Why Use a Fitness Trainer?

January 20, 2009

abs_postRegardless of your fitness goals, you can benefit from a fitness trainer. For those of you who need to lose a few extra pounds, to those of you who need to physically transform your entire body, a fitness trainer can assist you in reaching your unique goals.

That Extra Edge

While the aspect of motivation is not the most important reason for a trainer, it is a very important one. Lacking motivation is a major issue that people seem to have when trying to reach their fitness goals. They learn that the road to reaching their individual goals is much harder than they originally anticipated. A trainer can provide that extra motivation that you need to reach your fitness goals. Not all personalities require the extra “umph” from their personal trainer, but the extra boost will help.

The Ultimate Benefit of A Fitness Trainer
A trainer can assist you in managing your fitness routine and help you plan every aspect of your workout; from the foods that you eat to the various types of exercises that you do. Since everyone is not an expert on fitness, it is nice to have someone who can teach you how to get the most out of your workout sessions. It’s nice to have someone always focused on you and your routine…even if you aren’t.

It is a trainer’s job to design your fitness routine so you won’t need to concentrate on an exercise plan – all you have to do is workout. This is extremely helpful for those with hectic schedules as they will not be forced to keep up with every detail of their personal fitness plan.

Exercise Efficiency
A great trainer will make sure that your exercise sessions are as efficient as possible. Many people exercise with the goal of reaching better health but fail to do so as they are doing the wrong types of exercise. For example, someone trying to build their leg muscle may be participating in exercises that do little or nothing to improve the amount of muscle in their legs. Improving the area(s) of your body that you wish to improve is part of what a personal trainer will teach you.

Dieting Success: The Ultimate Secret To Rapid Results
A knowledgeable trainer will show you the types of foods that you need to eat to reach your desired level of fitness. For most workout plans, a normal diet will not offer results which is why it’s important to have trainer design a diet especially for you. Your trainer has the knowledge of all the foods and nutrients that are vital to your exercise regimen along with the foods that you should avoid.

Reach Your Fitness Goals Permanently
If you are a local NYC resident and are wishing to reach your fitness goals, feel free to contact me at sherika@justeatsmart.com.

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

DomestiGals January 21, 2009 at 10:28 pm

Sherika,

We love your website. DomestiGal Jen has about 10 months until her wedding (shhh… she’s not officially engaged yet since her diamond-of-dreams has not yet been bought). Anyway, what’s the best way for her to get her arms in shape while in business school? Colossus, her studly personal trainer while in London, works out with her 3 days a week and she has to look hotter than hot for her strapless wedding gown.

Sherika January 23, 2009 at 2:32 pm

Hey Domestigal Jen!

Every woman who writes to me seems to want toned arms, so let’s go through some of the basics of an arm-toning workout and then put it all together in a routine that you can take to the gym.

To tone a muscle you need to lose fat
This is the big essential tip that you need to learn! Arm toning is not possible without losing fat and it’s not possible to lose fat off of only your arms. This means that if you want to tone your arms you need to start a weight loss program that will help you lose weight from your whole body.

With a low body fat percentage your muscles will start to shine through as defined and firm. So, weight loss is just as important as muscle gain when it comes to arm toning.

You need to work with heavy weights to build muscle

Many women are concerned about getting bulky but really shouldn’t be as they do not have enough testosterone to get big. If a trainer or a gym instructor tells you to use light weights with high reps to tone your arms, tell them they’re dumb and leave. Working out with lighter weights and higher reps is a bad rumor that we should all ignore. The reason is simple. When you weight train you break your muscles slightly and the rebuilding is what produces muscle growth. Heavy weights obviously stresses them more and will amount to more muscles being torn and rebuilt. Heavy weights will also speed up your metabolism which in turn will burn more fat thus helping you tone your arms.

The exercises
The exercises for your arm toning are simple weight lifting exercises that are done with free weights (bar bells and dumb bells).

1 – Bar bell curl
Standing with your feet shoulder width apart grab a bar bell about shoulder width apart. With your elbows locked firmly to a position by your side, lift the weight up using your biceps to the top of your chest. Lower it slowly down without moving your elbows and repeat.

2 – Alternate dumb bell curl
Standing with feet shoulder width apart grab two dumb bells and let them rest at your side. Tensing your bicep curl one dumb bell up and twist it so that when the dumb bell reaches it’s top position near your shoulder your palm is facing your shoulder. As you lower this dumb bell down to it’s starting position repeat with the opposite arm.

Triceps

1 – Close grip bench press
Laying on a bench take a medium heavy bar bell a bit narrower than shoulder width grip and bring it down to your lower ribs. Push the weight up using your triceps and lower it to the same position. Just before it reaches your chest fire it up in the pushing direction again before it gets a chance to rest on your body. This prevents your chest from taking over with the weight lifting.

2 – Tricep kickbacks
Take a light dumb bell in your right hand. Place your left hand and left knee on a low flat bench. Keeping your back straight lift your elbow so that your upper arm is in line with your torso. Slowly tense your tricep and lift the dumb bell to a position where you arm is almost locked out straight. Lower and repeat.

The arm toning workout

These are the basic four exercises that you will use to build your foundation of strength and technique. Remember, without perfect technique you will not make any progress so exert yourself in making sure that your posture and lifting method is perfect.

1. Warm up with some cardio, stretching and light weights.
2. Bar bell curls – 4 sets of 10-15 reps
3. Narrow grip bench press – 4 sets of 8-10 reps
4. Alternate dumb bell curls – 4 sets of 8-10 reps
5. Tricep kickbacks – 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Remember, when a rep number says 8-10 it means that you should pick a weight that causes you to ‘fail’ in that rep range. It does not mean that you pick a light weight and only do 8 reps. It means you should be struggling to get to 8. Perform each exercise with care and slowly. Do not be tempted to pump out the reps quickly.

Good Luck,
Sherika Henry
Just Eat Smart

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: