At Philly Personal Training, we’ve helped dozens of clients make the transformation they’ve always wanted. A healthier body, a more energetic lifestyle, and a more positive outlook are all best achieved through thorough training and comprehensive nutrition at our gym in Philadelphia. However, what is the benefit of doing it through a personal trainer compared to doing it on your own?
You do have the ability and potential to make the transformation you need on your own. However, at our gym in Philly one of our personal trainers can help you do it all the sooner without the most common pitfalls, delays. With your commitment and our expertise, we can help you succeed. The post What are the benefits to using a personal trainer appeared first on Philly Personal Training. via Blogger What are the benefits to using a personal trainer
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Personal trainers and their clients have a close, intimate relationship. For this reason, it’s vital to get your choice of personal trainer right. Take a look at some of these tips on how to choose a personal trainer. Investigate Their Qualifications – Do They Line Up with Your Needs? Personal trainers all have varying qualifications. If you’re just looking to get fit, lose weight, or build muscle, then a personal trainer with basic training will suffice. However, if you’re working through an injury or have special requirements, then you’ll need a trainer with specialist certification. Many trainers, for instance also have experience with physiotherapy. Ask About Their Training Style As a client, you know which training styles you respond to best. Some people like a “boot camp” approach where the trainer barks instructions and creates external motivation. Others prefer a more nurturing and collegial relationship where the personal trainer not only gives instructions but provides assistance in adopting the right mindset. Ask Yourself Whether You Like the Trainer The more you like the trainer, the more likely you are to have a productive relationship and achieve your goals. Find Out What Physical Activities They Offer Trainers should be able to provide a wide variety of training techniques, improving speed, flexibility and fitness. Are They Available When You Need Them? You might have found a great trainer, but if they don’t work evenings and weekends when you’re free, then they can’t help you. Do They Offer A Trial Period? A trial period is an opportunity for you to work out whether you can work with a particular trainer long-term. Are You Ready to Sweat? Are you are interested in starting today at our gym in Philadelphia? Are you looking for strength training in Philadelphia? Call us today! The post How To Choose A Personal Trainer appeared first on Philly Personal Training. via Blogger How To Choose A Personal Trainer If you’re investing time, energy, and money into the pursuit of better fitness and health, you obviously want to reap all the benefits. You want to lose weight. You want to look ripped. You want to be strong and live a high-quality life for a long time. What you don’t want is to wait around forever for all that to happen. If there’s anything you can do to speed up the journey toward your goals, you’ll do it, right? Many fitness-minded people add supplements to their diet and exercise regimen in an effort to change their bodies. Whether it’s protein powder for muscle growth, branched-chain amino acids to aid recovery, or highly caffeinated energy drinks, locker rooms and gym floors are littered with mixer bottles filled with different-colored liquids meant to enhance the effects of working out. Are those supplements really helping? Are they worth taking at all? The truth is, we don’t know. Probably not. Workout supplements, unlike drugs, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so they can claim to have all sorts of neat effects on the body without actual proof. Therefore, spending a bunch of money on a cabinet full of supplements is a bit of a crapshoot. You might feel as if you’re reaping benefits in the short term, but you can’t rely on a supplement if your goal is long-term success. With a truly healthy diet, exercise, and sleep regimen, supplements are really unnecessary. Any nutrients or benefits you seek in a pill or a powder, you can add to your diet through real food. A well-balanced diet should already provide the proper amount of protein, vitamins, and antioxidants, and thus, it should yield the proper amount of energy. Eating clean, paired with working out, can give you the lean, ripped body you desire. It just takes time and hard work. If your diet is lacking, you’re already hindering your progress in the gym. Adding a supplement, which is probably laden with additives and extra calories, won’t make up for bad eating habits. If your recovery is lacking – you’re not stretching, hydrating, getting enough sleep – a supplement won’t make up for that, either. In short, there are no shortcuts to real, lasting health and fitness. As the best personal trainer in Philadelphia, Philly Personal Training knows what a solid, comprehensive fitness plan looks like and can guide you toward your goals without relying on any gimmicks. For a top-notch personal trainer in Philadelphia, contact Philly Personal Training today. The post The Skinny On Workout Supplements appeared first on Personal Trainer Philadelphia. via Blogger The Skinny On Workout Supplements It’s almost been a month since we celebrated the start of 2019, so if your New Year’s Resolution was to get in shape and you’re still hitting the gym regularly, congratulations. You cleared a big hurdle – and avoided becoming a cliche. The first month is absolutely crucial to establishing a new routine. You’re probably already seeing a difference in how you feel during your workouts, and maybe even in those all-important numbers on the scale. That’s good news. The bad news – well, it’s not necessarily “bad” – is that the honeymoon phase is almost over. The hardest work is right around the corner. It’s time to buckle down. Experts say that the “sweet spot” for seeing results in a workout routine is somewhere between the three- and six-month mark. So, that essentially means that that months two to six are crucial because in order to really start seeing results, you’ll have to persevere even when you feel like giving up. Philly Personal Training, home to the best personal trainers in Philadelphia, wants to see you succeed. Here are some tips for keeping this good thing going. Measure progress based on “feel” In other words, don’t obsess over the scale. Don’t necessarily look for tangible results, such as changes in your clothing size. Instead, focus on how exercise makes you feel, and how you feel when you don’t exercise. It feels good to move and sweat, doesn’t it? It gives you an energy boost and changes how you view your entire day. That’s why you need to keep doing it! Treat yourself Buy some flattering new clothes that fit your ever-improving physique. Don’t get bogged down thinking about how you want to look “someday.” Celebrate how you look today, and use that as motivation to continue with healthy habits. Change it up Continually varying your workouts is a proven way to get results, but it also keeps things interesting and engaging. Even if you truly enjoy running on a treadmill, doing the same thing over and over every day will eventually become dull, and your motivation is sure to lag. It’s important to build in strength training, flexibility work, and change up both the length and intensity of your workouts. Philly Personal Training can help you come up with the most effective plan to suit your fitness goals, and to help keep you motivated during these all-important first months of your regimen. To work with the best personal trainer in Philadelphia, contact us today! The post Hitting the “Sweet Spot” for Results in A New Exercise Regimen appeared first on Personal Trainer Philadelphia. via Blogger Hitting the “Sweet Spot” for Results in A New Exercise Regimen “I’m sore…in a good way.” If you’ve worked out in a gym for any length of time, you’ve probably heard someone say this. You’ve also probably heard quite a few people discuss their muscle soreness because it’s something we all experience, and striving to get in shape can be considered a kind of shared suffering. You’re sore? I can relate! Now we’re friends! Then, there’s the whole “badge of honor” attitude people tend to have about soreness, as if you only truly worked out if you’re unable to walk the next day. So what’s the real deal when it comes to exercise-induced pain? Is there a “good sore” and a “bad sore”? Should you judge the effectiveness of your workout based on how much it hurts you? In truth, many commonly held notions about how exercise affects the body are nonsense. Let Philly Personal Training, home to the best personal trainers in Philadelphia, break this down for you. Different bodies, different reactions Soreness (science term: “Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness”) is a normal physical response to hard work because exercise involves stretching and straining and breaking down muscles in ways they’re not used to. But if you’re not sore, that doesn’t mean you didn’t work hard. By that same token, the woman who comes to your group class complaining about her quads isn’t necessarily working harder. Of course, there are times when extreme soreness is a bad thing, and pushing through the pain is a bad idea. Just like one fitness program isn’t effective for every client, one absolute truth about soreness does not exist. Everyone is different. That’s why you have a personal trainer: to personalize your workout plan and make sure you’re performing your routine safely. You want to push yourself, and your trainer wants to push you so you get the absolute most out of every session and ultimately reach your health and wellness goals. Pain can be part of the process, but it’s certainly not the goal. Rest and recovery are just as big a part of caring for your body as lifting, running, jumping, and sweating your butt off. Prevention is key While you might not be able to avoid delayed onset muscle soreness completely, you absolutely can and should take steps before and after your workout to minimize it. Too much soreness can de-motivate you and derail your fitness plan, especially if you’re just starting out. Before your workout: Talk to your instructor or trainer about anything that might be hurting or bothering you, and they’ll help assess whether to modify your workout or hold you back. Warm up properly. Yes, this can involve stretching, but also some dynamic movements and lightweight lifting repetitions that help get your heart rate up and get your muscles ready to go hard. After your workout: Cool down. Perform myofascial release on your muscles with a foam roller or lacrosse ball. Stretch more. Ice any sore areas. Massage therapy and chiropractic can be helpful in keeping the body loose and in alignment in between workouts. Get plenty of sleep. Philly Personal Training cares about its clients and wants to help them pursue their fitness goals and keep the journey pain-free when possible. For a great personal trainer in Philadelphia, contact us and set up a session. The post What’s the Story On Muscle Soreness? appeared first on Personal Trainer Philadelphia. via Blogger What’s the Story On Muscle Soreness? Self-myofascial release can be an incredible tool to have for your workouts and your recovery. For those who don’t know what it is, myofascial release is soft tissue therapy and is often used for the treatment of muscle pain and immobility. Most commonly, it comes in the form of a foam roller and it focuses primarily on the fascia and other connective tissues in the body, similar to a massage. Myofascial release is used as an alternative treatment for chronic back and neck pain, headaches, migraines, scoliosis, restriction of motion, TMJ or jaw pain, and plantar fasciitis. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford regular massages or an athletic trainer to regularly rub out the kinks, soreness, and tight spots in their muscles caused by exercise. So, the purpose of myofascial release is for people to massage themselves, with the benefit of being able to control precisely where and how much pressure to apply. If you’re looking to make self-myofascial release a part of your workout plan, our personal trainers in Rittenhouse want to help our clients say goodbye to sore muscles the right way with this brief guide. How to Perform Self-Myofascial Release Myofascial release is broken down into two categories: direct and indirect release. Direct release is often referred to as “deep tissue work.” This method of myofascial release uses force or weight, with the use of tools, knuckles, or elbows to slowly stretch the fascia, hoping to bring about elongation and mobility. Indirect release is a more gentle method, where less pressure is applied encouraging the fascia to slowly “unwind” itself until greater movement is achieved. Foam rolling is a very popular form of myofascial release. Foam rolling is used to treat most muscles in the body, including the glutes and piriformis muscles, adductors, gastrocnemius (calves), quadriceps, hamstrings, and hip flexors. Tennis balls are another great tool to use to achieve myofascial release at home. They’re great because a tennis ball covers a much smaller surface area, which causes more pressure on that one specific spot in the body. Things to remember: ● Keep a balance between pleasure and pain that is effective, yet tolerable. ● Always move slowly and consciously. ● Count 10 breaths at each location, compress, and make small movements into the direction of restriction. ● Stretch after every myofascial release session. Try to avoid: ● Having a “no pain, no gain” mentality, this could lead to injury. ● Beating up the same spots repeatedly. If you’re having consistent pain even after self-myofascial sessions, call your doctor. If you need assistance with myofascial release or think you need to make adjustments to your exercise routine, reach out to us to work with the best personal trainers in Philadelphia at Philly Personal Training! Contact us by phone at 267-455-0100 or fill out our contact form. The post A Brief Guide to Self-Myofascial Release appeared first on Personal Trainer Philadelphia. via Blogger A Brief Guide to Self-Myofascial Release It’s easy to feel like you’re not working out hard enough, but it’s also just as easy to push too hard during your workouts. Both could negatively affect your results in the gym. At Philly Personal Training, our personal trainers in Rittenhouse believe the tests in this article will help readers decide whether they’re exercising too hard or not working out hard enough. Talk Test. The first and easiest way to test your intensity is to do the “talk test” during your next workout. If you’re on a bike or a treadmill, you should be able to chat with someone next to you a sentence or two at a time. If you can only say about two or three words at a time, you might need to take your intensity down a notch. On the contrary, if you can easily speak in long paragraphs with no problem while working out, you may not be pushing hard enough. Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE). Another way to measure intensity is to use the rating of the RPE scale. This is how you rate how hard you feel like you’re working during exercise and that will allow you to adjust your intensity accordingly. Throughout your workout, check in with yourself at various points to make sure you’re staying at your target or ideal intensity level. Heart Rate. Finding your heart rate is most helpful during cardio and HIIT workouts, so to test your intensity you’ll need to figure out your maximum heart rate. The easiest way to do this is to subtract your age from 220. Take that number, then multiply by whichever intensity you’re aiming to determine what your heart rate should be. A low intensity should be between 50 and 60 percent. A moderate intensity should be between 60 and 75 percent. High intensity should be between 75 and 100 percent. Please note that this is only an estimate and those with any health concerns may want to use a number lower than 220. Please consult a personal trainer or a physician if you are unsure. If you need help adjusting your intensity, or you need general workout advice – check out Philly Personal Training and work with some of the best personal trainers in Philadelphia! Finding a balance with your workouts can take practice and time, but with the help of our trainers, we’ll you get started on the right path so you can achieve your goals faster. Call today at 267-455-0100, or go to our contact page, to book your free consultation to discuss your goals with one of our many experienced trainers. The post Test Your Intensity: Working Hard or Hardly Working? appeared first on Personal Trainer Philadelphia. via Blogger Test Your Intensity: Working Hard or Hardly Working? Each new year, millions of Americans plan out their fitness goals. Whether it be part of their New Year’s resolution or a desire for the perfect beach body, many people start with good intentions but fall short on the follow through. As experienced personal trainers in Rittenhouse, Philadelphia, we’ve created this list to highlight the most common reasons why people abandon their fitness programs and how our trainers can help you stay on track. Lack of Time Lack of time is one the most common reasons for quitting a fitness program. The modern work schedule doesn’t leave much time for self care, but with the help of a personal trainer, you can develop a program that is both effective and efficient. At Philly Personal Training, we offer training sessions that last as little as 30 minutes so you still have enough time for the rest of your busy schedule. Unrealistic Expectations Unrealistic expectations are a huge killer of motivation and usually leads people to quit their fitness routines. Trying to lose 20 lbs in a month can seem daunting and downright frustrating when you inevitably fail. Working with a personal trainer allows you to develop a personalized fitness goal, map out your workouts, and measure your results as you progress. This individualized planning also lets you develop realistic expectations that are both measurable and attainable. Motivation No one can force you to do anything you don’t want to do. In our experience, clients who have a strong sense of motivation are far more likely to succeed than clients who don’t. It starts with believing in yourself and having confidence that you’ll succeed. At Philly Personal Training, we help our clients develop the confidence to motivate themselves because self-determination is more beneficial to helping them stick to their fitness routine than external motivation. Fear of Pain Not only is having a workout-related injury painful but finding the motivation to return to your fitness program after recovering can be next to impossible. As personal trainers, we guide our clients through each exercise so that we can ensure that they are using the proper form to prevent injury. Already injured? Our professional staff can help rehab certain injuries to get you back to feeling like yourself. Poor Exercise Environment If you’re not comfortable in the setting you’re working out, you’re unlikely to want to go at all. The most common reason people come to us instead of large gyms is that they are tired of the intimidating and overcrowded gym scene. When you choose Philly Personal Training, you won’t ever have to worry about working out in a crowded or intimidating facility. Our training programs are designed to give you a private and personalized experience that feature the most innovative techniques and high-quality equipment. Interested in scheduling a session with the best personal trainers in Philadelphia? Contact Philly Personal Training today at 267-455-0100. The post 5 Reasons People Abandon Fitness Programs appeared first on Personal Trainer Philadelphia. via Blogger 5 Reasons People Abandon Fitness Programs Nothing will put a hold on your fitness progress like a sudden injury. A new injury could rear its ugly head if you’ve been neglecting stretching before or after each workout or if you’re using poor form. There are a number of different fitness mistakes people make that can lead to injury, and in this blog, we’ll share some of the most common ones we see as personal trainers, so you can avoid these mistakes and stay healthy as you work to reach your fitness goals. Mistake #1: Doing too much too soon One of the most common mistakes our personal trainers see is when a person pushes themselves to do too much too quickly. It’s understandable to want results to come quickly, but you may actually be setting yourself up for a big letdown. You might have done high-intensity workouts in the past, or even fairly recently, but if you’ve taken time off, your body may not be ready to jump back in the right away. It’s always wise to create a realistic workout plan that’s suitable for your current fitness level and increase the intensity slowly and steadily. Always look for long term results when trying to get in shape as opposed to the fastest possible path, which oftentimes can make results slower or even non-existent. Mistake #2: Overuse Whether it’s a piece of equipment, a specific workout move, or a certain muscle group, doing the same things over and over can lead to injury for a few reasons. Focusing too much on one muscle or muscle group can lead to overuse injuries, but it can also weaken other muscles that aren’t being used, making them more injury-prone as well. Using the same machine at the gym is another common mistake. When you use the same machines, you continuously work the same muscle groups in one linear path. By changing it up and using more free weights, you’ll be mimicking real life movements more and you’ll also be using muscle groups that will help with stabilization and injury prevention. Mistake #3: Bad form Proper form is essential for preventing injury during most workouts. Heavy exercises like benching, squatting, or deadlifting can lead to severe injuries including ligament and muscle tears if you perform them with bad form, due to the sheer amount of weight being forced on the body. Even bodyweight squats and cardio exercises can lead to injuries over time with poor form, since these typically cause injuries by repeatedly doing the same bad form over and over, potentially for hundreds of reps in a short amount of time. When in doubt, consult with a personal trainer to learn proper form to avoid injury. Mistake #4: Not warming up or recovering properly Half the battle for staying healthy during your workout happens outside of the gym. Showing up to the gym dehydrated or poorly nourished, puts you at a higher risk of injuring yourself before you ever pick up a weight. After your workout, when your body is fatigued, the way you recover directly impacts your gains and your health. A dynamic warm up before your workout can ensure you’ve increased blood flow to the muscles involved and a post-workout stretch adds added flexibility and mobility to potentially tight muscles. At Philly Personal Training, we can help you avoid making costly workout mistakes, so you stay healthy as you reach your fitness goals. Contact us today to learn from the best personal trainers in Philadelphia. The post 4 Fitness Mistakes That Lead to Injury appeared first on Personal Trainer Philadelphia. via Blogger 4 Fitness Mistakes That Lead to Injury Are you trying to lose weight, but every time you step on the scale you’re getting disappointed and losing your motivation? Don’t give up just yet! There are a variety of reasons as to why, even when you think you’re doing everything right, you’re not shedding the weight. Don’t sabotage your weight loss, keep reading below to see where you might need to make simple adjustments to your routine. 1. You’re Not Consuming Enough Calories Most diets tell you that you need to cut as many calories as you can. For some people, not consuming enough calories throughout the day can stunt weight loss. How? Keeping your calories at a sufficient level keeps your energy levels higher and prevents overeating later in the day (looking at you, midnight snackers!) If you’re an avid exerciser like one of our personal training clients, not eating enough calories can impact your performance due to low energy levels. The key is to consistently keep yourself in a satisfied state, never starving, never overly full. This will help keep energy levels constant. 2. You’re Not Getting Adequate Sleep You’ve probably heard this a million times, but a lack of sleep affects the way you lose weight. Lack of sleep can alter the levels of leptin and ghrelin in your body. Leptin is responsible for keeping you full, while ghrelin stimulates hunger and increases body fat stores. When you get poor sleep, leptin levels decrease while ghrelin levels increase, which causes a constant feeling of hunger that cannot be satisfied. 3. You’re Avoiding Carbs Carbs aren’t always the enemy! Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred form of energy. Skipping carbs can result in a high fat diet, which is more calorie dense. 4. You’re Dehydrated Water is essential to human life, but did you know it’s also essential to weight loss? Our kidneys need a certain amount of water to be able to flush out toxins. If you don’t drink enough water, the liver will begin to aid in getting rid of these toxins. Considering one of the primary functions of the liver is to help metabolize fat into energy, if it’s too busy ridding your body of toxins, it won’t be able to burn as much fat. Drinking water throughout the day also reduces the desire to consume sugary sodas or juices. So keep hydrated! 5. You’re Trying to Lose Weight Way Too Fast Rome wasn’t built in a day. By having the mindset that you’re going to lose the weight in a very short amount of time, you’re going to set yourself up for failure by setting unrealistic expectations for yourself with both your diet and your exercise routine. If you lose weight too fast by crash dieting or over-exercising without recovery, you may experience side effects like nausea, constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. You’ll also be more prone to headaches and mood swings. Take your weight loss one day at a time and do it the right way. Having the courage to start dieting and exercising is a big step in your weight loss journey, and we encourage you not to lose motivation if you’re hitting a road bump or two. At Philly Personal Training, we know that everyone’s weight loss journey is unique, and we’re here to help you each step of the way until you achieve your goal. We have some of the best personal trainers in Philadelphia on our staff. Each trainer is certified by a nationally recognized organization and has a college degree in exercise science, meaning they’re highly educated and experienced in the field. We’ve also partnered with registered dietitians at Family Food to guide our clients on healthy eating. If you’re looking for a personal trainer in the Rittenhouse area, browse our website or give us a call to schedule your free consultation at 267-455-0100. The post 5 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight appeared first on Personal Trainer Philadelphia. via Blogger 5 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight |
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