Personal Training: The Nutritional Know How

Personal training is a very highly sought after career for many, and training to become one is incredibly accessible. With an abundance of courses available to choose from, you can quickly gain the education and qualifications that are needed to become a successful personal trainer.

However, becoming a personal trainer is no easy feat. To be successful you have to be in peak physical condition, ensuring that your body can keep up with the demand of long hours of exercise with minimal rest. Nutrition is the key here – fuelling your body with the right foods will not only keep you healthy, but it will work to give your body the energy it needs, as well as help to repair and recover after a long day of working out.

The three key elements

There are three main things that personal trainers should make sure they are getting enough of in their diet – carbohydrates, protein and water.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are one of the most important nutrients when it comes to working out. Once broken down into glucose, it is stored in the liver and muscles to be used as fuel, thus delaying fatigue, which is ideal for a personal trainer as back to back client appointments are a reality of the job.

It is important to keep your glucose stores filled by consuming plenty of carbs, as inadequate stores will result in the body going to other nutrients such as fat and muscle protein to utilise as energy. Keeping your glucose store high will enable protein to do its main job, which you can learn about below.

Carbohydrates can be found in food such as potatoes, brown rice, pasta, lentils and cereal.

PT Nutrition - Carbohydrates

Protein

Protein is another incredibly important nutrient for personal trainers to be consuming, however it is especially important to consume after a workout. Exercise does structural damage to your muscle tissues, and this is where protein comes in, as it is responsible for repairing and rebuilding your muscles after exercise. The quicker your muscles recover from fatigue, the quicker you can train again. That’s one way of getting fitter and stronger.

Protein can be found in white meat, fish, eggs, beans, soy and dairy.

PT Nutrition Meat

Water

Water might seem a little obvious, however it is something a lot of people forget. It helps to regulate your body temperature and also to lubricate your joints, making it easier for you to perform your exercises. However, the most important job that water does is transporting the important nutrients around the body to give you energy and to keep you healthy. Not keeping yourself hydrated during exercise means that you won’t be able to perform to your highest ability, you will fatigue faster and could experience muscle cramps.

Making sure you are feeding and fuelling your body with what it needs to perform for long periods of time at a high standard will lead to success as a personal trainer and set you apart from the rest.

PT Nutrition advice - Water

Once you have the know-how and the qualifications to become a personal trainer, there is one thing that you cannot forget. By ensuring you are fully covered for Public Liability claims with suitable Personal Trainer Insurance you can practice with peace of mind. Get cover using our quick quote system below.

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