A personal trainer must change up clients' fitness programs from time to time to prevent plateaus and keep things interesting. An effective program can mean the difference between total transformation or no change at all. The sky is the limit in the way you use equipment, rest time, repetitions and sets to create an effective workout. Challenge yourself to create workouts involving only body weight or stable structures outdoors. Keep necessary equipment handy, such as a small clipboard, notebook with pencil and stopwatch. Watch for ideas where you least expect them, as well.
Playground
The playground is not just for children. The jungle gym, swings and sand pit can all be used to burn calories and sculpt a lean body. Use the jungle gym bars for pull ups. If your client's upper body strength is lacking, provide a boost to get his chin over the jungle gym bar and have him perform chin holds. See how long he can hold on before his arms fatigue and he has to let go.
The swing is multifunctional. Position your client with hands in the sand and toes in the swing, perform push-ups. With the palms flat and in the sand, pull the knees in to the chest to perform abdominal tucks that strengthen the abs. Work the muscles in the lower body by placing the top of one foot in the swing with the other foot out in front, to perform split-leg squats.
Locate the nearest bench and use that for your clients to perform triceps dips to tone the back of the arms. Place the palms on the bench with the legs straight out to perform push-ups. Strengthen the glutes by performing step-ups and several variations of squats utilizing the bench.
Stability Ball
Add the stability ball to client fitness programs to shake things up and strengthen the core and joints while improving proprioception. Place the stability ball up against the wall. Have your client place her back against the ball and perform ball squats. Increase the challenge of the ball squat by adding free weights. Increase caloric expenditure by adding overhead presses or biceps curls.
With the ball resting on her shins, arms shoulder width apart, and palms on the ground have your client perform push-ups. This is a two-fold exercise because it strengthens the chest and core. Be sure to have your client contract her abdominal muscles to protect her back. Use the ball instead of the bench to perform free weight exercises and to add an element of instability. Rest the shoulder blades on the ball with the hips lifted, and perform chest presses. Use only one arm at a time to perform isolateral training of the chest. From a standing position, have your client place one shin on the ball and step the other leg out wide in front to perform split-leg squats.
High Intensity Interval Training
High intensity interval training or, HIIT, has increased in popularity because of its ability to build muscle and burn fat in a short period of time. String any number of free weight or body weight exercises together to create a high intensity workout. Be sure the exercises you choose target more than one muscle group at a time. The key is to keep rest time minimal, at 30 to 60 seconds, and encourage an all-out effort. An example of a high intensity workout would be squat jumps or squats, push-ups, bent-over rows, stationary lunges, and burpees. Clients should erform each exercise back to back, then rest for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat. Start with two to three sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise, then progress to three to four sets. If you prefer not to count repetitions, see how many repetitions your client can perform in 30 seconds. HIIT is only for your well-conditioned clients. Stick to circuit training for your less conditioned clients and build up their fitness levels before trying high intensity exercise.
Safety
A proper warm-up is necessary to prepare the body for exercise. Following the warm-up, have your clients stretch all major muscle groups for range of motion. At the end of the workout, they should stretch for flexibility. Do your part to keep your clients injury-free by making sure they are hydrated and using proper form. Make workouts challenging and fun to keep your clients happy and healthy.
References
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2009
- "Strength Ball Training 2nd edition"; Lorne Goldenberg, Peter Twist; 2007
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