The Future of Personal Training

Personal Training has grown in leaps and bounds over the past 2 decades. In fact, the number of personal trainers is expected to grow by 46% by the year 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, so we can expect the same growth here in Canada.. What was once reserved for the rich and famous is now considered essential if one wants to learn to exercise correctly with proper form and to advance toward their fitness goals in the most effective manner while avoiding injury or time wasted.

With more people than ever seeking the services of Personal Trainers, it is vital that we as Personal trainers continually invest in our continuing education. Education in the areas of effective program design, motivation, nutrition and lifestyle coaching strategies and post rehab or corrective exercise will be essential for trainers in the near future as the population seeking our services ages and presents us with multi-faceted issues. In my personal experience as a Personal Trainer and Medical Exercise Specialist, it is not unusual to be dealing with at least one if not two issues or injuries simultaneously, (for example a client with high blood pressure and a mensical tear or a pregnant client with SI Joint dysfunction).

Another aspect of Personal Training that will change for the better (hopefully), is the way we train clients and the apparatus we use. Most trainers at present use primarily machine based training for their clients. This is far from optimal when we consider the way we as humans move. Humans move in multi-dimensional planes, (ie: combining flexion with rotation or sidebending with extension), while most machines train us in a single plane of movement known as the sagital plane (front to back). Being seated on a Leg Extension machine or any seated machine for that matter has little to no functional carryover to the sports we participate in or our activities of daily living and can actually have a deconditioning effect on the core musculature. For this reason we need to train the body the way the body naturally moves. This is accomplished with tools such as free weights, Swiss Balls, BOSU balls, Medicine balls, Cables, etc. The other thing issue with training primarily with machines only, is that they work the body in isolation. While isolation exercises may be appropriate initially for the client dealing with injury, we must later learn to integrate the body as a whole or to mimic what Paul Chek from the renowned CHEK Institute, (Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiolgy), refers to as our "Primal Patters". These essential movement patterns include having the ability to squat, lunge, twist, push, pull and walk properly. These full body movements integrate the body as a whole the way it was designed to function, rather than isolating each muscle group individually while seated. When we train for function with the proper tools, we are training in unstable environments which have a far better carryover to sports and everyday tasks. A good example of an exercise with good carryover would be doing a "Wood Chop" exercise with a medicine ball while standing on a BOSU Balance trainer. This would be more challenging to both the muscular and the nervous system than a machine based exercise and would have great carryover benefits for everyone from a golfer to a grocery checker.

Clients are often amazed at the results they get when this type of training is added to their program. They become stronger and more toned (especially through the abdominal wall), have better balance and control while increasing their metabolic rates, as there is a much greater energy cost and training effect as multiple muscles are targeted simultaneously. Keep in mind that it is important to begin with more stable exercises initially and progress towards less stable exercises as one improves their fitness level and experience.

In a way we have come full circle, as this is the way training was done many years ago! As we look to the future, both trainers and clients will need to "think outside the box", when it comes to addressing key bio-motor abilities such as strength, endurance, balance, agility, coordination and flexibility. Having these skills will become more important than ever as we add life to our years and years to our life!

 

Debbie Ross is the owner of Ross Pilates and Conditioning.  She is a certified Medical Exercise Specialist, C.H.E.K. Certified Exercise Coach and C.H.E.K. Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach specializing in Functional Training and Corrective Exercise.

 

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