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Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Monday, February 26, 2018

How Your Personal Trainer Can Benefit You Even If You’re A Beginner


You’re committed to getting healthy, and you’re starting to exercise.  Maybe you’ve been considering hiring a great personal trainer Eagle Rock has available.  You might be feeling nervous, like working with a trainer is too big of a step.  After all, you’re just a beginner!  Aren’t trainers for those intense, fit, “serious” exercisers?  Well, this might be news to you, but you might actually be in a better position to utilize a trainer’s expertise than those so-called “serious” people.  Personal trainers love working with beginners, for several good reasons.

Avoid Learning Bad Habits
If you’re truly a beginner, that’s the opposite of a problem.  Personal trainers learn to design exercise programs for people of all abilities and experience levels, and we welcome the chance to work with someone from the ground up.  If you don’t know anything about exercise, that’s great!  That means that you don’t have to unlearn any bad habits or wrong advice from outdated fitness information or just plain errors (you’d be surprised what kind of weird fads can float around in some gyms).  It’s a lot easier to learn to do things the right way, the first time.

Avoid Injury
Maybe you haven’t done much exercising because whenever you would try to start an exercise program in the past, you’d end up sore, injured, and discouraged.  It’s very common for beginners to try to work too intensely at the beginning.  This can cause them to get burnt out, which then makes exercise unpleasant and can derail their new good habit before it even gets established.  When you work with a personal trainer, she or he can design a workout plan just for you, taking into account your ability and any special needs you might have.  This will prevent you from getting hurt and keeps exercise enjoyable.

Stick With It
What’s the number one thing most people report as being frustrating about working out? Consistency!  The hardest part of establishing a new habit is at the beginning before the habit becomes automatic.  One of the best ways to ensure that you’ll stick with a new activity long enough to make it a habit?  Enlist other people, so that you have accountability.  A personal trainer isn’t just a workout designer, they’re also a coach and a cheerleader, and they might be your key to making this the time that your workout routine really sticks.

Friday, February 23, 2018

Personal Trainers: Not Just For Athletes


For many older adults, it can be challenging to know how best to approach personal fitness.  Fads come and go, and worries about injury can prevent enjoyment of activities that people once loved.  If you’re over 65, you may feel like working with a personal trainer East Hollywood has available is something for young people who are already fit.  The reality?  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Working with a personal trainer can have numerous benefits for older adults.

  1. Personalized Workout Plans

The problem with one-size-fits-all workouts like many videos or classes is that they don’t take into account the needs of the individual exerciser.  Older adults often have joint, injury, or health problems that younger people ignore.  This doesn’t mean that they can’t or shouldn’t exercise, but it does mean that they need a customized workout plan, with reasonable goals.  For example, many older adults have had joint replacements, and this can require special attention paid to the angles of hips and knees while lifting weights.  A video, while convenient, can’t replace a live human who can monitor your form to help keep your joints safe.

  1. Built-in Workout Buddy

Did you now that most of us work out much more consistently if we know that someone is counting on us?  Many of us try to get this accountability factor by working out with a friend, but there’s just one problem with that: sometimes your friend will let you off the hook!  When they work out with a personal trainer, many find that they’re more motivated to get their money’s worth, and they show up simply because they don’t want to feel like their trainer is disappointed in them.  Your personal trainer can be a cheerleader, coach, and reality check all rolled into one.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Do YOU Need A Personal Trainer?


Maybe you’ve seen some advertisements, or you’re hearing a lot of buzz about a personal trainer Hollywood has available.  Still, it’s difficult to know whether working with a personal trainer is right for you if you’re just going by word-of-mouth.  Many people believe that investing in training sessions is something only for a select group of people, like those who are trying to lose weight or elite athletes.  But there are several benefits that you can gain from utilizing a trainer’s expertise, even if you already like what you weigh.

  1. You Can Learn More About Exercise

While a lot of people consider themselves “advanced exercisers,” a good personal trainer has something to teach you about working out.  Professional certifications and extensive experience with equipment, injuries, and injury prevention are all there for you.  If you’re not hitting the fitness goals that you want, or if you’re just unsure about proper form or how to use a piece of gear, your trainer has the knowledge and background to help you problem-solve efficiently.

  1. You Can Get Fitter

Most of us have a workout we prefer.  Whether you’re a cardio addict, a yogi, or someone who loves lifting heavy things, odds are that your fitness activities aren’t as diverse as they could be.  This is a problem because diversity is what keeps our bodies in peak condition.  Ideally, your workouts should promote cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility.  Even if you know this, do you know what percentage of your workout should be devoted to each activity?  Do you know how to rate your own ability when it comes to, say, hamstring flexibility?  How about interventions like foam rolling or massage–are they a good idea or not?  If these questions have you scratching your head, don’t worry!  That’s what your personal trainer is there for.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

What Shoes To Wear To Work Out


Are you excited to begin your new fitness routine with your personal trainer Echo Park?  Great!  We’re excited to have you!  We know from experience that people have a lot of questions when they’re new to exercising, including the one that comes up all the time: what shoes should I wear to my training session?

Understanding Fitness Shoes

When you’re considering which footwear to choose during exercise, keep in mind that shoes for fitness have different functions than shoes you wear in your everyday life.  When you’re not working out, you might choose a shoe based on how it looks, or whether it’s soft and comfortable-feeling.  While fitness shoes can be both good-looking and comfortable, it’s most important for them to have great design and function to protect you from injury during your training.  So don’t be proud: it’s better to have an ugly shoe that works well than a good-looking shoe that will end up allowing you to get shin splints, sore knees, or even stress fractures.

Match The Shoe To The Workout

How to choose your shoe?  Well, most important is to consider what you’ll be doing while you wear it.  For example, many people think that running shoes are great all-purpose footwear, but nothing could be further from the truth.  On the contrary, running shoes are carefully designed to be great at enabling you to run.  They’re not built with a lot of support for the side-to-side type motions that a lot of aerobics classes use.  Here are the main categories of fitness shoe:
  • Running – best for running, as noted above.
  • Walking – structured differently than running shoes, these are (unsurprisingly) best for walking.
  • Cross-training – these are best for activities that involve a lot of side-to-side motion, such as tennis, volleyball, or indoor aerobics.
  • Minimalist – these controversial shoes are good for those working for more “natural” body mechanics.

Monday, February 12, 2018

Are You Thirsty For Results?

So you’ve finally done it–you’ve called the best-fit personal trainer Atwater Village has for you, you’ve got your session scheduled, and you’re excited to begin your fitness journey.  You may be wondering exactly what you should be doing during your workout.  There’s a lot that you can do to make sure that you get the full benefits of your training session, but for this article, we’re going to concentrate on one of the most basic yet overlooked components of your fitness: hydration.

Why Is Hydration Important?

Most of us know, in a vague way, that we “should” drink more water.  Perhaps you’ve heard the old rule that says everyone should drink eight glasses of water per day or the statistic that the human body is 60% water.  Still, it can be difficult to prioritize hydration as much as we should when we don’t understand why our bodies need water.
Your body needs water to keep itself running smoothly, from making sure that your blood pressure is in the right range to ensure that the concentration of chemicals in your body is correct.  When you’re exercising, hydration is important to prevent muscle cramps, headaches, and even decreased athletic capacity.  Remember, when you’re working hard, you’re losing water both through sweat and through heavy breathing.  If you’re dehydrated, you’re not going to be able to work as effectively.
How can you tell if you’re dehydrated?  A quick way to check is to pay attention to your urine color: it should be very light or clear.  If it’s dark and concentrated, you need to be drinking more.

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Have You Heard About This Little-Known Benefit Of Exercise?


People choose to work with their personal trainer Los Feliz for all kinds of reasons, from losing weight to reaching athletic goals or recovering from injury.  Most people know that exercise can have multiple benefits, but relatively few understand that engaging in regular exercise can actually improve your confidence.  If you’re feeling unsure of yourself or lack self-esteem, read on to find out how exercise can improve your life.

Improve Your Body Chemistry

If you’ve never exercised much, it might seem counterintuitive that exercise can actually feel good.  Thirty minutes of moderate aerobic activity is enough to release the kinds of endorphins that help to reduce the stress chemicals in your body, and produce a burst of feel-good energy.  If you’ve been feeling down lately, the solution might be as simple as prioritizing your sweat sessions.

Get Stronger

When you lift heavy things regularly, your body adapts to the workload and, like magic, you get stronger.  If you’re not used to thinking of yourself as a strong person, the increasing evidence of your progress can be very empowering.  After all, if you can keep increasing the amount of weight you can lift or your aerobic capacity, you’ve proved to yourself that you can tackle just about everything.

Improve Body Image

 In our looks-obsessed society, most of us have things about our body that we’d like to change.  Exercise can help both by allowing you to come closer to what most people think of as an ideal body (more muscular, leaner), but also by reminding you that there’s more to your body than just how it looks.  You body is an amazingly functional machine, and testing and stretching its capacities can help you feel more comfortable in your own skin.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Can A Silver Lake Personal Trainer Get You To The Next Level?




If your training regimen is starting to seem a little stale, perhaps you’ve considered trying a new style of exercise or getting some new gear.  But have you considered that what you might need is a fresh perspective?  Whether you want to jump-start your weight loss or achieve a fitness goal such as mastering pull-ups, a visit to a Silver Lake personal trainer might be just the boost you need to break through your plateau and into a new level of fitness.

  1. How Can A Personal Trainer Help Me?

Many people, even experienced exercisers, have a difficult time designing an appropriate training program for themselves.  Some realize this and reach for a one-size-fits-all program designed by a celebrity trainer or a “big box” fitness company.  This can work for a while, but for many people, these programs are either too difficult out of the gate, scheduled too aggressively, or simply unsuited to their goals.  A personal trainer, on the other hand, has the great advantage of being able to see you in real time.  This allows them to create a customized training plan for you, that will match your ability, goals, and schedule in such a way that will maximize your ability to be consistent.

  1. Yeah, But I Already Know A Lot About Exercise

Even those who’ve got a lot of exercise experience can benefit from sessions with a personal trainer, especially if their goal is to improve the way they lift.  Unfortunately, some exercises simply make it difficult to check your own form, no matter how many mirrors you have.  Going “by feel” is even trickier.  If nothing else, a session with a personal trainer can give you access to a set of experienced, unbiased eyes who can alert you to little tweaks in your form that might be holding you back from getting the results you desire.

  1. What If I I’ve Been Feeling Stuck?

We all hit plateaus sooner or later, whether in weight loss or fitness goals.  Putting in the work with dedication yet spending day after day without seeing improvement can be quite discouraging.  The fact is that it’s very difficult to remain objective about your own fitness.  A personal trainer can help you determine if what you’re experiencing is really a plateau (vs. just a period of slower than normal improvement), and help you brainstorm ways to get un-stuck.  As is often the case, two sets of eyes on a problem really can find a solution more quickly.

Friday, February 2, 2018

Does Being Fit Make You Feel Good?


While plenty of people will start going to a Silver Lake gym because they’d like to lose weight or get stronger, many keep coming back for one simple reason: they like the way it makes them feel.  “Wait,” you may be thinking, “why does anyone want to keep getting sweaty, or maybe even wind up sore?  That doesn’t sound like it feels good to me.”  Understanding the body’s powerful systems that regulate mood might just convince you otherwise.

Amazing Endorphins

If you’ve ever heard someone talk about a “runner’s high”, you’ve heard of endorphins: natural chemicals that the body produces to keep us alive.  We get endorphins for engaging in activities that the body thinks are important–such as eating, sex, and intense activity.  Why do we get an endorphin rush when we’re doing a more intense activity than usual?  Well, as far as your body is concerned, you’re probably a hunter-gatherer running for your life or to capture dinner, and you don’t need to be distracted by feeling bad.

But Is There More To It?

However, the positive effect of exercise on mood, while powerful, isn’t limited to just during the exercise session itself.  One study found that the subjects who were least active were 75% more likely to have a diagnosis of depression than the subjects who were most active, which means that regular exercise can have a powerful protective effect on mood.  Exercise itself increases serotonin, human growth hormone, and testosterone.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Why You Need A Trainer


If you’re considering working with a personal trainer Glendale has some of the best in the business, but if you’re like most people you’re not quite convinced that you need a trainer.  After all, isn’t getting fit mostly a matter of discipline and willpower?  Frankly, that kind of thinking is why so many join gyms in January only to gradually fade out before Valentine’s Day.  If you’re serious about your health, you owe it to yourself to get a trainer.  Not convinced?  Here are some things to think about.

  1. What You’re Doing Isn’t Working

The oft-repeated definition of insanity is “doing the same thing and expecting different results”, but we prefer to point out that whatever it is you’re currently doing is what’s keeping your body looking the way it currently does.  Bodies adapt to the challenges they’re presented with, sometimes in healthy ways, and sometimes in unhealthy ways.  Our trainers have extensive experience and education that enables them to give you insight into ways that your current choices might not be advancing you toward your goals.  That gives you the power to make different decisions, and get better results.

  1. You’re A Newbie

Gyms, especially gyms centered around lifting, can be intimidating if you’re new to the fitness world.  However, if you want to build a sculpted physique, lifting isn’t really negotiable.  You’re going to need to learn how to navigate the weights without hurting yourself.  Instead of dangerous and discouraging trial-and-error, why not enlist someone who’s been in your shoes and come out victorious?  Most trainers love what we do, and we want to ensure that you have a safe, effective, and even enjoyable experience at the gym, especially if you’re new.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

What Your Trainer Really Thinks


If you’re looking for a personal trainer Eagle Rock has some amazing ones waiting for you at our personalized exercise studio.  But maybe you’re wondering how trainers really feel about some things you’ve considered doing during workouts.  If you’re hesitating, read on–we bet you won’t be hesitant by the time you’ve heard our true confessions.

Be Curious

Have you ever wondered why a trainer is asking you to stick out your elbow, exhale at a certain stage of the movement, or do more or fewer reps than you did the last time?  If so, don’t keep your curiosity to yourself.  Most trainers are passionate about exercise and physiology to a fault.  We love this stuff, and we love it when you ask questions.  If you’re the kind of person who does better when they understand the reason they’re being asked to do something, don’t feel like you have to censor yourself during your workout.

Be Up-front

We get that you don’t want to be pushy, and we also understand that not everybody is clear in their mind about what they want to achieve, but it’s important that you be open and honest with us as we’re working with you to help you set goals.  If you really want to look great in your wedding dress, tell us, even if you’re afraid that will make you look more shallow than saying you want to get fit for the sake of your health.  (We get it.  We like to look good, too.)  If you want to put on extra muscle, we’ll probably design a different program for you than we will if you’re just looking to lean out.  To make sure that we’re on the same page, it’s good to set aside time to track progress, set goals, and make sure that we’re providing exactly the expertise and guidance you want.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Ready To Move To The Next Level?


In the world of personal fitness, the emphasis on personal discipline can be unrelenting: if you want to have a great body, all you have to do is have enough willpower, right?  In reality, however, there are plenty of people who will tell you that what made the difference in their fitness journey was a coach or a mentor.  So what are you supposed to do if you don’t happen to have a best friend who’s also an expert weightlifter?  Find your own expert, such as a  personal trainer East Hollywood has available.

How Personal Trainers Can Help You Upgrade Your Fitness Game

While grit and determination can get you a certain distance down the path of fitness, unless you have enough knowledge to fall back on, they can also lead to mistakes, injuries, and a lot of time wasted in trial-and-error.  If you seem to have stalled out and can’t reach your fitness goals, it might be time to call for backup.

  1. They Help You Set Short-Term Goals


Most of us are good at setting long-term goals: we want to run a marathon, climb a mountain, or fit into our college jeans.  But most big, long-term goals require meeting many smaller, short-term goals first, and we usually don’t have much practice at dealing with those.  When we fail to meet our big goal, we get discouraged, even though we haven’t taken any little concrete steps toward it.  If we do take small steps, we then tend to ignore the small indicators of progress because we haven’t yet reached the big goal.  Like any other good coach, a personal trainer is there to keep you moving forward, even if it’s a baby step at a time.

  1. They Push You Out Of Your Comfort Zone


It may seem like a cliche to say that training happens as much in the mind as it does in the muscle, but it’s true.  A good trainer can help you overcome mental patterns and thought habits that are holding you back from reaching your true potential, or simply encourage you to try some physical feats that you may have assumed you weren’t able to do.  Remember, the job of a trainer is to push you without breaking you.

Friday, January 12, 2018

Tired Of The Hype?


In the world of finding a personal trainer Hollywood seems even more fraught than the rest of the country.  After all, this is the part of the country that produces super-muscular actors in superhero costumes, and questionable exercise and diet gurus seem to be hawking their wares on every corner.  How can you be sure that the person you trust to help you with your exercise and fitness regime is a real expert, and not a huckster?  Here’s a few tips to keep from being hoodwinked.

Do They Promise Instant Results?

It’s entirely possible to make drastic changes in your physique.  But those changes are often the product of extremely hard work, diligently maintained over a period of several months or years.  If you meet a so-called “expert” who promises that you can make drastic changes in a short amount of time, without significant investment of time and effort, the odds are that they’re not being totally forthcoming with you.

Are They Selling The One True Widget?

If your “expert” insists that their clients buy one particular type of workout gear, supplements, or fitness equipment, you should consider it a red flag.  Ultimately, your muscles don’t care which brand of barbell you lift, and your trainer shouldn’t, either.  We all have our preferences, and if you ask your trainer for recommendations they should be able to give you some, but you should never feel pressured to buy.

Do They Say They Can Spot-Reduce?

Much like late-night infomercials that promise to “zap your abs”, some sketchy trainers claim that they can teach you a sequence of exercises that will specifically target fat in one area.  Ethical trainers will tell you what they know to be true: there’s no such thing as spot reduction, and in order to lose fat in one area, you have to reduce fat in your body as a whole.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

In The Market For Some Expertise?


So you’ve decided to take the plunge and get some help with your fitness routine.  If you’re looking for a personal trainer Echo Park might have exactly the expert that you need.  Does that surprise you?  Many people assume that in order to get high-level expertise they need to leave their local area.  Here’s our take on why you might have more success by keeping your workouts local.

  1. You’ll Be More Likely To Keep Your Appointments

While getting to the gym can be occasionally difficult for even the best of us, if your gym is a long distance away from the area where you live and work, odds are that your gym-skipping excuses will sound more compelling.  Choosing a trainer based at local gym is an advantage just by virtue of location.

  1. You’ll Appreciate The Personal Attention

Some trainers, particularly the ones that might require you to travel long distances to your appointments, have so many clients that it’s difficult for them to keep individual variations in mind.  It really comes down to the type of workout experience that you’re looking for.  Do you want a personal trainer who is truly personal, designing a customized plan for you and remembering any challenges or special considerations that you have?  Or are you all right with a generic, one-size-fits-all plan?

Monday, January 8, 2018

Where’s My Results?


If you’ve been exercising with someone you feel is the best personal trainer Atwater Village has to offer you, odds are that you’re excitedly watching for changes in your waistline, the scale, or your muscular ability.  After all, you’ve been faithfully making your workouts, watching what you eat, and working hard.  Yet, for some, results are slow to come.  This can be discouraging, especially if you don’t understand what to look for.  Here are a few ideas to troubleshoot your situation.

Are Your Goals Realistic?

You know that you can’t go from being sedentary to bench-pressing 150 pounds in a week, but you may have inadvertently set a private goal that is just that unachievable (such as losing 20 pounds of fat in a month).  Setting goals that are too lofty or difficult is setting yourself up for failure, which is unnecessary and discouraging.  Sometimes having several smaller, more doable goals is more motivating than having one large, ambitious one.  Discuss your goals with your trainer to make sure that you’re not expecting too much of yourself too quickly.

Are Your Goals Too Small?

On the other end of the spectrum from the person who wants to climb Mt. Everest out of the gate is the person who feels like walking up a hill might be too difficult.  If you’re not regularly feeling challenged in the gym, odds are that your goals are not ambitious enough.  Remember, your body only changes when you ask it to adapt to new work, so your workout routine has to gradually get more difficult.  If that sounds intimidating, don’t worry: that’s what your trainer is for.  We have extensive experience designing programs that are challenging without being heartbreaking.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Eyes On The Prize?


So you’ve found a gym, and connected with the best-fit personal trainer Los Feliz has to offer you.  Great job!  But where do you go from here?  That depends on what your goals are.  You will need to work with your trainer to determine the answer.  But don’t worry.  Between your trainer’s expertise and our helpful guide, you’ll be setting goals like a pro in no time.

  1. What’s The End Game?

First, choose a big, overarching goal.  This is often the same goal that was your motivation for coming to the gym in the first place, so go ahead and shoot for the stars.  Are you trying to get healthy enough to go hiking with your kids?  Do you want to complete a particular race?  Maybe you’d just like to get back into your old jeans.  Whatever your big goal is, write it down.

  1. How Do You Get There From Here?

Now it’s time to break down your big goal into steps.  Experts tell us that good goals have the following characteristics:
  • Specific – This means that you know exactly what you want.  For example, “I want to be able to hike longer with my kids” is more specific than “I’d like to be more fit.”
  • Measurable – How will you know when you’ve met your goal?  Let’s take our hiking example and make it even better by putting a measurement in: “I’d like to be able to hike three miles with my kids.”
  • Actionable – Is this a goal that you can actively work on?  Again, saying “I want to be in better shape” isn’t very actionable–it isn’t easy to see the steps leading up to it.  “I want to go to the gym three times a week and go hiking with my kids every weekend until I can hike three miles” is.