Personal trainers using unusual training methods

In an often crowded marketplace, staying ahead of the competition as a personal trainer is key. Providing an excellent service that shows results is one way to build up a customer base, but often it can pay to be a little bit different.

A wide range of workouts and techniques are out there for fitness professionals to implement. However, it is often the more unusual training methods that can give PTs the exposure they want.

In recent months, a number of personal trainers have highlighted their unorthodox methods to helping their clients reach their goal.

And while the exercise regimes employed by trainers has a major effect on results, it is often the nutritional direction taken that takes a primary focus. That’s particularly true of a fitness professional in October this year.

Mike Hind, at the benefit of client Darren McLintock, who was aiming to shed a number of stone had a novel idea to improve his eating habits. Hind visited a number of Middlesbrough’s takeaways delivering flyers. On these flyers were requests to ban his client from ordering food there, proclaiming “Save Dibsy. Obesity is killing him. Do not serve this man.”

The plan worked. With no access to his favourite dining institutions, McLintock was able to focus more on his training and has already lost over a stone-and-a-half.

Maths make muscle

It’s not just ingenious diet control that PTs have implemented of late though. One trainer is taking a step-back from physical exertions to use maths to calculate exactly what his clients need.

Stu Mac, from Glasgow, shared his tale of how he’s using his excellent numerical skills to formulate workout plans for his customers. Using the TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) formula, the personal trainer has been calculating the required diet plan and exercise regime for his clients.

Using his client’s BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate), essentially the amount of calories burned by simply doing nothing, he was able to provide a calculation that pin-points exactly how many calories his clients needed to consume alongside his workout plan to meet their goals.

Essentially, and rather over-simplified, people wanting to lose weight should burn more calories than they consume, and those looking to build muscle should look to do the opposite.

With his formula in place, Stu is able to break down a client’s diet program in turns of the percentage of fat, protein and carbohydrates in their diet. And the PT is adamant that it often shows results:

“Although quite a complicated and methodical approach, it works wonders in terms of muscular development allowing the athlete to progress.”

A canine assistant

Sometimes though, a new workout idea doesn’t have to be complicated. Often it is about getting clients in a good frame of mind to work out.

That is certainly the case when it comes to PT Clare Backley and her client Amy Goacher from London. While her PT routine was undoubtedly helping Amy achieve her weight-loss goal, a lot of the credit has been given to Clare’s pooch Cesy.

The cavapoo’s presence at her sessions were enough to put Amy in the right frame of mind to train. Session by session and week by week, with the helping paws of Cesy, the 21-year-old was able to drop a whopping eight stone.

“Cesy would wag her tail and make me laugh, which put me at ease and helped me work out. She’d jump up and kiss me if I was tired, which gave me a quick rest but Clare would soon get me on my next exercises,” she told The Mirror.

“I look forward to my sessions more knowing Cesy is joining me. She knows we’re off to the park to train when I come in the door and is so happy to see me – that’s enough to brighten your mood.”

Depending on your clients, the approach you take will vary from day to day. And that’s the important thing to remember as a fitness professional, the need to be flexible is vital.

If your a PT that employs unusual training methods to help clients reach their goal, let us know what it is on our Facebook page and we’ll share with our followers.

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