In their book ‘The Experience Economy’, the authors describe an ‘economic pyramid’.  At the bottom of this pyramid is the lowest value economic offering, the sale of commodities (items of mass production and low individual value).  Of greater value than commodities are goods and of greater value than goods is the delivery of services. Traditionally the fitness industry’s economic offering has relied on the delivery of services (programme writing, reviews, personal training, group fitness classes) and the sale of goods (supplements, equipment).  But do consumers want and need more than this?

The authors point out that there are economic offerings of greater value than goods and services, namely the staging of ‘experiences’ (addressed in part 2), and the ultimate economic offering; the guiding of transformations.  This is relevant to the fitness industry because people join gyms and use trainers to achieve an outcome, to ‘transform’ themselves from their current state to their ideal state. We are very much a part of the ‘transformation’ economy, although in many cases we still operate like simple service providers.

Why is the guiding of transformations the ultimate economic offering?  Think about it, what is more valuable than achieving an aspiration?  Is a plasma TV more valuable to an obese person than losing weight, gaining fitness, improving self-esteem and achieving a lifetime ambition of running a marathon?  The basis of success in the transformation economy relies on how well we understand the individual aspirations of all of our clients and how well we guide all of them to achieving these aspirations.

Many gyms and trainers use client testimonials as a promotional tool, highlighting the great achievements or ‘transformations’ of certain individuals.  This is great but all was underlined for a reason.  To be in the transformation economy and delivering something of high value to our consumers, these great examples of success need to be the norm, rather than the exception. The proof really is in the pudding so to speak!

To guide successful transformations the authors highlight three crucial phases;

1.                  Diagnosing consumer aspirations/goals

2.                  Staging transforming experiences

3.                  Following through

Let’s look at each of these phases in the fitness world;

Diagnosing aspirations/goals:  In order to guide our clients from ‘a to b’ we must establish what their current situation is and what it is they want to achieve. Often clients have trouble articulating what their goals are, why the goals are important to them and what the achievement of the goal will mean to them.  We need to help them with this. We also need to highlight barriers that may interfere and establish strategies to help deal with them.  This requires us to care enough about our clients to allocate the necessary time to this phase.  How much time do you currently spend ‘screening’ clients?

In many gyms the time allocated for this is minimal.  Rather than developing an understanding of clients aspirations, a standard ‘screening’ often consists of clients completing a tick box form so they can be deemed ‘safe’ to start exercise. The client is then rushed through a regime of fitness tests, before being delivered a generic exercise programme. Consequently many instructors or gyms don’t understand why many of their clients are there and what help they need to achieve their aspirations. 

Staging transforming experiences: In fitness this relates to the exercise planning, programming and sessions that we deliver to our clients. It is the detail of what they need to do to get from ‘a to b’. To guide the client we need to design programmes that will achieve each individual client’s aspirations, help them plan exercise into their weekly routine and monitor their progress. And we need to deliver training sessions or ‘experiences’ that clients want to repeat, rather than avoid.

Without screening well and clearly defining ‘a’ where they are now, and ‘b’ what the dream is, for our clients, it is almost impossible to help them get there. We leave the clients transformation largely up to chance.  As the success of your clients will ultimately determine the success of your business, how much do you want left to chance?  

Following through:  Why do so many people not renew their gym membership when it expires, or stop using a trainer after a block of sessions?  More than likely they didn’t achieve their goal(s) or feel that they were on the right path to achieving them.  

Following through (or following up) requires us to regularly measure our clients progress against their goals and their adherence to their exercise plan. Follow up also requires us to make alterations when required to help address obstacles and ensure constant progress. It requires us to notice when our client’s attendance isn’t regular and their progress isn’t as expected and have strategies to address this immediately. Is follow through a standard practise in your business, or does it consist of phone calls a month before the clients membership is due to expire? 

Success in the fitness industry all boils down to understanding that clients come to us for change. We need to accept the responsibility to guide this change by focusing on 3 fundamental areas. 1) Diagnosing aspirations 2) Staging transforming experiences 3) Following through.  Consider the benefits of doing so; happier members who actively promote your business at any opportunity and eliminate the need for costly advertising campaigns. Happier staff sharing the satisfaction of success, and a secure business in the face of increasing competition and consumer expectation. 

References:

Pine, J. & Gilmore, J.H. (1999). The Experience Economy, Work Is Theatre & Every Business A Stage.

To learn how to screen clients effectively, design exercise plans and programmes that work, and support clients to ensure they achieve their goals contact us.

If you know your macro-nutrients you’ll know that carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy. One of the best sources of good carbohydrate is fruit and vegetables and the average kiwi isn’t getting enough.  So being ‘tired’ and run down’ is more likely to be due to poor intakes of fresh fruit, vegetables and other good sources of carbohydrates such as wholegrain breads and cereals than vitamin deficiency.

As the name suggests ‘micro’-nutrients are nutrients the body needs in very small amounts.  Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients and just like carbohydrates, fats and proteins they are not food groups, rather they are nutrients that are found in the various food groups.  Food groups are; fruits and vegetables, breads and cereals, milk and milk products and lean meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds and legumes.

Vitamins are divided into two groups; the water soluble vitamins (B-Complex & C) and the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K). The fat soluble vitamins are absorbed with fats and well stored in fatty tissue. Reserves of these vitamins can last a long time and daily intake is not essential.  The water soluble vitamins cannot be stored and are easily excreted, making deficiency more likely and daily intake more important.  The following table summarises the functions of the major vitamins and the food groups that provide these

If followed, the Ministry of Health (MoH) guidelines for daily consumption of the major food groups should ensure that micro-nutrient requirements are easily met. Their information suggests that vitamin deficiency in the NZ diet is actually very rare.

Vitamins however can be ‘temperamental’!  Some, such as vitamin c can be easily destroyed by cooking.  The MoH estimates that boiling vegetables can destroy 50-80% of vitamin c content.  It recommends cooking with minimal water (steaming) or using the microwave.  And where possible fresh is best and raw is great.

Minerals are absorbed from the soil by plants.  They come into our diet through the plants we eat and/or the animals we eat that have eaten the plants.  New Zealand soils do tend to be deficient in iodine and selenium but the MoH has not determined that these soil deficiencies have actually resulted in deficiencies in our diet.  They recommend the use of iodised table salt if possible but advise people to be wary of adding salt to the diet as our intake of sodium is actually considered excessive and excessive sodium levels are linked to high blood pressure. 

There has been an increase in the use of supplemental selenium in animal feeds and the importation of wheat and other products from Australia where selenium in the soil is higher, to counter the low selenium levels in NZ soils. 

In both cases the MoH does not recommend the use of supplements unless under the supervision of a doctor.  The table below highlights some of the major minerals, their functions and common food sources.  

Probably the most controversial mineral is calcium. There is confusion over what the optimal intake is to achieve and maintain peak bone mass, protect from osteoporosis (brittle bones) and the subsequent risk of bone breakages. The MoH estimates that 20% of the population have an inadequate intake of calcium. Rather than encouraging supplementation, the MoH advises people to consume the recommended low fat intakes of milk & dairy products and other foods containing calcium. MoH also recommends preventing losses by minimising alcohol intake and smoking, and including regular exercise which aids calcium retention.

A mineral we in the fitness world are often interested in is iron, due to its importance in the transportation of oxygen to the body, and therefore to performance in endurance events that are largely dependant on an optimal supply of oxygenated blood to working muscles. 

According to its source, iron can be classified as ‘haem’, from meat, poultry and fish, or ‘non-haem’, from plant based foods, iron supplements and iron fortificants in food.  Approximately 20-30% of haem iron is absorbed by the body whereas only about 5% or less of non-haem iron is absorbed.  Because of this it has often been thought that vegetarians especially would be vulnerable to deficiency.  However iron deficiency is actually very low according to the MoH. 

To optimise the absorption of iron the MoH advises people to include foods high in vitamin c at mealtimes, and minimise the consumption of tea and coffee at mealtimes which hinders iron absorption.  Again the MoH only advises supplementation under medical supervision.

Supplements (as their name suggests) are only required to supplement a diet when a deficiency has been established.  As with vitamins, if the MoH’s recommendations for daily intakes of the food groups are met then so will the requirements for daily mineral intakes. 

When you read through the MoH guidelines it is very clear that supplementation (and indeed diagnosing the need for supplementation) is the domain of medical professionals and not fitness professionals. 

So what is our role in regard to micro-nutrient intakes and the use of supplements?  We should:

• Answer our client’s questions concerning micro-nutrient intakes with sound knowledge based on MoH guidelines for healthy eating
• Understand the MoH guidelines for daily intakes of the major food groups and help our clients to meet these guidelines
• Where necessary work with medical professionals to ensure the nutritional needs of all our clients can be met.

I remember a prominent NZ sports doctor referring to the urine at the Olympic Games as the ‘most expensive pee in the world’; because the athletes would take every supplement available on the chance it might offer them a split second advantage.  The reality is that the body only uses what it needs and excretes the rest, hence very expensive pee!  There are probably better things to spend ones money on than unnecessary supplements, such as fresh fruit and vegetables! 

For more information on micro-nutrients, their intakes and the MoH recommendations for healthy eating follow the hyperlink to this article

http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/0/07BC6DBE764FDABBCC256DDB006D9AB4/$File/foodandnutritionguidelines-adults.pdf

Everyone usually loves me – so what’s wrong with that guy?

Even the most successful Personal Trainers will have one or two prickly potential clients that they just can’t seem to win over. So why is this? While you can never please everyone, there is a simple tool called DISC that can help you as a trainer improve your communication and rapport building skills. This in turn will help your conversion rate (leads into clients) and help your current clients work towards their goals in the way that they feel most comfortable with.

DISC suggests people are made up of four quite different behavioural styles, which each have certain traits.  Individuals will generally have a strongest behavioural style; however it is the combination of all four behaviour types that makes up who we are and how we react.

The four behavioural styles are briefly described below:

D- Dominance:

The D behavioural style centres around control, power and assertiveness. D’s are very direct, goal orientated and driven. They like to be the leader, straight to the point, no messing about. This can sometimes make them seem a little insensitive - which they don’t mean to be.  They are just very task focused, and like to do things quickly and efficiently. A good example of a D would be a person in an authoritative position, like Helen Clark.

I - Influence:

The I style is more about social situations and communication. I’s are chatty, they are social creatures who’s main aim in life is to be liked by all around them. They talk a lot, usually very quickly and often about themselves.  They tend to have a short attention span and are impulsive, liking spontaneity.  They are expressive, like to be the centre of attention and are very people focused. Many entertainers would be high I – like Dame Edna!

S – Steadiness:

The S style is characterised by patience, persistence, and thoughtfulness.  They are very steady, calm and loyal. They are a team player, they like consistency and making sure everyone around them is ok.  S’s are very caring, people focused individuals, who are usually a bit quieter and like to do things slowly.  S’s are resistant to change and can be a little over-sensitive.  A person in a very caring role is likely to have quite a high S, perhaps a nurse or a guidance counsellor.

C - Conscientiousness:

The C style is all about structure and organisation. They are cautious, curious, logical and methodical. They like numbers and graphs, are analytical and like to be precise. They ask the ‘why’ questions and often do things slowly as they make sure they are getting it right. C’s can be perfectionists at times, and are very detail and task orientated.  Anyone particular about numbers is likely to be quite high C – maybe your accountant!

So why is DISC important to me as a Personal Trainer?

 DISC was developed to help us understand behaviour, both in ourselves and others.  Once you can identify your own DISC, you will become more aware of your own strengths and weaknesses, and how this affects your interactions with those around you. 

DISC also enables you to quickly identify other people’s strongest style, and adjust your own behaviour to suit them.  This allows you to tailor your services to provide support and information in the way that will be most appreciated by your client.

As a young trainer starting out, one of my first clients was an extremely high ‘D’. Because I was new and very nervous, it would have been easy for me to let him take charge of the session, as my natural approach to personal training was soft and supportive. Luckily we had just learnt about DISC, and I could adjust my behaviour to be more direct, confident and assertive. Subsequently my new client had much more respect for me, and trained with me for the next five years!

While you need knowledge and skill to train people safely and effectively, the bottom line is that people train with you if they LIKE you. If you can interact with clients in a way that immediately puts them at ease and endears you to them, hey presto – your business is booming!

• Using the chart below, try and identify your own DISC
  
• Over the next few days, see you who can identify as the strongest ‘D’, ‘I’, ‘S’ and ‘C’ that you know
• The following articles in this series will look more closely at what each behavioural style really wants, and how you can adapt to give it to them:
• Cut to the Chase – The D client in action
• It’s all about me – The I client explained
• We did it as a team – The S client story
• Why why why – Keeping the C client happy
• The final article ‘ Ok now I know their DISC what do I do?’ will help you apply what you’ve learned in a Personal Training setting

You can also complete your DISC profile online

“Hi there, sorry to keep you waiting. I’m Amanda – your personal trainer. You must be John? You’re nice and early!” I smiled warmly.

“Hi, the girl I spoke to last time said to get here 5 minutes before our session, so I didn’t think I was early?” John replied, returning my handshake.

“Oh well, nice and organised then!” I said, wondering who in their right mind would be early for a 6am session. I led John through to the consultation room.

We got down to business right away. John didn’t seem to be into general chit chat and getting to know each other. Instead he focused intently on the form, and as we worked our way through it, I could see it was very precisely filled out, with quite a bit of detail.

All John’s medical and injury history was catalogued and time lined, including how many months of treatment he had for past injuries, the name and dosage of any medications he was on, and his latest blood pressure and cholesterol readings from the doctor.  He seemed intent on following the format of the form exactly, and tried to bring me back on track if I started talking about a topic out of order (who was conducting this screening?!).

John asked a lot of questions regarding the process we were going to follow. He wanted to know what fitness testing we were going to do, what those results would mean and what kind of program I was going to write.  He also wanted to know all the options regarding price – no chance for an emotional sales pitch here!  When I did question John on how often he would like to train with me, he asked why he would need to see me regularly, as once I had shown him the program and taken him through it thoroughly, he would know exactly what to do until it was time for our re-test and a new program.

Upon finishing the session, I gave John my client information sheet on how to prepare for each session, what to bring each time he came in, my cancellation and payment policies and a training agreement to sign. As I anxiously glanced at the clock – our time was almost up, he settled back into his chair and began to read through them all.  After a few more questions regarding some of the fine print, we had a plan. John knew exactly when, and for how long his next session was going to be, what he needed to bring and what we were going to do.  

As I waved him goodbye, I felt drained.  It was a lot of questions for 6am. As I headed to the coffee machine, I contemplated how I was going to program most effectively for John – who was obviously a high ‘C’ DISC style.

John’s Strengths

John was all about structure and organisation. He was very logical, and had an amazing head for facts and figures. After our fitness testing session, he poured over the numbers, and when I produced a graph of his heart rates, I swear he almost squealed with delight.  C’s love following procedure exactly, so I made sure John’s program was as detailed as it could be. He could follow it exactly for 6 weeks, it had specific notes about when and how to progress the exercises, and it even had a section where he could record all the stats from each session.

When I showed John through all of his exercises, I made sure I took my time, so that John had time to process what we were doing and then ask me any questions about technique or the science behind what we were doing. I’m sure by the time we were through his program, he knew almost as much as I did about anatomy and physiology!

Once John felt confident that he knew exactly what to do, he headed off to do the program on his own for 6 weeks (he didn’t feel that 4 weeks was long enough for him to really get it right), and then we would meet up again to re-test and make any necessary changes. 

John’s Weaknesses

John liked to get things exactly right, which meant he was a bit of a perfectionist. Whilst usually I would have loved this in a client – perfect technique is a goal we all have as trainers, it did mean our sessions had the tendency to take longer than expected.  I was constantly stressed by the end of each session as we had spent so long on the earlier exercises that we had limited time for the final few. John didn’t like this as he needed time to understand each one, so I learnt to make our programs a little shorter than I did with other clients.

John also wanted a lot of detail, but only on the task at hand.  Being more an I-S myself, I found this slightly tedious at times, and even a little insensitive. I mean – didn’t he want to talk about his feelings, hear about my weekend, or just generally get to know each other? Apparently not!  Also, his constant questioning of my programming (“why would we do this exercise?” why is it important to work at this heart rate?”) could seem a little critical, and I constantly had to remind myself that he wasn’t questioning my ability as a trainer, he just genuinely wanted to know why!

To have all the answers…

Personal Trainers need to understand what makes their client tick. With John, a DISC style quite different to my own, I found I had to change my behaviour quite dramatically in our sessions. I had to slow down everything I said and did, and really focus on the details of the task at hand.  I found that I was really well prepared for all of our sessions (along with being ready 5 minutes early), and I developed some great fitness testing systems and graphs.  Without John I probably never would have seen the beauty of numbers, or the motivational effect they can have on people who are ‘that way inclined’.  Learning to win over the ‘C’ style client was my biggest DISC challenge – but now I can talk just as enthusiastically about heart rate data as I can about my weekend.

About Pippa…

I had been Personal Training for almost a year when Pippa was referred to me by her friend. I stood in the reception area waiting as I usually did when I had a new client. I waited, and waited. After fifteen minutes I had given up all hope, when a flurry of blonde hair, designer heels and a rather nice handbag flew through the door.

“I’m here!” the blonde bundle, who I presumed must be Pippa, announced as she threw her gear down, grabbed me in an enthusiastic hug and planted a noisy kiss on one of my cheeks. “Uh, hi” I stammered as I untangled myself from her embrace and tried to remove my clipboard from my ribcage where it had been lodged during the vigorous greeting.

“You must be..” I tried to regain some of the formality I was used to when greeting new clients.

“Pippa, yes hi. Lucy has told me so much about you. Where are we heading… over there? I’m sooo sorry I’m late, you will never believe what happened on my way here…” Linking my arm through hers Pippa began to lead me through to the consultation room as she regaled me with a story of her eventful and very social trip to the gym that morning.

Pippa was most definitely an 'I'. After a screening session that lasted an hour and a half, had me crying with laughter, and left me with no notes on the screening form, I knew the names of all her past boyfriends, family members, and her favourite colour.  I noticed after she had left that I had very little information that was actually relevant to writing a potential exercise program for her (had we mentioned exercise? I really wasn’t sure), however something told me that it wouldn’t really be an issue!

Pippa’s Strengths

Pippa was fun. She was entertaining, spontaneous and loved to be the centre of attention. Sometimes I think we both forgot that we were at the gym and that she was supposed to be exercising.  Instead we focused on the scandal and gossip that seemed to follow Pippa wherever she went. Pippa LOVED to talk; she did things quickly, and loved variety.  She was happy to do whatever I wanted in her gym sessions - as long as it wasn’t boring and she could tell me about her weekend while she was doing it! She was very social, she knew everyone at the gym, and knew all about what was going on in their lives. She went out of her way to always be nice to everybody, and was greatly concerned (and a little indignant) if she thought that somebody didn’t like her. Our sessions flew by, and Pippa wasn’t too concerned with achieving goals and sticking to time frames as long as we were having fun (which we usually were!).  She was definitely an ‘easy’ client to train.

Pippa’s Weaknesses

While I loved Pippa dearly, I had got into Personal Training with a goal of forming close relationships with my clients AND helping them to achieve their fitness goals. Pippa and I had the close relationship down pat – sometimes I thought it was a little too close as she revealed every detail of her personal life to me – including things that I definitely didn’t want to know!  However what I found frustrating was the fact that she had no set fitness goals, an extremely short attention span and very little follow through, meaning that we made limited progress on the gym floor! While she kept training with me because she liked me, her technique was awful - as instead of listening to my cues, she was waiting for her turn to talk again.  She had to have a Personal Trainer because ‘everyone else was doing it’, however I couldn’t help but feel that she used our sessions primarily for socialising and ‘being seen’ at the gym.  

Training Pippa

Pippa and I had a tremendous friendship and a lot of fun on the gym floor. However to get anything done I was forced to develop a few underhand tactics to keep her on task.  I had to remember that what made Pippa tick was having a good time, so the challenge was to try and get her working hard in the gym, while at the same time creating something of a party atmosphere!  I tried to structure our training sessions in a way that would keep us both relatively happy (see programme below). 

 Pippa's programme 

Moral of the story  

I loved training Pippa - the drama, the gossip, the entertainment!  However when talking to other trainers I could sympathise with those who wanted to train their clients hard, and felt frustrated when their client just wanted to talk about themselves.  What I tried to do was set some ground rules early on (in a light and entertaining manner..?!) and realise that a high 'I' usually values social interaction above all else, including, shock horror, their fitness. A good idea is to schedule times throughout their session where you both know that it is their time to talk.  It’s usually all about compromise, when Personal Training an 'I', it really is all about them!

Is boxing training about jumping in the ring and dodging punches from an angry opponent who is trying their best to knock your head off? Is it for people with serious anger issues who enjoy expressing mindless violence? Does boxing training have to be for people who want to take on the world and one day challenge for a world title?

These are a few of the common beliefs out there about boxing training. Contact sparring (being punched) or fighting doesn’t have to be the end result. If that isn’t what you want to do instead the focus can be fitness boxing. I found with my clients that they often didn’t know what a boxing training session would involve and how that would benefit them. When we talked about it they would realise boxing training could offer them much more than meets the eye. So I thought I would discuss with you today the benefits of boxing and what a boxing session involves for a beginner.

Boxing is something relatively new in the fitness world and is only now becoming a mainstream fitness option. I remember watching my first video of ‘Tae Bo’ which featured lots of kicking and punching but without the ring or an opponent in front of you kicking and swinging back. I remember Billy Banks screaming “during this workout you will burn between 350-500 calories in just one hour”. I quite liked the sound of that and some of the stuff, although completely over the top, looked quite fun. I wasn’t the only one as it was largely those videos that thrust boxing and kickboxing into the fitness world.

Since then people have begun to explore the benefits of boxing training and started to put their own individual spin on boxing training sessions (either one on one or in a boxing class environment). There are many variations of boxing training but they all typically involve some common factors. They stimulate all muscle groups and provide the perfect combination of aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (short bursts without oxygen) exercise. When I discussed the benefits of boxing with my clients I would quite often break it down for them in the following way:

What are the benefits for my client as a beginner?

Boxing training allows you to work at your own desired pace and at a level that suits your body condition. At first a beginner will learn a range of new skills. Boxing training is interesting and for a beginner would require an introduction to stance, skill, technique, form, co-ordination, balance, movement, footwork, body mechanics, and stamina. This is the beauty of boxing training it develops complete fitness as well as skill. Boxing is not expensive to get started and everyone uses the same equipment regardless of their ability. Anyone can incorporate boxing training into their fitness programme (any age, race, weight or height). Boxing training combines the mind body and soul and most importantly it’s FUN!

Physical benefits                                                                                                    Psychological benefits

Increased Aerobic Fitness (promotes fat loss and stamina)                         Increased Determination

Increased Anaerobic Fitness (promotes capacity)                                           Heightened Focus

Increased Strength                                                                                                 The art of Patience

Increased Power                                                                                                     Increased Intuition

Increased Muscular Endurance                                                                           Quick Thinking

Increased Speed                                                                                                     Increased Self Motivation

                                                                                                                                    Increased Self Esteem

                                                                                                                                    Increased Self Confidence

                                                                                                                                    Build your Inner Strength

                                                                                                                                    Emotional Balance

                                                                                                                                    Relaxation

                                                                                                                                    Stress Release

                                                                                                                                    Sense of Empowerment

So how can I achieve all this without getting popped on the nose? Well someone once told me to focus on boxing as an art and science using strategy rather than useless violence. My emphasis is always on the safety of my client and helping them to achieve their goals but without risking their health in the process. Here are a few examples of my boxing training sessions;

Example 1: A 30 minute session for a mother of two who came to me in the morning after dropping the kids at school. She loved the challenge and learning a new skill.

Warm up - 5 mins on X-trainer or treadmill (building to moderate intensity)

3-5 mins dynamic stretching (targeted muscle groups)

Circuit 1 – Repeat x 3 (1min rest)

Box steps holding med ball in front (lateral shift) 30sec

Focus mitts 1min (Focusing on set up, technique and single punches)

Circuit 2 – Repeat x 3 (1min rest)

Heavy Bag rounds 30sec (Free round putting combinations together)

Core round 1min (prone holds or boxing crunches)

Cool down - Static/PNF stretches (8mins targeted muscle groups)

Example 2: A 1 hour workout with a busy corporate male looking to release some stress over his lunch break.

Warm up

5mins skipping (building to a moderate intensity)

5mins shadow boxing (working all punches focusing on technique and form)

Focus mitts 1:30 rounds (working on movement, technique, defense and single numbered punches) repeat x 4 with 1:30min rest

Circuit 1 – Repeat x 3 (2min rest)

Heavy bag round 1min (free round working the bag with combinations and movement)

Circuit strength endurance round 1min (Press ups, squats, lunges, burpees)

Focus mitts 1min (working combinations, movement and defense)

Circuit 2 – Repeat x 4 1.30min rest

Focus mitts - speed 50 punches (1 per round - Jab/cross, uppercuts, body rips and hooks)

Core round 1min - Boxing crunches/prone bridge/cycling crunches

Cool down - Static/PNF stretches (10mins full body)

Other boxing sessions included incorporating: ladder work, spring balls, speed balls, and other circuit style training exercises.

As you can see boxing sessions can cater to different needs and achieve different aims. Clients tend to find they can make physical progress while at the same time reaping psychological rewards.

Quite often it was this mix of physical activity and psychological benefits that really appealed to my clients. Some would come to me after a hard day at the office and find a great deal of pleasure in releasing their stress on me with the focus mitts or a big heavy bag with out it fighting back. I had a huge mix of client’s young and old and not just big sweaty males, a high number of my clients were female. Not all of my clients incorporated boxing into their fitness programmes as it’s not for everyone. However for those who decided to give it a crack (after our discussion about what the benefits would be for them) they really took to it and found a great deal of satisfaction and success. As a trainer I really enjoyed the interactive nature of these sessions and being able to adapt the intensity to meet the client’s capabilities.

For a few of my clients there was the option of full contact sparring and progressing into fighting but they made that decision for themselves. Sparring provided for these clients the perfect platform to refine fundamental boxing skills, and a great test of physical capacity and courage in a controlled environment. And from my own personal experience I have received fewer injuries from sparring than I have from playing cricket.

So, why box? Well why not? It’s something anyone can do, it’s interactive, a great way to have fun, get fit and develop both mentally and physically. If you have identified some kind of appeal from what I’ve discussed today then be sure to give it a crack. The results may just surprise you…

A while ago I watched a fitness instructor taking a client through their first programme review.  On the initial programme the client was doing a seated chest press, the instructor decided to change this to a bench press with a fixed weight barbell.  Now surely there’s nothing wrong with the good old bench press is there?  The bench press can be a great exercise; however the instructor in this case picked the weight up from the rack and held it above the client as they lay down on the bench to perform the exercise, they did a set and then moved onto the next exercise. This was only the clients second ever gym programme, notice any problems yet….

Bear in mind that the instructor gave the client this new exercise to do on their own until their next program review in 6 weeks, a pretty standard procedure in clubs around the country.  When the client repeats the programme on their own they’ll have to find the correct barbell from the rack, perform a type of deadlift (complex) movement to get the weight onto their lap as they sit down, and then find a way to get the weight up to the start point.  Not only will that be tough (and dangerous) but what will happen as they try to progress the exercise by adding weight? 

Do you see the problem now?  Sure there’s nothing wrong with the bench press but in this scenario it was a bad choice of exercise because the client was not capable of completing it safely and effectively on their own.  There’s also a strong chance the client will forget the correct technique, worry about injuring themselves or looking stupid by doing it incorrectly in front of others and simply avoid doing it.  How’s that going to help them achieve great results?

Was it necessary to change the exercise at all? I talked to the instructor afterwards and he said he wanted to give the client more variety. Ultimately he wrote a completely new program with completely new exercises.  This raises a common issue in the fitness world, namely how the variety principle is misunderstood in relation to exercise selection. It seems common place in gyms around the country that every 6 weeks or so client’s programmes are discarded and instructors spend hours designing new ones made up of completely new exercises.  Is this the best use of instructor’s time? Does the client always benefit from this?

The variety principle simply suggests that to avoid plateaus and boredom the FITT variables (frequency, intensity, time, type) should be altered regularly. Why not alter intensity by increasing the load, changing the tempo or reducing rest times between sets?  There are so many options other than simply changing the exercise every few weeks.

A trainer pointed out to me a few years ago that at best he only has an hour or two every week with his clients so he can’t afford to waste time teaching lots of new exercises, if clients are going to get the results, they need to be doing the exercises frequently enough to progress.  What is happening to a client’s heart rate and metabolism when they are spending their time trying to learn new exercises all the time? Not much really! 

So of the thousands of different exercises out there and the multitude of balls, bands, discs and other gadgets that you can incorporate, how do you actually choose an arsenal of great exercises that work?  Initially it helps to eliminate the mass of useless exercises that tend to get in the way. After all, how many clients have actually come to you with the goal of learning lots of new exercises?

The vast majority of clients join gyms to lose weight, ‘tone’, improve health or gain muscle strength and/or size.  The exercises we select for them must achieve these goals.  A way to separate the effective from the ‘why bother’ exercises is to rate them.  Use the table on the following page and enter in any common exercises you use or are thinking of using, and after filling in the boxes give each exercise a rating.  There are plenty of examples to help you.  At the end of the exercise I’d hope that you have a selection of no more than 10-15 exercises that you can use time and again with clients and can alter the FITT variables on to provide variety and keep clients progressing

You might find that some exercises don’t fit easily into one of the movement patterns, e.g. where would you put the famous thigh adductors and abductors or what about wrist curls?  This will probably be the first cull of the useless! Why perform exercises that aren’t big movement patterns?  There may be some calling for such exercises (rehab possibly) but we’re talking about exercises that will achieve the goals of the vast majority of gym users here, not the occasional chap with a sprained wrist!  If it’s not a big movement pattern then it probably won’t use lots of muscle, burn lots of calories, stimulate lots of nerves and low and behold, actually work!

When you have a reliable arsenal of exercises in your ‘tool-kit’ you can focus on selecting the ones that best suit your client. There is a saying we use with trainers and instructors ‘screen the client well and the programme writes itself’.  This simply means that a well performed screening provides you with all the necessary information and makes it obvious what exercises to select for your client.

When you screen a client well you’ll decipher their goals (what they want to achieve, why and when they want it), their exercise history and capabilities (are they a beginner or advanced, what have they tried before), the available time they have to train, their exercise preferences (will they train on their own or in a group, indoor, outdoor, hard, easy, what do they like/not like) etc. You should also gain an insight into any concerns they may have with exercise such as doing free weights in the busiest part of the gym as a nervous beginner. 

One final point here; your ability to think critically and remain focused on the needs of your client at all times is imperative.  It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking your value is in learning more fancy new exercises to dazzle your clients with, exercises that you hope may separate you from other trainers.  But ask yourself; “are these exercises what my clients want and need? How will these exercises help my clients achieve their goals quicker? Will my clients perform them and feel comfortable doing so?”  If the answer is no to any of those questions then you probably shouldn’t add them to your repertoire.  Your client will thank you for it by enjoying exercise, sticking to it and getting results!

Glycaemic Index or Glycaemic load – What’s the difference?

As the debate over carbohydrates (are they good or bad, what do they do, when can you not eat them) intensifies, the glycaemic index (GI), and glycaemic load (GL) have gained credibility as tools to help explain the effect carbohydrate foods have on the body, and thus which to avoid, and which to eat. 

The glycaemic index is a ranking of carbohydrate foods based on the effect they have on blood glucose levels after consumption.  After an overnight fast subjects are fed foods that contain 50grams of carbohydrate and their subsequent blood glucose levels are measured.  Foods that are deemed high GI are rapidly digested and absorbed, resulting in a greater rise in blood sugar levels, while foods deemed low GI are slowly digested and absorbed resulting in a lower rise in blood sugar levels.

It is generally recommended that we eat more low GI foods as due to a slower digestion they will provide energy over a longer period than high GI foods which give a short burst of energy.  Eating low GI helps weight control as theoretically we eat less low GI foods due to the sustained nature of their breakdown.  As there is a lower response on blood glucose levels with low GI foods people with diabetes are advised to eat low GI to help control their blood sugar levels.  The table below shows the GI ratings of some common foods;

While the GI is useful it does have a major limitation as it doesn’t take into account the quantity of food consumed for testing in order to provide 50 grams of carbohydrate. Confused? Lets’ explain it basically. Carbohydrate is not a food per se, it is a nutrient found in lots of different foods, and it is found in these different foods in different concentrations. 

For example sugar (or sucrose) is pure carbohydrate, i.e. 50 grams of it provides 50 grams of carbohydrate, and in comparison it requires 800 grams of carrots to provide 50 grams of carbohydrate. Watermelon is another example, like carrots it is considered high GI, but only has 5 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams, so we’d have to eat about 1 kg of it to provide 50 grams of carbohydrate (the rest is really just water and fibre). 

This is where the glycaemic load (GL) comes into play, as it takes into account how much carbohydrate a typical serving of food contains as well as its GI.  Glycaemic load is defined as the amount of carbohydrate in a portion of food multiplied by the GI value for the food, divided by 100.  Consequently some foods that we may have avoided due to being high GI are shown to actually be not that bad when we consider typical serving sizes.  For example, how often does anyone really sit down and eat 800 grams of carrots in one go, or 1 kg of watermelon-as that is what is required for those foods to cause the ‘high GI’ effect on blood sugar levels 

The table below shows the GL of some common foods including many of those from above, note how some have changed as the amount of food is considered;  

A comprehensive listing of the GI & GL of many foods

Neither the GI nor the GL take into account the effect of fibre.  Dietary fibre is found in fruit, vegetables, legumes and many cereals, it adds bulk to meals without calories, making us feel full, as well as slowing the process of digestion.  Many low GI & low GL foods are also high fibre foods, so there is an argument to suggest that the actual benefit of eating low GI and low GL is due to the effect of fibre and not the glycaemic effect on blood sugar levels.

While the GI and GL certainly have credibility and interest value, in many ways they actually add to the confusion in regard to what ‘healthy eating’ is. It would seem that supporting the general message from the New Zealand Ministry of Health in regard to eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrain foods and legumes such as beans, lentils and peas, is not only credible but much easier for the general population to understand, and therefore much more useful. 

With 79% of adults participating in sport and recreation activities every week and 34.9% of adults currently signed up to a club or center, it’s fair to say that physical activity plays a large role in peoples lives in New Zealand. Whether people take part in activity for enjoyment or because they’re aiming to achieve a specific goal, exercise will place stress on our bodies. Understanding exercise principles allows trainers to monitor the stress (exercise load) placed upon their client in order to make the training safe and effective, helping the client to achieve their goals.

This article looks at what the exercise principles are. The next article ‘Exercise Principles in action’ will look at examples of how these principles apply to different clients.

Individualisation

Exercise should be specific to the individual completing the training

People respond differently to exercise so in order to maximise the benefits, training programs should be built around the person’s needs and capabilities.

Specificity

Exercise should be specific to the client’s goals, needs and capabilities.

Our bodies response to training is based on the specific stimulus (training) applied. So to increase adaptation (results) exercise should be specific to an individual’s goals, tasks, movements and capabilities.

Overload

Exercise should overload the body in order for a positive adaptation to occur

For the body to adapt it needs to be overloaded. This means it needs to be placed under greater stress than it is accustomed to. This is accomplished by using the F.I.T.T principle to make the body do more than it has done before.

F = Frequency of training

I = Intensity of training

T = Type of training

T = Time of training (duration)

Progressive overload

Exercise needs to continually overload the body if positive adaptations (change) are to continue to take place.

For the body to keep adapting to exercise the stress it is placed under should progressively increase (i.e. the intensity / loads should continually increase). Similar to overload, stress can be gradually increased using the F.I.T.T principle.

Variety

Exercise needs to be varied for optimal adaptation to occur, avoiding boredom, overuse, injury or hitting a plateau.

For optimal change to occur and to decrease the risk of an individual getting bored, overtraining, getting injured or reaching a plateau, the training must constantly be varied.

Rest and recovery

Rest and recovery are required to allow the body time to adapt to exercise.

Optimal adaptation requires recovery time. It is only during the recovery phase (days between workouts) that the body is able to change and adapt to the stress of the workout. Recovery can be improved in a variety of ways, such as effective nutrition and hydration, light aerobic exercise and stretching sessions. It is believed that 90%⁺ of an individuals time is spent recovering from exercise. If we get this wrong positive adaptations will not occur as quickly.

Reversibility

If you don’t use it you lose it

Adaptations which occur through exercise are reversible, so when training is stopped for prolonged periods the adaptations from previous exercise will be lost.

Maintenance

Fitness can be maintained by altering the F.I.T.T principle.

By maintaining the intensity of training and decreasing the volume or frequency of training by 1/3 – 2/3 the current fitness levels of an individual can be maintained.

Ceiling

Room for positive development decreases the fitter you become

As we get fitter, the amount of improvement possible decreases based on the client getting closer to their genetic potential (ceiling).

Interference

Training contrasting fitness components at the same time can reduce adaptation (results) in both.

Training certain components of fitness at the same time can lead to the interference effect. For example training to increase muscle size and increase aerobic endurance at the same time will lead to the client making slower progress to both goals, even though there will be increases in both of the components being trained.

 So we know exercise principles, now what?

What ever a clients reason for taking part in exercise, it is imperative that every fitness professional understands the exercise principles and how to use them.

Abiding by the principles will help trainers create a safe, injury free, exciting and effective programme, allowing clients to achieve their goals.

Read Exercise Principles in action to see examples of the principles used for both general population and athletes.