Get rec'd
No one knows personal training better than a personal trainer
SHANE RAY
Getting fit involves more than good intentions and a gym membership. Most people quit going to the gym because they feel they’re doing a lot of work for little or no results.
People assume they can push weights around and miraculously get in shape, get stronger or change their physique. They’re using form that will cause injury or is ineffective for their goals. They might even use a weight inappropriate for their strength level.
While there are many different training programs, good technique should always come first.
Properly certified instructors are essential for learning good technique. Every exercise must be physiologically sound. The strength professional must be able to explain the value and teach the proper technique for everything they’re asking the individual to do. When purchasing a gym or facility membership be sure to ask if they have properly certified instructors on staff. Kyle Turcotte, coordinator of fitness testing and conditioning for the Sport and Active Living Centre at the University of Manitoba, recommends that a personal trainer should be certified through the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.
Both the Gritty Grotto on the Fort Garry Campus and the Joe Doupe Centre on the Bannatyne campus are staffed during peak hours with fitness attendants who are certified in resistance training by the Manitoba Fitness Council. Both facilities also offer personal trainers who are certified by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology
Trainers such as these are helpful in showing you the basics of working out that you may not be aware of.
A lack of this knowledge often leads people to mismatch their exercise to their goal. A bench press, for example, can be done different ways — close or wide grip — to work different body parts — chest or back. It’s not that the other body part doesn’t receive benefit, but if you’re focusing on gains in a particular area, be sure the exercise precisely matches the need.
Be conscious of favouring the stronger leg or arm when you exercise, another routine mistake. Some leg extension machines are built so the user puts weight on both legs simultaneously. If the person exercising has the slightest bit of difference in strength then the other leg is doing more of the work. The result is an imbalance in strength that can affect posture, performance, and subsequent development.
Despite a glut of fitness information, people tend to repeat the same mistakes.
People are often out of their comfort zone at the gym. They’re afraid to ask for help, fearing that they might look stupid or like a novice.
The path of least resistance is always the easiest. We do a lot to sabotage ourselves and that includes finding ways to cheat during a workout. The same applies to being consistent. Going to the gym a few days in a row is easy, but going for three weeks seems difficult.
Unreasonable expectations usually lead to errors in judgment and performance.
The promise of quick easy results has lead to an “instant weight loss” mentality. When this doesn’t happen, and it almost never does, people get discouraged and either quit or move on to a new approach.
Experts recommend the following for avoiding standard mistakes:
