Personal training should be exactly what it says on the tin. Personal. No two sessions should be the same, no one size fits all and no cookie cutter programs. At NK Fitness we pride ourselves heavily on this side of our business. Now, this does not mean we are simply going to let you do all the fun things and none of the important things! We feel that in order to excel as leading personal trainers in Berkshire, finding a balance in our clients training is key. You can find balance between the chaos and the calm.
Balance the Scales: The Chaos
Sometimes as a client you just want to move! You may want to lift something, throw something or simply get a sweat on. This is what you can determine as the chaos. After all, personal training is YOUR time, it is there for YOU. Often, these training sessions are a break from work and other stressors. They become an hour to focus on yourself.
While it is our job as the coach to maintain a sense of direction, the intensity and drive you put in may be your way of dealing with other stressors! Unleash the chaos. Lift, move, throw and release!
Balance the Scales: The Calm
Calm can come in many forms, particularly in training. For some people it may be as obvious as meditation. For others it may be ending each session with a good deep stretch. On a different side, others can find simple accessory and core work a nice way to leave their brain behind. Finally, it may be a simple conditioning piece that allows you to drift away from your thoughts and come back to earth.
Finding the Balance in Training
In my opinion, balance in personal training sessions can be found when these two are combined. The amount of each can be dictated by the way you, the client, feels when you start. Some days you may need to just shut up and lift. Others you may need to spend more time internalising things with a deeper stretch. either way, both should be included. In terms of practical application, I will use an example that comes up frequently.
Client enters and is fairly stressed and tired from work. The session then goes a little like this.
Extended warm up – This allows time to verbalise or internalise the thoughts and frustrations from the day. It gives time to prepare both the body and mind to focus on the session that is about to occur.
Essentials – If the client is still fairly distracted, theses essentials can be moved through in a more relaxed style, simply getting the “must do’s” done. This may even look like a secondary warm up or “activation circuit”
The chaos – Time to move! Set the clock, load the weight and attack it, whatever it may be. Get everything out and get it done.
The calm – By now you should be fairly done! You’ve hammered out the frustrations and have given it your all. Time to revisit yourself and get back to a balanced state. Refreshed and reset, ready to take on the rest of the day.
Whatever form of exercise each section takes is entirely up to you. Why not give it a go and see if you can find some balance in your training.