Fitness & Personal Trainers

The fitness world is like a maze which is full of loads of information & suggestions of what is & isn’t right. To be honest everyone has their own genetic makeup so certain types of training will work better than others.

As I mentioned in my last post I was only carrying out cardio 3 times a week. As you can imagine I eventually hit a plateau where my weight remained constant. My eating was right but my workouts had remained the same. Any good trainer will tell you that your routine has to be changed every few weeks.

Start of 2015 I decided it was time for phase 2. I needed to take on a new challenge for my body; in order for me to see more changes. I cheekily persuaded my husband to give me his 10 PT sessions he had signed up to. For my husband to say someone is a great PT is very rare. I was warned!

My PT sessions were with Matt whose background consists of marital arts, breakdancing, acrobat, free runner & calisthenics enthusiast & much more. When you see that kind of body strength you know you’re in good hands! My first session consisted of a postural analysis. This allowed Matt to assess my posture as well as any imbalances in flexibility & strength. To my surprise there were quite a few aspects of my posture that needed improving as well as imbalances. This allowed Matt to design sessions that would work on improving those imbalances. A lot of injuries happen due to muscular imbalances as one side always ends up compensating more than the other.

The first few sessions; we worked on a lot of weights to help strengthen my muscles as well as learning the basic techniques. I was then introduced to circuits in the form of HIT training. After my 10 sessions were up my fitness levels had massively improved & I was able to perform HIT based training using my own body weight.

I decided I wanted more so I signed up to another 10 sessions. The remaining 10 sessions we worked on additional HIT training as well as weights to improve my strength further. By the end of the 20 sessions I was able to deadlift 40kg :)

Results & Lessons

A PT is a costly investment but is it worth it? Yes I highly recommend investing in one to give you a sound foundation. As much as we would all love a personal trainer round the clock it’s not for a life, well unless you’re a celebrity!

The end results were:

• A massive improvement in fitness.

• Increased strength.

• Improvement in muscular imbalances.

• 2kg body fat reduction as well a 2kg increase in muscle. :)

• Technique is everything. Ensuring this is correct you will achieve the desired result as well prevent any injuries.

• Every workout or movement involves your abs. Abs is a part of your core. When you struggle to push thru an exercise check your core is fully engaged & I promise you’ll notice a difference.

• The art of breathing is key. It sounds silly but if you breathe correctly it really does allow you to keep going longer; as well push thru those tough moments when your body starts to fatigue.

• Like clean eating the mind is everything! Your body will always want to give up first but you have to remember your mind is in charge of your body.

In order for me to see these results I was training 4 times a week, twice with Matt, once a week in his circuits class & once on my own.

Once my sessions were completed I was able to maintain my desired results alone with the workout plan given to me. However later on I did suffer from a lower back injury, which meant I was unable to train for 3 months. As well this due to some further personal circumstances it also meant I was unable to train again. Unfortunately I have gained my weight back, which left me frustrated as I felt all my hard work had gone down the drain! As they say life is a rollercoaster where you'll hit roadblocks but you can’t give up. Now I have some normality back in life; my goal is to get back into those skinny clothes of mine. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger!

The Coco Chick Review

I was someone who had no clue as to how to train besides using the machines at the gym. I soon learnt you don’t need to spend hours on the machines to see results. HIT training is cardio in itself.

My body was literally abused, in a good way! I was pushed to limits I didn’t think were possible. If you really want to see changes, the body has to be pushed outside its comfort zone. Each session was always different which meant my body was always constantly being shocked.

I have to say for the first time I really enjoyed going to gym & being pushed to the limits. Matt always made my sessions enjoyable, entertaining as well as hard. I always left the gym shattered followed by DOMS the next day. That’s when you know your muscles have been worked & results will soon prevail.

I know personal training doesn’t come cheap but an investment in say 20 sessions is a great way to build your fitness & give you a sound foundation. You rather compromise on not shopping for a while to invest in fitness. Trust me you’ll enjoy shopping for those new clothes when you’re looking slimmer & leaner!

Matt now has his own personal training company with Christy called Spartan Physique. If you’re interested in being pushed to the limits & wanting to achieve a new body then please view their page on Facebook to get in touch with them.

https://www.facebook.com/spartanphysiqueltd/?fref=ts

They also run their circuits class every Monday at 8:30pm at Haydon School in Northwood Hills. The class runs for an hour at a cost of £7.

I’ll keep you posted further on my journey & as to how I get on with my weight loss.

Coco Chick xx