(Newswire.net — February 12, 2016) — Personal trainers are individuals that have devoted their lives to helping others stay in shape and achieve their desired body goals. They see things differently from the rest of the populace and have qualifications that make them valuable to anyone looking to stay fit. Therefore, if you have just become a personal trainer and about to launch your career, you need to bear in mind that you are expected to hold the key to ultimate fitness at all times. The expectations are heavier when helping individuals achieve weight loss goals.
To help navigate this, we spoke to nrpt.co.uk – the national register of personal trainers and this piece takes a look at some of the things they told us about weight loss training.
Always determine motivation for losing weight
In many cases, people start a fitness regime because they are not comfortable with what they see when they look in the mirror. The best personal trainers however, know that the main motivations pushing an individual to knock their bodies into shape are not visible on the surface. You need to communicate effectively with your students to be sure you figure out this motivation. Do they want to stop dodging vacations with friends because they can’t go on a hike or feel comfortable in swim wears? Maybe they can’t walk their children to school anymore without running out of breath. Understanding the true drive behind their need to stay fit is vital as you can capitalise on it to keep them motivated all through the training.
Educate students on need for constant movement
The best personal trainers know that a successful weight loss regime goes beyond the one hour students spend with them at the gym. You need to help your students understand that the other 23 hours of the day are equally important. A round the clock approach to movement is vital for success. Small movements like fidgeting during meetings, tapping toes along to music, parking a little farther away from the shop, taking the stairs, etc. can help them lose as much as 400 calories per day.
Educate students on need to avoid extreme dieting
During a weight loss program, students are of course expected to watch what they eat. However, as a good personal trainer, you need to educate students on the dangers of excessively cutting down on their normal diet. Excessive cutting down of calories only breaks down muscles instead of building them.
During the early days of skipping meals, they may lose a few pounds but as soon as they return to a standard eating schedule, they will experience an excessive weight gain. This will promptly negate any weight loss improvements already made.
This excess weight gain is as a result of slowed down metabolism and the body is weaker than it should be. During weight loss programs, focus on helping students see healthy additions to their diet instead of things to take away.
De-emphasise the importance of Cardio
Cardio exercises like cycling, running and walking offer a good number of properly documented benefits. Some of these benefits include improved heart health, increased metabolism and improved hormonal profile.
Unfortunately however, these benefits will not be of great help individuals going through a weight loss regime.
For weight loss regimes, the best personal trainers know that strength training provides more long lasting results. They know anyone going through a weight loss regime will be better served working with dumbbells and barbells instead of spending too much time on the treadmill.
Strength training burns calories during the process just like cardio but the benefits are more long lasting. The higher resting metabolism it provides for example, means weight loss training students can burn more calories even while seated in a position hours after the exercise. This is why the best personal trainers push their students to heavier weights as soon as they can.