Personal Training is an Art AND Science.
Let me explain by sharing the method behind my madness.
You see…the first 2-3 times I meet a client I am constantly assessing them.
I always do a health history screen.
I almost always measure bodyfat, bodyweight and determine body composition.
Sometimes I do a Functional Movement Screen.
And other times I do some sub-maximal exercise testing.
And even after that…I’m silently assessing them for a few sessions as they perform exercises.
I’m watching their form and how their the bones and joints move throughout a movement.
The reason is simple:
I need to know where that person is at, so I can help them get to where we want them to go.
The following IFT Model (picture below) was created by ACE Fitness…and it guides me in all my exercise programming.
I have been an ACE Certified Personal Trainer for over 21 years, and an ACE Medical Exercise Specialist for over 11 years.
For example, a 57 year old woman that comes in looking to improve her health, get stronger, and have more energy to keep up with her grandkids probably isn’t going to start in (or maybe never progress to) Phase 4. And her workouts will most definitely not start off with burpees and lots of jumping…especially when she can barely do a bodyweight squat without knee pain. That’s just dumb. But I hear clients horror stories of “trainers” making them do those exercises over and over again.
On the other end of the spectrum, a 20 year old college athlete who is looking to improve his performance on the football field probably doesn’t need to spend much time in Phase 1 or 2 doing assisted lunges and simple planks. They need to be challenged with heavy resistance training and explosive movements.
For the record, most of my clients come to me in Stage 1 or 2 and I help them progress to the next stages. Sometimes we dabble in Phase 4 once they’ve advanced. But I don’t like to live there with my clients because as you get older, the rewards don’t outweigh the risks.
So…hopefully you see there is an art AND a science behind the exercise programs that I design for my Personal Training Clients.
Sean Millhouse is the owner of Fitness 101. He has been an Ace-Certified Personal Trainer for over 21 years. Sean has helped thousands of Spring/Klein residents achieve their health and fitness goals.
