Diving deep into some very specific tips and workouts that reflect our wide variety of members. We are not a group class. We are REAL group personal training. Not that fake commercial stuff you see popping up overnight, with overnight certified trainers.
Before we dive into the lesson someone from the newsletter will win their choice of ..
A. Free month of group Training
B. 2 Free semi private sessions
C. 1 Free one on one session
Simply respond with “I’m game” and If you get picked we will email you to confirm you are the winner!
IMPORTANT NOTE – We don’t believe in throwing people into a workout without knowing anything about their goals, schedule, budget, injury history, previous exercise history, etc. Some places do this using a method called “setting people up for failure.”
When I write program design it starts with the person. Who? What is their goal? It starts with why? Why are we doing this exercise. There is a reason behind everything. Below are the profiles. If you don’t want to read the entire article then choose the one that you relate to the most.
(Made up) Name: Bob
45 year old male
former athlete/ military
3 kids and a wife, busy professional
low back injury, minor knee issues
off and on with exercise routine
Goal= lose 20 pounds, get muscle back, get back into a routine, does not have a goal to become a pro bodybuilder. Wants to make fitness a part of his lifestyle
mental: has the tendency to push too hard when returning to exercise
setting => personal training
(Made up) Name: Theresa
68 year old woman
injuries = shoulder and knee
setting: semi private(3 to 6 per group) and regular groups
==>Last time consistent = 15 years ago, no experience with strength training
mental = afraid of getting injured. Hurdle is mentality toward strength training due to the fact that it was frowned upon when she grew up. Another hurdle is too much information and research
(Made up) Name : Dylan (pronounced D-IH-l-uh-n)
High School swimmer
goals-swim faster/college scholarship
injuries– shoulder
hurdle– previous training with crossfit style workouts/schedule
mental= motivation and focus wanes in and out, distracted easily, lacks the mentality of a competitor
Bob-
I started with education. I convinced Bob that the length of his workouts matter less than intensity and choosing the right exercises. We stopped his bodypart splits and focused on full body workouts. He ended up burning more calories and saving a lot of time. We added in things like supersets while reducing rest periods so he could fit it all in and get a conditioning benefit. We focused on multi joint exercises with a few isolation exercises here and there to work on mind muscle connection. We were able to push, safely.
We removed barbell work and replaced with single leg work, hex bar, landmine trainers, sled, and other safer exercises. His low back felt better right away after these changes. We of course addressed technique, core strength, and improved mobility around the hip.
Knees also felt better right away since we removed the running. We were still able to get his heart rate up to improve conditioning. He was able to eventually do a 5k with his kids without “specifically” training for it. After losing the weight and getting stronger he did it without the pain he had before. I gave him assignments for the off days and most of them involved the family which also improved their fitness level. We addressed time management, sleep, stress, and overall lifestyle changes.
Theresa-
We started with education! She was under the belief that strength training was not safe. She was scared because her only image of strength training was bodybuilding back in the 70s. Her worst nightmare was the weight room at a commercial gym or these crazy intense group classes.
We talked for no charge for about 45 minutes so I could really understand her goals and concerns. She did a one time personal training session before we moved her into semi private. This allowed her to save money while also getting the social benefits of the group. During the session we focused on exercises she could do to work around her injuries. We assured her that we can remove high impact exercises and all of the getting up and down over and over again.
The majority of her session was centered around mobility, flexibility, “functional strength”, and balance. We improved soft tissue quality which improved mobility, which then allowed her to add in more strength training exercises. We focused on what she could do. Not what she could not do, at the time. Those TRX supported squats became regular squats. Those squats represented something MUCH bigger. She was now able to move furniture with no help. She was now able to stay in her 2 story house without being concerned about the stairs. She was now able to enjoy time with her grandkids and keep up with them.
Dylan (pronounced D-IH-l-uh-n)
After the consultation I took A LONG time analyzing the specific movements related to his events. Everything down to how important the push off was for him based on his events. I analyzed his injuries along with the common injuries for his sport. We then placed the workouts for the next 2 months on a calendar which allowed him to peak and avoid soreness for important events.
There was a huge mental component to this. I used the first few sessions to study how he responded to certain cues, learning style, everything. I thought about this over time In order to build trust. After the trust was built I could then push him even harder. This was fun for both of us. He was trying to shock those who doubted him in the pool. To me, he represented the opportunity to make his competition regret not choosing RPT. Lots of mental lessons happened in that room, for both us. Competing is what I do. It is what I love, and live for. This was way more than teaching a squat. It’s starts with the ability to believe. Some adults lose this over time and end up living a life created by others.
He did not have to be a bodybuilder or crossfitter to become a better swimmer. Some of the exercises he was doing before we met were actually hurting him more than helping. I had to educate him on how the workouts fit into the bigger picture. We had to go back and build a strong foundation centered around good technique, re-teach the basics. I also told him what to do on the off-days.
We spent a lot of time improving shoulder mobility. We changed the ratio of pulling to pushing to 3:1 and over time this improved posture, which helped even more to prevent the shoulder issues. We worked with his coaches to make sure he was not overtraining. We talked with his medical professionals so we were on the same page.
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Important note is that everyone does some form of……soft tissue work, dynamic warm up for flexibility/balance, static flexibility. We also educate people on what cardio ACTUALLY is! We then find the best fit for them while making sure they don’t get hurt. Everything is time efficient. We take the time to educate them that machines are for the most part useless when it comes to getting results.
My goal is simple…We will have a major impact on your life. We are not going after 3000 members while giving them nothing at all. We will add more value to your life with a free newsletter than any other gym can do with their membership. We will have an impact on the people who need us more than anyone. The people who are not being helped out one bit by big box commercial gyms and the recent fad gyms. We don’t have time for people who don’t see the value in what we do because this takes away from the people who trust and love RPT.
Do your research because there are levels to this. A cook at a fast food restaurant can’t be compared to a chef. The guy playing basketball at the YMCA can’t be compared to Lebron James. If you were in trouble you would not hire some guy who watched law and order to defend you?! Some of you are in trouble. You don’t want to gamble with your health. You lack time and the time to take action is now. If you are interested in the FREE ONE ON ONE SUCCESS SESSION then hit reply or text/call 757 589 7028
Detric Smith, CSCS, ACSM Exercise Physiologist
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===>P.S.- Interested in a FREE FITNESS ASSESSMENT to find out what your next step should be? Respond and we are also offering specials for our FITNESS MAKEOVER. A package of 1 to 3 sessions where we set you up for long term success even if you are not a member of RPT
