When a person is a beginner and starts in the world of fitness, we cannot demand a technique of Mister Olympia: this is a clear fact, because the road is made by walking. Therefore, it requires time, adaptation of the client and hard work to get transmit everything we, as trainers, know and to meet their goal. It is not a simple task and if we add to that that the person has obesity, not only will we have to be aware of the technical part of sports activity, but there are several factors to which we will have to pay special attention. Therefore, we have made a top with tips that do not hurt to remember if you are training people with this condition or want to start doing so and, consequently, become the best personal trainer possible.
1. Consider nutrition and hydration
Seems obvious, does not? If the person is obese, it is necessary to look at their diet, either actively because we have the training or because in the training team there is a dietitian or nutritionist, or indirectly.
However, when you start training it is normal for people to go to extremes like restrictive diets or stop eating. This can cause the client to faint in the middle of training and injuries may occur. The opposite can also happen: the person consumes a high amount of heavy or ultra processed foods that prevent the good practice of exercise, in addition to the possibility that they could feel stomach ache, nausea and they may even vomit.
If we talk about sport, it is mandatory to refer to the part of hydration. A much more complex one as many people do not drink water during exercise even if their body asks for it. This is a mistake, since dehydration is one of the most dangerous factors at the time of training, so it is a good practice remembering during the activity that they should drink water. Therefore, as with food, good hydration prevents injuries, helps regulate temperature and gives time to set the rhythms and continue training at 100% energy.
2. Put the emphasis on warm-up
Teaching and emphasizing good warm-up is basic. The importance of this is mainly due to the usefulness for user mobility. Starting a workout directly without a good warm-up will have a high probability of unfortunate consequences, since its absence can be a direct cause of dislocations, tears, cramps and sprains.
The person may be harmed by not spending at least 15 minutes warming up. Moreover, it must be done in a personalized way, simply reminding the client to focus on those points where an injury may result, either because he or she has previously been injured or has discomfort. We must always remember that it is better to "waste time" in the warm-up than to try to dedicate the maximum time possible to the activity, as well as that by waiting a little more the only thing that will happen is that it will be gained in health.
3. Listen to the customer
Sometimes we forget it, but as a trainer you will be a reference in your class and the customer will always have doubts, sometimes they will be very simple and sometimes you will have to take them out by yourself as a professional.
The important thing is to be aware, since we will know the situation of the person if we stop to listen to him or her and, later, look for a solution. From the first moment it is essential to ask if they have trained before, if they have had any injuries either muscle or bone, if they have any kind of impairment with any exercise... any information that makes us know the customer better and makes him feel at home will help not only to create a quality environment, but also to provide the best possible service.
4. Encourage motivation
Starting to train when you are overweight or obese is not easy, it usually requires a small flame that activates the person to change and the trainer should take care of it and feed it with more wood to meet the goals, which are not simple.
Reaching the goal goes through many insecurities, moments of abandonment and physical pain. That is where our part of "psychologists" as trainers has to go out and adapt to each client, since each is a world. In this way, you can have profiles that need that euphoric coach who cheers, shouts and seems to never waste his energy; while others will require the one who focuses a little on him, this added to creating a group that works together to achieve the goal together.
5. Do not forget stretching
To stretch out will help to maintain the performance that is needed. It should be performed before (something that most customers do not remember) and after the exercise, having, consequently, two types:
Ballistic stretching prior to exercise..
Static stretching at the end.
On the other hand, it is important to stretch out the muscles that we thought it will be trained the most, but once the physical activity is finished, stretching should be done in order to decrease the pulse (return to calm), promote circulation and eliminate lactic acid. If during exercise long breaks are done, it could be beneficial and helpful to avoid the loss of elasticity and facilitate muscle recovery.
Therefore, a full, intense, long-lasting and frequent muscle stretching job will make the customer’s performance improve.
6. Working in good postural hygiene
Sedentary lifestyle is associated with overweight and is usually common in jobs where it is easy to end up acquiring bad postures such as a position in an office, producing muscle stiffness and muscle trimming. All of this complicates the performance of certain movements, so it requires that we pay attention to improve and maintain the correct position of the body, in order to prevent pain and injuries, learning to protect primarily the spine.
7. Do not stop learning
And, of course, the last point is that we all know that it is very important but that we leave aside. "I start on Monday" Does that ring a bell? Sometimes, because of routine fatigue or because we focus too much on work, we stop updating. Do not leave aside the training: every day new studies come out, either of nutrition, psychology or workouts that help us to be a better trainer for the customer, in addition to endless complementary information, such as marketing courses, video editing to upload online content, the point is to not stop moving and be active both at work and in your learning.
If anyone knows about never stopping and always being up-to-date on information, it is the AreaZero team, which has trainers ready for you to be always up-to-date with everyone’s fitness, so you can become the best professional possible. Contact us, you will not regret it.