A quick Google search on Women’s personal training in Glasgow will give you loads of options. No one gym or trainer is the answer, they can only steer you towards the answer and the results you want. With lots of conflicting advice it can be difficult to know where to start but making a start is the main thing.
At Reactive Training we focus on women’s personal training and group training. We also train men. The approach is simple, we offer strength and conditioning training and nutritional support. We keep the groups small enough that everyone benefits from a generous level of coaching. All we ask is that you show up and put in the work. It’s the bit we can’t do for you! But it is the most important bit.
Six Week Block
I am often asked by members why we manage the programme in six-week blocks. If you are making a lifestyle change for the rest of your life, why would the six-week block approach be important? This is where our hard work as trainers comes in. In promising to observe and push clients, we have to continuously review where they are at. There are other reasons, such as setting goals and habit formation which I will go into in more detail. But the main reason is to reflect, adapt and adjust on a regular basis so that clients can see what they’ve achieved. We encourage clients to scan themselves not weigh themselves. This means if body weight isn’t changing and they experience a plateau, they can still see the positives in black and white. This guides them back to perspective and helps with motivation.
Goal Setting
Photo by Katie Smith on Unsplash
Six weeks is a great test and learn period. It allows you a reasonable amount of time to apply nutritional advice and attend a bunch of sessions. You can make big strides in improvements to your health and how you feel.
There are countless articles online about goal setting. It can become a very complicated area to research and you can end up feeling overwhelmed. But one of the most tried and tested types is the SMART goal. You might read this and *eye-roll*, you might not have given the SMART goals any thought since college or uni. BUT, they work. And they can apply to almost anything you want to do. Health and fitness being no exception. The six-week block works well as part of your SMART goal setting strategy.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
If you need a reminder of what SMART goals are and how they work, see below;
S – pecific, be specific about what you want to achieve through your training and an improved approach to nutrition
M – easurable, what metrics are you going to use to determine if you meet the goal?
A – ttainable, is the goal achievable and realistic?
R – elevant, does the goal align with a bigger aim? e.g helping your mobility, improving self-esteem, helping you train for that 10k etc etc
T – timebound – a due date or a deadline, this is why the six-week period is useful!
It’s very unlikely that any client will reach all their BIG goal or overarching aim in six weeks. But breaking the time down into smaller chunks will help to avoid overwhelm!
The SMART approach gives a clear focus and keeps you accountable. It’s an oldie but a goodie so why not give it a try in relation to your own training. Pause for thought and refer to it anytime you feel like you are losing your way or your motivation. And refer to it when you are measuring your success at the end of the six weeks.
Habit Formation
Nobody said that adopting a new healthier lifestyle was easy. But it can be as simple as cultivating new habits. Experts in behavioural psychology have conflicting opinions on how many days it takes to form a new habit. Some say 21, some say 66. American surgeon Maxwell Maltz claimed it took 21 days for an old mental image to dissolve and a new on to gel. The idea that in a matter of days you can lay the foundation of a habit is a great motivator!
Even more inspiring, Author Gretchen Ruben said “Habits are freeing and energising and really powerful. If there’s something you want to do consistently in your life – like New Year resolutions – habits can make the wear and tear on following through so much easier. They get us out of the tiresome business of making decisions and using our self-control.” You can read more about her views on habits in relation to new year’s resolutions and goal setting here.
At Reactive, the six-week blocks can help you cement a habit. We encourage members to get out of their own way! to sign up for the six -week challenge and allot this time to bettering themselves. No excuses, no distractions!
And if you’re still struggling, ask yourself where you will be in six weeks if you don’t take these steps. Still playing around with your training? procrastinating about where it will get you? applying the focus will help. We believe in you!
Finally, it’s not all willpower and SMART goals, we do use some other handy tricks to keep you motivated. We’ve mentioned in this blog before that we use Myzone in the gym. This is a heart rate monitor with you levels on a big screen in the gym. That helps you to see where you are applying enough effort and where you can give a little more. You’ll collect MEPS (Myzone effort points) and once you maintain a steady rate over a period of time, your maximum heart rate will increase. This data is also really useful in helping you to reach your fitness goals.
The Reactive trainers can also help to show you how to get the most out of tools you might already be using such as My Fitness Pal, Fitbit etc
As trainers we want to encourage you to use the tools and resources at your disposal. Don’t go it alone – collaboration is key when it comes to fitness and test and learn as you go. A goal without a plan is just a wish after all!