Andrew Read

How do you pick the workout that's right for your client?

High reps, low reps, steady state cardio, kettlebells, olympic lifts, complexes, boxing, running - so many ways that all will help make someone better physically, but which are the most important?

Stick with me for a minute while I illustrate my point with a story...

A college professor walked into a classroom carrying an empty beer pitcher.

He asked the class if it was full and was met with a resounding NO.

So he took some fist sized rocks and placed them in the pitcher until he couldn't fit anymore in. He asked again if it was full. The class loudly told him that YES the pitcher was full.

In response he took some smaller rocks, pebbles, and started putting them into the pitcher. These went in between the big rocks and again he kept pouring them until he couldn't fit anymore in. When he again asked if the pitcher was full the class, sure of themselves, again responded that it was completely full.

This time he took some sand and poured it into the gaps. The sand kept going in, right down to the bottom, filling in the smallest of gaps. Finally when the pitcher was full of sand the class all said that this time it had to be completely full.

Quietly he took another pitcher filled with water and began pouring it in. It ran into even the smallest of gaps, finally filling the pitcher completely so that there were no gaps at all.

Now the professor agreed that the pitcher was full and that nothing more could be put in the pitcher. But he explained that if he hadn't put in the big rocks first, that if had begun with the water and the sand that there would have been no room for the most important items.

And training is just like that. So many Personal Trainers make the mistake of using the small stuff with their clients before the big things have been adequately taken care of. If your client can't do push ups why would you use a TRX? If they can't squat with just their bodyweight on flat ground why would they need to do squats on a Bosu ball?

All the gadgets, the gimmicks, the entertainment, are small rocks at the very best. The things that make the biggest difference are the basics. At the very basis of all our physical efforts lie 4 factors, of which training is only a small part of.

The items, in order of importance are:

1) Nutrition

It doesn't matter how hard you train if your diet is crap. If you're eating double what your calorie expenditure for the day is there is no way you can hope to lose weight. Likewise, if you're actually eating the right amount of calories, but the wrong type, you can't hope to show the full benefits of your training.

We are what we eat - don't allow your clients to be cheap and fast.

It is physically possible to only train a certain number of hours per week. Even if someone exercises for an hour a day, that leaves 161 hours a week to ruin it all. With so many opportunities to destroy the good work done in the gym it is vital that the nutritional side of things is optimal. No amount of training can overcome poor nutritional choices.

2) Training

When properly supported by good nutrition training is the next most important piece of the puzzle. Truthfully, if the diet is good as long as people are training hard and often they will see good results. It is important to remember that while training is a key element of the 4 building blocks it is not while we train that we improve, it is while we rest. Which leads me to...

3) Lifestyle

Even if you're eating well and training hard you won't see results if you're staying out all night, taking drugs and drinking till you can't see straight. Recovery is an essential element of the 4 building blocks. The only way for people to truly have the body they desire is to understand that they need to integrate their diet, training and recovery into their lifestyle. When they automatically choose healthy food options, regulate their sleep to get 8 hours a night and ensure that they are able to exercise regularly they are well on their way to success.

4) Supplements

Everyone tries to start at the top step thinking that protein shakes, creatine and thermogenics will help them. They might, but only when the other 3 blocks are in place first. They're called supplements for a reason. If your clients aren't already eating 5-7 good meals a day, training well and sleeping right no pill or potion in the world is going to really dramatically change their body's, no matter what the ads in the muscle mags will tell you.

In the next instalment I will begin with the 4 Big Rocks of results based programming, now that the "boulders" of Personal Training are in place.