Personal Training: Program Design Articles

client: Christopher | personal trainer: Ginny Pietila, personal trainer and owner, MI Athletic lub | location: Mercer Island, Washington

It was 2014 and Jill McKay was at a critical juncture. For the past decade, she had thought of herself as "just a mom," yet recently the idea of founding a fitness organization had begun to consume her. The problem? McKay lacked both confidence and the know-how to get started. Soon, however, she'd find her first step—and the catalyst to fulfilling her aspirations—underneath the Christmas tree.

Clients who want more muscularity need to face one of the most fundamental facts of skeletal muscle hypertrophy: Training to failure is crucial to building bigger muscles. Two original research studies reinforce this reality while offering meaningful new insights into hypertrophy training.

At what age does a person become old? Is it 50 or 65 or 75? I've known healthy 75-year-olds who could outrun, outswim and outlift me, and I've known diseased 60-year-;olds who'd be short of breath walking to the mailbox.

Shaka Fitness® in Cleveland puts a new twist on an old favorite with SUP Pool Yoga. While yoga on a standup paddleboard is not a new idea—especially in locations where people have access to ocean or lakes—this offering utilizes an indoor pool. This allows participants to experience the core-strengthening and balance-training benefits of yoga on the water year-round. Even better, the predictability of indoor weather conditions allows the facility to maintain a consistent schedule.

At several City Surf Fitness locations in Texas and Louisiana, City Surf offers participants the benefits of surfing—even though there aren’t any waves nearby. According to the website, the class is taught on SURFSET® RipSurfer X boards and features “fun surf-inspired movements, utilizing surfer-specific muscle groups.” Classes are open to every fitness level, and instructors provide modifications for more or less intensity.

While not exclusive to men, Yo-Bro YOGA at RIO Pilates & Yoga Studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a high-energy class that allows practitioners to explore their physical limits. Catering to the masculine energies of both men and women, the program offers techniques for strength building and endurance—as well as opportunities for arm balances and inversions. Participants are rewarded for their efforts with craft beer at the end of class.

Rest is often a carefully thought-out variable in strength training routines. Rightly so, suggests research published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (2015; 29 [11], 3079–83). The study found that resting too little or too much can negatively impact ratings of perceived exertion and the number of repetitions exercisers complete.

At multiple locations throughout the country, Equinox offers The Pursuit, an indoor cycling experience that combines video game technology and visuals to create a competitive and interactive ride. There are two class options available— Burn, which aims for maximum calorie expenditure, and Build, suited for cyclists who focus on distance and endurance.

Do you ever wonder which city governments are most welcoming to personal trainer entrepreneurs? Thumbtack, an organization that connects consumers with services, conducted a survey to find out. The survey featured questions about licensing, usability of government websites and availability of resources for business growth, and 751 personal train- ing business owners responded. Thumbtack analyzed the results and produced the following Top 10 list of “friendliest” cities for personal trainers: