I can’t help but feel like this month’s blog favorites are somewhat of an abridged guide on how to be an effective personal trainer. First, let’s help steer our clients away from toxic diet culture and this insistence that foods be “good” or “bad”, eliminated or embraced. We need ALL our macros (and micros!) to be healthy, to recover, and to grow in all the right ways. Poor carbs got a bad rap because of, well—sugar! Many of our refined carbs are devoid of nutrients and added sugars contribute to an overall carb count, but we don’t have to punish fruit and sweet potatoes for that, do we?
Our connective tissue series was a hit this month too, which makes me happy, because let’s be honest—our muscles can’t do anything without their tendons, and our clients do much when these rubbery friends are injured. Let’s stay informed on how to keep these tissues pliable, and prevent injuries before they happen.
And once you’ve got all that squared away, you can excite your non-compliant clients with a tutorial on a kettlebell goblet clean—a great prep and power movement all in one!
Consequences of Low-Carb Intake
Personal trainers need to be prepared to properly educate their clients on all things fitness and nutrition-related, given the amount of misinformation and fad diets that have become ubiquitous over the years. Among those pervasive myths that require dispelling is the insistence that low-carb intake is necessary for fat loss.
Added Sugar
In today’s world of on-the-go, fast-paced lifestyles, convenience has come to play an important role in the lives of many Americans, including many of the clients you may work with and their diet choices. This means they consume more processed foods than nutrient-rich whole foods that take more time to prepare. In addition to less nutrient-dense foods consumption, virtually all processed foods contain added sugar. Lurking added sugar leading to sugar overconsumption can have more of an impact than many probably realize.
Understanding Tendons and Ligaments
Tendons are comprised of thick, rubbery white tissue. Every muscle has a tendon on each end that attaches the muscles to the bone. Any kind of skeletal movement, from walking to lifting weights, happens because the muscle contracts and pulls on the tendon, which in turn pulls on the bone and moves it.
Ligaments are also attachment tissues, but they connect one bone to another and hold the joints together. Ligaments are thinner and less elastic than tendons. Although tendons and ligaments and don’t have the capacity to build a large network of blood vessels, per se, it is possible to manipulate the adaptive process to lead them to their greatest possible development.
How to do a Kettlebell Goblet Clean
If your clients ever press or squat with a kettlebell then teaching them how to do a kettlebell goblet clean will certainly behoove their efforts. The goblet clean is a continuation of the deadlift, where the kettlebell is lifted up to your chest. Learning the proper form of course is not only safer, but also smoother when transitioning from the ground to standing.
Redirecting Non-Compliant Clients
To a large extent, our daily lineup of clients often dictates our frame of mind. While we strive to uphold professionalism and treat each person as an individual with unique needs and goals, all trainers work with “that person”: the individual who just never seems focused upon his training session. Here’s how trainers can redirect non-compliant clients.
