Personal Training Blog with Douglasville Personal Trainer David Hansey

Hey there to everyone in Douglasville who reads my blog but also to those who don’t live here. I sincerely hope that you find this a valuable resource in your healthy lifestyle. If you enjoy it half as much as I enjoy writing it, then awesome.

I wanted to share a couple of ideas to inspire you.

I realize sometimes the gym can get a bit boring and your regular workout can get a bit tedious.

Scientific research also has proven that your body responds best when you make changes and new challenges.

When I train personal training clients, it is easy to change their workouts and make sure their muscles are always challenged in new ways. It becomes more difficult when you are talking about challenging their mind or spirit to be excited and eager to work out.

Children are a great example. When something is fun, they do it regardless of how hard they have to work for it. Once you take away the fun factor, they are very difficult if not impossible to motivate. Well we may think that we have matured past that but not that much. So try to make it fun and you will get a huge workout without even realizing how hard you worked.

Get off the couch and try a few of these ( or all of them) to breathe some life into your body and your fitness.

– Hike. Hiking takes a lot more strength and burns a ton more calories than just plain street walking. Plus, it is fun and great for your balance and stabilization. And you can hike miles and miles and it does not feel like work.

- Bike. We in Douglasville are fortunate to live very close to the Silver Comet trail. An excellent place to get out and pedal with no worries of traffic, barking and biting dogs, car doors opening on you and all the other perils of street riding.

- Trail Running. If your street running routine is getting a bit dry, some trail running either alone or with a friend will take your eyes off the horizon or the clock on the treadmill and put them down watching for branches and roots and the miles will literally fly by.

- Tennis/Golf As the weather cools here, it is a good time get out on the tennis or golf course. No cart riding and no doubles. Make the time count.

Still not motivated? Then get your butt into the gym for a serious kicking with some personal training sessions. COMMIT to doing a month of serious training and the results will keep you coming to the gym over and over!

In love with fitness classes? There are so many options and not all options are available everywhere but fitness classes are a good option for moving and working up a sweat.

Are they the best option for you? Probably not.

I am not slamming classes — far from it. I think fitness classes can be a motivating form of cardio.

But they cannot be your only workout if you have any intention of getting fit and being your healthiest.

In order to really get fit and change your body, you need to look at what is holding you back from being there right now. What are your unique circumstances for not already being in the shape that you want (or the shape that your health requires)

And there is only one workout that addresses your unique circumstances. And that is personal training. You don’t need to be a celebrity to have a personal trainer. You don’t need to spend a lot of money and you don’t need to work out with a personal trainer forever. Some people only spend a month or so and some only do a couple of sessions. Why? Because it is all based on YOU and your needs!!

Some people need the motivation of a trainer to be there all the time. Without an appointment, they just don’t come to the gym. For them, the money is well spent. For others, they like coming to the gym, they just need to find a routine that makes their body respond and they need it to respond in the time they can commit to the gym. I had one client who used to come to the gym for hours and asked me how to get the results he wanted in less time. He had (and still has) an amazing physique, he just needed to maintain in less time. And guess what, he does!!

So consider personal training as an addition to your group fitness or fitness class workout. I think you will find that it is the only thing that can give you the results that make you what you are — only better!!

Well it is October and I am seeing more and more people coming to the gym. And I am seeing a lot of people asking about personal training as a way to get in shape. They have finally decided to get serious about changing their bodies and that is wonderful.

That is the first step in moving toward that healthy body that I know you want. Perhaps losing some weight or gaining muscle or helping with health concerns like diabetes or hypertension. Whatever your goal is, remember that it take commitment to seriously change your body.

And you should deploy every weapon in your arsenal in order to make it a reality for you. I mean really throwing time, money, energy and commitment toward your goal. Changing your life is not easy — or you would have done it already.

Do you have a hard time preparing healthy meals? Maybe buying veggies prechopped for a few weeks. Maybe making some time to look up some new recipes.

I am not saying spend money that is not necessary — I am saying commit. There are things in your life right now that are screaming at you to change. You need to take the time to change them and if it costs a bit for the first few weeks to make a change that will last a lifetime.

A few ideas — do these for 30 days
1- personal training — ideally 3 times a week, but 2 if you can commit to doing the 3rd on your own — do EVERYTHING the personal trainer tells you to!!

2 – food — healthy eating is crucial so keep a diary (there is a great free one you can print off in the links section of my other site) click here to go to 4 fit bodies — Keep this diary in detail with everything you eat and drink

3 – drink! drinking water helps your body with all functions. So drink it! No excuses.

4 – sleep. You need enough sleep and changing your body and working out will make you tired as your body adjusts so commit to getting enough sleep.

I am asking you to make these changes for 30 days. That is all !! Some changes will take effect quickly but all of these will become a habit in 30 days so keep going, it is only a month to make changes that will be habits for the rest of your life.

Changing your body is like looking for buried treasure. It is much easier but it still requires a few things. Personal training is the map, your personal trainer is the compass. And you are the captain of the ship who must take your body on the course to improvement.

As I have mentioned before, you need to really evaluate a personal trainer’s credentials. Make sure they are BOARD CERTIFIED, see the link above if you need more details on that. And make sure that they are professional. Watch them train someone. Do they keep track of your workout and your weight, yes, write it down. Watch their style. Make sure they have what you want.

Then do the things they say. I require a medical form before you start. I don’t just want it. It is not just a formality. I NEED IT. So if a personal trainer asks you to do something (like fill out a medical form prior to your first visit) then do it.

Then follow their advice. If they say you should show up early to do your cardio or warm up. Then show up. I find clients who show up 30-45 minutes early to do their cardio are never late for their session and get the most bang for their personal training buck. While 45 minutes of cardio is ideal for most people, it you have to cut it to 30 because you were stuck in traffic, then so be it. Better than missing the sessions that you are paying for, isn’t it.

Then if the trainer asks you to do something besides your sessions, be honest. If I ask someone to do cardio 3 times a week for 45 minutes, it is because it is what they need to meet the goals they have told me. It is not for me! It is for you!! As your personal trainer, I want you to meet your goals (and regardless of your personal trainer, they should be focused on your goals!) If something is impossible for you, be honest, the trainer can explain to you how this will affect your training. I really don’t see (sorry, but I don’t) how you cannot squeeze an hour for yourself into a day. I work from about 5 in the morning until around 8 most nights and I always find time for family and fitness. Not a lot of time for TV watching, video games and sleeping on the couch, but make YOU a priority in your life.

Watch your food intake. Just because you are working out more does not mean you have a free pass when it comes to food and drink. Your body is a complex machine and natural whole foods are best for it. Lean proteins, beans, vegetables, fruit. Restaurant meals, frying, processed foods and simple sugars are rare treats, not a part of your daily nutrition. You will find your body works best when you fuel it properly. Need to know what to make for dinner. I have made a free recipe and food site just for that. Douglasville Weight Loss is my site to help you get healthy and figure out what to cook when you can’t think of a healthy thing to cook. There are lots of cool new things coming to that site every day so I hope it helps everyone develop a great way to eat and enjoy food in a more healthy natural way.

I have seen some SAD ASS personal trainers in my days at the gym here in Douglasville. They show up (often late!) unprepared, unprofessionally dressed and without a personalized workout for the client. Then they float around the gym with their client in tow dishing out some of their half-assed advice.

Sorry to be so blunt, but that is NOT a personal trainer!!!

A personal trainer is professional. They are on time and expect you to be too. They have a customized, personalized workout prepared for you based on your goals, your needs, your limitations and your medical history. This workout is WRITTEN DOWN so your progress can be tracked.

A professional personal trainer also is board certified. If you are not sure what I mean by board certified, there are INDUSTRY STANDARDS that you want your personal trainer to have. To not only get you a good workout but to get you a safe and effective workout. Click Here for more info on board certified personal training.

Sorry if this is a bit of a rant. But I see people making their decisions every day based on less than the ideal amount of information. Don’t based your decision on friendship, sex, looks or price. There is no reason to work out with a male or female, old or young or a friend.

Get the BEST personal trainer you can afford. One session a week with a highly qualified personal trainer will do more for you than 3 sessions a week with a mediocre one.

I hope that helps you in finding the PERFECT personal trainer for you!!

God, I can’t tell you how many people I see every day struggling with their workout. Even people who think they have a good routine and think they are doing something good for themselves usually have it wrong. Fitness and strength training are like any other behavior, they are learned. You don’t just show up at the gym and know what to do with every piece of fitness equipment and every accessory. I mean, come on, is that realistic?

I watch people every day at the Douglasville gym where I do some of my personal training doing things that are ineffective, dangerous and sometimes just plain crazy. I also see people doing things that are considered rude by other gym members (remember you are in public here).

Let me cover a few of these things.
Rude things – at a gym, you should remember that you SHARE your space with others. So just like when you were in Kindergarten, you put the weights back where you found them. And you wipe you sweat off the bench or machine where you left it. And if you are doing a lot of sets and someone is waiting, then you should ask them if they want to “work in” where they do their set while you do your rest. Seems really simple, doesn’t it.

Now, on to the incorrect — this list could be endless. I see almost every move being done wrong almost every day. Want to see a bunch of them at once, then look in on one of the fitness classes with weights and you can see every incorrect version of a deadlift you ever wanted.

Basically, your body should not move outside of its normal range. So elbows stay close to the body, back does not round or arch, knees do not extend over the toes– get the idea?

Listing out every single way to do a move wrong would take me forever so my personal feeling is that everyone owes it to themselves to invest in their body. Even if that investment is one training session to go over your current routine for improvements or criticism. Even if it a month’s worth of sessions to get a routine you can do on your own that is safe and effective. Make the investment. Seriously, even if you think personal training is not in your budget. Most of us have a few things we can adjust (like dropping out the 800 calorie whipped cream covered coffee sundae drink in the morning that is $6). Hmm — just doing that and you already have a couple of sessions a month!

I will go into some basics about alignment and incorrect moves again in my next post with details on some of the moves that are performed wrong almost all the time!!

Until then, I wish you the best of health and greetings from beautiful Douglasville, Georgia.

Dave Hansey
Personal Training Blog