Ask a Personal Trainer/Gym Owner
Replies
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Live in Maine, so I only have about one more month to find a pool!!! Thanks1
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Lesely2603 wrote: »I'm about 2 lbs away from goal weight. As I start to maintain my weight by how much should I increase calories? Also are there any adjustments I should think about making to my training. I currently work with a trainer two days a week, and we will be having this conversation soon, do a Pilates class once a week and cardio once a week, plus walking around five miles per day.
Sorry I missed this question.
It depends on how much of a deficit you are on now. Try bumping up 100-250 a day each week until you are maintaining your weight.
As long as you are focusing on strength training with your trainer, it seems like a good mix.1 -
Hi I want to improve my running, speed up a bit and maintain that pace. I jog regularly. It will be my 1 year anniversary on 5th august
I can jog for 30-40 minutes but at a slow pace and I don't know how to enter it in my exercise dairy so I want to know is a 12 min mile slow or fast? because I think I am running at that pace but I'm very confused! 0 -
connorsmom28 wrote: »What do you recommend for toning arms? I've lost over 70 pounds and have about 25 more to my goal weight..I have been using weights and gaining muscle, but I still have sagging skin..will that eventually go away or will surgery be in my future?
@connorsmom28 Unfortunately, one can't spot reduce and skin doesn't instantly magically pop back to where it once was/is supposed to be.
In time,it can take years, the skin on your arms will eventually tighten up a bit. How much will depend largely on genetics and your age. Try to stay well hydrated, keep strength training, and hope for the best.
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I'm a big hoss who hasn't worked out in over two decades. I'm 6'2", 345 lbs and looking to rebuild some muscle but ultimately get down to the 240-250 lb range. Without buying hundreds of dollars of equipment or joining yet another gym, what exercises can/should I do at home to get started? Knees and ankles are worn out and I have some arthritis in my joints but I'm willing to push myself.0
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connorsmom28 wrote: »What do you recommend for toning arms? I've lost over 70 pounds and have about 25 more to my goal weight..I have been using weights and gaining muscle, but I still have sagging skin..will that eventually go away or will surgery be in my future?
It'll take months if not years, but it should tighten some. Continue lifting using primarily multi-joint exercises.1 -
PeachesNcreamgal wrote: »Hi I want to improve my running, speed up a bit and maintain that pace. I jog regularly. It will be my 1 year anniversary on 5th august I can jog for 30-40 minutes but at a slow pace and I don't know how to enter it in my exercise dairy so I want to know is a 12 min mile slow or fast? because I think I am running at that pace but I'm very confused!
Everyone's pace is different, but you want to avoid falling into the comfort zone of "going for a 30 minute jog."
1. Mix in some intervals
2. Go for shorter runs at a faster pace
3. Go for longer runs at a slower pace
I'm not a distance guy, so I would suggest finding a beginner running program and sticking with that for a few months.0 -
shoeoptional wrote: »I'm a big hoss who hasn't worked out in over two decades. I'm 6'2", 345 lbs and looking to rebuild some muscle but ultimately get down to the 240-250 lb range. Without buying hundreds of dollars of equipment or joining yet another gym, what exercises can/should I do at home to get started? Knees and ankles are worn out and I have some arthritis in my joints but I'm willing to push myself.
You could do the whole push up, plank, sit up, etc. routine, but that isn't going to do much for your goals. You might have to bite the bullet and sign up for a cheap gym membership.0 -
I'm having problem losing my lower abs. I'm losing my stomach but now my lower stomach is puching or hanging or what ever it's called. And I want it gone. What are the best workouts for this area, please.0
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Sandra1957smc wrote: »I'm having problem losing my lower abs. I'm losing my stomach but now my lower stomach is puching or hanging or what ever it's called. And I want it gone. What are the best workouts for this area, please.
There isn't a lot you can do other than reduce the amount of fat around the area. Your posture could play a part, too. People with anteriorly tilted hips generally have a little bulge in their lower stomach.0 -
DreesPerformanceTraining wrote: »Hi, I am a personal trainer/gym owner and I wanted to take the opportunity to answer any questions you all might have for me. Feel free to ask anything in regards to hiring a trainer or what to expect from a training session, or anything fitness and nutrition related. Please, be as specific as you can with your questions. Thanks!
Are there any effective methods to reducing/toning a belly apron besides crunches that are L-vertebrae friendly? Two of my L's are degenerated and easily slip with certain movement, and crunches often cause inflammation in my lumbar region.0 -
cinnag4225 wrote: »DreesPerformanceTraining wrote: »Hi, I am a personal trainer/gym owner and I wanted to take the opportunity to answer any questions you all might have for me. Feel free to ask anything in regards to hiring a trainer or what to expect from a training session, or anything fitness and nutrition related. Please, be as specific as you can with your questions. Thanks!
Are there any effective methods to reducing/toning a belly apron besides crunches that are L-vertebrae friendly? Two of my L's are degenerated and easily slip with certain movement, and crunches often cause inflammation in my lumbar region.
They won't do anything to reduce the size of your stomach, but plank and crawling variations are effective and pretty safe on the lower back. I also think supine belly breathing is very effective are retraining the core to function properly. You can look up "pri 90/90 breathing" to get an idea of what I am referring to.1 -
shoeoptional wrote: »I'm a big hoss who hasn't worked out in over two decades. I'm 6'2", 345 lbs and looking to rebuild some muscle but ultimately get down to the 240-250 lb range. Without buying hundreds of dollars of equipment or joining yet another gym, what exercises can/should I do at home to get started? Knees and ankles are worn out and I have some arthritis in my joints but I'm willing to push myself.
Master your bodyweight. Pushups, lunges, bodyweight squats. Get a suspension trainer, TRX is the most advertised, but others out there just as good and lower cost. Can really scale the difficulty of the exercises with them.
Good luck.0 -
DreesPerformanceTraining wrote: »shoeoptional wrote: »I'm a big hoss who hasn't worked out in over two decades. I'm 6'2", 345 lbs and looking to rebuild some muscle but ultimately get down to the 240-250 lb range. Without buying hundreds of dollars of equipment or joining yet another gym, what exercises can/should I do at home to get started? Knees and ankles are worn out and I have some arthritis in my joints but I'm willing to push myself.
You could do the whole push up, plank, sit up, etc. routine, but that isn't going to do much for your goals. You might have to bite the bullet and sign up for a cheap gym membership.
To add to my last answer, I would recommend not trying to do too much on your own. Being detrained and overweight, you are likely to cause a lot of stress to your joints by working out alone. I would seek out a professional to help you. Also, your diet is going to be the most important part of the whole process.0 -
I'm at 29 yo, 5'5'' female and am at my goal weight of 130lbs. My current goal is to increase muscle and definition. I don't really enjoy doing cardio other than taking long walks with my family, which I do a few times a week. I do really enjoy weight lifting and am currently working on getting back into a routine after having a baby.
HIIT programs like BBG are very popular right now with women my age, and I like the physique you can achieve with that workout, however, like I said, I'm not crazy about all of the cardio. My question for you is it possible to get similar results with a lifting only program? How important are macros vs. generally monitoring your protein intake?
Thanks!0 -
primalsarah wrote: »I'm at 29 yo, 5'5'' female and am at my goal weight of 130lbs. My current goal is to increase muscle and definition. I don't really enjoy doing cardio other than taking long walks with my family, which I do a few times a week. I do really enjoy weight lifting and am currently working on getting back into a routine after having a baby.
HIIT programs like BBG are very popular right now with women my age, and I like the physique you can achieve with that workout, however, like I said, I'm not crazy about all of the cardio. My question for you is it possible to get similar results with a lifting only program? How important are macros vs. generally monitoring your protein intake?
Thanks!
Cardio is never necessary to lose weight and not necessary for most people to lower their BF%.
I would focus on getting your calories set to match your goal. Then making sure you get enough protein. With the calories you have left, you can split up however you prefer between carbs and fats.
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I'm 5'6" and 145 lbs. I gained 8 lbs since I started heavy lifting. It's common to hear people say it's 8 lbs of muscle. Seems ridiculous. My jeans certainly are tighter in the legs. I feel great but being a female it's hard to forget about the number on the scale. Is this common amongst your female clients? How do you help them focus on the results and forget about the scale?? Throw my scale away? : D0
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when trying to lose body fat/ tone up.. should you track calories or track your macros? whats the difference? I'm kinda new to fitness. thanks!0
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I'm 5'6" and 145 lbs. I gained 8 lbs since I started heavy lifting. It's common to hear people say it's 8 lbs of muscle. Seems ridiculous. My jeans certainly are tighter in the legs. I feel great but being a female it's hard to forget about the number on the scale. Is this common amongst your female clients? How do you help them focus on the results and forget about the scale?? Throw my scale away? : D
Some female clients will gain weight, some will lose. It depends on where they are starting. If they are 50 pounds overweight and then start lifting heavier, chances are they are still going to lose a lot of weight because the muscle weight they gain will not off-set the fat weight they lose.
It looks like you are pretty lean, so there is a good chance a majority of the weight you are gaining is muscle.
I try and keep them focused on their measurements and body fat %, and off of their scale weight. Ultimately, it comes down to how you look and feel. If you feel strong and that you look the way you want, that's all that matters.0 -
when trying to lose body fat/ tone up.. should you track calories or track your macros? whats the difference? I'm kinda new to fitness. thanks!
Both.
Your calories will dictate how much you weigh and your macros will dictate how much of that is muscle and fat. This is assuming you are working out appropriately and eating a realistic diet.
With this said, if your calories don't match your goals, it doesn't matter what your macro ratio is - you're not going to gain muscle if you're only eating 1,200kcal a day, and you're not going to lose fat if you're eating 5,000kcal a day.0 -
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?0
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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?
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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!0 -
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.0 -
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?0 -
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.
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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.0 -
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?0 -
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.
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