Recently I have experienced a few examples of people not showing up for training or delaying training because they want to get fit first. One person wants to get fit before they start their sessions. Another one wants to get in shape before they try the CrossFit Open (it’s a small competition that a few people around the world do – you’ve probably never heard of it)! Both cases make little sense to me. However, it is a common psychology for people when it comes to improving their fitness. We naturally like to feel accomplished. As a result, we want to feel that we are performing well within our sessions. For this reason, we want to keep the sessions where we struggle or feel that we underperform, firmly to ourselves.
As a highly experienced personal trainer throughout Fulham and south west London, here I list several reasons why this is an ineffective strategy.
Flying solo hasn’t served you well up to this point
I always wonder what changes for the individual who wishes to get in shape before starting their fitness campaign. The very fact that they are already unfit is evidence enough that they perhaps lack the personal motivation to get the job done themselves. Having reached the point of seeking external help in the form or personal trainer would suggest they flying solo is not going to work.
You need to draw a line in the sand
Whatever your starting point, your first session is your line in the sand. Very few people are 100% happy with where they sit fitness wise! Embarking on your first official session, whether its a group or team training session versus a one to one pt, becomes your line in the sand. It’s going to show you where you are at and how far you’ve got to go. It will help to guide your training in the future. Ultimately, it takes some of the guess work away.
Take the example of the girl who doesn’t want to do this years CrossFit Open. Her rationale is that next year she will be fitter and therefore do better. Anyone who has actually done the Open will know that it exposes every weakness you have – no one leave the Open feeling like they nailed it. Diving in at the deep end and doing it this year will show what needs to be worked upon for next year. Think of it as ‘peeing in the wind’ if you don’t!
Improved training efficiency
Working with a Fulham personal trainer makes training more efficient. The expertise is valuable, but so too is the motivation that training with someone else or within a group setting. Not only is training much more effective, you get more ‘bang for your buck’. The real art of training design is getting the maximum fitness gains on the least amount of training time.