The answers to questions that Trainers get asked most!

If you meet a person and tell them you’re a Personal Trainer, one of three things tend to happen: 1) Their eyes scan you up and down as they check out your physique {this really does happen}, 2) They proceed to tell you, in extremely long detail, about out their latest workout and how awesome it was, or 3) They ask you a flurry of health related questions.

I’ve been a Personal Trainer now coming up to 15 years and have heard everything.  Every workout description, every diet complaint and every fitness related question there is.  This article outlines the answers to the most common health and fitness questions I get.  You’ll be surprised about the type of questions I receive, but this is dead set true.  So, if you read this and we meet at a party, we can talk about other stuff right?  Puppy dogs, Ice cream, real estate?  Just not diet and fitness.  Deal?

Here are the questions I get asked most:

1)      How do I lose this fat here?  (Lifts arm and shakes tricep fat, or pinches side abs or back fat)

I get asked this a lot!  I guess this gets asked because one of the biggest fitness myths out there is that targeting a muscle group tones that area and you lose fat in that specific section.  Sorry to give you the bad news.  It’s not true.  Doing 300 sit ups a day doesn’t help you lose belly fat.  Nope.  You will get stronger abs but they’ll still be sitting under that spare tyre.

So how do you lose the fat you want to lose?  Diet and Exercise.  Track your calories, get regular exercise and do it often enough and you’ll eventually lose the fat.  Be patient as well.

2)      What do you eat for breakfast?

Surprisingly this is the most common diet question I ask.  I think most people must doing well in terms of healthy lunch and dinner options.  I mean, lean meat/fish and veggies isn’t that hard to imagine.  But breakfast, that’s a different beast.

What I eat for breakfast is the same every day.  Yep every day!  My daily breakfast recipe is courtesy of my friend and Nutritionist Virginnia Thomas, and it is the following:

*Soaked oats in almond milk.  Topped with berries, yoghurt and scoop of chocolate protein powder.

(Now I’m not saying you should copy me, I start work every morning at 5:30am and need something easy and super quick.  The protein powder is for taste and I’m naturally a very skinny kid so I need all the protein I can get)

3)      How do you have so much energy at 5:30am in the morning?

Coffee.  Coffee.  Coffee.

Next.

4)      Why do trainers love burpees so much?

Ha ha.  I love this one.  Every time I program burpees for my clients I can hear them audibly groan.  Everyone hates them right?  And what the hell do they actually work?

Trainers love them for two reasons: 1) They are a catch all exercise in one movement.  Which means it works your upper body muscles, your core and your legs all at the same time.  And it is a guaranteed way to get your clients feeling exhausted.  Thus, a lot of trainers then tend to over rely on burpees in their programming.  And 2) They require no equipment so you can have one person doing them or 20 people at the same time.  It helps programming when you have exercises that need no equipment or floor space.

So there you go, I’ve given away my secret on why I give you burpees.

5)      Do you train with your clients?

This one kinda shocks me.  I do an average of 10 PT and Group sessions a day so if I did I’d collapse in exhaustion.  Also, my clients pay me to give them 100% of my attention, not to check my own biceps out whilst doing curls together.  So the answer is no, my clients get 100% attention.  I give my energy in giving them the best workout they can do, watching their posture/technique and telling bad jokes.  I try and fit my own workout in between clients.

So there you have it.  Any questions I missed out on.  If you have any questions you want me to answer, flick me an email at Jerome@balmainhealthclub.com.au

See yaz later.  And do 20 burpees.

Jerome