What’s the best way to increase athletism? What’s the best way to jump higher? What’s the best way to lose weight? Ask 10 personal trainers and you might get 10 different answers. Why the ambiguity? Experience, school of training, different training methods, and the constant evolving of the industry.
First, is the hands-on experience. If a client gets good results on a training program, then we use that knowledge and apply it to another person. “Alright, my client was able to lose weight by doing this, so I can do the same thing with this client.” Sounds good, right? However, it’s not. Everybody has different needs and as trainers, we must constantly change a training program or lifestyle habits to provide maximal results to clients. It is through experience that allows us to be confident to provide excellent results. My biggest issue with the fitness industry is those that never trained a client and decides to claim that his or her program will achieve results. The topic of training yourself versus training others will be discussed another week.
Secondly, is the school of training. There are hundreds of personal training certifications. NSCA, NASM, NCSF, ACE, NESTA, ACSM, ISSA to name a few. Most certifications can be acquired by taking a test. However, some may require prerequisites. For example, my CSCS requires a bachelor’s in science-related degree. My training was developed from studying kinesiology and the years of shadowing physical therapists and personal trainers. On the other hand, some trainers may not have much science background and use social media as their guide for workouts.
Thirdly, is the method of training. Some believe that you need to do yoga to be a better athlete. Some believe that strength training movements such as deadlift are bad for runners. I believe in the 5 pillars (as we say in DGF) of fitness: strength training, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance (aerobic and anaerobic), balance, and core strength. These are all important aspects of fitness that people need. “Why do I need cardio?” This is what one client said and she later thanked me because she had to run to catch a connecting flight and could have missed it had she not have the ability to run. It all comes down to preference when choosing a training method and there are many options to choose from. Go with what makes sense for you.
Lastly, exercise is constantly evolving and it is our job as personal trainers to stay on top of the latest research. For those that are qualified trainers, we are required to recertify every 2 years. This comes through attending seminars, publishing articles, taking online quizzes, or adding new certifications. If there is a faster way to achieve this or that, we must know so we can provide the utmost service to our clients.
To sum it all up, there is no best training method because one size doesn’t fit all. What works for some may not for you. So do your own research and just like any medical advice, get a second or third opinion and decide which method will help you achieve your goals. Hope you enjoyed this week’s blog. Stay tuned for more next Wed……………….Kei
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