I was whilst sitting in Costa Coffee, Twickenham, after a personal training session in bushy park, thinking about my time as a trainer. Since I started coaching “the next best method of training” has changed more than the ebb and flow of caffeine cravers shuffling in and out of the door. Simply take a look at the covers on any fitness magazine and you’ll see “The Best Way To Lose Weight Right Now” or something similar. Thinking about the the variety of clientele I have had over the years, one thing stood out in my mind. I coached every single one of them differently. Everything from exercise selection to nutritional advice has been different. So how can there be a “best” way?
Fitness Can Be Vague
The simplest answer to the question above (in my opinion) is no, there is no “best” way. However, I am a firm believer in general rules and protocols. We know for a fact that compound exercises with high weight and low reps will improve strength. Conversely, we know that long, slow work will improve endurance. So yes, there are definitely correct approaches to use, I simply believe how they are implement should not be set in stone.
Every single person who reads this blog will be different. Even two 19 year old female hockey players who are the same height and weight will differ hugely. 19 years old, that means they have had 6935 days, or 166,440 hours in which to separate themselves. Every decision they make can effect how I would coach them. One may have injured their ankle while the other their shoulder. They may sit slouched or perfectly straight, one may have gone running every morning for 2 years. My point is that everyone is massively different. This means their training is likely to be too.
Don’t Be Afraid Of Trial And Error
We hate to fail. We can’t ignore the fact that something didn’t work, however we can put it to good use. If something didn’t work it means we now have a chance to explore a thousand other ways to do something. This doesn’t mean we’re going to guess, we’re going to use educated and practiced guidelines and protocols to find what works best for us.
For example, Nathan and I followed the same deadlift program for 6 weeks. Mine improved way more than his. This was mainly down to the fact that i have a low history of traditional strength work than him. In reality Nathan should probably of focused more the specifics of his deadlift instead of general strength. The following cycle I worked on higher rep ranges (because I suck at anything past 3 reps), whilst Nathan focused on low reps but fast movement. At the end of the block we had both improved equally. Two totally different programs elicited the exact same improvement.
The Best Way To Lose Weight For YOU Right Now!
Change the statement and I will happily follow it. Don’t just follow a cookie cutter program that doesn’t YOU into consideration. This is what I love about being a Leading Personal Trainer in Twickenham, London, every session is different, it’s personal. Finding what works for you can be the best way to achieve your goals.