Questions for Personal Training Session

Melo1966

I am doing my gym's biggest loser competition and won a free personal training session in last weeks drawing. I am meeting with the trainer in the morning and not sure what kind of things to ask about. I am 5'2" age 46 peri-menopause female current weight of 185 HW was 239 goal weight 135. Once Upon a Time I was an athlete in high school. I was even told to lose 10 lbs when I was only 115 at 15, hard to believe that now. I now have lower back, knee, shoulder and tailbone pain issues part due to being overweight with previous overuse and part due to early stages of arthritis. I am trying to no longer use these as excuses to exercise and stay fat. At the gym I usually stick with the treadmill on an incline with has the least impact on my knee and light weights on the machines. I am also on week 2 of C25K after workouts I rest with heat packs. Yesterday when I went all the treadmills were taken so I decided to try to increase the weights with less reps and do more different machines and free weights and did the stair-stepper which really bothered my knee so I am going to stay away from that thing. My muscles are a bit more sore today, which is fine. I like when I am able to get a good enough workout for that to happen without the joint pain. I plan on asking which is better higher weight less reps or lower weights more reps. What else do you guys think I should focus on?

MissKalhan

Is this a long term personal trainer or just one? If its one get him or her to show you proper lifting technics and if it is a more long term thing everything you said there is pretty much what a personal trainer would want to know. Good luck!

NitaCB

As a personal trainer myself, I really like to get the full picture on what is going on in the person's life. So work, relationships, stress, nutrition, hydration, sleep etc.

I wouldn't worry about telling them if you'd like to do more reps and higher weights or vice versa. The whole point of the trainer is that they'll be able to work with you to achieve your goals in whatever way they think is most appropriate for you.

A couple of suggestions for you. After your runs you'll be better off using ice rather than heat packs. This will help to ease the inflammation. So you are getting sore after your runs then? Another thing that I'd recommend would be to start taking omega-3s to help ease the inflammation that you're dealing with with your arthritis. Do some research if you like, on what foods and supplements help to reduce inflammation in the body. Of course I don't know the full picture of what's going on so I'm not trying to dish out supplement advice over a forum. I'd just recommend you look into it.

Good luck!

Melo1966

It is just one session that is why I am worried I am not going to ask enough questions. I do want to cover form when using the equipment and maybe go over more equipment then what I would do in a workout so I could have 2 different routines. I don't know the names of most of them either.

It does hurt with the runs but I tone it down when it is real bad. I am not running that much yet only 90 seconds intervals.

I am taking multivitamins, omega-3, calcium, magnesium, glucosamine and chondroitin.

NitaCB

I'm glad you're already up with supplements, sounds good.

I'd ask them to go through technique with you on your foundation basics like squats, deadlifts, lunges, rows or whatever they think necessary. They may put together a workout for you to follow. Don't worry so much about the names of things, I don't think I know the right names of all the exercises I use with people. But I know what I mean! If you're trying to follow a program or something you can always google Youtube videos or pictures to see what an exercise is.

floridapanthergirl

Do you know your BMI. And heart rates for burning fat? Use a heart rate monitor? I would ask a trainer to help me develop a weight training program to use AWAY from the gym and different things you can do other than the treadmill so you have variety and can "confuse" your muscles for a better workout. I hope it goes well. I have a trainer I see every two weeks, cause I can't afford more often than that. She is really good and gets it that weight loss is not about will power. It is great to be accountable to her also for what I have and have not done in the two week period. I especially like that I get my BMI and hydration checked every other week and have managed to stay off the scale until I see her. At my last workout with her I burned over 700 calories!

Melo1966

I did recently get a hear rate monitor my daily calorie readings from that which I guess is my TDEE ranges from 2,200 (lazy day) to 2,900 (heavy work out day).