Training towards your ideal body when working with a trainer

Everybody has individual goals, tastes and desires. Being a trainer means you really have to listen to what your client's goals are. Some clients want to get faster, build muscle, lose weight, improve flexibility.....  it varies immensely from person to person. We also have different ideas of what our desired body shape is. Some people like a lean look, others curvy, some like to be muscular.... it all depends on the person. That's why it's really important to have good communication with your clients and make sure you are on the same page as far as what you are working towards.

Take my case for example. I spent 2 1/2 years training under a crossfit coach. A few of my goals when I started with him were to learn Olympic lifts, learn kippers ( a type of pullup in crossfit) and lean out, I felt like I was too bulky. I told this to my coach.... What I should of done was show him photos of what I wanted to work towards. To my coach, bulky had a different definition.  Muscular didn't mean bulky to my coach, and in hind site,  bulky meant too muscular to me.

So, my coach had me putting on a ton of muscle....  Did I lose fat? Yes I did. But did I look like I wanted to? No, I looked like the incredible hulk!  I naturally put on muscle pretty easy, and yes I was shredded and strong, but it was not my ideal body type. I wanted a leaner and feminine look.

This experience taught me a lot about truly communicating with my clients and specific training towards specific goals. If you want to have a body like a body builder,  well train like one! If you want to have the strength and flexibility of a ballet dancer, train like a dancer...... We can't fight genetics, some of us will never look like skinny fashion models etc, but  by training realistically and specifically we can come closer to achieve the look we want.

So when you hire a trainer, just like when you go to a new hair stylist, you might want to bring a few photos of your desired look. Make sure your trainer really listens to what your goals are and your motivation behind training. If one of your goals is to do an unassisted pull up, are you doing the appropriate exercises that will get you there? If you want to improve your tennis game, are you doing agility drills and exercises to improve explosive rotation? If you want to lose fat, is your trainer pointing out the importance of diet and nutrition? You also want to do your research and see what your trainer's background is in. If they are an experienced marathoner and their main focus is on training endurance athletes, and you want to get into body building, you may not be the right match.  Look at the condition of your trainer..... I know that someone may have all the knowledge in the world, but it's not a good sign if their job is to motivate and teach you, and they are not practicing what they preach.  If your trainer looks out of shape, don't hire them. Training with a personal trainer shouldn't be all about looks,  it's also about learning to train smartly, safely and improving your health.... but I  can't lie, it's also about getting the body you want.   There's nothing wrong with trying to improve your physique, it boosts your confidence and self esteem and the way others perceive you.

                                               

 

                                                        This was my idea of leaning out:

The photo below was my version of bulky and my trainers idea of what lean was.

Everyone has different interpretations. 

If you want to look like you lift heavy weights, then lift heavy weights!

If you want to look like a long distance runner, train like one. If you want to look like a Sprinter, train like a Sprinter.

If you like the lean look of a dancer or the look of someone who practices Yoga, well train accordingly.

If you want to look like a  beast! Train like Arnold.