We sat down with Training Ground personal trainer Steve Evans to ask his expert opinion on what someone interested in personal training should know before they start. Here’s what he shared with us!
No prior experience necessary. You don’t need to be at a certain fitness or activity level to begin training. Start where you are at, and trust your trainer to get you where you need to be.
It’s not all or nothing — [you can] start small. You don’t have to go “all in” with 4 personal training sessions/week to make big changes in your life. Consider your budget and your time, and start there. Begin with 1x/week and add more sessions as you need them. Steve says that even one session can be just as effective as four. It’s all about what you do on your “off days”, and your trainer is here to provide the roadmap. Steve will work with you and your schedule to incorporate other cardio and strength-training workouts — it’s why we love our personal training and group exercise combo packages.
Your goals create the program. Be specific about your fitness goals. The more details you can provide, the easier it is for your trainer to create a goal-oriented training program that gets you the results you want.
A proper warm-up and recovery are critical to optimal progression. Whether you warm up with your trainer or do this solo to save time during the session, never skip a warmup. Warming up and cooling down prevents injury. Your trainer should incorporate a mixture of light cardio and dynamic stretches, about 10-15 minutes of work before you begin. As a bonus, Steve adds that “along with being adequately warmed up, it is important to use rest days, get enough sleep and proper nutrients, and manage physical and mental stress in between workouts.”
It’s a process. Understand that reaching your goals is a process, and it’s going to take time for your body to adapt and for results to happen. Be patient and trust your trainer to give you the tools you need for success.
Steve is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer. As a lifelong student of fitness, he is constantly looking for ways to create efficient, exciting workouts for his students. He is a big proponent of strength training and barbell squats. He loves the variety of his clientele, having trained everyone from youth to elderly adult and believes fitness has a place in everyone’s lifestyle! When he’s not training, Steve enjoys cooking, cleaning (he claims it’s a stress relief!), listening to music, and watching horror movies.