Hi
Gym Ninja just about survived the year-old Night Nurse medication last night. 'Just about' was definitely the operable word, as not only was GN almost coma-like for most of the morning (she snoozed her alarm twice), but she had a serious case of eyes rolling inwards aka gozzy-eyed.
In an attempt to wake herself up, Gym Ninja donned a bright red skirt suit for work today. You know, to match her eyes...*yawn*. However, after a day filled with 6 hours driving and chasing up things her colleagues should be chasing up, interspersed with 'Hollow Leg Syndrome' due to tiredness (Hollow Leg Syndrome is where you want to eat anything and everything within arms reach you're THAT hungry), Gym Ninja was gagging for a gym workout.
Tonight, would be PHA night. That, if you recall back in earlier blogs, stands for 'Peripheral Heart Action'. A herrruge circuit if you will, of 3 compound exercises (push and pull) with no rest between exercises, followed by 3 minutes high intensity cardio, then repeat 3-5 times (or 6 times in GN's case). As GN was working her upper body, she did the following:
1 x 15 reps DB Shoulder Press
1 x 15 reps DB Chest Press
1 x 15 reps DB Bent Over Row
3 mins fast rowing on Concept II Rower
Repeated above circuit 3 times then moved onto...
1 x 15 reps Upright DB Row
1 x 15 reps Incline DB Chest Press
1 x 15 reps Lat Pulldown
3 mins fast cycling
Also repeated 3 times in circuit manner....
Finished off with supersets of Skull Crushers for triceps and Barbell curls for biceps.
Tadaaa! Keeps the heart rate elevated and gives you maximum bang for you buck!
Whilst GN was performing her weights exercises, her eye was drawn to a club Personal Trainer across the gym (she could see him reflected in her mirror). He was training a client. Well, Gym Ninja 'says' training a client. But it is seriously a case of not ALL Personal Training qualifications being created equal!!!! There was NO WAY this guy got his certification from Premier Training!!!
The client was an older gentleman and the PT was watching him perform dumbbell chest press. The PT was stood at his head, looking down on the guy as he struggled with his reps.
Mistake number 1. As a PT you need to get down on their level with them. He should have been knelt at the head of the guy, coaching him.
Mistake number 2. The guy obviously was struggling with the dumbbells so the PT should have had his hands out spotting him, just in case he dropped the weights. Then, he should have 'regressed' the exercise as the guy was struggling SO much his form was slipping. As it was, the PT was standing above the guy and would be too far away to respond to a Dumbbell dropping situation!
Gym Ninja looked away.
A bit later, during another exercise, GN clocked the couple training shoulders. The old guy was performing standing Arnold Presses with dumbbells. The PT was standing watching him.
Mistake number 1. The old guy had his head stretched right back, his chin almost pointing upwards with the effort. This should have been immediately corrected as it is bad form.
Mistake number 2. The guy was excessively arching his lower back, which would put terrible pressure on the vertebrae. Again, this should have been corrected immediately and the importance of neutral spine and a tight core explained. Once the 'set' was finished, the PT walked off to refer to a bit of paper, whilst the client dropped the weights, his back now curved forwards. EEEEK!
Why was the PT NOT correcting this client? He was right there, watching him. Gym Ninja could see the danger and she was at the other side of the bl**dy gym!
Pretty soon, the guy was sat on a Swiss stability ball, dumbbells in his hands. Anterior Deltoid Raises was the move. Except it wasn't. It was Anterior Deltoid swings! Good old momentum! Bounce bounce bounce on the Swiss ball, swing swing swing with the dumbbells.
No no no no no!!!!!!!!
You know, some people may get all offended and huffy at reading this. How DARE Gym Ninja correct or slate this guy and his training techniques. Who dies she think she is??? But do you know what? SOMEBODY needs to say it! This client was at serious risk of injury. Anyone with half a brain could see that. This guy was performing exercises in a manner that people who haven't a clue train. So the REASON people hire Personal Trainers is so that they can learn how to train correctly, with good form, and to get a programme that works. Simple. All this guy will get is an empty wallet and a back injury! The Personal Trainer will then get a bad reputation, so who exactly is benefitting from this? Don't get sloppy training your clients. You are there for your knowledge, experience and expertise so SHOW you have it.
Hmmm.
Daggers are-a-heading Gym Ninja's way (again!). Tough. You are putting someone at risk of injury. You need to get your clear head on ok?
Okey dokey. GN needs to go get some study done. Time Bandits are sneaking back into the equation. Oh, and she also needs to buy some Creatamax from Maximuscle..ramp up the endurance training somewhat. Help shape and sculpt the muscle. Gym Ninja needs to be at her peak!
Toodle pip
Oh, and to the PT who knows this was him, do NOT take this a a personal attack. Take it as a wake up call. if you don't tutor your clients properly, then another PT will!
Gym Ninja x
Showing posts with label Personal Trainer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal Trainer. Show all posts
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Nice Ninja is back!
Aww...you didn't like yesterday's sign off did you?
Gym Ninja can tell!
(Scroll down a bit if you didn't get around to reading it yesterday as GN has added this blog early in the day to take away the nasty blog taste in your mouth from her being a big meanie to you all yesterday)
Gym Ninja got harsh and went all scaremongering on you to kind of shock those of you still at the 'Hmmm, I really should do some exercise yet shall just eat this Mars Bar' instead type stage of motivation.
She wanted to shock you into realising that you only get one body to live in and that there are no refunds or replacements if you break that one. (Well, can YOU find the receipt? Exactly!) She wants you to embark on a healthier lifestyle so you can feel how fantastic it is. After all, we all started from where you are and yet we all became 'hooked' somehow on the changes, and make the effort to work out even when we feel lazy or fed up. We all used to shovel chocolate and junk and processed foods into our mouths (and yes, maybe at times still do although admittedly less often), and yet we all now try and pick the healthier food option and enjoy eating it. So you see? We know how it is when you are yet to start and feel 'unconvinced' it's worth the effort. Plus the fact we changed like this & stayed like this means that there are good times ahead for you ok? Or else, why would we do it? It's ENJOYABLE in the end, Gym Ninja promises you that! Just remember-changing EVERYTHING at once is a true ticket to failure. Make one or two changes, get used to them, then come back for more ok?
Okey Dokey. Time out! Back to the faffy blog style. No more scaries for a while.. ;-)
Gym Ninja went to the gym the other day and nearly trod on a Personal Trainer. Don't you just HATE it when that happens? There was one lying on the floor all 'abandoned'. Not where you expect to find a Personal Trainer is it? You kind of expect that they will be strutting around the gym, showing clients quirky exercises to do, encouraging people, chatting with people....Gym Ninja guesses that at some point maybe even Personal Trainers lie on the floor like a normal person though?
So WHY was this PT on the floor, Gym Ninja hears you ask? Well, the PT was working out...so it seemed. A flurry of abdominal exercises were going one, although GN is not entirely sure as to whether the ones being performed were particularly safe OR effective. This was due to the positioning, plus the 'speed' at which the exercises were being done. Gym Ninja means, really rapidly. Too rapidly to be working anything other than momentum! This is an added pressure to a PT. People watch you train. They watch you when you wear your Personal Trainer T Shirt. They also watch you when you are NOT on duty. GN knows this from her time spent working in the fitness industry....allow GN to explain...this will benefit both existing Personal Trainers AND those of you considering hiring one (it'll give you tips on what to look out for).
Potential clients are everywhere. They do not just research a PT because they are wearing their uniform & are on duty that day. No, potential clients are always musing over which PT to choose to train them, so in that respect they are always watching!! ALWAYS watching...!
They sneak a look in the changing rooms to see what the Personal Trainer's body actually looks like naked (which in turn gives them idea of whether The PT knows what they are talking about as results 'speak for themselves'). Oh and yeh that may sound pervy, but GN has been on the receiving end of that herself, and in some cases when she worked at a particular Health Club, had to actually hide in the individual changing rooms whenever she got dressed the staring got that bad!! One time she turned around in the shower cubicle and saw the steamed up silhouette of a Gym Goer standing right outside her shower cubicle, blatantly staring through the glass to get a peek at her body to 'see if she knows what she's talking about'. (well that's what the woman told Gym Ninja when she confronted her!) People are just curious!
They also sneak a look when the PT is off duty doing their own exercises in the gym. If they see a PT doing a move that they have not seen the PT's own clients do or maybe think the PT wouldn't 'allow' their clients to do because they aren't good/effective, then they form an opinion that either what that PT teaches is nonsense which is why they don't follow it themselves, OR, that the PT doesn't practice what they preach. Both of these things are not helpful when expanding the PT business! If you are a PT, always make sure you exercise with correct form, pick up and lower the weights in a safe way, and don't do anything you'd be too scared to prescribe to a client. It should be second nature to you anyway. if it isn't then maybe tidy up your technique a bit.
Potential PT clients sneak a look if they see a PT eating or drinking something too. They are RELENTLESS in their nosiness (or fact finding if you prefer to call it that??) You know, to get ideas and tips as to what they too should be ingesting?? Fantastic news if they watch the PT eat a healthy meal or quaff water and protein shakes. Now that PT is seen as a healthy role model. Not so good if they catch the PT scoffing a chocolate bar, eating a sausage roll or sitting down to a bowl of chips with a can of coke!! It makes the PT who eats junk seem a hypocrite. You may think GN is exaggerating somewhat when she says that last part, but she has actually worked with PTs who scoff bags of crisps, skip meals, order in takeaways every night....you'd be surprised! 'Think on' if you spot your local Personal Trainer mooching around the supermarket. Nip past and take a peek into their trolley....is it full of fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat? Or is it clinking with the amount of wine bottles hiding under boxes of Sugar Puff Cereals and Wagon Wheels?
They (the PT stalkers) also sneak a look if they see the PT out socially. Now everyone deserves time off for good behaviour. Some PTs do drink alcohol and treat themselves occasionally to naughty snacks. That's fine as they are actuall human as opposed to the bionic machines you may think that they are. However, the PT again needs to be aware that if they are putting themselves in this position of 'authority', or even in some cases, 'up on a pedestal', then they need to go one step further. Almost become a cartoon version of a healthy person living the healthy lifestyle, or else you lose something...credibility......and in doing so, quite possibly another potential client.
So, PTs out there...'be aware' of what you do, regardless of whether you are wearing your Personal Trainer T Shirt or not. You are being scrutinized by people who may be considering hiring you. They may be undecided between hiring YOU and hiring that other PT at the gym they've seen. However they have just seen you scoff down a KFC Bucket and smoking a fag outside the gym entrance......so who do you think they are likely to choose now? Unfair it may be, but the client does have a point.......
So.....yeh........the PT was on the floor doing crunches ten to the dozen. Had that PT gained or lost clients by their actions? Hmm, maybe it depends on how knowledgeable the potential client is? If they are a Newbie then maybe they do not realise that rapid exercises that do not fully work the muscles but instead use momentum to do, are fruitless? Maybe they will just see that the PT 'appears' to be working out and hire them regardless? What will happen? This person may get average results. They may just think that spending their money on this Personal Trainer isn't getting them the results they'd hoped for and quit. They may decide that ALL Personal Trainers are a waste of space and then give those good ones in the Industry a bad name (which is unfair as there are plenty of excellent PTs out there!). That is sad when that happens but unavoidable when there are some PTs out there who are, for want of a better phrase, a tad naff!
But if YOU are shopping around and wanting to adopt a Personal Trainer of your own, maybe start to watch them (in a non-restraining order style of a way) when they are NOT working on duty? See if they practice what they preach? See if they seem to be in good shape? If they are not; if they have little muscle definition, or are a bit pudgy, or look a funny shade of sallow as opposed to radiating health, then mull that over........? A Personal Trainer is for LIFE, not just for a quick fix!
Oooh! Gym Ninja NEVER knows where her blog goes until she starts to type. Who knew she'd harp on about how to stalk/adopt/select a Personal Trainer eh
What she ACTUALLY thought she was blogging about today was the fact she's spotted a few deals on Maximuscle for those of you hooked already on their supplements, and for those of you considering buying them but are a bit strapped for cash right now?
The First Deal (and Gym Ninja has added a link at the top right of this blog so you can go research it and order direct), is for CYCLONE! Ideal for building muscle fast and getting results in a matter of weeks. Mostly guys use this to be fair, so if you are a guy and want to pack on muscle and look good as quickly as possible, and have your diet and exercise regime sorted, then go clicky clicky on the Cyclone picture and see what you think.
The offer is, BUY 3 tubs of CYCLONE for £90. You save £41.97 an also get free delivery.
The second offer Gym Ninja wanted to share is... PROMAX!!!! YAY! GN's favourite protein powder in the WHOLE world! Again, she has added a clicky photo of a tub of Promax on the top right of this blog that will take you direct to the site and product so you can mooch about.
Buy 2 tubs and GET ONE FREE! Saves you £33.99 AND you get free delivery. SO you can maybe try out the new flavours too?
Pssst....one OTHER fab thing is...that if you click the links to Maximuscle here on this blog page and then place your first order, by entering the code SMLHS you will get £5 off the value (assuming you have ordered £30 or more).
See? Gym Ninja is being nice to you and playing Good Ninja Bad Ninja with her blog posts ;-)
BIG hugs. You did well to survive yesterdays blog post. But before GN goes, she'd just like to say a special hello to 'N'. 'N' knows who they are. "N' rang Gym Ninja earlier to thank her for the nasty blog post that has sparked off something and is now heading out to load up on some fruit to try out a juice recipe or two! A step in the right direction and one of may future steps Gym Ninja hopes. Gym Ninja is PROUD! Now 'N', click on the freebie Gym Pass also here on this blog and go test drive a gym session for free!!!!!!!!
Toodle pip!
Gym Ninja xx
Gym Ninja can tell!
(Scroll down a bit if you didn't get around to reading it yesterday as GN has added this blog early in the day to take away the nasty blog taste in your mouth from her being a big meanie to you all yesterday)
Gym Ninja got harsh and went all scaremongering on you to kind of shock those of you still at the 'Hmmm, I really should do some exercise yet shall just eat this Mars Bar' instead type stage of motivation.
She wanted to shock you into realising that you only get one body to live in and that there are no refunds or replacements if you break that one. (Well, can YOU find the receipt? Exactly!) She wants you to embark on a healthier lifestyle so you can feel how fantastic it is. After all, we all started from where you are and yet we all became 'hooked' somehow on the changes, and make the effort to work out even when we feel lazy or fed up. We all used to shovel chocolate and junk and processed foods into our mouths (and yes, maybe at times still do although admittedly less often), and yet we all now try and pick the healthier food option and enjoy eating it. So you see? We know how it is when you are yet to start and feel 'unconvinced' it's worth the effort. Plus the fact we changed like this & stayed like this means that there are good times ahead for you ok? Or else, why would we do it? It's ENJOYABLE in the end, Gym Ninja promises you that! Just remember-changing EVERYTHING at once is a true ticket to failure. Make one or two changes, get used to them, then come back for more ok?
Okey Dokey. Time out! Back to the faffy blog style. No more scaries for a while.. ;-)
Gym Ninja went to the gym the other day and nearly trod on a Personal Trainer. Don't you just HATE it when that happens? There was one lying on the floor all 'abandoned'. Not where you expect to find a Personal Trainer is it? You kind of expect that they will be strutting around the gym, showing clients quirky exercises to do, encouraging people, chatting with people....Gym Ninja guesses that at some point maybe even Personal Trainers lie on the floor like a normal person though?
So WHY was this PT on the floor, Gym Ninja hears you ask? Well, the PT was working out...so it seemed. A flurry of abdominal exercises were going one, although GN is not entirely sure as to whether the ones being performed were particularly safe OR effective. This was due to the positioning, plus the 'speed' at which the exercises were being done. Gym Ninja means, really rapidly. Too rapidly to be working anything other than momentum! This is an added pressure to a PT. People watch you train. They watch you when you wear your Personal Trainer T Shirt. They also watch you when you are NOT on duty. GN knows this from her time spent working in the fitness industry....allow GN to explain...this will benefit both existing Personal Trainers AND those of you considering hiring one (it'll give you tips on what to look out for).
Potential clients are everywhere. They do not just research a PT because they are wearing their uniform & are on duty that day. No, potential clients are always musing over which PT to choose to train them, so in that respect they are always watching!! ALWAYS watching...!
They sneak a look in the changing rooms to see what the Personal Trainer's body actually looks like naked (which in turn gives them idea of whether The PT knows what they are talking about as results 'speak for themselves'). Oh and yeh that may sound pervy, but GN has been on the receiving end of that herself, and in some cases when she worked at a particular Health Club, had to actually hide in the individual changing rooms whenever she got dressed the staring got that bad!! One time she turned around in the shower cubicle and saw the steamed up silhouette of a Gym Goer standing right outside her shower cubicle, blatantly staring through the glass to get a peek at her body to 'see if she knows what she's talking about'. (well that's what the woman told Gym Ninja when she confronted her!) People are just curious!
They also sneak a look when the PT is off duty doing their own exercises in the gym. If they see a PT doing a move that they have not seen the PT's own clients do or maybe think the PT wouldn't 'allow' their clients to do because they aren't good/effective, then they form an opinion that either what that PT teaches is nonsense which is why they don't follow it themselves, OR, that the PT doesn't practice what they preach. Both of these things are not helpful when expanding the PT business! If you are a PT, always make sure you exercise with correct form, pick up and lower the weights in a safe way, and don't do anything you'd be too scared to prescribe to a client. It should be second nature to you anyway. if it isn't then maybe tidy up your technique a bit.
Potential PT clients sneak a look if they see a PT eating or drinking something too. They are RELENTLESS in their nosiness (or fact finding if you prefer to call it that??) You know, to get ideas and tips as to what they too should be ingesting?? Fantastic news if they watch the PT eat a healthy meal or quaff water and protein shakes. Now that PT is seen as a healthy role model. Not so good if they catch the PT scoffing a chocolate bar, eating a sausage roll or sitting down to a bowl of chips with a can of coke!! It makes the PT who eats junk seem a hypocrite. You may think GN is exaggerating somewhat when she says that last part, but she has actually worked with PTs who scoff bags of crisps, skip meals, order in takeaways every night....you'd be surprised! 'Think on' if you spot your local Personal Trainer mooching around the supermarket. Nip past and take a peek into their trolley....is it full of fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat? Or is it clinking with the amount of wine bottles hiding under boxes of Sugar Puff Cereals and Wagon Wheels?
They (the PT stalkers) also sneak a look if they see the PT out socially. Now everyone deserves time off for good behaviour. Some PTs do drink alcohol and treat themselves occasionally to naughty snacks. That's fine as they are actuall human as opposed to the bionic machines you may think that they are. However, the PT again needs to be aware that if they are putting themselves in this position of 'authority', or even in some cases, 'up on a pedestal', then they need to go one step further. Almost become a cartoon version of a healthy person living the healthy lifestyle, or else you lose something...credibility......and in doing so, quite possibly another potential client.
So, PTs out there...'be aware' of what you do, regardless of whether you are wearing your Personal Trainer T Shirt or not. You are being scrutinized by people who may be considering hiring you. They may be undecided between hiring YOU and hiring that other PT at the gym they've seen. However they have just seen you scoff down a KFC Bucket and smoking a fag outside the gym entrance......so who do you think they are likely to choose now? Unfair it may be, but the client does have a point.......
So.....yeh........the PT was on the floor doing crunches ten to the dozen. Had that PT gained or lost clients by their actions? Hmm, maybe it depends on how knowledgeable the potential client is? If they are a Newbie then maybe they do not realise that rapid exercises that do not fully work the muscles but instead use momentum to do, are fruitless? Maybe they will just see that the PT 'appears' to be working out and hire them regardless? What will happen? This person may get average results. They may just think that spending their money on this Personal Trainer isn't getting them the results they'd hoped for and quit. They may decide that ALL Personal Trainers are a waste of space and then give those good ones in the Industry a bad name (which is unfair as there are plenty of excellent PTs out there!). That is sad when that happens but unavoidable when there are some PTs out there who are, for want of a better phrase, a tad naff!
But if YOU are shopping around and wanting to adopt a Personal Trainer of your own, maybe start to watch them (in a non-restraining order style of a way) when they are NOT working on duty? See if they practice what they preach? See if they seem to be in good shape? If they are not; if they have little muscle definition, or are a bit pudgy, or look a funny shade of sallow as opposed to radiating health, then mull that over........? A Personal Trainer is for LIFE, not just for a quick fix!
Oooh! Gym Ninja NEVER knows where her blog goes until she starts to type. Who knew she'd harp on about how to stalk/adopt/select a Personal Trainer eh
What she ACTUALLY thought she was blogging about today was the fact she's spotted a few deals on Maximuscle for those of you hooked already on their supplements, and for those of you considering buying them but are a bit strapped for cash right now?
The First Deal (and Gym Ninja has added a link at the top right of this blog so you can go research it and order direct), is for CYCLONE! Ideal for building muscle fast and getting results in a matter of weeks. Mostly guys use this to be fair, so if you are a guy and want to pack on muscle and look good as quickly as possible, and have your diet and exercise regime sorted, then go clicky clicky on the Cyclone picture and see what you think.
The offer is, BUY 3 tubs of CYCLONE for £90. You save £41.97 an also get free delivery.
The second offer Gym Ninja wanted to share is... PROMAX!!!! YAY! GN's favourite protein powder in the WHOLE world! Again, she has added a clicky photo of a tub of Promax on the top right of this blog that will take you direct to the site and product so you can mooch about.
Buy 2 tubs and GET ONE FREE! Saves you £33.99 AND you get free delivery. SO you can maybe try out the new flavours too?
Pssst....one OTHER fab thing is...that if you click the links to Maximuscle here on this blog page and then place your first order, by entering the code SMLHS you will get £5 off the value (assuming you have ordered £30 or more).
See? Gym Ninja is being nice to you and playing Good Ninja Bad Ninja with her blog posts ;-)
BIG hugs. You did well to survive yesterdays blog post. But before GN goes, she'd just like to say a special hello to 'N'. 'N' knows who they are. "N' rang Gym Ninja earlier to thank her for the nasty blog post that has sparked off something and is now heading out to load up on some fruit to try out a juice recipe or two! A step in the right direction and one of may future steps Gym Ninja hopes. Gym Ninja is PROUD! Now 'N', click on the freebie Gym Pass also here on this blog and go test drive a gym session for free!!!!!!!!
Toodle pip!
Gym Ninja xx
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