Personal Trainer Overview

I am a big believer of muscle confusion and shocking the muscles. I try to mix in resistance training (strength and/or endurance), cardio training, explosive movements, core and abs together. This challenges the body which leads to quicker gains and faster goal accomplishments. I like to have my clients perform different workouts each time to constantly shock their bodies and prevent boredom/ monotony. You may only do the same workout twice a year. I like to have my clients do movements/ exercises they would do in everyday life. Example, people bend over to pick up things like a box, so an exercise I would have them do would be a squat and curl to simulate that movement. I also try to concentrate on strengthening the back, core and leg muscles; since we are mostly in flexion and/or most people have bad posture. Having a strong back and core can help prevent so many common injuries; for example: back problems, hernias and knee problems. I try to focus on compound movements and supersets to help use as much inner cellular energy as possible.

Training Philosophy

The reason I got into this industry was to help people. As you may already know, more and more Americans are becoming obese for numerous reasons. People have low self esteem, are depressed, embarrassed, have negative attitudes and etc. My job is to fix this. It means the world to me if I can help a client change their life by helping them achieve their goals. People will have more energy; feel better about themselves, more confidence and so on. The first thing I try to do with people is just to get them feeling good about themselves mentally and physically and becoming pain free. Once we accomplish that we can worry about other things like weight loss, muscle gains and etc. To kind of sum up what I have above in the first question: I am not a big fan of machines; I concentrate on free weight exercises and movements. The only time I would use machines would be for beginners because their muscles aren’t use to those movements. Machines are ok but they tend to assist you too much with support and they control the movements for you. Free weights are better for balance, full range of motion and stability when doing an exercise, which in my opinion will lead to faster gains. I have clients asking me how do I firm/ tone up? How do I lose my belly? What’s the secret to getting abs? The answer that people don’t like to hear is diet. What I mean by diet is healthy eating, not heavy restriction. I’m not a fan of diets because they are only for short term results and most of them are unhealthy for the body over long periods of time. The biggest diet trend I hate is “cutting carbs.” I constantly have to explain to people why you shouldn’t do it. I tell my clients eat as healthy as you can and the weight will come off. It may take a little bit longer but you will keep the weight off, you won’t feel tired or have a lack of energy and your body won’t miss the junk food you use to love. Flexibility is probably the most important thing when it comes to exercise. I have a ruptured disc between my L4 and L5 so I know from experience. I cannot emphasize enough how much of an advantage it is when you are flexible. It helps prevent injuries, it’s good for joints and tissues, you are able to do more dynamic and advanced exercises through a full range of motion, it alleviates stiffness and pain etc. I see too many people not properly warm up and stretch which puts your body at a disadvantage before you even start your routine. Motivation is tough because everyone is different. I like to ask people in the initial screening how hard they want to be pushed, what motivates them (passive or aggressive approach), do they like to be in a secluded room or out where everyone can see and etc.

Education

M.S. Exercise Physiology/ Fitness B.S. Sports Management Advanced Cardiovas Physiology, Measurement & Eval in Phys Ed, First Aid & CPR - Prof Rescuer, Concepts Motor Learng & Devlpm, Human Dynamic of Sports & Exrc, Sport Management, Sport Planning/Promotion, Sports Leadership, Foundations of Physical Educ, Principles of Coaching, Legal Asp of Physical Activity, Musculoskel Anatomy I:Up Extr, Musculoskel Anatomy II:Lo Extr, Nutrition for Sports, Physiol Muscular Actvty & Exer, Motv Aspects Physical Activity, Lab Instrumnt and Tech in Exercise Nutrition Fundamentals. Internship at Evolve Sports Performance: Medina, Ohio. January 2010- March 2010. Instructor/ Coach/ Trainer: - Instructed/ trained/ shadowed 1 on 1 personal training session (beginners- elite athletes). - Instructed group exercise classes: Incorporated resistance training, core training, explosive movements and cardio training together (beginners- elite athletes). - Coached/ taught proper form, technique and fundamentals for different exercises and plyometrics. - Worked with dumbbells, kettle bells, sandbags, hurdles, platforms, steppers, free weights, ab rollers, boxes, bosu balls, medicine balls, exercise balls, rubber bands, ropes and tires. - Preformed different body composition tests: skinfold, waist to hip, girth measurements and BIA (bioelectrical impedance). Wadsworth Fitness Zone: Wadsworth, Ohio. January 2010- present. Personal Trainer: - Construct individual exercise programs to meet client’s goals. - Construct specific programs to alleviate client’s pain, discomfort, stress, stiffness and etc. - Educate people on general exercise knowledge: nutrition, proper form, physiology, anatomy, movements, exercises and etc. - Help coach/ instruct sports performance classes. - Deal with memberships and applications.

Bio

I am currently 24 years of age and have been active in sports and fitness my entire life. These mainly include: football, basketball, baseball, golf and volleyball. I have a bachelors in Sports Management from the University of Akron and am in the last year of my masters program where I will be a graduate student of Exercise Physiology and Fitness. I am certified with the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT-CPT) to operate as an independent personal trainer. Working with others and helping individuals achieve their goals is something that I really enjoy. I realized this through my experiences in coaching and training both adults and children in sports and physical fitness over the years.