Ask a Personal Trainer/Gym Owner

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  • Kelley0519
    Kelley0519 Posts: 254 Member
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    Hello - I lost over 80 lbs a few years back....tragedy struck and I happened to gain 60 of those lbs back. Currently for the past two months, I've been trying to lose weight again and make this a lifestyle; not just a diet. I have my calories set at 1200 calories a day and I work out at least 5 times a week doing cardio and a little strength training. The problem is, I'm not really seeing a loss. My weight is just fluctuating. One week I'm down 3 lbs...next week, I've gained 3 lbs. Any idea on what I could be doing wrong?
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
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    Kelley0519 wrote: »
    Hello - I lost over 80 lbs a few years back....tragedy struck and I happened to gain 60 of those lbs back. Currently for the past two months, I've been trying to lose weight again and make this a lifestyle; not just a diet. I have my calories set at 1200 calories a day and I work out at least 5 times a week doing cardio and a little strength training. The problem is, I'm not really seeing a loss. My weight is just fluctuating. One week I'm down 3 lbs...next week, I've gained 3 lbs. Any idea on what I could be doing wrong?

    dvgfhuvxpafs.jpg
  • narak_lol
    narak_lol Posts: 855 Member
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    Hello - I hope you can help me here. How should I weight train to improve cycling performance? I ride kinda competitively but also LOVE lifting. My concern is not about bulking blah but the absolute weight/muscle mass which may negatively impact my performance in particular when the road goes upwards. I understand it's hard for women to gain muscle so am I over worrying?

    I am 5'3 126lbs, currently on a reduction diet (reduction in overall calories, not LCHF etc) want to get to 120. I ride 4-5x, weight train 2x full body/compound movements per week.

    TIA!
  • DreesPerformanceTraining
    DreesPerformanceTraining Posts: 187 Member
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    Kelley0519 wrote: »
    Hello - I lost over 80 lbs a few years back....tragedy struck and I happened to gain 60 of those lbs back. Currently for the past two months, I've been trying to lose weight again and make this a lifestyle; not just a diet. I have my calories set at 1200 calories a day and I work out at least 5 times a week doing cardio and a little strength training. The problem is, I'm not really seeing a loss. My weight is just fluctuating. One week I'm down 3 lbs...next week, I've gained 3 lbs. Any idea on what I could be doing wrong?

    @chocolate_owl's post basically says it all.

    I would just add that weight fluctuations are common from day-to-day. It really takes a month or two to start seeing a real trend in your weight.
  • DreesPerformanceTraining
    DreesPerformanceTraining Posts: 187 Member
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    narak_lol wrote: »
    Hello - I hope you can help me here. How should I weight train to improve cycling performance? I ride kinda competitively but also LOVE lifting. My concern is not about bulking blah but the absolute weight/muscle mass which may negatively impact my performance in particular when the road goes upwards. I understand it's hard for women to gain muscle so am I over worrying?

    I am 5'3 126lbs, currently on a reduction diet (reduction in overall calories, not LCHF etc) want to get to 120. I ride 4-5x, weight train 2x full body/compound movements per week.

    TIA!

    I think doing full body workouts are ideal, but it will be challenging to gain strength while on a deficit and riding 4-5x/week. What does your workout usually look like?
  • Amadeuszvsch
    Amadeuszvsch Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi,
    I hope this post is still active. I have recently started my PT sessions, but feel like the PT wants to use up the sessions without giving me other infor that I need. Example: 1.5 week after 1st sesh and I still haven't got a meal or workout plan. Is that acceptable or do I expect too much? 1 PT sesh is £40/hr.
    Is the PT *kitten* or am I expecting too much?? Because, in my opinion diet is more important than exercise when it comes to weigh loss. In addition I am not someone who needs motivation to come to the gym, I quite enjoy fitness classes and come to the gym 4-5 times/week.
    Thanks for the answer.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Amadeuszvsch wrote: »
    Hi,
    I hope this post is still active. I have recently started my PT sessions, but feel like the PT wants to use up the sessions without giving me other infor that I need. Example: 1.5 week after 1st sesh and I still haven't got a meal or workout plan. Is that acceptable or do I expect too much? 1 PT sesh is £40/hr.
    Is the PT *kitten* or am I expecting too much?? Because, in my opinion diet is more important than exercise when it comes to weigh loss. In addition I am not someone who needs motivation to come to the gym, I quite enjoy fitness classes and come to the gym 4-5 times/week.
    Thanks for the answer.

    What was your agreement? Did trainer say he would give you a meal plan & workout plan ? Have you asked again? I worked with a trainer for 2 1/2 yrs and never got a home workout plan or a meal plan, but the sessions were great & what I wanted. Many peeps here contend that trainers are not qualified to give nutrition advice. I don't think that's necessarily true, but my point is they would say you shouldn't get meal,plan from trainer.
  • DreesPerformanceTraining
    DreesPerformanceTraining Posts: 187 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Amadeuszvsch wrote: »
    Hi,
    I hope this post is still active. I have recently started my PT sessions, but feel like the PT wants to use up the sessions without giving me other infor that I need. Example: 1.5 week after 1st sesh and I still haven't got a meal or workout plan. Is that acceptable or do I expect too much? 1 PT sesh is £40/hr.
    Is the PT *kitten* or am I expecting too much?? Because, in my opinion diet is more important than exercise when it comes to weigh loss. In addition I am not someone who needs motivation to come to the gym, I quite enjoy fitness classes and come to the gym 4-5 times/week.
    Thanks for the answer.

    I guess it depends on what you agreed to.

    We don't offer meal plans, we set up calories and macros, depending on the client's goals, and then give pointers here and there to help meet those goals.

    Do you mean workouts for you to do on your own? I generally do not give out workouts for clients to do on their own, but I have a minimum of 2 sessions a week, so most of my clients only workout when they're with me. I do usually recommend they do some aerobic type training on their own though because we spend very little time doing that during a session.

    Hope that helps?
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
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    Amadeuszvsch wrote: »
    Hi,
    I hope this post is still active. I have recently started my PT sessions, but feel like the PT wants to use up the sessions without giving me other infor that I need. Example: 1.5 week after 1st sesh and I still haven't got a meal or workout plan. Is that acceptable or do I expect too much? 1 PT sesh is £40/hr.
    Is the PT *kitten* or am I expecting too much?? Because, in my opinion diet is more important than exercise when it comes to weigh loss. In addition I am not someone who needs motivation to come to the gym, I quite enjoy fitness classes and come to the gym 4-5 times/week.

    If you want a list of exercises to do on your own, you have to communicate that. Trainers often train clients who only want them for motivation, not to learn how to exercise.

    Don't follow a trainer's meal plan unless they have nutrition credentials (rare).
    Eating in a calorie deficit isn't that complicated. :+1:
  • LucasWilland
    LucasWilland Posts: 68 Member
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    Just out of curiosity, how do you set up your client's diet if they are looking to lose fat or build muscle?
  • gabriellax92
    gabriellax92 Posts: 65 Member
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    I'm 24 years old, 5'4 and 255 pounds. How much cardio and what types of cardio do you recommend daily for me to lose 2 pounds a week?
  • icemom011
    icemom011 Posts: 999 Member
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    Hi, i have noticed that doing push ups, especially extra sets, is causing a shoulder pain. I didn't have a previous injury to this shoulder. I don't think the shoulder /arm exercises that i do at the gym are affecting it, but i love doing push ups. I'm 45, female, 5'7", 148lbs. What do you recommend?
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    icemom011 wrote: »
    Hi, i have noticed that doing push ups, especially extra sets, is causing a shoulder pain. I didn't have a previous injury to this shoulder. I don't think the shoulder /arm exercises that i do at the gym are affecting it, but i love doing push ups. I'm 45, female, 5'7", 148lbs. What do you recommend?

    change your form. I would say 9/10 it's because you are pushing your shoulders outwards.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IODxDxX7oi4
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    gabriellax92 wrote: »
    I'm 24 years old, 5'4 and 255 pounds. How much cardio and what types of cardio do you recommend daily for me to lose 2 pounds a week?

    Look at your food intake for weight loss.

    Exercise for health
  • JonDrees
    JonDrees Posts: 161 Member
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    LucasWilland wrote: »
    Just out of curiosity, how do you set up your client's diet if they are looking to lose fat or build muscle?

    I'm not sure exactly what you are asking? As far as macros, I don't really adjust those much. If the client wants to lose fat, we lower their calories. If a client wants to gain muscle, we increase their calories. I don't work with people that are bodybuilders or anything like that, so there is no need to get more detailed than that.
  • JonDrees
    JonDrees Posts: 161 Member
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    DannyYMi54321 wrote: »
    About 2 weeks ago I asked you about how to make nutrition and fitnes click for me despite a lot of obstacles in my life. Your response boiled down to something along the lines of "stop making excuses and make it a priority" - hopefully I captured the core of your response, I'm very roughly paraphrasing,I haven't searched back to find the exact post.

    Essentially spot on - I got a little defensive when I first read your answer to me, because I was thinking defensively along the lines of "but he doesn't know anything about my life, or how hard it is, or what I've endured or ..,."

    So after I sat back and realized just how much like a whining spoiled man-child I sounded like in my own mind, and just how much of a victim mentality I was again buying into, I realized you are quite right. I do struggle with a lot of things, my life is medically complicated, logistically complicated, and definitely psychologically complicated. So I've given a lot of thought to my health and fitness challenges lately; I can stay stuck and unhappy and complain and do the entire oh poor me drama, or I can work to effect as much positive change in my life as I can, and maintain perspective and realize progress isn't instant or necessarily linear.

    So yeah, that helped. A couple of good real-world conversations with my personal trainer about the same kind of issues helped, just deciding it is time to move forward and do my best. Thanks.

    Glad to hear that.
  • JonDrees
    JonDrees Posts: 161 Member
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    gabriellax92 wrote: »
    I'm 24 years old, 5'4 and 255 pounds. How much cardio and what types of cardio do you recommend daily for me to lose 2 pounds a week?

    How much would depend on your diet. Unless you are training to do a 5k or something, I would avoid doing any running. Try swimming or rowing.

    As far as your goal, you are going to need to burn about 1,000 more calories than you take in each day. It's doable, but your likelihood of yo-yo'ing with your weight is a lot higher than they would be if you did 1 pound a week.
  • JonDrees
    JonDrees Posts: 161 Member
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    icemom011 wrote: »
    Hi, i have noticed that doing push ups, especially extra sets, is causing a shoulder pain. I didn't have a previous injury to this shoulder. I don't think the shoulder /arm exercises that i do at the gym are affecting it, but i love doing push ups. I'm 45, female, 5'7", 148lbs. What do you recommend?

    First, if it hurts, don't do it.

    If you could send me a video of you doing a push up, I could help you out further, but without seeing your form, I can't give you much more than that.

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