Simple often means easy. The more simple something is, the easier it should be to understand. The expression Keep It Simple Stupid, is generally a good rule of thumb. Being a mobile personal trainer working with all manner of clients from professional athletes to reformed couch potatoes I’m often trying to simplify things. We need our clients to understand the exercises that they are doing. We also need them to understand how each sessions fits together to form their fitness training programme and ensure that they achieve their goals. These people do not have the time to study the in depth scientific reasoning that underpins their fitness regime. The most knowledgeable coaches often understand the most about the training process but make it look simple in practice when training athletes. That’s why, generally speaking, simple is best.
Simplifying Fitness is Human Nature
We like simple. It helps us understand the world in which we live. The problem with simplifying everything is that many things in life just aren’t that simple. For example, how many people do you hear discuss their diet in terms of calories in versus calories out? There is no consideration of the type of food consumed, it’s impact upon metabolism and it’s interaction with other macro and micro nutrients. Not all calories are created equal. Another good exercise example are those people chasing 10,000 steps each day. Don’t get me wrong it’s great for increasing awareness about activity levels. However, not all walking is the same – there is incline, terrain, density and duration to consider. Add to this step length and step frequency and motor recruitment to get a fuller picture of the fitness impact the 10,000 steps will have.
Beware of over simplifying fitness training
With the pace of life increasing and modern lifestyles increasing suited to sitting people do not have the time to research the ins and outs of exercise. That’s why we need simple. As Fulham’s leading provider of mobile personal training it’s key to our success. It’s our job to have a deeper understanding of the training process. We need to relay this information and judgements in a simple way to the client or athlete. Fail to acknowledge the detail of fitness training will lead to ineffective, one dimensional training programmes. Each individual represents a unique interaction of biological systems, mechanical efficiency and psychological readiness for fitness training. This is the reason for every programme needing to be unique.
Both you and your personal trainer should regularly check progress. Only through analysis of training plan against results achieved can you refine the next phase of training to reach your fitness goals in the most efficient way. It is also important to remember that perceived failures can be used as positive. If putting a fitness training programme together was easy then we would all be supreme athletes! Review training to identify the aspects that require improvement. Test every aspect of your programme in order to gain a deeper understanding of how your body responds to exercise.