My wife is trying to lose a couple of additional pounds she's gained while with me... does anyone know of any site that will help me create a plan for her?
Thanks
Man, I have tried to come up with plans for multiple g/f's and always found that they didn't really buy in.
Instead, I found that taking them to Best Buy having them find 2-3 exercise videos that THEY are interested in works much better. It involves them in the process of developing their workout plan.
In fact I did this with my current g/f the other day and an extra benefit of this approach presented itself...she bought some Billy Blanks Tae Bo DVD and about half way through I hear her yelling "I hate you Billy" at the screen because he was making her work so hard...had I come up with the workout plan, who do you think she would have been yelling "I hate you" at?
;-)
Here are some observations I've made that have left me puzzled:
I'm looking to become a CPT through NASM or ACSM as a side business.
I've had friends and students ask for my advice on fitness because they feel I'm an expert (although I don't hold a degree in exercise science or hold a certification in personal training). I guess they feel that I've achieved certain milestones in fitness that they too would like to achieve.
Here's the puzzling portion: the WOMEN that I've given advice to have gotten FANTASTIC results...but they HATED they program! It was either "too hard" or "asked for too much", or some variant thereof.
Considering that a good majority of my future clients will most likely be female, how have some of you trainers dealt with the female fitness temperament? I've found that most men will stick to a program they deem challenging for as long as they are getting the results they want. However, I've found that women will drop a program that is getting them results once they deem it too hard.
I'm not trying to paint broad strokes here. I'm simply speaking from personal experience that has, quite honestly, left me perplexed.
Women know what they want?
I always felt the opposite Ranges. When I trained women they may give me a dirty look but they will work their asses off. Men on the other hand would just stop when it got a little hard.
Not everyone was like that though. There are always exceptions.
As for advice for Shooter's wife I guess try www.stumptuous.com, and www.crossfit.com and www.johnberardi.com for nutrition.
Talor the workouts for your wife's fitness level and continue to make them more difficult. Try to make the workouts fun and doing the workouts with her might help. My wife doesn't like to compete with me but she does like me there with her and I've noticed that if I just keep quiet and not try to push her harder she enjoys the workouts more. I usually get my "real" workout later (not a sexual joke).
Are you talking about changing their work ethic when you're not around, or when you're with them? It's very easy to get them motivated while you're training with them, just build up a rapport and be enthusiastic, be very hands on. (and bathe, I know of some trainers that do their workouts and get all sweaty, then go train others... that can't be good for business).
You should also work by contract; if they buy the program, they have to pay for the predetermined sessions either monthly or upfront. When someone is paying for something, they're more inclined to stick with it.
Jeff:
we should switch clients lol!!
Agreed with the above, One time and One time only I tried to put together a program for my wife, I started her off by showing her the movements for squats and Bench using an unweighted bar (about 10kg)she complained that she was in too much pain the next day.
Since then I have left her to her aerobics and Yoga. Did draw the line the other day when a friend asked her what Tae-bo is. She responded 'it's Thai Boxing' I responded, 'no it's an aerobics class'.
My experience has been that women are more likely to hire a trainer then men. Men often feel thay already know all they need to know.
As far as working hard, I find it is about the person not if they are male or female, just individual personalty traits.
Some of my hardest working clients have been females. I have also had far more females stick to it and reach there goals then males...Just my experience.
TAKU
Taku, I'm sure that would be the case were my wife to train with a personal trainer, it's more the taking advice from your husband thing she finds tough
My 2 cents, as an actual female, though I have never worked with a personal trainer, is that I prefer intense and hard workouts. Intensity is motivating. That's probably why I found my way to Scrapper's site and to this site even though I have only a passing interest in MMA. Even though I can't actually complete as written Scrapper's Workout #1, I like it; it's hard, sometimes it makes me feel like puking. I also like Taku's Miserable Seven because it's simple, scalable and also difficult.
The one thing I don't like is when women get treated differently than men. All the same training principles apply, there should be nothing different. If their goal is to lose weight the same programs that help you drop weight to get ready to fight will help the them as well.
As a side note it is huge empowerment to women when you show them what their full potential is and train them as hard as you would train men.
I've always thought that bodyweight exercises are perfect for women who don't want to get "big." They certainly won't get overly bulky or get the bodybuilder look by doing something like Scrapper's workouts.
'I'm looking to tone my muscles without getting bulky which is why I'm doing 375 reps with 0.00001Kg'