Top 3 Workout Mistakes / Save $100 on Personal Training

The greatest value of a PPT fitness program isn't counting reps or keeping you accountable.  

It's not even bringing our wide variety of changing equipment or giving you the "pep talks" needed to make each session count.

More than any other benefit, PPT keeps your program's evolution appropriate - introducing the right components in the right way at the right times.  


We've interviewed 10 of our top fitness coaches and asked them where people without a PPT program tend to go wrong the most.  Their collaborative answers provided tremendous insight that we think can help everybody reading this:

#3.  Nutrition and recovery methods:

Recovery is one of the most critical and overlooked parts of any fitness and wellness program. 

Left to their own decision-making, most people will finish an intense workout and miss the necessary opportunities to aid the body's recovery.  This not only minimizes the benefit of a workout, but it actually impedes the next one from being more beneficial.  

Have you ever had an injury but were not quite sure of the cause?  This is often due to failing to effectively stretch muscles that need it after a vigorous workout, or failing to properly foam roll or "release" muscles and connective tissue from stresses. 

Post-workout fat burning, joint recovery, and muscle growth also all depend on treating your muscles right after exercise, and those rely on getting the right selection of nutrients, hydration, and sleep factors as well.  Most people who don't engage with an in-depth, science-minded program miss huge opportunities to avoid injury and prepare readily for their next workout. 

#2.  Intensity selection:

All ten PPT providers that we spoke with named this as a key problem for exercisers everywhere.  The muscles, heart, lungs, bones and joints all require just the right amount of intensity to better themselves.  Too little is a waste of time, and too much can damage them. 

The understanding of how much intensity is just enough and how much is overkill literally takes years of schooling to deeply comprehend.

Gyms and boot camps are full of people using less-than-ideal weights or moving at the wrong speeds for ultimate success.  Think about what makes a top athlete versus a moderate one. Is it luck? Genetics? Or, is it the science behind the ever-changing decisions? The resistance placed on the energy systems and musculoskeletal system is key to avoiding injury while maximizing success.

#1.  Last-minute adjustments:

A very common theme from all of our trainers is that they never follow their written plan 100% or even 50%, because so much changes in the heat of a fitness session. 

Client's sleep, nutrition, frame of mind, and many other factors all play into their abilities and capacities, and only a well-trained professional can interpret the clues and capitalize optimally to get the biggest results in the shortest amount of time.

PPT fitness leaders are experts in those last-minute tweaks that make a stretch, cardiovascular exercise or strength protocol find just the right modification to be maximally safe and beneficial.  

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F.I.T.T. Exercise Programming with Perfect Personal Training

All exercise is not created equal!

While fitness classes can be a fun way to get motivated and exercise with friends, the FITT principles of your workout are not yours, but someone else's.

FITT refers to the four critical variables that make up an exercise session.  If the variables are ideal, you get the BEST bang for your buck and use of your time.  When they aren't, there is a higher risk for injury and there is just plain less productivity.

FITT stands for Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type.




The last one, "Type", is the one most people connect with:  "What exercise am I doing?" Whether it's sprints, lunges, the overhead press or any other form of exercise, the "type" only tells us what the exercise is and nothing else. It is the other three points below that make the difference between BIG results or little ones, and between SAFETY and risk.

The first variable, "Frequency", refers to the frequency at which you're accomplishing the exercise. Performing an exercise once per month certainly has smaller benefits than accomplishing it three times per week.  Each of your fitness goals and each point of preventive health has its own ideal frequency for a given exercise.  Your Perfect Personal Trainer helps you to not only do the right exercise (the "type") for a given goal, but at a frequency that is safe and highly beneficial.

The second refers to the "Intensity" at which you're doing something.  These recommendations are all based on a percentage of your estimated capacity. 

If the maximum weight that you can squat is your bodyweight plus 30 additional pounds, then it's PPT's job to program the right percentage of that intensity in each workout.  Some strategies involve a variety of intensities, often ranging from 50% to 90% of your capacity. This level of planning and education is what has made PPT so successful for over 14 years.

Finally, we discuss the "Time" you spend on an exercise.  This is measured in repetitions, minutes or seconds.  Many of our clinically-driven endurance strategies involve a longer amount of time (ie, 15-20 repetitions, or even several minutes of a given exercise) whilst the text behind strength enhancement often suggests shorter periods of time.  

Other variables that factor into PPT decision-making include medical factors, personal preference, and the amount of time we have in a session.  Perfect Personal Trainers throughout the country are balancing our clients' needs and prioritizing their session time to maximize benefits while minimizing risk.

Visit us today at http://perfectpersonaltraining.com or call (877)698-3648

5 Ways Exercise Makes You More Successful

Perfect Personal Trainers throughout the country love seeing clients become more successful, not just in terms of muscle, longevity and bodyfat, but in each client's professional and personal life, also. See these five big ways that the right kind of exercise program (not just any exercise) makes you more successful in life as well as fitness!

Increased Mental Focus
Job promotions, negotiations and business dealings of all kinds rely on focus.  Brain fog, sluggish thinking and a general lack of alertness is common for people without the right kind of fitness program, and this can only hurt, not help, your road to success. Just think how much more you can accomplish in a day with more mental clarity.

Confident Physical Presence
"How you do one thing is how you do everything."
What does that quote tell others about the way you take responsibility for your appearance and value yourself?  Successful people hold themselves - and their fitness - in a high regard.  They are valued and they value themselves.  A person who is overweight, has slumped shoulders, and poor posture generally doesn't exude the same level of confidence that a fit, lean person with great skin and healthy posture exudes.

A Sense of Calm

Vigorous, clinically-appropriate workouts trigger an adaptive process that improves the health and functionality of the central nervous system. When the central nervous system is in better health, it is less erratic.  This provides a sense of calm assurance that can only help when dealing with negotiations, business meetings and the stress of managing a household.

Coping & Problem-Solving Skills

Every attempt at being more successful or advancing in the workplace requires problem-solving and coping skills.  If you're sitting across from someone who is frustrating, not listening, and who is refusing valid points then its easy to fall into the trap of checking the time, being argumentative, or settling for less.  When your physiology is strong and your blood is healthy, maintaining a smile and a positive attitude becomes second-nature.  You'll naturally gravitate toward a positive solution when your body is in a state of homeostasis.  On the other hand, when your blood sugars aren't ideal and your hormones are out of whack, coping and problem-solving fall by the wayside during stressful times.

Energy!!!

Is there a single part of your day that doesn't benefit from having tremendous energy? Waking up full of energy and motivation is part of having the right kind of science-driven, personalized fitness strategy.  While most of the world is over-training, under-training, or not training, PPT clients on regular programs enjoy the benefit of giving their heart, lungs, muscles and nerves exactly what they need for enhancement. This enhancement leads to increased cellular function, metabolic health, and the physical energy required to conquer more than just your fitness, but every one of life's challenges!

Weight Loss Is Easy If You Just.....

The fast-paced summer (and boiling hot, for most of us) is over and it's time to get back to reality.  Speaking of reality, we think the fall season feels like "Honest Truth" time here at Perfect Personal Training, so its time to dole some out in the hopes of providing that moment of realization and helping you achieve your BEST!

Like the title says, "Weight Loss is Easy".  What makes it hard for people is that they're forgetting some of the basics in the midst of their busy days, and sabotaging their own progress.  So, let's recap the top three things you need to keep in mind when trimming down the excess fat and working toward the amazing body that you deserve:

Weight loss is easy if you just....

#1.  ... Remember that the results of a fitness session only last 1-2 days:

You've just had an excellent fitness training session with your favorite PPT provider.  You're sweaty, you're worn out, and you feel incredibly accomplished.  So, a week off or a little dessert won't hurt you, right?

Wrong.  For most of you, your muscle growth will last no more than two days before atrophy sets in and you start to lose those valuable gains.  Your metabolism, while super high right now, is going to be dropping quickly within 8-14 hours or so.  Even blood pressure and heart-health factors will generally only see improvement for about 12-36 hours following a fitness session.

Keep this first point in mind before you skip a session or reach for food that is outside of your meal plan.  We're glad you worked out, but that's not an excuse to stray from your training schedule or your meal plan.

Weight loss is easy if you just....

#2.  .... Accept and do the exercises you don't like.

From stretching to cardio to core training to heavy muscle training, most of our clients have something that they just plain don't want in their programs.  While your trainer knows what you need to take care of your physique and reach your goals, he or she also knows that pushing you into what you hate will only lead to program abandonment.

If you truly want to maximize your program, then be open to all of it:  Yes, the heavy maximum lifts that take so much effort that you complain about.  Yes, the intense 90-second stretch for the muscle group that is limiting your mobility.  Yes, that painstaking cardiovascular effort that bores you so much.  Most of our trainers drop these hated exercises out of your programs to keep you happy, but that's not without its sacrifices.  Embrace even your most=hated and understand that there is a reason for it to be a part of your fitness.



Weight loss is easy if you just....

#3. ... Focus intently on what you're doing.

Your personal trainer can only give the instruction and provide correction.  When your session is taking place, it is up to you to be in the game, focused and clear-headed.  Maximize your movements, stay attentive to your posture and to the verbal cues, and keep your self-reporting honest.  Looking at your trainer before completing your exercise task and saying, "I'm done, that's all I can do" is just plain cheating yourself.  We're trained to know what your intensity should be; let us get you there without stopping short or calling it quits early.  The phone, your hair, and whatever is going on in the next room can and should all wait until your session is over, or at least on break, before you give it your attention.

Questions about your program, longevity and wellness?  PPT's Client Services Department are here to help! Call us at (877)698-3648 or visit us online at http://perfectpersonaltraining.com

Maximizing Your PPT In-Home Wellness Program

At Perfect Personal Training, our team of clinical wellness and fitness experts are committed to offering every client the absolute best in health-risk stratification, longevity, and lifestyle leadership.  We know how to keep a person out of the hospital, energized, unmedicated, attractive and thriving through life's changes - and through our continuum of wellness experts, we deliver that information to every client who wants it. We do understand, however, that many clients prefer simply to work one-on-one with their personal trainer or health coach and to avoid the deeper aspects of meal programming, sleep coaching, and lifestyle coaching outside of their sessions. Still, a few quick, simple reminders here and there can't hurt:

• Aerobic capacity - The strength of your cardiovascular system is a large determinant when it comes to health-risk factors.  Avoiding the hospital and medications all begins with a large capacity for aerobic work.  PPT providers use several in-home tests to evaluate this risk variable and to track progression or regression.
  
• Bone health - Often overlooked, bone mineral density is an important part of the Healthy Aging component.  Brittle bones break easily, leading to hospitalization and lack of mobility.  These, in turn, shorten lifespans and quality of life significantly.  Bone heath is easily maintained or re-developed with the right meal planning and strength program, made up of the right intensities (not just random weights), the right duration and the right modalities.  PPT's clinical research department helps connect these variables to ensure programmatic success and quick progress.
  
• Sleep coaching - It might sound unnecessary, but truly deep, effective sleep doesn't happen without first understanding what's involved. Just sleeping 8 hours each night is only the beginning, with much more to learn in order to maximize sleep's benefits on every aspect of prevention.
  
• Supplementation - While many have been taught that solid nutrition negates the need for supplementation, the more involved studies just don't find this to be the case in preventing health problems.  With most Americans considered deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin A, potassium, and many other vitamins and rare earth elements, supplementation starts to be more important for these populations.  For those who consume these in safe quantities, other compounds such as resveratrol, anti-inflammatory herbs, and macronutrients such as proteins are generally much lower than is recommended.
  
• Posture and balance - Two of the most underrated components to a preventive plan involve posture and balance. Fully protecting your musculoskeletal system is the absolute key to avoiding aches, pains, weakness, low energy and nerve problems, not to mention injuries such as falls or muscle sprains. Regular assessment and corrective exercise, along with the right meal planning, will make your body optimal and greatly reduce risk of unhealthy aging.
  
  We're here to help!  Comment below or visit out contact page for more individual coaching.  Not yet a client?  Review our rates and request your free consultation at perfectpersonaltraining.com

Stretching, Yoga & Their Effects on Health

Some of the most common misconceptions in fitness science come from the topic of stretching, muscle flexibility and what we "feel" when we move.  Unlike some of the less-consequential points of confusion, this is one aspect that you definitely want to fully understand in order to maximize the benefits of your health and wellness program.

First, it's important to understand why stretching should even take place at all, so here is a brief overview:

Every muscle has a healthy "resting length", which is simply the length that it should be when you're not particularly using it. 

This length, and the amount of tension it has, needs to be close to what is optimal for holding your body together.  If the muscle has become too short or too long, then that will affect its role in your musculoskeletal system. 

An easy example is when the biceps brachii muscle (front of the arm) is too short (too tight).  When too short, this muscle group actually pulls the lower arm UP when it should not. 

This disrupts your posture and ages the elbow, and because it moves that lower arm to being in front of you when you're standing or walking, we now have additional stressors on the low back and other muscles.  This changes the distribution of the forces you create when you move, which is unnatural to the body.

That example sounds pretty harmless, and sometimes won't have tremendous health consequences in and of itself.  But, imagine that small example taking place with most of your muscles - especially those throughout the spine.  It becomes easy to see that if the spine, arms and legs are all incapable of keeping their normal position, that tension aches, cramps and nerve pain all become more likely as the years pass.  Nerves often become narrowed or hardened when movement and posture are not close to the optimal, healthy levels that each body truly wants. For these reasons and more, tight muscles need to be loosened up and hypermobile, overly-loose muscles should get added tension so they can also be returned to a healthy status.

So, how does all of this relate to a PPT fitness or Yoga program?

Your Perfect Personal Trainer is making decisions as to which muscles need more tension, and which need less.  And of course, we're also making decisions as to just how much change is needed, and what's of high priority vs what is of lower priority.  Since many PPT clients only actually end up meeting with their assigned professional for fewer than three hours per week (factoring a client's sick days, vacations, etc), we generally need to keep our stretching time to just the high-priority needs.

Are there muscles that should not be stretched?

Absolutely.  For example, many Yoga classes spend a high percentage of time stretching muscles that are already too flexible for some people and that are, therefore, causing postural and muscular problems.  If the muscle is too loose to do its job for the body, then that aspect of Yoga is harmful, not helpful.  The same goes for many personal trainers out there - they're stretching muscles that don't need it while sometimes ignoring the muscles that do.  This is why the right education and intervention is so important to the long-term well-being and success of our clients.

How does PPT know which muscles need it and which do not?

Postural alignment shows us which muscles are pulling too much on a bone and which muscles are not pulling enough.  Spinal misalignments and pelvic tilts tell us a lot.  We use them as indicators as to where we need to change muscle tension levels.  We advise that clients contact our Client Services Department to discuss more in-depth and to ensure that their programs involve only the best decision-making.  Client input is te key to more sustained health outcomes.









So, what's the take-away when it comes to stretching and Yoga?

It's most important to understand that stretches should be performed if a muscle is too tight and tense, and not just because it is there.  The stretches should also be held for at least 30 seconds and generally to an uncomfortable point that is not quite painful.  Just "feeling" that a stretch is happening won't release much tension or improve health outcomes for the long-term, so we encourage that each stretch is performed to where it reaches mild discomfort.

40's, 50's, 60's? Should My Fitness Change As I Age?

We were sold a pack of lies about "normal aging".

We were told that aches and pains are normal and should be expected.

We were told that arthritis, poor posture and a smaller walking stride are just part of an older person's game.

And, we were taught that rigorous exercise was dangerous for those over 40.


In fact, just a few years ago, Michelle Obama turned 50 and told America that she would switch to lighter exercise to avoid injury. No, there was no physiological reason for the change - she just felt that age 50 should mean a change in her fitness programming.

At the same time, doctors across America were perpetuating the belief that the musculoskeletal system loses capacity due to years, not behavior, and that it becomes more susceptible to irreconcilable damage.

The title of this blog is "Should My Fitness Change As I Age?"  In short, the answer is that your fitness pursuits should always be changing, but not because of the number of years you've been alive.  Rather, it should change with your progression and regression, responding to where you are at that time.  

"Your cells don't have ticking timebombs in them", explains Client Services Director Val Fiott, "The body is self-healing and very adaptive to what we provide for it.  When we provide poor bodymechanics or low intensities, it reacts with pain and weakness.  When we provide the right strategy and resistance, it reacts to that with positive change."

Below are two critical truths for you to understand as you move forward with this aspect of your life:

#1:  A body that you let whither will wither.  The above scenarios are very common because people allow them to be, by lack of a scientific and in-depth program.

#2:  A body well-cared for ages with healthy joints, a lack of aches and pains, and tremendous energy.  See 95-year-old bodybuilder Charles Eugster run the 200 meter dash, or 80-something bodybuilders Ernestine Shephard and Art Peacock (both pictured below.  Yes, they are both in their 80s!)

We're not suggesting you become a competitive athlete (there is no need to, from a health perspective).  The lesson here relates to your preventive health and just how much control you have over it with each decision you make.  Do these people look like they suffer from the ailments of the average American?  Can you imagine them feeling "too tired" to get through their day?  

At Perfect Personal Training, we want every client to maximize their quality of life - to avoid medications, to stay out of the hospital, to wake up with energy and to enjoy the power of physicality.  Slouchy posture, back pain, lethargy, brain fog, and arthritis don't fit into our plans and they shouldn't fit into yours.  Those problems are a choice - and you can choose to avoid them with a steady, solid program (3+ days per week with us and following our meal planning and health coaching generally provides for this.)


"We have tremendous potential as human beings," explains exercise physiologist Brian Walters, "but most of us operate at a small fraction of what we're born to do.  This causes the rise in health problems we see in most of the world and it makes for an uncomfortable life. PPT is proud to lead clients to successful aging."

The time is now.  

Feel amazing.

Be strong.

Live right!