Fitness Article of The Week
The Benefits of Hiring a Personal Trainer

If you are looking for a fast, effective training plan to meet your body's needs and your lifestyle, then hiring a personal trainer might be the way to save yourself a lot of time and effort. A personal trainer can also help you upgrade or maintain your routine over time, so that you get maximal results from your workouts.

A personal trainer should be someone who understands your fitness goals and is ready to help you meet those goals — within your body's ability to do so. Having a personal trainer means the end to wasting time and money on workout plans that don't get you results. Because you have someone to be accountable to for your workouts, your training regiment will remain consistent. This is a person to whom you can turn for the latest health and fitness news, and someone will continually encourage you to give it your all.

Hiring a personal trainer can be an invaluable asset to your training routine — but only if your trainer is qualified and well educated about your medical history. A good trainer should ask you plenty of questions about your medical background, as well as any injuries or surgeries that might cause a problem with your workouts, either now or down the road. If your prospective trainer does not ask about your health or previous medical concerns, you should start looking for another trainer.

The best trainer will have spent a good deal of time educating him or herself about personal training. Ask if he or she has a degree in: Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, Physical Education, or in a related health-and-fitness field. If they do hold a degree, you can be fairly certain they have the knowledge to perform at a competent level. Your trainer should be certified in CPR and first aid, and will also carry liability insurance.

Make sure to ask your prospective trainer questions, like how long he or she has been training. Ask about the kinds of clients they usually work with, and get recommendations from some of their previous clients.

There are no national standards for personal trainers, so you need to verify that your trainer is certified, and determine which agency has done the certification. Also, find out the requirements for the certification your trainer holds. Training certifications are usually best if done through a nonprofit organization, but that is not a fail-safe determination.

Also check to see if the certification requires any sort of continuing education, and what that program involves. Does your trainer have to be tested on his or her skills, or does he or she just have to mail a valid check? You want the best of care when you are going to be pushing your body to the limits.

If you are thinking that a trainer is not for you because you are not body building, then perhaps you should think again. While personal trainers can certainly be enlisted by a body builder to help him or her “pump up,” a trainer should be able to help you meet the personal goals you set for your own body (within reason). If you are looking to lose weight, get healthier, or just tone some of your muscles, a personal trainer can tailor a workout to meet those goals and keep you on track.

Movie stars use personal trainers all the time to trim the right muscles and look great for their latest film projects. You can find your own trainer to help you look great for your next trip to the beach, that marathon you want to win, or just to live a longer, healthier life.

Jumping Rope

Jumping rope provides a number of health benefits: not only is it a great cardiovascular exercise that burns calories and fat, but it also develops good coordination between the hands and feet, as well as rhythm (muscle coordination). The greatest thing about jumping rope is that it is very inexpensive and you can do it almost anywhere.

Jumping rope has been proven to be a very effective method for burning fat. It has been shown to burn as many as 1,000 calories per hour. Wow — that is some serious caloric expenditure! Some of the best and leanest athletes swear by it. Movies often depict professional boxers skipping rope because it develops great cardiovascular endurance and stamina. It’s no wonder that boxers are some of the best-conditioned athletes.

Grab a jump rope and try it yourself!

s        Stand erect, but relaxed, when you jump.

s        Keep your knees slightly bent.

s        Look straight ahead, not at your feet.

s        Land on the balls of your feet, not on your heels.

s        Keep your arms fairly still — do not flail.

Start by jumping slowly, building up your speed so you can jump rope more quickly over time. See how many times you can jump without missing. Try to do 100 skips before you have to stop — then, beat that record the next time. Do 50 super fast jumps, followed by 50 slower jumps.

Jumping rope is great for the whole family. Have even more fun by getting some friends to play Double-Dutch. Jump rope for 30 minutes, five times a week, and watch your waistline shrink. Go invest in a jump rope today, and quickly get the body you want.

Ask Scott White | Personal Trainer

Question
What are the signs of over-training?

Scott Responds

The signs of over-training are pretty obvious. You look tired and fatigued, with bags and dark circles under your eyes that make you resemble a raccoon. Low appetite, low sex drive, and lack of energy or motivation are other signs.

Yes, this sounds like the majority of the population — and yes, in a way, most people are over-trained. While most folks probably don't exercise and work out, they perform the same routine every day, but offer no additional specific physical stress so that their bodies can improve (super-compensate).

Quality training involves both ends of the spectrum: giving your body something new and more challenging to do — and then allowing it time to rest and recuperate before your next workout.

Got a Question?
Got a question? Send it to us at Ask the Trainer. We personally answer as many questions as we can. Your question may be used anonymously in the newsletter unless you ask us not to.