How to Choose the Best Personal Trainer For Your Fitness Goal

Getting the right personal trainer for your fitness goal may not be as straight forward as many people think especially in regards to getting the right results. After all, who wants to end up looking in the wrong or worse shape than they started off? The problem is anyone can get a fly-by-night online personal training certification and claimed that he is a qualified personal trainer even without proper practical experience. In fact, there are literally hundreds of personal training certifications out there and there is only a handful that meets the highest standard. Unfortunately, most people who are looking for personal trainers do not have an idea what are the reputable certifications they should be looking out for.

Although you can be in good hands when you find a "superstar" trainer, it does not guarantee success in achieving your fitness goals. A great personal trainer is certainly not a magic bullet. All he can do for you is motivate you, show you the right way and become a vital resource for you. In the end, your level of success depends on your level of commitment to the program.

Like all things, there are personal trainers who are better at their job and with their advance knowledge and experience they can get the most out of you than you trying on your own. Certainly, some are just being in the profession to earn some part-time cash and may not be into training.

How do you find the right trainer for yourself? What do you look for? Let's look at the following:

What are their relevant qualifications?

First and foremost, the level of education or training is an important factor you must consider when getting a personal trainer. Having a college degree in exercise science certainly helps but it should not be judged as a sole determinant on the quality of the fitness professional. There are many great personal trainers who do not have a college degree but still have in-depth knowledge in training. However, the trainers should be at least certified by reputable international fitness certification agencies. So what are the good few one? They are as followed but by no mean limited to the following:

American College School Medicine (ACSM) Certified Personal Trainer or Health Fitness Specialist

National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Personal Trainer

As a personal trainer in Wollongong Western Australia, I know for a fact most of the fitness trainers in Australia do not hold the above mentioned certification. This is because the tightly regulated fitness industry requires the personal trainers to hold Cert IV Fitness Qualification, a set minimal Australian national vocational standard, to conduct personal training services. Therefore, you are most likely to find a qualified fitness professional with at least Cert IV qualification in Australia. However, all the paper qualification counts for nothing if he or she does not have industry experience.

What are their Industry Experiences?

Depending on your fitness goals, you should find out about the type of experience the trainers have. Some of them can be more specialized in strength and conditioning in sports, rehabilitation or weight loss. If you are seeking results, be sure to look for someone who is specialized in your area. Although it can be very impressive to hear of someone having more than 10 years of experience in the fitness industry, it is important to ask about the work experience, seminars and relevant certification courses he or she had attended. You will be surprised that some of them do very little in their careers to stay current to the latest practice and trend in fitness.

Are they insured?

Be sure to ask about liability insurance. Have yourself covered. No matter how good the trainer can be, there is always going to be an inherent risk to exercising. Not having liability insurance may also be a sign that the "trainer" is not adequately certified. Especially in Australia, it is not possible to get liability insurance if you are not a member of the Fitness Australia and not hold a Cert IV fitness qualification.

Do they have Testimonials?

If the personal trainer you are seeking out has been in the fitness industry for some years, he or she should have written testimonies from his former and existing clients. So don't be afraid to ask for testimonies and make a call or two and find out what other people are saying about the trainer. If he is specialized in weight loss, he should have before and after pictures of his clients to show for.

How about you?

It is important that the prospective trainer you meet does not just talk about his great careers achievements and certifications that he holds without asking about you. After all, personal training is about you and your fitness goals.

At the very least, the personal trainer should find out about your specific fitness goals, exercise history, past and present medical conditions and current lifestyle. If the fitness professional shows no interest in why you are meeting him or her for, it is better to look for a trainer somewhere else.

The aforementioned guidelines are not hard and fast rules on what you should be looking for in a personal trainer. It is intended to help you in your decision to get the best possible personal trainer for your fitness goals. In the end, it boils down to personal preferences and the rapport you have with the prospective personal trainer that you meet. However, do bear in mind that it is YOU that have to make things work! Be sure to work closely with the personal trainer you choose for the best outcomes.

Deloading 101: Why Your Body May Need a Week of Light Training

Feeling tired? Drained? Not getting results from your training?

Are your muscles tight and body feeling heavy?

Are you lacking motivation for your training sessions and finding it hard to complete your workouts?

Are your number’s not improving?

You may need to incorporate a deload so you can come back STRONGER!

What is a De-load?

A deload week is a week of LOWER intensity training to let the body recover and ‘catch up’ with the stressful demands of regular heavy training routines.

Think of it as a “period of reduced training stress which continues until after the dissipation of fatigue symptoms”

Training puts large amounts of STRESS on the body. Our muscles give us the best feedback during a training session so they may be the one thing we concentrate on. We feel a good ‘pump’, burn, stretch or muscular fatigue. We use this to gage our performance during our sessions, however, these tissues are not the only tissues that receives the STRESS of training. Stress is also received by the nervous system, ligaments, tendons, joints, bones etc.

We have a good connection to our muscles and can tell when they are fatigued, tights or sore. However, it is very difficult to assess the current state of your tendons, joints, ligaments and the nervous system. These components may need recovery as well as your muscles. Stress can build up in the body and start displaying ‘signals’ (I list these below).

The purpose of the deload week is to allow the system to play ‘catchups’ and recover to full capacity, then the athlete can come back and perform at 100%.

Why do a deload week?

Your joints may need to recover – joint damage / repair is slow. Joints take longer to recover and often do not show signs of damage until they are in bad shake

Your tendons may need to recover – tendons are also slow to recover and do not show signs of damage until they are breaking down (this is known as the iceberg theory in physiotherapy – where the damage is more significant (bottom of the iceberg) than the pain that being felt (top of the iceberg))

Your nervous system may need to recover – symptoms listed below

You have not been getting stronger or improving on performance indicators

To get a new fresh sense of motivation for intense training

Read More:--> 

https://www.foundmyphysique.com.au/free-deloading-guide/

9 Fundamental Rules Of Eating For Muscle Growth - Wollongong

Eating a balanced diet can be very complicated with a busy modern life. I often get asked what is healthiest foods to consume regularly. The answers I give are not always what people expect as; many foods can be considered healthy if you lack the nutrients they provide. Having an enjoyable eating plan that sustains your needs and helps you achieve your goals is the goal. It is also critical to your success in gaining muscle, strength and athletic performance. You cannot out train a bad diet.

Eating For Muscle Growth

Here are some rules to follow to help you create your own eating plan.

Rule 1: Eat frequently and eat good quality foods

 I would recommend 3-4 meals a day because it is sustainable and there is little benefit for eating more frequently. The myth of “you need to eat more often to speed up your metabolism” has been debunked!

Rule 2:  Choose appropriate Protein sources

I often get asked how much protein should I consume in a single day? However, the question you should be asking is how many meals a day should I be consuming and how much protein should I consume in each meal.

A standard person should be consuming between 25-35 g of protein per meal, 3-5 times a day. There is little evidence suggesting more than 4 is necessary. 3 is still very close to optimal.

Choose high-quality sources of protein and prepare in the right way. Consume quality sources such a dairy and animal-based sources. Eggs provide the highest quality protein as it has the most complete amino acid profile. Salmon is also a great choice as it contains Omega-3 fatty acids.

Rule 3: Try to make sure your intake of leucine is around 2-3g or more during each feeding 

Leucine is an amino acid. It have been shown to increase the rate of repair to damaged muscles by increasing protein synthesis. Without the leucine at 2-3g, protein synthesis will not be maximized. Achieving 2-3g of leucine intake will assure maximum protein synthesis

Rule 4: Consume the appropriate amount of energy 

Your energy requirement will depend on how often you train, how much lean body mass you have and also the small amount of activity you perform during the day such as walking or work. If you have not gained or lost weight recently then you are probably consuming the appropriate amount of calories you require.

If you require help figuring out how much energy you require or a structure that is suitable for you, have a look at the personalized nutrition reports or personalized eating plans 

Rule 5: Select appropriate carbohydrates

Carbohydrates will provide you with the fuel you need to sustain your energy. Unprocessed carbohydrates will provide a slower release of energy due to the Fiber content and longer more complex carbohydrate structures. Natural carbohydrate sources will increase the satiety effect; meaning you will feel fuller for longer. The fiber will also decrease the blood sugar spike you get from ingesting the carbohydrates.

A good carb/fiber ratio is 5/1, ie. 20g of carbohydrates with 4g of fiber. Foods with a ratio of 10/1 or higher will not provide the same sustained energy effects

For more info, check out this post on carbohydrates on Instagram

Rule 6: Plenty of Micronutrients

When your body is trying to get stronger and pack on muscle, you want to assure you are having an abundance of micronutrients. They help with many cellular processes including energy levels and also recovery/repair.

Rule 7: Knowing how to cheat

When you consume too much food in one meal, it is not the end of the world. Get back on your eating plan. You do not need to go for a 3-hour run to burn off all those calories. Consistency is the main thing. Learning how to visually size up your meals is also a great idea!

Rule 8: Avoid the dietary pitfalls

Stop listening to fads and celebrity fitness trends. Be able to identify products that are disguised as healthy foods. The basics of good nutrition have not changed for many years. Find yourself a good eating plan and stick to it for a prolonged period of time and see the results.

Rule 9: Eating for muscle is a long term journey

Building muscle and losing fat are both long processes. It can take months or years of focus and dedication to get the results you want. Keep educating yourself and TRUST THE PROCESS!

Stay frosty!

Trainer Simon

 

Holistic Lifestyle Coach

Head Trainer F45 Wollongong

Level 2 Fitness Australia Trainer

Bachelors of Nutrition Sciences

A Healthy Eating Plan You Can Live With - Found My Physique

The problem with most diets is they make us feel deprived. We always think about what we can't have and what we are missing out on. It doesn't serve us to try and diet this way. We end up obsessing about food, and become tempted to cheat, which can derail our healthy eating plan and cause us to gain instead of lose extra weight. What we need is a healthy eating plan that leaves us satisfied and happy. Here are some dos and don'ts to help you live with a healthy plan.

Don't Skip Meals

Unless you have a healthy eating plan that calls for replacing the calories of a meal with a shake or snack bar, don't skip meals. Fasting and starving yourself is physically and mentally difficult. If anything, you will want to eat more (of the right kinds of food) not less. Eat foods that are satisfying in small amounts throughout your day, and turn that food into fuel for your daily activities. Your healthy eating plan will allow you to eat until you are full.

Do Plan Meals

Your healthy eating plan allows for a great deal of variety of tastes, flavors, and textures. Plan your meals ahead and give your healthy plan structure and consistency. We are less likely to cheat if we have structured meals and don't need to "grab something" to eat on the go. If you are going to be away from home, take a healthy snack along to curb your appetite until you can eat your regular healthy meals.

Don't Buy on Impulse

When you go to the supermarket, have your list in hand and stick to it. Your healthy eating plan allows you to get creative and cook fabulous meals that are healthy and good for you. Don't blow it by grabbing anything that looks good in the store. Chances are you'll regret it later. Don't go to the market hungry either as this can escalate cravings and the desire to buy on impulse.

Don't Try To Do It On Your Own

It is difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan; but if you try to do it all on your own, you can be setting yourself up for failure before you even begin. Enlist the help of a friend, spouse or partner, or co-worker. This support system will help keep you honest, and give you someone to confide in. If your person is also trying to do the healthy plan, it can be a great way to support each other. Plan menus, shop, eat and work out together. A little friendly competition can't hurt either.

Don't Weigh Every Day

It can be very discouraging to see that scale stay at the same number day after day. Healthy weight loss on a healthy eating plan will have you losing about 1-2 pounds weekly. So, give yourself a break and weigh in once a week or once every two weeks. Celebrate the successes of your healthy eating plan, and reward yourself by sticking to it for another week.

Simon Jager is a Personal Trainer who specializes in proper nutrition, healthy eating plan [https://www.foundmyphysique.com.au/adjust-f45-eating-plan/], and healthy living. 

Health And Fitness Training - Fitting Fitness Into Your Busy Day

 

Health and Fitness, Training

When it comes to health and fitness training time is always an issue. Some of us are busy, some of us are very busy, and some of us are so busy we don't even know which way is up. Sound familiar? If you are the kind of person who is on the go the minute the alarm rings in the morning to the minute your head hits the pillow at night this article is for you. If you have kids who eat up all your time and you dream of a little time to yourself, this article is for you. If you want desperately to get fit but other commitments are making it next to impossible this article is for you.

Here's the good news, getting fit doesn't take that much time. You need to address two areas in your life; exercise and diet. In fact, if you are stuck for time to workout, the diet portion is going to have more of a drastic effect on your fitness. Think about it, if you don't have time to burn the calories then you need to cut them from your diet.

Wait a minute! You are probably thinking to yourself that food is one of the only sources of pleasure in your busy day. I agree with you, it should be. Eating well better darn well also be delicious. If it isn't then you are doomed to fail your diet. So understand what I am saying, you will eat well but you must also enjoy your food. I am not talking about a radical starvation diet or diet extremes where you avoid carbs or fats at all costs. Your diet should be well-balanced.

Here are a few golden rules for dieting:

1. Drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day

2. Avoid processed foods

3. Avoid foods with refined sugar

Here's a last tip, if you are the type who eats a lot of fast food because you are so busy, just make better choices. Order water instead of pop with your meal. Have a salad instead of fries with your burger or sandwich. Have honey instead of sugar in your coffee. All these small choices made day after day will add up in the long run. Think about it, maybe you have been putting on 5 to 10 pounds a year for a few years. Not a lot of weight over the course of a year. This slow addition of fat has been because of all these small choices. So you don't have to make big changes to reverse this weight gain.

As for a fitness routine do one set of the following as you roll out of bed in the morning and just before you go to bed at night:

1. Push ups

2. Lunges (Take a long stride of a stance and do 1 set each for side)

3. Crunches (Remember to hold your hands by your ears, not inter-laced behind your head - don't pull on your neck while you do these)

4. IF YOU ARE FEELING AMBITIOUS - Chin ups ( you can get a chin up bar that installs in a door frame for around $20 from most sports stores)

If you follow a simple fitness routine like the one outlined above you will definitely get strong. This will result in a sleek and shapely physique. As you lose weight and shed fat you will reveal this new toned body.

Fitness workout programs don't have to be a one or two hour ordeal. It can be and short and sweet if that is all you have time to do. What is important is that you do something to keep your body strong and performing well. One day at some point in the future you just may have more free time to join a gym or a running club or whatever you like to do. When that day comes you will be ready for it because this little fitness exercise plan and simple diet has kept you fit.

Don't put it off. It doesn't take much effort. Make a change in your life starting today.

For More Information-->  https://foundmyphysique.com.au/

Food Choices! Are all Calories Created Equal?

Food Choices

Not all foods are equal even if they have similar protein, carbohydrates and fat values. There is still much debate in the nutrition industry about if all calories are equal. Without making things too make things more complicated, I will try and explain why.

Proteins: 

Each protein is actually a long chain of tiny building blocks called an ‘amino acids’. Think of amino acids are lego blocks that are used to build bigger structures (proteins). Each different source of protein has a different balance of amino acids, with Eggs having the most complete balance of amino acids. This makes Eggs one of the best protein sources. Getting a variety of protein sources is the best way to make sure you have plenty of all these amino acids. However, some protein sources are lacking a good balance of these amino acids.

Carbohydrates: 

Carb foods all contain different types of carbohydrates and varying levels of fiber. Simple sugars, although considered to be a carbohydrate, as mentioned previously, do not react the same way in our bodies as a naturally formed complex carbohydrate. Complex carbohydrates are the goal! Try to make sure your carbohydrate sources are high in fibre and unprocessed.

Fats:

 Fat foods are also not all same, each has a different chemical structure and plays different roles in the body. It’s true we are advised to reduce saturated fats, however, some natural fats such as those from coconut oil have many proven benefits. Once again, choosing a range of natural unprocessed sources for our fats will provide us with all the fats our bodies require.

Simplified example: 

Even if we hit the same calories/protein/carbohydrate/fats when consuming bad quality foods, the result will not be the same. The poor quality proteins will not supply the body with quality building blocks to create muscle and lean body mass. The poor quality carbohydrates will not give sustained quality energy and the poor quality fats will not give the same benefits of healthy fats.

Micronutrients:

 Within each food, we eat there are actually thousands of unique chemicals but some of them are more important than others. Micronutrients are chemical compounds that we require to stay strong and healthy

For More Information Visit At:-->

https://www.foundmyphysique.com.au/food-choices-are-all-calories-created-equal/

10 Things You Must Know Before Hiring a Personal Trainer

A good personal trainer can help you achieve your fitness and health goals, while exceeding your expectations along the way. A bad trainer can simply be a big waste of your time and money. The demand for personal trainers has steadily been on the rise over the past several years and with that so has supply.

With so many options available to you today it can be quite daunting to know which trainer is the best for you. Truth be told there are a lot of phony and incompetent trainers out there today who make a great living off of their clients' ignorance. But there is a way to protect yourself from these types of trainers and we have provided it for you today.

So before you ever hire a personal trainer make sure that you have all the answers to these 10 very important questions:

1) Are you physically and mentally ready to start an exercise program with a personal trainer?

It can be quite easy to forget about the most important factor when hiring a personal trainer-YOU. Are you willing and ready to dedicate and commit yourself to a trainer and their program? The trainer will fully expect complete dedication from your part.

Readiness for change is a critical part of the equation when determining whether or not you will ultimately be successful or not. A few simple questions to ask yourself before going forward should include:

• On a scale of 1-10 how much are you committed to change?

• Why do you feel you need a personal trainer?

• Why do you feel a personal trainer will help you be successful?

Remember in the end it will be your attitude and effort that makes all of the difference. No matter how good the trainer or their program is if you do not bring your best on regular basis the outcome will be less than what you had hoped for. Don't waste your time and money on something you are not ready for.

Take home point: Commit to change first, find out a trainer second.

2) Are your goals and expectations realistic?

We all want to transform our bodies into a better version of ourselves but you will frustrate yourself and the trainer alike if you expect to change overnight. Changing the body is a process which takes time and hard work. Whether your goal is to become stronger or to lose body fat your trainer should be able to outline a realistic timetable for you to reach your goals and expectations.

Be leery of trainers who make big promises, such as massive weight loss in a short period of time or super strength and speed gains in only a few weeks. If they truly understand the process of physical adaptation then they will be honest and open to you about what is realistic and obtainable.

Take home point: A good trainer will not tell you what you want to hear but what you need to hear.

3) Does the personal trainer have a college degree in a related field (exercise science, sports science, and kinesiology) or are they certified by a highly reputable certifying agency?

Preferably the trainer has a college degree as it shows they have a high level of knowledge in fitness and in human anatomy and physiology and how the body adapts to exercise.

If the trainer only has a certification it needs to be understood that not all certifications are created equal. There are certain certifications that can be obtained literally within a weekend's time while others take months of preparation before taking on the certification exam.

Trainers are a dime a dozen these days as anyone with a few bucks, half a brain and weekend could obtain the title certified personal trainer. The title doesn't ensure the ability. Don't give away your trust just because someone tells you they have a certification or even a degree. These should be minimums and mandatory, but the selection process should never end there. Just because they know something does not mean they can apply it. Ask them about their education and certifications? What are they? How long did it take them to obtain them?

Take home point: Stick with trainers who can actually give you the honest scientific facts not hype and hot air.

4) Does the trainer actually have real world experience working with people like you?

There are basically two types of bad trainers out there. The first has very little education and knowledge and haphazardly puts workouts together. While the second has a lot of knowledge but very little experience applying that knowledge. You need to look for a trainer that has both the smarts and the looks. Sorry, I mean the smarts and the experience. And when we say experience we mean with people like you. Every client and client population is different. They have different needs and goals and their exercise programs should reflect that.

We all know plenty of individuals who have years of real world experience but still sucked at what they do. So please ask the trainer about his clients' success. Ask for testimonials and anything else that would prove that his/her ability to work with individuals like yourself would be a success.

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