I’ve been having several discussions off line with people who are wanting to get in shape, and the net result is that I am going to post some quick guidelines for that and for what I think can be/is an essential part of so doing: getting a personal trainer.
First thing: see your doctor. The older you are, the more out of shape you are, the more you need to check with your doctor to find out if there are things you should not be doing. Not what you should do, but what you shouldn’t do. It may be a hard limit on heart rate (i.e. do not exceed XXX beats per minute no matter what), certain joints that you don’t want to strain, or a limit related to something like diabetes. Even if they say just go do it, you need to take this step.
Second: Find a good personal trainer. I asked mine what he recommended and he suggested strongly that you not only want someone who knows exercise, weights, and biomechanics; but, most of all, you want someone who will listen to you. Listening is critical, because that is how they know what your goals are, or can learn enough about you to help you set goals and then develop a plan to meet them. They will learn about you, and not simply try to shoehorn you into a preset thing that they like to do. Also, one you find a trainer, they can help you find a facility as trainers may work at or with multiple facilities.
Third: Any trainer or facility should put you through a thorough assessment. This will check not only general fitness, but assess each area of the body, your overall cardio fitness, flexibility, and even how well your body is using the oxygen it gets. Not everyone does the latter, but if possible it is something I strongly recommend. Any trainer who would put you immediately into a program without a good assessment is someone you should run from, not merely walk away from. That also holds true for any trainer who tries to make you do things without regard for age or damage. For example, if you’ve had bone spurs removed there are going to be limits on what you should do, so if they tell you to do something the doctor said not to do, run. If they don’t modify things for age, again, run—we all can do things when we are young that we shouldn’t do, but can get away with it (for a while if lucky); or, we can do things then that you simply can’t do from a structural standpoint later (another thing you should discuss with your doctor in step one).
Fourth: In terms of facilities, find one that is reasonably clean and has a good mixture of cardio (elliptical, treadmill, bikes, etc), free weights, and machines. Look also at the brands of equipment, as that can tell you a lot about a place. Me, personally, I now look for Free Motion, Precor, Hammer Strength, and a couple of others. They also should have a working, current AED in place and have a staff that is trained in what to do when things go wrong. Ask them, and then ask around about them. I also tend to stay away from any that demand a huge amount up front, and a continuing payment if you don’t do prescribed steps in a precise order multiple months in advance (sometimes also involving blood, candles, and rituals by moonlight) to resign; or, if they hit you with high pressure and/or high-pressure smoke as soon as you hit the door (why no we don’t have X brand, but we have something even better than that junk...). I also look to see if they have some specialized fitness rooms, where trainers can work with you in privacy on flexibility and more. These often don’t have a lot of weights, but large open areas, mats, balance balls, and more specialized gear for working on such things.
I would also note that a good personal trainer may not be a good or registered physical therapist. Physical therapy is a different animal from personal training, so a therapist may not make a good trainer. That said, a good trainer should have some knowledge of physical therapy.
Working with a good trainer will get you better results faster, without injury, and therefore is worth it. You will get much more bang for your buck with a good one. I’m lucky. I have a great trainer and the place I work out has some excellent staff. Between the trainer, the Nice-Young-Marine (who tries to kill me), and Uncle Fester (another staff member) I get a lot of assistance in meeting my goals safely and as quickly as my general condition allows.
If you happen to be in the Indianapolis area and are looking for an excellent trainer, drop me a line. I will be glad to put you in touch with mine, and while he doesn’t have large amounts of time, I highly recommend any time you can spend with him.
LW
