Get your free monthly E-Newsletter containing short articles and Health and Fitness news

Newsletter

Once a month (usually about the 10th) we send out a complimentary newsletter to over 3500 subscribers. It contains short articles and relevant industry news that you'll enjoy reading. Also if there are any special offers, they'll be put in the newsletter first.

 

Dear Health and Fitness Enthusiast,

Weclome to the Febuary 2010 edition of the BABY Training newsletter.

As a Personal Trainer, your first consultation with a potential client should be similar to being on a good first date.

By that I mean Keep It Simple Stupid!

Personal Trainers can make life overly complicated for clients, especially in the beginning of the ‘relationship’.

Imagine yourself as a new personal training client who has been asked to:

1.    Complete a weekly food diary with mood icons

2.    Think about all your goals

3.    Prioritise your goals

4.    Think about why those goals are important

5.    What do you like do to in your spare time

6.    Why do you smoke

7.    Do you prefer mornings or afternoons

8.    How would you feel if you didn’t achieve you goals

9.    What type of exercise do you like or dislike

10.  What barriers will try to stop you achieving your goals.... and so on

All these questions are valid, but asking too many in one sitting can put some clients off. Spend the first consultation getting to know them more as person rather than someone to be ‘fixed’ and you’ll find that you’ll establish trust and rapport is built faster.

Copyright © Simon Bubb 2010

---

Exercise and Ageing

The aim of this article is to review a couple of the general changes that happen in the body as we age and to indentify some of the basic exercise considerations. For the purpose of this article, let’s look at someone like my Dad, he is 68 years old, active and very independent, however there are changes happening in his body due to either the ageing process or a decrease in levels of physical activity of the past 15 or so years that need to be taken into account when writing or reviewing an exercise programme.

Some of the changes that happen in the muscles as we age are;

·        Reduced numbers of muscle fibres (FT / type 2)

·        As much as 30% by the time we are 80

·        Reduced size of muscle fibres

·        Reduced number of nerves that stimulate the muscle fibres

·        Reduction in growth hormone

The above changes may well cause;

·        Decrease strength

·        Decrease power

·        Increase chance of falls

·        Decrease in bone density

·        Increase in fat mass

·        An average adult loses between 5-7lbs muscle every 10 years (Evans 1992)

The programming considerations would be to focus on the following muscles;

·        Calves

·        Gluteus maximus

·        Quadriceps

·        Hamstrings

·        Erector spinae

To help;

·        Improve function

·        Reduce the risk of falls

·        Improve balance 

Some of the general exercise guidelines;

·        Progress at a slower pace

·        Increase reps (from 8 to 15) before intensity

·        Take the resistance up 5% then drop the reps down to 8 and start again

·        Allow longer for the specific adaptations before increasing overload

·        Slow controlled repetition speed, through the full range of movement

·        1 set seems to be very effective

·        Longer recovery between sets 

·        Remain focused on good technique and performance of the exercise

·        2 to 3 days recovery

·        Everyday functional exercises

·        Target postural and pelvic floor muscles

Changes to the nervous system include;

·        Reduced information from proprioceptors of the body

·        Changes inside ears related to balance (hairs and fluid)

·        Reduction in the ability to block out background noise

·        Changes to the eyes - reduced ability to see depth, increase in sensitivity to glare

The above changes may well cause;

·        Reduction in information coming into the CNS

·        Slower procession time

·        Reduced balance

·        Reduced agility

·        Reduced co-ordination

·        Slower reactions

·        Poorer short term memory

Some teaching guidelines;

·        Ensure client can see and hear you

·        Work from a stable base

·        Allow more practice time

·        Balance drills (functional)

·        Continual visual and verbal reinforcement of posture and performance

·        More repetitions

·        Exercise modifications (reduce speed and complexity)

·        Exercise in well lit areas

·        Consider the noise levels in the working environment

·        Take time moving from floor to standing

According to the office of National statistics (2008) 23% of the population will be over the age of 65 by 2033 and in 2008 there are 1.3 million individuals over the age of 85 years and in 2008 there were 509,000 deaths, the lowest ever recorded. We are an ageing population. Having the knowledge and skills to train this client group is becoming ever more important.  We also need to take into account that this client group although harder to attract as members, once they are members, they stay much longer.

Copyright © Keith Smith 2010

 

Would you like to contribute articles? Drop us an email with your contribution of less than 400 words and if it's good enough we'll publish it!