Should You Use a Personal Trainer?

By Jess Harley

Personal Trainers were a thing for the rich and famous. Nowadays you can get one at almost any gym. In fact most gyms and their high pressured sales people will probably try to convince you to add a trainer to your membership. The cost is not included in your membership and it can be very expensive. There are some things though you should look at before you decide who you are going to use as your personal trainer. A lot of people like to use them because the biggest pro to them is they motivate you and help you create a program that is right for you.

You do not have to belong to a gym to take advantage of a personal trainer. If you do belong to a gym, chances are you will be assigned a trainer and will have to assume that they have all the proper credentials. While it can save you the hassle of finding a trainer, the downside to being assigned a trainer is that you do not know if you mesh well together. If you do not belong to a gym or you do not belong to a gym that offers personal trainers, you can ask around for recommendations or you can look in your paper or even online. There are many types of trainers out there; some will come right to your home while others will ask you to come to them.
The most important thing though to look at is if they are certified and have a degree in the exercise/nutrition field. You also want to make sure your trainer has a CPR and First Aid certification too. Do not be afraid to ask them to see a copy of their cards so you can make sure they are current.

You should always meet with a trainer before you sign up with them. This way you can ask those questions such as what their experience is and their motivational techniques. Some trainers use a tough love motivation while others try to be a little more understanding. Finding out which one they use will help you decide which method will motivate you more. You can also ask them how they plan to help you reach your goals as far as a workout plan and a meal plan. You can also find out what kind of packages they offer and if they have payment plans. These questions are important to make sure you have a trainer who will work well for you. After all you are paying them a lot of money and you don't want to get a trainer who does nothing for you.

If you meet with a trainer who begins to talk about supplements or any sort of diet pills they would recommend for you, politely thank them for their time and leave. These trainers are earning a commission for products they sell and may not have your best interest at heart.
Using a personal trainer can be a great way to get you on the right track for your fitness and workout. They will show you the best way to work out and what the right form is for strength training. Some people may benefit from one or two sessions with a trainer, while others might need them every step of the way. The chose is yours and do not let anyone pressure you into using a trainer if you are not ready to.

Copyright (c) 2007 Jess Harley
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How to Use An Elliptical Trainer

By Jim Kesel

If you're like a lot of people you have been thinking about using an elliptical trainer to get into shape and burn calories. You have heard that they are the best piece of exercise equipment at the gym or Y but so far you have not taken an elliptical for a test ride. A lot of people feel intimidated when trying something new and that goes for new pieces of exercise equipment.
After all you don't want to look stupid or uncoordinated and of course these always the risk you might fall off right. There is really no reason to fear using an elliptical trainer and here are a few elliptical trainer information tips to get you stated.

• When you step up on to the elliptical trainer make sure you place your foot on the pedal that is in the lowest position.
• When you begin to make your stride it is not uncommon for your feet to go backwards and you need to make sure that you are stepping forward. When you become more advanced you will want to use a back stride but not now.
• Start slowly and let the natural stride movement of the elliptical direct your motion. It may feel a little strange at first but you will get used to it.
• Select the lowest resistance level available using the controls on the console and then very gradually increase the resistance to where you feel comfortable.
• Place your hands lightly on the handle bars and follow the cross country skiing motion. Some older models to not have handle bars but do have a place to place your hands so that you can maintain balance. As you probably already know the handle bar motion is what gives the elliptical trainer its ability to giver you a full body workout.
• Be patient during your first couple of workouts. Use less resistance to let your body develop the muscle memory necessary to properly use the elliptical trainer.
• Beginning workouts should be short, about 10 minutes in length. Make sure you use enough recovery time between workout sessions.
• Stand tall on the petals keeping your back straight. As you become more accustomed to the trainer you can use other body positions to target different muscle groups.
• Stay in control while you develop good rhythm and balance.
• Increase your workout intensity only to the point where you remain in control.
• If the elliptical trainer begins to sway or wobble then stop and use a different machine.

Many gyms and fitness centers have people on staff that will take the time to get you started on any piece of exercise equipment. They will also direct you to the elliptical trainer models that are the easiest to use and have the least amount of problems. Ask them if they have any written elliptical trainer information that you can take home to review. You should never be afraid to ask questions. Many times our pride will let us get ourselves into trouble. It is always better to ask first. An Elliptical trainers is great piece of exercise equipment that is relatively easy to use.
Do not let the fear of failure keep you from getting a great workout on an elliptical machine.

James Kesel, MS. is the publisher of Elliptical Trainer Information website, We have information on Nautilus, Nordic Track, Life Fitness, ProForm, Tunturi, Schwinn, Reebok, Horizon, Vision elliptical trainers and cross trainers.

From Teacher to Corporate Trainer - Your Next Career?

By Will Kenny

If you spend most of your time in the classroom -- public school, private school, community college or university -- and you are thinking you would like to try something else, there are lots of other classrooms that are not in schools.

Businesses spend vast sums training their people to do their jobs. Hours are spent learning procedures, sales techniques, how to interact with customers, what company policies must be followed, how things work, what you should be doing.

And whenever policies change, or a new product is launched, or the company discovers a more efficient way of doing something, the employees need to be brought up to speed. That means more communication and training for the staff.

Education in the Corporate World
If you are considering a career change and have a teaching background, consider tapping into the training needs of the corporate world. There are a lot of ways to work in this field, but most of them involve one or both of the following:

• Training development: deciding what is covered, in what order, how it will be delivered (classroom, intranet, role plays vs. self-study manual, etc.), how it will be evaluated.
• Training delivery: more like what you call "teaching", being in the room to lead participants, guide discussions and activities, answer questions and check understanding.

One individual may work as a corporate "facilitator", spending most of his or her time with participants, delivering several standard courses again and again. Another might be a freelance developer who creates a course around a topic for a company, which then is actually delivered by someone else. Some people handle everything -- design, development, delivery, administration, follow-up -- while others play just one role in the process, working with others from inside and outside the company to get the job done.

Your Strengths
With a teaching background, you already have some skills that will transfer quickly to the corporate world:

• You are used to presenting, being in front of a room, capturing the attention of your audience and having an impact on how they think.
• You know that you have to design a lesson to have an impact. There are better and worse ways to deliver the same content, and you are accustomed to working out methods to get the message across.
• You have learned that you can't teach everything the same way. For instance, you explain some things very directly, illuminate other topics through group discussion, and use exercises (like "case studies" in corporate life) to develop related skills.
• You know it is up to you. Given a topic, you have to design the "lesson plan", testing, and all the rest. You don't sit back and wait for someone else to hand you the solution.

Your Challenges
There are some significant adjustments to working in the corporate world as a facilitator or training developer.

Here are a few of the big ones:

• You do not have any authority over your "participants" (students) just because you are a trainer. You will have to demonstrate your value to every group of participants you work with, as they won't just assume you know what you are talking about.
• You may be surprised at who else in the company gets to put their fingers in your work. Countless experts on the subject matter will weigh in, along with people from marketing, production, legal, and other corporate functions. You will find that a four-hour class on a single topic is the subject of several committee meetings, where you will have to manage compromises with numerous players who have some interest in the employees you are training.
• Teaching working adults at their worksite is different from teaching younger people in educational settings (including college students). Efficiency and relevance to their daily activities reign supreme, and you won't have much time to get to the point and have an impact.
• Companies invest in training to solve problems, or to prevent them, to reduce costs and risks, and to boost efficiency and revenues. If you don't understand their needs before you put together your training, it isn't likely to be effective -- and you will not have a happy manager or client.

Training development and delivery in the business world is challenging and enjoyable. You help people work better, and you can have an impact on a lot of people.

It's a great next step for the teacher who might like to try something outside of educational settings. But it is a different world, so make sure you do your homework before you leap into this very different environment.

A former teacher, Will Kenny has more than 20 years' experience as a freelance instructional designer and training developer. Will has worked on the training staff of a large international corporation, before offering freelance content development services to businesses large and small. Visit http://www.besttrainingpractices.com/ for free articles and case studies that give you a peek into the world of training development for business. Will also writes a blog on "Making Training for a Living" (http://www.making-training.blogspot.com), sharing his thoughts on how to succeed in the business of freelance content development.