for beginners in the gym May 22
- editor Natalya
- 2604
Each fitness center and gym has a personal trainer.
Each fitness center and gym has a personal trainer. He works with the client for a fee and guarantees results. Training is usually scheduled for a specific time and is carried out only by two people. At the same time, an individual trainer monitors the technique of performing exercises, safety, makes sure that the back does not bend, the stomach is pulled in, etc. In addition, the services of a personal trainer include drawing up a nutrition plan, depending on the client’s goals - losing weight, increasing muscle mass, etc. The coach will always tell you how many approaches and repetitions you need to do, and will protect you at a dangerous moment.
Many newcomers, when they come to the gym, simply deal with an instructor who gives an introductory tour of the gym and gives general recommendations. Drawing up a training and nutrition program is not his responsibility. As fitness centers assure us, training with a personal trainer gives the effect 2 times better and faster than training on your own. But is this really so? Is it possible to exercise without the support of a trainer and how useful are such trainings?
Benefits of working out with a personal trainer at the gym
The positive aspects of training with a personal mentor include:
- lack of embarrassment in front of other people, unlike group classes;
- high efficiency from exercises: under the supervision of an experienced trainer, the student will avoid many injuries, overexertion, and inconvenience during fitness classes due to the proper selection of the load;
- individual exercise program: certain physical skills, sports training, character traits and wishes of the athlete are taken into account;
- development of an individual diet, including nutritional supplements, vitamins and sports nutrition;
- all the instructor’s energy is directed only at one client (inaccuracies during the exercises are promptly corrected by the trainer, technical errors are eliminated, and advice is given on further physical activity);
- safety, comfort and high performance during sports: the trainer adjusts the number of approaches, changes the load if necessary, regulates the sequence of exercises;
- convenient schedule and training plan;
- achieving the fastest possible results (only with professionals athletes achieve high performance in sports, because the coach gives sufficient load and does not allow you to relax);
- strong motivation (the instructor not only helps you train, but also conveys a personal positive attitude);
- instant feedback.
In order for physical exercise to benefit the body, it is very important to contact an experienced instructor. But sometimes situations happen when you come across an unprofessional coach.
He deliberately delays achieving a positive result so that the client pays more money. Or the false specialist does not have sufficient qualifications to conduct training. Attending his classes is life-threatening due to his ignorance of the technique of performing the exercises.
Often, the instructor makes recommendations based not on specialized knowledge, but on information from the Internet or anatomy textbooks.
A personal fitness trainer is not always smiling and friendly. Specialists do not always like it when a client asks too many questions or insists on his incorrect (in the trainer’s opinion) point of view. According to some instructors, they deliberately prescribe the wrong training program, which is called professional retaliation.
Cheating coach?
It is logical to assume that a beginner will have a desire to get the necessary program and continue training without a coach. Why not? However, there will still be no result with the finished exercise card. The reason is quite simple: personal training is the attention of a professional athlete. Yes, a beginner does not acquire a list of exercises, but the time that the trainer will devote to him.
Each lesson and each approach, the teacher will evaluate with a professional eye the correctness of the repetition. Any wrong action will be corrected immediately. If something is unclear to a beginner, the trainer will once again demonstrate the correctness of the exercise. This is what is considered an individual activity. Naturally, such work is paid accordingly.
Issues addressed by a fitness instructor
The job responsibilities of any fitness trainer include the following tasks:
- Check the client’s physical fitness, his state of health, the presence or absence of medical contraindications and complaints. The personal trainer bears full responsibility for the client.
- Create a set of effective exercises that are suitable for a specific person.
- Give a lecture on the advisability of such training. Explain in detail which muscles are involved.
- Convey to the practitioner the technique of exercises and the correctness of their implementation. If necessary, point out errors that occur and clearly indicate your position.
- Instill in the athlete self-confidence, encourage him to do quality training, and inspire him to conquer new obstacles.
- Observe the safe use of exercise equipment.
- Monitor the results of the mentee.
- In special cases, provide first aid.
- From time to time, dilute the training with other exercises to maintain the interest of the student. Regularly modify the existing program, but do not deviate from the main goal.
- Inform the athlete about healthy eating and encourage him to get rid of bad habits.
- Monitor the serviceability of equipment.
- Provide detailed advice on any issue.
- Increase loads in case of poor results.
Who needs instructor help?
Every person’s body has individual characteristics that should be taken into account during the training process. The final result and selection of exercises are influenced by the age and weight of the practitioner, the presence of chronic diseases, as well as the general state of health.
A personal trainer will be needed in the following situations:
- poor sports training;
- saving time;
- recovery from serious injuries;
- health problems, including obesity;
- pregnancy and postpartum recovery;
- professional sports;
- figure correction;
- lack of skills in the sports field;
- children visiting the gym in order to straighten their posture, as well as get rid of a sedentary lifestyle;
- infant swimming;
- fitness classes for older people;
- negative training experience in the past;
- shyness and lack of self-confidence;
- assistance in mastering simulators and exercise techniques.
Tips from a professional are necessary for everyone who strives for high results without negative consequences for the body.
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What to consider when choosing a program?
- The initial level of your preparedness. Although both programs require successful mastery from scratch, it will be easier for a person who has experience in fitness and at least school knowledge in biology and chemistry to master the PT program.
- Your desire and ability to immerse yourself in complex topics, allocate time - incl. and to independently study the material. Mastering each topic, in addition to attending class, requires from two to eight hours of independent work.
- Requirements of the club where you will have to work. These requirements are different everywhere. Some employers want you to be a generalist who knows how to independently solve complex fitness problems, while others want you to simply have a good, regular instructor on staff to ensure a safe training process.
How to work with a personal fitness trainer
An individual instructor is interested in ensuring that the client understands the importance of sports for health, and also regularly attends the gym. The trainer personally monitors the student’s results and modifies the set of exercises if necessary.
For weight loss
Cardio training is not the most effective way to lose excess weight. But you shouldn’t neglect it either. They are usually combined with strength exercises. Only then will the best results appear.
A personal fitness trainer will create a list of exercises that have a beneficial effect on different muscles:
Workout name | Short description |
Power training | Dumbbells, barbells, and weights are used. As a result of exercise, muscle mass increases, and excess fat is removed, the body becomes more resilient. |
Cardio training | Turns, squats, jumps, bends, and exercises on simulators are performed. The main goal of training is proper heart function and active burning of calories. |
Professionals believe that the following types of exercises are suitable for more effective weight loss:
- barbell snatches;
- interval training;
- jumping rope;
- a set of exercises consisting of push-ups, jumping, squats;
- lunges.
Trainers also recommend working out on an orbit track and a rowing machine.
To create relief
To create a sculpted body, experienced instructors advise avoiding complex carbohydrates: sugar, flour and pasta, chocolate, carbonated drinks. Women need to monitor their emotional behavior, as they tend to eat away stress with junk food.
Approximate program of classes aimed at shaping the relief:
- key training: bench press, squats, barbell exercises;
- chest: bringing your arms together on a special simulator (crossover), dumbbell flyes;
- back: rows of lower and upper blocks, dumbbell flyes on the back of the shoulder;
- exercises for the shoulders and arms: lifting dumbbells to work the biceps, lifting dumbbells to the chin, in front of you, as well as raising, extending the arms on a block;
- leg muscles: press with different positions of the feet, adduction/adduction, extension/flexion;
- press: crunches (oblique and straight), plank, leg and body raises.
For recovery after childbirth
If the birth went well, you can return to sports after 1.5-2 months. Additional load should be introduced gradually, starting exercises with your own weight (to avoid lactation disturbances). It is believed that breast milk has a bitter taste due to the presence of lactic acid. To avoid this, it is recommended to reduce power loads.
You should finish the workout before the muscles stop obeying.
Exhaustive daily exercise is not effective. Such training only exhausts and takes away the last of your strength. The optimal time spent in the gym is 50-60 minutes. three times a week. The trainer always starts any lesson with a warm-up. To do this, a personal fitness mentor will send the ward to cardio equipment, after which basic exercises will be added.
With 3 sessions a day, you need to ensure that the muscles of different parts of the body are worked out once a week:
- VT – shoulders, chest, biceps.
- CT – legs.
- SB – triceps, back.
Immediately after childbirth, it is better not to pump up the abs, but to pay attention to the diaphragm. The workout ends with stretching (relaxing all muscle groups). During exercise and throughout the day, you need to drink enough liquid. During exercises, monitor your breathing technique. You should inhale at the simple stage of the exercise, exhale at the difficult stage.
To support health and figure
To stay slim and feel good, you need to do exercises for 50-60 minutes. But if the student moves little, it is better to exercise for 1.5 hours (use an exercise bike, treadmill, stepper).
Approximate lesson program:
- for the press: lifting the legs and body;
- work out the leg muscles: flexion and extension;
- back: traction in the simulator (vertical and horizontal);
- arm muscles: extension, flexion with dumbbells or on exercise machines;
- chest: bringing your arms in front of you, sitting/bench press;
- shoulder exercises: vertical press, lateral raises;
- shins: lifting on toes.
If for some reason it is not possible to attend a training session, it is replaced by leisurely walking.
You should include proper nutrition in your exercises, the main principles of which are:
- eat fractionally (preferably less, but more often), the best option is about 4-5 times a day;
- don't skip breakfast;
- give the body enough fluid (2-3 liters per day);
- a light dinner that does not overload the stomach (a vegetable salad with lean meat or fish is suitable);
- do not eat 2 hours before bedtime.
For general strengthening training, it is enough to do it once every 14 days, from time to time increasing the weight of the weights on the exercise machines.
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How to choose the best fitness trainer, what to look for
To achieve the desired result, the instructor and the student must have a close connection. All achievements and failures must be lived together. That is why you should pay primary attention not to the appearance of the coach, but to his professionalism.
The cost of such services is high. But health is not where savings apply. A trainer's mistake can lead to lack of good results or serious damage.
A personal fitness trainer must meet the following requirements:
- work with people for more than 1.5 years;
- have a specialist certificate;
- look well-groomed;
- make contact with the client without any problems (not only listen to the person, but also ask questions).
Before your first workout, it’s a good idea to ask the administrator about all the instructors working in the gym. But you will have to make the decision yourself, relying on the characteristics obtained and your own intuition.
A personal mentor must not only create a training program and diet, but also monitor the strict implementation of recommendations. You need to work as a team, otherwise there will be no point in training.
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Method No. 3
This is an illegal method. You can try to negotiate with the trainer and pay for his services not through the cash register, but directly. The fact is that instructors, as a rule, receive 35% - 45% of the cost of personal equipment. Therefore, in this way you can save approximately 50% of the training cost.
However, coaches are brutally punished for such tricks. In some clubs (especially expensive ones) there are cameras and managers make sure that the instructor only trains those who have paid for his training. It also happens that if a coach simply tells someone something, the manager immediately comes running and starts yelling that he has no right to tell him. This, of course, is an extreme case, but I myself have often heard about this from the coaches themselves.
So, if the club “allows”, then you can negotiate with the coach directly. In any case, if anything happens, the coach will be the last one, and you will calmly continue to train)
How to determine a trainer's qualifications
Before you begin, it is advisable to pay attention to the following factors:
- availability of education (preferably higher education);
- work experience in the sports field;
- How often do you improve your skills?
- guiding questions during the 1st conversation (client’s weight, health status, whether he has had training experience in the past, what result the client plans to achieve);
- drawing up an individual training program only after a personal conversation;
- meaningful answers to questions asked;
- knowledge of many training methods;
- Keeping an activity log to build a picture of the client's achievements.
After this, you can find out whether the specialist has published on a specific sport, or whether he has made any contribution to the development of this industry (information, although not mandatory, is no less important).
The instructor makes sure that the person does not lose interest in the classes. Therefore, training should be fun and uplifting. The professional is obliged to control the athlete’s workload. It cannot be too large to avoid exhaustion of the body.
A good specialist will always put the ward in a positive mood, since during times of stress and troubles at work, many people lose the desire to study. The task of an experienced coach is to feel a person’s inner state and direct his thoughts towards sports.
A personal fitness trainer will never give advice in areas that are not within his area of expertise. Before starting classes, it is recommended to undergo specialized training. A true professional must adhere to the recommendations of doctors and draw up a training program based on them.
List of popular services of fitness instructors
Experienced professionals provide services in the sports field in the following areas:
Direction name | a brief description of |
Gym | With the help of exercises, effective weight loss occurs in combination with training for different muscle groups and proper nutrition. |
Functional training | Classes are aimed at strengthening muscles and relieving stress from the spine. They can be visited by people of any age. Training does not cause discomfort and does not take much energy. |
Strength training | Exercises are performed non-stop on different muscles in turn. They develop muscles, make the figure slimmer, and develop endurance, agility and strength. |
Yoga, Pilates, stretching, fitball exercises, acrobatics | Exercises for body flexibility. Many women visit fitness clubs to achieve a toned figure with good stretching. During training, clients are taught to listen to their own feelings, control the body, correct posture, and work all muscle groups. |
Body-building | Classes are aimed at achieving an attractive muscle definition and gaining muscle mass. |
Losing excess weight | The program is designed based on the characteristics of the athlete’s body. Consists of several types of exercise and proper nutrition. |
Martial arts, which includes boxing, judo, karate, capoeira, taekwondo, kickboxing | These sports combine oriental and international martial arts. Very popular among children. They form discipline, internal and external strength, and coordination of movements. |
Fitness trainer services at home | Training helps to significantly save time on travel to the gym, eliminates the need to purchase a subscription, and reduces travel costs to the fitness club. Classes are ideal for mothers on maternity leave, shy people, overly busy clients and those who do not like stuffy rooms. |
EMS training (electrical stimulation) | During exercise, electrical impulses are sent to the muscles through electrodes that are connected to the human body. Such impulses contribute to muscle contraction. The emphasis is placed not so much on physical activity, but on the frequency of impulses of the simulator. |
A personal fitness trainer can help with strength training, bodybuilding, or yoga.
Popular services also include dance aerobics, rehabilitation fitness, swimming pool, fitness for pregnant women, crossfit (circuit training) and some others.
Compare programs
ITZ | ||
Anatomy and biomechanics | ||
Anatomy of the musculoskeletal system (skeleton, muscular system) | ||
Functional anatomy, analysis of muscle work in exercises | (abridged version) | (full version) |
Biomechanics | (abridged version) | (full version) |
Physiology | ||
Basic concepts of physiology. Cell. CNS. Sensory systems | ||
Endocrine glands and their hormones | ||
Blood functions. The concept of immunity | (abridged version) | (full version) |
Physiology of blood circulation | (abridged version) | (full version) |
Breathing functions | (abridged version) | (full version) |
Digestion. Metabolism. Physiological basis of nutrition | ||
Energy exchange. Bioenergetic processes during muscle activity | ||
The mechanism of skeletal muscle contraction. Regulation of muscle contraction force. Modes and types of muscle contraction | (abridged version) | (full version) |
Physiological states before, during and after physical exercise. Fatigue, recovery | ||
Human health. The effect of physical activity on health | ||
Theory and methodology | ||
Training theory. Adaptation. Stress | ||
Principles of training. Load Characteristics | ||
Power training. Adaptive changes. Techniques | (abridged version) | (full version) |
Aerobic training. Adaptive changes. Techniques | ||
Physical condition assessment. Screening. Functional testing | — | |
Planning fitness programs. Load dosing | (abridged version) | (full version) |
Personal training marketing. Client motivation | — | |
Reducing body weight due to the fat component | ||
Specialized sports nutrition | — | |
Flexibility training | — | |
Monitoring the client's health status. First aid | ||
Personal fitness training for various age groups. | — | |
Features of personal fitness training for health restrictions | — | |
Practical lessons | ||
Exercises with weights | ||
Exercises to develop flexibility | — | |
Client training and insurance during personal training | — | |
Tests and exams | ||
Test “Exercises with weights” | ||
Test “Teaching motor actions” | — | |
Test "Stretching" | — | |
Exam "Physiology" | ||
Exam "Anatomy" | ||
Exam “Theory and methodology of fitness training” | ||
Test “Planning a training session” |
Cost of personal trainer services in Moscow, St. Petersburg
Personal fitness is always expensive. In the capital, one training session with an instructor costs from 1,500 to 6,000 rubles. Sometimes it reaches 12,000-15,000 rubles. In St. Petersburg, the price category fluctuates in the range of 600-3000 rubles.
A personal instructor will be the right choice if a person does not have a lot of time to master the exercises on his own. Training under the guidance of a mentor eliminates many mistakes. And a fitness specialist is an important part of a fit body and good health.
Author: Ekaterina Pisarenko
Article design: Oleg Lozinsky
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