Personal Training

Personal Trainer Credentials, Balsamic Glaze & Leg Burn Workout!

Posted on by Naomi
Being a personal trainer can be a really good thing or really difficult thing when I am at the gym training myself. Now, I am never one to toot my own horn (okay, sometimes I am hehe) but for the most part, I really am not. With this said, I believe that I perform most exercises at the gym with proper form and posture.  I always go for quality over quantity and if I know that I am lifting too much weight, I don’t finish out 10 reps if I cannot finish with proper form. It is much more important to be to be safe and see results, then lift a certain amount of weight just to say I did.

When I go to the gym that I belong to (do not work at) I almost ALWAYS see a trainer there training a client and they are doing something that could lead to injury. Today I saw a man doing tricep push down’s on the cable machine. The exercise started out great, his elbows were close to his sides, but as he went on, his arms began to swing in front of him. The triceps exercise is a great one because it hits all 3 heads of the tricep (lateral, middle, long heads) however, it is easy to cheat on this exercise using the momentum of your body or not using proper form. DUring this exercise, you press down the bar in front of your body, using your triceps. The arm extension is what activates the triceps. There is a tendency to move the elbows to the front of the body during the eccentric phase (up phase).  They must always be parallel to the body in order to achieve full benefit of movement. Otherwise the exercise will lose its efficacy. WITH THIS SAID, I was really annoyed to see this man, paying money for a trainer who really wasn’t paying 100% attention to him. 

Things to look for in a personal trainer ,

  • They are mentally there 100%. I don’t care if they have some personal issues going on in their lifewhen they are with you, taking your money to transform their minds and body they better be with you with all of their heart. It does no good for a trainer to half ass his/her time with you. On the other side of hte spectrum, if you notice that your trainer is not paying attention or has a wandering mind–say something!! its your money!
  • You should always ask your trainer for references, whether it be other places they have worked or clients they have had. Did they do their job? Were they motivating? All of these questions–you have the right to know!
  • What is their certification (s)? THis is crucial for your trainer to be certified by a Nationally recognized organization . The certification process is an in depth one which ends with an exam which they have to pass  Current popular and reputable certification associations include the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and American Council on Exercise (ACE). Certification from any of these organizations doesn’t guarantee trainer excellence but shows only that the person successfully passed the minimum requirements for certification. While important, certification is a factor that should be used in combination with all of the other information that you are collecting.
  • What is their training/exercise/health philosophy? Trainers should be able to tell you their philosphy with no problems at all. They should be able to tell you ways they help motivate and make change happen. Is there an assesment? Do they go by weight on a scale or body fat measurements (if weight loss is the goal) If you meet a trainer and they say to you “Well, I will work you HARD and you will thank me for it” This not only is an unprofessional response, but one that is not specific. They should care about your body and what YOU want as well 
  • Are you comfortable? Overall, you should feel a comfort with your personal trainer. You not only hired them to help you change your body and your life, but you also are going to be spending quite a bit of time and energy with them, so the time spent should be comfortable and well worth it. If you get a sketchy first impression and don’t seem to mesh well with the potential trainer—move on!
Onto some food, shall we?
The usual bowl of breakfast oats. 1/4 C oats cooked in water with pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon. Added 1/2 C liquid eggwhites and 1/4 C berries. SF syrup was added for some sweetness on top! Will I ever get sick of this breakfast, that is the question of the day.
I remember in High School, there was a kid in one of my classes and he always took out a red bell pepper at the same time during the class at least 3 times a week, and just began eating it like an apple. Now, I always found this a bit odd since peppers aren’t the cleanest thing to eat (seeds and all) Yet, he just kept on going and ate everything but the core, stem and seeds. Looking back, I applaud him for being so bold in his choice of vegetable eating during class. I did that today too!

ALong side my pepper, I had 1/4 C oats with 6 oz greek yogurt and some blueberries


For lunch, my vegetables were a little more accesible to the mouth. I made a baby spinach salad with yellow pepper, broccoli, cucumbers, mushrooms and 3 oz chicken breast. As you can see the dressing looks like balsamic vinegar, but thicker. I have mentioned the balsamic glaze before on the blog but I still get tons of questions about what exactly it is.
Behold…Balsamic Glaze. Balsamic glaze is essentially reduced balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar that sits over heat for an extended period of time turns into glaze. It is sort of like caramalizing sugar. When you put some sugar and water in a pot it becomes a sugary glaze. It is sweeter than balsamic vinegar but still has that tangy bite. I use much less of it because it is PACKED with flavor. The only down side is that it is a bit expensive in the stores—BUT you can make it! it is super easy!

Fitness Front
I haven’t talked much about my personal life in fitness that much have I? I am just realizing that now! My workouts have been great. Today I did some steady state ellipitcal for my cardio, and later I was in the gym for my leg workout. Next week starts a new month, so that means new training!! As much as I love this months workout, my body is ready for something new! I think the biggest realization I have made since competition prep is the importance of nutrition. It is amazing what huge changes can occur with small adjustments to diet. When trying to lose weight/change body composition nutrition really does stay dominant to the training. Of COURSE exercise is a HUGE piece of the puzzle, but I am just referring to something like training for a competition, the small adjustments I have made in my diet have made a WORLD of difference in changes I am seeing in my body. It is not always easy, but I am focused.
And I rewarded myself with a vanilla milkshake protein shake after my leg workout!

Here is a leg burn workout for you! ITS A GOOD ONE!

Exercise
Reps
Weight
Reverse lunges with knee raise
12 each leg
10-25 lb bar
Jump Squats
10-15
Body weight
Plie squats with heel raise
25
Body weight
Wall sit
:30 sec-2:00 min
Body weight

  • Have you ever had a personal trainer? What is something you would look for in a PT or a group fitness instructor? In a GF instructor, I always like to constantly hear motivation from them. The BEST spin instructors constantly evaluate the class and push them out of their comfort zone.
  • What is one way you motivate yourself to do something whether it be get work done, workout, get out of bed? I always think about in my head how good I will feel AFTER I have it done and out of the way.
  • What is your favorite flavor of milkshake/frappe? I’m a vanilla girl!!


Naomi
Naomi