How personal trainers stay ahead of the game

According to experts, the industry is adopting a more hollistic approach to fitness.

Personal trainers therefore need to incorporate wellness and functional training into their routines if they want to stay ahead of the game.

Clients are being exposed to mind and body techniques more than ever before as classes like pilates, yoga and tai chi become more popular. In fact the IDEA Fitness Programmes and Equipment Surveys for the last two years indicated a growing interest in both personal training with either yoga or pilates.

Personal trainers who learn mind and body techniques will be able to help their clients explore how they feel while exercising. Body awareness is crucial to movement control.

The exerciser needs to not only understand intellectually what is required in doing an exercise, but also to concentrate on how their body performs through each phas of the movement. This is where trainers need to have the skills to educate their clients on the purpose as well as the technique of each exercise. An integrated approach means trying in education, functional exercise selection and mental focus with movement.

An integrated approach also means using selected exercise tools at the correct resistance levels to improve how the client moves during their everyday activities. For example, using medicine balls tp train correct lifting technique for a young mother with children is functional.

Combine the training by making sure there is a focus on the core muscles to improve balance and control while using the global muscles, breathing correctly through the phases of the movement. Explore how she feels as she picks up that exercise tool. Find out whether she knows which muscles are working during the movement. And by encouraging her to imagine picking up toys and her tots while she performs the exercise, will mean good back health in the future. This really is an integrated approach.

The focus needs to be on multi-muscle exercise where there is demand on postural muscles to support correct exercise technique. Adding concentration on how the body feels as it goes through the exercise makes the client pay attention to all the details connecting the mind to the body through movement.

Most importantly the trainer can talk about how doing this exercise correctly over time will improve the ability to carry out daily tasks or perform in their sport.

Today's clients are looking at personal training as a lifestyle option with a wellness aspect. If a trainer wants to be successful they must deliver more than just physical training methods. They need to address both the mental and physical aspects to make their clients healthier, fitter and happier.