Initially I wasn’t keen on having a personal trainer, but my wife was gung ho about it. I kept saying to myself “what can a trainer really do for me that I’m not doing already?” But we still signed up with someone (this person even came recommended by others). 3 months later and the only results I saw were some strength gain, but no real visual difference (despite a 5lbs loss). For my wife it was worse – after 4 months with this trainer and repeatedly asking for explanations regarding exercise and meal plan selections to no avail, we finally had it with him.

It was time for serious research. We realized we wanted someone who can work with us through e-mail, but that was close enough for 1-on-1 sessions, should we need them. We wanted someone who is certified and been around for a while (not just someone who “looks the part”). We also realized that there are many different certifications out there (among which, we found out that NASM CPT/PES/CES certifications are considered to be the holy grail in this field, all of which David holds). We wanted someone who is meticulous, detail oriented and can explain *why* certain choices are made regarding exercise routines and meal plans. We were looking for someone who can -no, someone who *will*, take the time to educate us on exercising correctly and efficiently, coupled with nutritional education.

There are so many fitness programs out there, each one claiming to be the best – and each one of them seems to be a “one solution fits all”. The same goes for nutrition plans… But people are different and have different needs. I used to have lower back problems. My wife used to have constant cravings. How does one know which program is best? And even when it comes to gyms – people have access to different equipment at different gyms. How do we sort out all of this stuff?

When we first reached out to David and Nikki we received a questionnaire – an extremely detailed one. It went into details such as our exercise history, eating habits, weight history, medical problems, at what pace we’re interested in working in order to get results, and even the simplest question which no trainer has ever asked us: what are our goals? Are we looking to just lose a few pounds, or tone up? Maybe become body builders or just overcome past injuries? This was already a great sign for things to come! None of the other trainers we spoke with have ever asked us any of these questions.

Sure enough, a workout routine and meal plan which was just as detailed was sent to us (along with answers to a plethora of questions we had regarding the program), and it was even customized to deal with each of our individual issues and concerns, not to mention tailored to our specific gym equipment.

Within 5 weeks I dropped from 21% body fat to 11%!!!! Every week that goes by, my wife sees me transform and become more defined in muscle tone. After a couple of months, I had already enough strength gain to support my lower back and never had to look back since – even despite doubling the weights I’m lifting.

It was finally time for a 1-on-1 session. If this is how much progress we could see just over e-mail, what more could we accomplish in person?? The answer was clear after our first session. Of course there’s the regular drive factor – and David knows how to drive his clients!

But, most importantly, we gained INSIGHT and KNOWLEDGE. Insight into the specifics of how certain exercises need to be performed, and why. Knowledge on how different muscle groups work and how each exercise ties into that. Once we started to gain that level of understanding we were able to gain a lot more out of each routine and become more efficient in our workouts, which in turn yielded even faster results.

We’re now on our 4th month into the program and even some of our friends who have seen our transformations and were in complete disbelief initially, have now signed up to work with David and Nikki (some even residing on the other side of the world!) Both my wife and I simply can’t recommend them enough!!!

“Don’t eat past 6pm!” “You have to circuit train to get skinny– heavy weights just lead to bulk!” “Cardio burns fat, weights build muscle!” “I’m only eating off of the ‘super food’ list these days– you know, blueberries, oatmeal, and broccoli!”

Oprah Winfrey Is Wrong!

Have you ever heard any of these statements? In my years as a trainer, I’ve encountered so many half-truths (and complete falsehoods) about exercise and healthy diet that my head starts to spin every time I hear “I heard that.” Oprah Winfrey alone should be made to pay for all of your gym memberships for all of the disinformation she has spread on her show during the past year. Remember, it always comes down to a “thyroid problem.”

The fact is, exercise science is both simple and complex, depending on the angle you approach it from. It’s complex in the sense that you can’t just listen to any source out there and hope they are accurate in their “fact giving.” Any scientific field is going to have broad principles guiding the field as a whole, as well as a slew of smaller-scale facts that comprise the intricate details of that particular discipline.

With exercise science specifically, if you get too caught up in focusing on the intricate details– like the merits of some particular food, or how many reps and how many sets of a particular exercise you should do– then chances are you’re going to be confused, especially as a beginner. However, if you focus on the big picture– the broad principles underlying and defining the field of health and fitness as a whole– then you should have a relatively easy time achieving your goals.

Integration

The field of exercise science breaks down into three basic segments– nutrition, cardiovascular exercise, and resistance exercise (or simply “weight training”).  Lifetime Fitness as a company subscribes to the philosophy that you need the appropriate balance between these three elements in order to achieve your health and fitness goals.

Let’s sidetrack for a moment and talk about goals. What are the goals of most of the new members joining up here are Lifetime Fitness? The vast majority of people using this club are striving to achieve general health. As a personal trainer, I can tell you that the majority of members I speak with are looking primarily to lose body fat, and secondarily, to build muscle tone.

Continue to Part 2 here…