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Strength training fundamentals: How to properly instruct new customers

Every client and member personal trainerScarborough work with begins their strength training journey with a different baseline and awareness of strength training principles and best practices, which is crucial to keep in mind as trainers and fitness professionals. The science behind strength training is not widely known.

This lack of a deeper knowledge highlights the significance of including education in member dialogues, client training, and new employee training. Whether we are working with an experienced fitness professional who knows how to incorporate more strength training or working with a brand-new client who is unfamiliar with it, it is crucial to assess their baseline knowledge and include educational tips that will help enhance their knowledge and advance their progress.

The following strength training ideas are crucial to include in these discussions as educational topics:

• Stress and Exhaustion
• Progress
• Specificity
• Rest and Recovery
• Hydration and nourishment

AWESOME WEIGHT, OVERLOAD

When to increase the weight size clients are using and how to advance with weight size over time are important concepts for a novice strength training professional to understand. It's crucial to emphasize the value of observation in these evaluations. For instance, a person should check to see if the exercise routine does not feel challenging or if they do not feel weary at the end of a set of exercises with good form (and can easily complete 5–6 additional repetitions).

The fitness principle of progressive overload should be included in this explanation when we inform our clients that this observation can indicate that they are not employing the best weight size.

According to the fitness concept of progressive overload, in order to produce and maintain physiological adaptations from strength training, we must gradually overload the neuromuscular systems. On a related point, it's crucial to emphasize that when we strength train, we actually tear down muscle fibres in an effort to overload the system and make them stronger when we recover.

It is beneficial to feel exhausted by the final repetition of an exercise set (with good technique), be able to move less weight, and perform fewer repetitions at the end of a workout while keeping this goal in mind.

It would be best if you warned your new training clients that they probably won't be able to strength train at the same intensity or use the same load they started with at the beginning of the exercise session when they are using the right weight size and challenging themselves in the workout. By gradually overtaxing the neuromuscular system with the right amount of weight, the body can adapt and get stronger.

A GROUNDRULE FOR PROGRESS

Education on progression is essential because it specifies that one should not increase training time, distance travelled, or weight employed in a particular exercise or activity by more than 10% per week. Following the 10% rule minimizes the risk of overuse injuries while allowing for gradual bodily adaptations.

Tell your clients and members not to be intimidated by lifting larger weights as you advise them to exercise with this 10% rule in mind. However, emphasize to them that maintaining good workout form is more important than gaining weight. Form is more crucial than load or speed. Informing clients that they should start with a 5% increase and reevaluate from there is helpful if they are unsure whether they should continue up by 10%.

What to do when they are in between weight sizes on a particular exercise is another beneficial advice to impart to beginner strength training practitioners. I find that many who are new to strength training are unaware that they can rapidly switch to lighter weights to finish their last repetitions if they tire in the middle of an exercise session.

They are able to further their aims for strength and endurance as a result. By using this advice as necessary, these people will gradually become stronger and finish a whole set with heavier loads. Although these instructional hints may come naturally to fitness experts, they can make a huge impact for people who are new to strength training in general.

POLITICS OF SPECIFICATION

Clients must also be taught the importance of the specificity principle. According to the fitness principle of specificity, the sort of training that is done affects how the body adapts or changes physically. In other words, with practice and skill development, people only become better at what they do. It can be explained in terms of strength training as people get better at what they train for.

I like to use the question "how do I get better at push-ups" as an example when I discuss the notion of specificity with members and clients. Push-ups are a common solution because completing more of them will assist the body adapt to handle higher repetitions and weight for that exercise. Other pectoral strength exercises can assist improve total muscular strength and endurance.

However, we need to practice and perfect a certain movement pattern or activity if we want to get better at it. For instance, running is necessary if someone wants to improve and train their body to run longer distances.

Fitness professionals should instruct beginners in strength training to avoid skipping or reducing exercises that may be challenging for them. What is challenging for someone might be a sign that they need it the most to get stronger.

It is imperative that we, as fitness professionals, inform them of the significance of identifying the specific exercises they should perform to improve their strength. On a similar point, emphasize the value of avoiding doing something difficult even though it hurts.

On this blog on hypertrophy, you can read more about specificity.

REST AND REFUGE

Our muscles have a length-tension relationship that is optimal for training. Physical pain and injury can result from muscles that are either overly long and stretched or overly tight and powerful.

A weekly strength training and fitness program must therefore include active recovery methods, exercises, and rest days, such as dynamic and passive flexibility. It is crucial for fitness professionals to emphasize to new customers and members the value of recuperation and rest in achieving their objectives.

Make careful to educate yourself on this subject to prevent unwanted overuse injuries and over-exercise. Inform prospective clients that the majority of physiological adaptations to strength training occur during rest and recovery, which is frequently the weak link in many fitness regimens. Before it is too late, it is imperative to explain the connection between rest and development as well as the possibility of injuries when rest is lacking.

Discuss the meaning of rest and recovery outside of passive static stretches, dynamic mobility exercises, and foam rolling techniques. Getting enough sleep and consuming the right foods are also essential for rest and healing. It's crucial to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night to aid in the healing process.

Making dynamic mobility and passive stretching a weekly focus, using self-myofascial release, taking a day off from weight training, and taking a day off from stretching are all crucial actions. It's critical to inform members and clients about the value of nutrition and hydration while beginning or strengthening a strength training program, in addition to sleep hygiene and exercise regeneration techniques.

HYDRATION & NUTRITION

As a fitness professional, I advocate supporting nutrition and hydration tactics that will assist everyone (not just athletes) in performing well in both daily activities and strength training workouts.

It is crucial to inform new clients about their need for water before, during, and after exercise. There are methods to assist make these suggestions very personalized for each person. However, as a general rule of thumb, one should consume at least 20 ounces about 60 to 90 minutes before an exercise, about 4-6 ounces (four to six gulps) every 15 minutes while working out, and about 16 to 24 ounces after.

In terms of nutrition, it's critical to inform members about the value of pre- and post-workout food. The responsibility of a fitness expert includes educating clients on the value of having a balanced breakfast at least two hours before exercising.

Additionally, if they were unable to consume a full meal, describe the advantages of consuming a healthy snack about 30 minutes prior to a strength-training session. In addition to pre-workout, discuss post-workout activities with them and assist in kicking off the recovery process.

Inform prospective clients that they should consume a nutritious snack (including lean protein and complex carbs) within a 30- to 45-minute window following an exercise as a general guideline. The sooner they do this, the better for their body and healing, they should be made aware of as well.

Educate them on the "why" underlying all of this data. Discuss how having enough of the proper kind of carbs can help enhance recovery and refill energy stores, as well as how getting enough protein supports tissue repair.

In conclusion, it's critical to bear these instructional suggestions in mind while working with brand-new clients. To develop a lasting awareness of strength training optimal techniques, this instruction is crucial.