What to Expect From Your Gym Instructor

So you have made a determined decision to get into shape and to be fit and healthy. Since you are new to exercise workouts and nutrition, you have through some recommendations hired a good personal trainer to help you to achieve your goals. However, do you know what to expect from your gym instructor?

The words “gym instructor” may be a bit misleading because a good personal trainer will be able to put you on an excellent exercise program with or without a gym unless you are into bodybuilding. So if you are aiming just to get into shape or for general fitness such as losing weight, you can choose where you want to workout with your trainer as a good instructor can come up with an excellent training program in any conducive environment.

Expect your instructor to conduct a health check along with your present physical fitness conditions. This is because your instructor has got to understand whether you have any adverse medical condition that he/she should be aware of and also to enable your trainer to plan an effective exercise and nutrition program in accordance to your goals and your physical fitness level. Your instructor will also record your weight and body measurements so that there can be a measurable gauge to check your improvements as you go along.

For those of you who have never embarked on an exercise program before, you may be shocked at the intensity of the exercises. If you feel that the exercises are too rigorous, do open up and ask your trainer to slow down. There is nothing to be shy about your low fitness level as after all, you are now taking actions to improve it. Nevertheless, a good and experienced trainer will know your level of fitness by just observing you and will adjust the exercise intensity without being told to do so.

Most trainers will recommend that you meet 3-4 times a week for about an hour each time. After observing you and your progress for a few sessions, a capable instructor should be able to estimate how soon you can achieve your goals. Of course, that will also very much be dependant on yourself whether you are sticking to the program, the nutrition plan and the foods that you eat.

One thing is for sure though. If you do not see any improvements after a couple of weeks, then it is about time you and your trainer will have to sit down and discuss why that is the case. You may even have underlying medical conditions that you may not even be aware of and may have to undergo a medical check up to identify the condition if any.

On the other hand, if you are getting well and you are progressively moving towards your goals, your progression may slow down or come to a screeching halt after a few months of training. This is called reaching a plateau in the fitness industry. It is when your body adapts to the training or even over training.

When this happens, your trainer may recommend that you take a couple of weeks off and the instructor will also plan a new program of different workouts. When you get back to your workouts after the break, and then get hit by a completely different set of exercises, your body will be shock out of its adaptation and you will start to see results again.

So do not be too anxious about what you can expect from your gym instructor and what you can encounter in an exercise program as a good trainer will have it all worked out for you.