What your PT doesn’t know…

Employing a personal trainer should be a great experience. Someone you can trust to show you correct technique, variety of exercise and actually cares about your goals.

But this isn’t always the case.

The standard personal trainer course can be done in a matter of weeks. That short time, leads to a qualification which allows that person to train people one on one.

When I completed my course- I felt absolutely clueless! I felt compelled to learn more and understand more about anatomy, psychology of why people train, how to deal with injuries and how to encourage people effectively without having to shout.

I still now make sure I am always learning so I can be confident that I am providing the best service to anyone who walks through the door.

It makes me proud that two clients of mine want to train to become Personal Trainers themselves. They are following in my footsteps and talking the same course I did through the Shredded by Science academy- a year long comprehensive course.

It makes me proud when clients notice they are better at doing things than before, when their lives become simpler or they are free from pain and injury.

It also makes me proud when clients notice how well others are doing!

At the Strnegth Studio- we care about each other’s progress and we want to be able to do similar things-our  competitive nature means we always strive for the best.

So if you notice your PT doesn’t care about your injuries or makes you carry on through pain, it might be worth thinking about why this is.

In my opinion, taking the time to get technique correct, focusing on form over injury and listening to what the client wants is way more important than getting a quick result.

 

The day in the life of a trainer

So, a fellow trainer Alex Pearson posted this photo today and it’s brilliant. If you have ever seen the movie Trainspotting, it might ring some bells!

Being a personal trainer is not exactly what people think! We get up at 5am to train clients from 6- yes people actually want to train at 6 am.

We often spend many hours reading and researching in order to give our clients the best exercises for their injuries and niggles.

We sometimes eat out of Tupperware and spend time preparing food. Sometimes we are too busy and grab a sandwich or live on protein bars between clients.

We often work late- people want to train after work as well but in between that, we worry all the time that we are not working hard enough, that we are not serving our clients the best way we can, that we don’t have time to train ourselves and what if our clients leave.

But overall, we absolutely love every singe minute- because the people we help become our family, our friends. We spend more time together and chat more than we do with our childhood friends, partners and family. But we wouldn’t have it any other way.

I wake up each day excited about how the day will pan out, feeling incredibly proud of progress and when we get something right. And laugh and smile and feel amazed that the little studio has become such a great thing!

And at 9.30 when I’m ready for bed, it’s so I am prepared to do it all again the next day.

So, if you contact me past 9pm- please don’t be offended if I don’t reply straight away. I can always get back to you at 5am- but I don’t think you will appreciate that so much!

Quick holiday prep…

There’s nothing like booking a holiday to make you want to diet and exercise. But is it the right reason?

Its something I’m asking myself having booked my first holiday in 3 years… I know I don’t feel in the best shape so I need to focus.

But it’s remembering that training should be for enjoyment and not for punishment. Seeing results- an improvement in your lifting numbers, a quicker time to complete a WOD, feeling better is just as important- if not more than losing a centimetre here and there.

The same with dieting- feeling miserable eating lettuce and denying yourself your favourite foods is never fun. So creating a balance of eating well 80% of the time and having the odd treat 20% is going to leave you happier- and more likely to stick to it.

So, if like me you are training for holiday- remember, it’s the little wins that will help you get there too!

Embrace – my own battle

As you may have read on my previous post- the Embrace film is about a woman’s journey to love her body.

I feel we all have our own journeys to learn to love ourselves for who we are – and not hate ourselves for our warped judgements in the mirror!

My body image journey started at age 10. The tallest in my class at 5 foot and I got my period at a time when you should still in essence, be a child. Not grow hair in places you didn’t before, and get boobs!

I was the odd one out and started wearing baggy tops to hide my changing body. It makes me sad to think back.

Since then, like many women- I have tried many a diet and exercise fad, cried in my kitchen too scared to eat; scarily close to an eating disorder and disordered eating whereby I would be too strict until I caved and ate the world…

Now, my mission is to help others be their best self, to exercise because they love it, to find their strength and be empowered through their choices.

We eat because we love food and yes, we encourage eating whole foods and veg- but cake and the odd gin is encouraged. Because we want to live our lives and not be a slave to the scale.

We pay it forward by noticing each other’s wins and lift each other up when things get hard. That’s the kind of gym you would want to join right?

So, if you want to join us in celebrating ourselves and loving us for who we are- why not watch the film with us on March 1st?

We’ll be hosting a seminar on body image the weekend before too. Watch this space for more info!

#embrace #loveyourbody #eatrealfood

https://tickets.demand.film/event/1419

 

Strongwomen Rule!

Yesterday, some of my fellow Burners and I descended on Trojan Fitness in Bristol for their quarterly Women’s only Strongman session.

For me, walking into Trojan wasn’t a big deal- I’ve been there before. But for the 5 ladies, walking into a very masculine gym- it was a bit out of their comfort zone.

But not for long!!

We had three hours to practice Log Lifts, Keg lifts, silver dollar deadlifts, atlas stones, farmers walks and yoke walks.

The ladies did so extremely well- PB’s after PB’s  and no I don’t mean peanut butter… a PB is a personal best.

And that is before we went outside to deadlift a car –  an actual car! And pull a Mitsubishi Warrior truck.

For anyone who has not ventured into the world of strongman, it can seem like a scary or awesome thing that big strong men do. And it is. But it’s also for the ladies too!

you will be surprised at what you can do. With a little technique practice- you too could be lifting more than your body weight or pulling a truck.

The absolutely best bit about strongman? It’s the support and encouragement you get from others. Everyone wants you to win and will cheer you on to succeed.

Theres not many sports you can say will do that!  And that is why, Strongwomen rule!

Welcome to The Strength Studio

The Strength Studio is a friendly studio with a range of classes, one to one and group training.

Whether you are looking to get fit, stronger or just have some time for you, we have sessions to suit you. From Kettlebells to squats, boxing to strongman we have a range of sessions throughout the day.

Kat, our patient, knowledgeable coach will help you find the exercises you love. Your fellow Burners will also support you along the way.

Contact us to find out more!