Personal Training Blog with Douglasville Personal Trainer David Hansey

New to fitness?

There are a lot of group fitness class options here in Douglasville and I know it can be very tempting to try some of the more advanced ones like full contact kickboxing. But……. make sure your body is ready for that. Many people get into commitments and get an injury and then never come back because they feel they have failed. Better to start small and stick with it than to start and stop.

I personally always suggest the spinning type classes. Most of us rode a bike as kids so we are familiar with the movement and you can go fast, slow, hard, soft and make it very personal for you. It is a good cardio workout and you can progress at your own pace.

If you like something that is more of a class atmosphere, then start with one that does not have contact or weights. Classes with full contact and weights are not strength training, they are still aerobic conditioning so you will still need to strength train so start with something that gets you motivated and moving.

If you are a SENIOR CITIZEN or have a family member who is — I always suggest Silver Sneakers. It is FREE on many insurance programs and is available at many gyms around the country. Here in Georgia, if you have Blue Cross, Humana or AARP as an insurance company or supplemental insurance, there is a good chance you can get Silver Sneakers for free. So if that interests you — CHECK!! All gyms who participate throughout the country offer the same classes and programs.

Hope that gives you a bit more details on getting started with starting a fitness program!!

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