Athletic. “Why do I need this?” “I don’t need to be.” This is what my 75 year old client told me the other day. If you come from a sports background, you know the benefits of being athletic. However, for those that do not, this is where a trainer must explain how your training program translates to a better quality of life.
First, it is important to explain to a client to understand that fitness has multiple components and it is vital to incorporate them in a training program. These components are: strength, cardiovascular endurance, core, balance, and flexibility. Training a client in this matter will allow him/her to be stronger, leaner, and importantly, minimizing the risk of injury.
“a better version of you.”
Secondly, is to define the term athletic for your client. I like to use “a better version of you.” I train a lot of people in their 70’s and they don’t need to be jumping onto a 24″ box or squatting 200-lbs. What they want is to improve their balance so they don’t fall or get flexible so they are moving better. Hence, it is imperative to train on different platforms and incorporate a lot, A LOT, of stretching. For example, I use a agility ladder for all my clients. The older clients, I use it to reinforce picking up the feet when they step. For my athletes, I use it for speed drills. Depending on the client, each exercise can serve a different purpose.
Ultimately, we train to improve quality of life. Whether your goal is to lose weight, increase muscle mass, improve sports performance, reduce stress, we gravitate to exercise to solve these issues. As personal trainers, we must explain why we do certain exercises and how it benefits our clients. So when clients ask why they need to be athletic, tell them who doesn’t want to be stronger, leaner, stable, and more mobile? I think I know what he/she will say. Hope you enjoyed this week’s blog. Stay tuned for more next Wed…………………..Kei