Training from the Inside
Part 1: Time to Shape Up
by Mark Oliver
Do you remember in High School when the team captains would pick their teams one by one from their assembled classmates? It was a weekly humiliation for the unathletic, as the captains agonized over which was the better pick from the assembled bunch of misfits before them. I was such a misfit. In the space of just one year I went from being 5’7” to 6’0.” My arms were long and my legs longer but my frame didn’t fill out to compensate. I was clumsy and awkward and the simple act of throwing a ball struck fear into my very heart as my young uncoordinated self would manage to throw it towards the ground rather than through the air.
Despite my physical limitations and lack of innate skill or talent, I persevered and under the guidance of my supportive coach, I eventually ended up on the school rugby team back in my native England. As a graduate I now stood at 6’2” and weighed just 140 pounds. My ribcage resembled a xylophone and I certainly wasn’t a ‘looker.’ Gyms were becoming more prevalent around this time and thinking I had little to lose, I joined a local gym. I was given a tour by a member of staff who clearly had been one of the athletes at his school. We arranged to meet the following day where he would walk me through a starter workout program.
Wearing long pants and a long sleeved top (as I was embarrassed by my rail thin legs and painfully small arms), I dutifully turned up the following day and after a few minutes on a stationary bike to warm up, we began working out, or more accurately I tried to work out. The first thing he had me do was sit on a pec deck machine. For the uninitiated this is a weight machine that works the pectoralis major muscles, which make up the bulk of the muscle mass on your chest. The object of the exercise is to grasp two handles, on either side of your body and pull them forward until they touch directly in front of you before returning to the starting position. He put 20lbs on the machine and suggested I do 8 repetitions to begin. I pushed the handles in. Nothing. No movement. At all. Not an inch did it budge. Thinking a cable might be caught, he carefully inspected the equipment, but no, I was just too weak to move it. His smile not faltering he reduced the weight to its lowest setting of 10lbs and I tried again. I was going red in the face from the exertion but try as I might it did not move. I clearly had a long road ahead of me.
Over the course of the next few months, I attended the gym religiously three times a week and in a desperate attempt to put on weight would leave the gym and head straight over to KFC to eat as much fried chicken as I could muster. Over time, I started to notice small but continued improvements. I was able finally to master the pec deck machine and my strength increased. My physique though barely changed. Yes I was stronger, and that was an obvious benefit but for all the effort there were few physical changes to see, except, perhaps, the very beginning of love handles from all the fried chicken.
I trained alone and had only had that one hour with the member of staff and I quickly forgot a great deal of what he told me. I had to remember how to breathe, is it in on the way up and out on the way down or vice versa? Should you lean back on this exercise or sit up straight? Am I working out my muscles groups in the right order for maximum benefit? I also avoided free weights like the plague. I had no real idea how to lift properly, was too embarrassed to ask, particularly as there seemed to be a dizzying array of different exercises, and I had a fear of being pinned under a barbell unable to rack it again.
Still I continued to work out and tried my best but then I got the flu and was laid up in bed for days. Behind with work when I returned I found that I had to work longer hours and suddenly had no time for the gym. My enthusiasm waned and before I knew what had happened I hadn’t stepped inside the gym for three months. Finally dragging myself back to the gym one Saturday, I pulled out my worksheet, and worked out for an hour before heading home. The following morning, I could barely move. Everything seemed to ache, even muscles I hadn’t worked out the day before. If I was demotivated before I was practically frantic now, thinking all the hard work and effort from the previous training had been for nothing. It was quite some time before someone explained to me that yes, I had slipped back, but if I started training consistently again, it would take much less time to regain my previous level of fitness.
This on again, off again training continued for years. I would get very motivated, work out consistently but then a holiday, work or just a bad day would cause me to miss a workout and that would lead to an extended period of not training.
Then I remember my school coach. He had always been there pushing me, encouraging me until I was finally able to play a sport well. For the first time I considered seeing a personal trainer, my own personal coach for an hour a day.
A good personal trainer will teach you how to lift properly, will keep you motivated, teach you kinesiology (the science of human kinetics), how muscles interact, the importance of nutrition and often become a valued friend. A great personal trainer will help you obtain fitness goals that you never thought possible.
Finding the right personal trainer is key. Let’s be honest, hiring a personal trainer is discretionary spending and in these recessionary times, it is important to ensure that every cent is well spent. Research is your true friend here. If you are already a member of a gym, watch personal trainers in action. Are they attentive to their clients or are they off talking when the client is mid-set? Do they correct their client’s form or allow them to lift sloppily and therefore dangerously? Do you see them training their client’s legs and back? All too often we want to train our ‘showy’ muscles such as arms and shoulders but to keep a well balanced healthy body each body part must be trained equally. Do they have their clients perform cardiovascular exercise before or after their weight training? A great looking body is one thing, but the health of your lungs and heart are all together more important. Does the trainer practice what he preaches? Do they look as though they work out themselves and eat healthily? If not, then the trainer is probably not right for you. If there isn’t such a trainer at your gym, do some internet research as to other local gyms and enquire about a free guest pass to try out the facilities and enquire about their personal trainers.
When you find a personal trainer that you think might be a good fit, talk to some of their existing clients if possible, and then schedule a time to sit down and have a chat with them. What are your fitness goals? When is the best time for you to train and does the personal trainer have openings in their schedule at convenient times? Ask them about their certifications and how many years experience they have and whether this is their full time job or just something they do ‘on the side.’ Never be tempted to buy a huge number of sessions initially, no more than a month’s worth. You may find you are not a good fit, for whatever reason and neither of you will want to be tied to unproductive training because you have 40 more sessions left.
You now have a personal trainer and hopefully will have a fruitful collaboration. Now it’s time to train!
James Cipriani
Cutting Edge Personal Training
*New Section*
Client's Corner
Mark Oliver is one of my most dedicated (and successful) personal training clients. I thought it would be a GREAT idea to get him to share his insights on personal training from the inside. Not only is he a model trainee, he is also a gifted writer and a great person, to boot! In this series he will convey some truths about the process of personal training and certainly entertain you along the way. His experiences with good trainers and not-so-good trainers are essential reading for any client and trainer alike. It is a privilege to publish this series from a guest author who is such an articulate personal training client. I anticipate his articles will help me be a better trainer, as well.
- James Cipriani