Personal Trainers Need Training Too

So I've got this friend who's been going to Yoglates off of College Drive here in Baton Rouge... and the first thing that ran through my mind when I heard about it was:

*Yawn*

As a personal trainer, I've been hearing about Pilates and Yoga for years.  The thing is, I'm not skeptical when it comes to the benefits of either method; I actually use modified Yoga and Pilates exercises with my clients. The problem is that I know plenty of people who seem to think that it's a panacea for every health and fitness problem they've got. With that in mind, I've got to constantly remind myself to keep an open mind and expand my horizons a bit. After all, Yoga has been around for thousands of years, and if there's one thing I know, it's that when a training system is that old, and people still practice it, it's because it's actually useful.

You can't say that about the current "functional training" fad where people feel the need to do everything on a stability ball.

Congratulations stability-ball-man, by trying to do everything, you've accomplished almost nothing.

The funny thing is, even though I've lost a potential client or two to Yoglates, I really don't consider them competition, even if they do offer personal training. You see, I only offer two things: rapid fat loss, and strength training for athletes. I talk to women in Baton Rouge all the time who think that doing Yoga or Pilates is enough to get really lean... generally it's not (although there are exceptions). That doesn't mean you won't lose any fat, but you've got to really stimulate your metabolism to get those last few pounds of fat off. Things like the sled draging intervals that we do at our Baton Rouge Boot Camp, or the car pushing rounds that many of my Zachary Personal Training clients have "enjoyed" work quite well.

Yoga is great for health and fitness, but even being a Yogi is no guarantee that you'll get really lean"

At the same time, I know how important it is to actually have someone else train me. I'm not a big fan of doing "recovery" work, which is necessary to balance all of the strength training, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Judo that I do. I'm usually too tired, sore, or lazy to go through this kind of thing on my own; but I can't describe how much better I feel when I actually do it.

The Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III) is a great exercise for anyone with tight hamstrings and weak ankles

Yet I still wonder... How many personal trainers out there are actually being trained by someone? I know most of the big name trainers out there like Paul Chek and Alwyn Cosgrove, are constantly being taught by other professionals. Training myself just isn't the same; I may be missing all kinds of weak points in my program, both physically and mentally. Getting trained by someone else requires a slice of humble pie and a reminder that you don't know it all, and can't do it all. I'm pretty sure that if I didn't have people training and teaching me, I'd become completely full of myself and end up as some sort of local-guru-wannabee/man-whore... *shudder* My wardrobe would probably consist of  one of those personal trainer-circus-performer leotards, a fanny pack, and a vibrant orange spray-tan. OK, I don't think most of that would happen, but I definitely wouldn't improve much.

But I digress.

Now if you're not used to doing a regular exercise or resistance training program, Yoglates is not going to be a "recovery" workout like it is for me. It is a serious challenge in every aspect: strength, flexibility, and muscular endurance. You'll sweat... a lot. A few people swore a lot. Of course, I don't advocate doing Yoga or Pilates if you've got back, hip, or shoulder problems. I'm not talking about being a little "tight" in one joint or another, but serious joint pain or discomfort. Lets look at one example: The Upward Dog (a.k.a Urdhva Mukha Svanasana):

Lumbar Spine Compression is not recommended for anyone with back problems

This can cause serious problems for anyone with lower back pain. Many people already have lordosis (an excessive "arching" of the lower back) due to sitting in an office chair all day. If you're an office worker who's got to sit for hours, you're lumbar spine is already experiencing more than it's fair share of compression throughout the day. If that sounds like you, definitely ditch the "Upward Dog." Once again, context is king. Be smart about what kind of training you decide to do, and make sure someone is challenging you. If you only rely on what you already know, you're going to stagnate. So get out there and try something new.