should be trained on a daily basis to achieve maximum results.
The fact is abdominals can be over-trained just like any other muscle group. Muscle tissue is actually broken down during training, and therefore needs adequate rest and recuperation in order to regenerate. When your abs are trained too frequently, the recovery process is shortchanged, resulting in diminished muscular development.
What’s more, your abdominals are worked indirectly while training other muscle groups. They are stabilizers for virtually every movement you perform. In effect, you get an ab workout every time you train with weights!
Bottom line: Considering these facts, you need only train your abs a maximum two or three times per week. Allow at least 48 hours between ab workouts. If you do not see proper results, train more intensely and/or use weighted abdominal exercises. Remember, it’s the quality of training -— not the quantity of training -— that produces results!
Stay Fit!
Brad
Fitness
December 3, 2008
Just wanted to let everyone know I’ll be lecturing Thursday, December 4, 2008 at the Athletic Business Conference. It’s being held at the San Antonio Convention Center. The topic is “Facts and Fallacies of Fitness.” Hope you stop by if your registered…
Stay Fit!
Brad
Personal Appearances
August 12, 2008
I’ll be lecturing at the CanFitPro this weekend, beginning with a pre-con presentation on Thursday, August 14, 2008. Hopefully I’ll see some of you there. Stop by and say hello!
Stay Fit!
Brad
Tags: CanFitPro
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