San Antonio Personal Trainer

Wow, 4th of July in just 2 days???

thepersonaltrainer — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:32:27 +0000

Hey San Antonio and Boerne,

Well, we actually got a little bit of rain yesterday. Not much, but a little. The grass is still brown.

Can you believe it is almost Independence Day? It’s easy to tell when it’s this time of year - I workout at numerous gyms in San Antonio and they’re all nearly empty! I know, I know, I own my own gym/personal training studio, but that’s my office and I like to get out and get away from work just like anyone else.

Taking a little down time here and there is NOT a bad thing. It allows our bodies and mind to rest, recover and rejuvenate. However, be aware of how easy it is for a few days to turn into a few weeks and then turn into a few months. Do NOT fall victim to laziness. While positive results take a lot of hard work and consistency to contain, it only takes a few weeks of terrible eating and not exercising to erase much of the hard work you have put in.

Enjoy your holiday week/weekend, but remember: as soon as it’s over, get back on track!

Boyd Myers - San Antonio and Boerne Personal Trainer
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Road
San Antonio, TX 78248
b. (210)493-0348 cell (210)391-1454

Tuesday Humor - A Day In The Life of a Commercial Gym Personal Trainer

thepersonaltrainer — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:16:39 +0000

Hey San Antonio and Boerne,

I read this one this morning and it really made me laugh out loud. I hear these complaints all the time - heck, I see them anytime I go workout in a big fitness center or gym in San Antonio! Anyway, enjoy!

It’s 7a.m. and I have to get up and start my day. “Are you freaking serious, 7 a.m.?” My first stop before I get to work is Starbucks. I must get my nutritious latte in before anyone gets my full attention. As I walk through the doors at work the cold air from the A.C. unit hits me as if I was in the North Pole. As I pass the front desk I give my shout outs to all the front desk workers. YO BOBBY, what’s up.? Bobby is my work out partner. We are going to hit Bi’s and Tri’s
hard as hell today. I will get back to that later. Now I’m heading back to the trainer area and I spot my client. He looks pissed off. Maybe it’s because I’m 15 min. late for the second time this week. It’s not like he is paying $80 a session or anything. Anyways, I greet him and tell him to meet me by the leg extension machine. I have to get geared up before I start any session. First I get my bands and put them around my neck. Next I need to get a stability ball, foam
roller, and bosu ball. Damn, I only have two freaking hands and all this stuff to carry. How do you expect me to get my clients the results they need. I’m already pissed off because I did not see him wearing his body bug. That’s o.k. because I will just make him do three more hours on the treadmill this week. Finally, I make my way over to the leg extension and he has started without me. SHIT, I left my latte, let me go and get it. Back to the training session. We are
going to start with leg extension and super set that with leg press. I tell my client to make sure he is really squeezing at the top of the lift to feel the muscle fibers burn. Everyone knows if you don’t feel the burn then it is not working. It also helps to hold your breath till your face turns red and let out a loud scream or fart. This will help relieve some pressure. Next is CORE WORK. We have three exercises that we do that build up the core tremendously. First we need some five pound dumbbells. Even though my client has two left feet, I want him to stand single leg on the bosu ball, close his eyes, and do bicep curls with the five pound weights. This CORE exercise will get you stronger in no time. “That’s if you can master the single leg eyes close thing first” This will make him squat perfect as well.

The next exercise is, WAIT, Who the hell is that, I have never seen that girl here before. Those things have got to be fake. Let me text Bobby real quick and get him to come back here to check her out. All of a sudden I hear this scream from my client. WTF, he has twisted his ankle on the bosu ball while I was checking out this hottie. Now I’m thinking to myself, what in the hell were you doing. If your CORE was stronger that would not have happened. Damn it, now I can’t
go and talk to that girl. This just pisses me off. I have a hurt client, my latte is still not finished, and now I look like an idiot. Everyone is looking at me because my client keeps screaming. Calm down; we are only trying to help. I can’t help but think this is only my first week doing this and they trust me with this guy’s life. I mean seriously, I went through a whole week of training “yes, one whole week” and got the in house certification. That makes me an expert and I got the freaking paper to prove it. What am I going to do now? My fitness manager is on my ass about trying to get this guy to re-sign and he is going to be out for at least a month now. My club manager is now making me take another class to be a better salesman. I thought I was a trainer. Aren’t we supposed to let the training sell itself? Screw all this;
I’m going back to waiting tables. I QUIT!!! I make more money doing that and I don’t have to deal my all the B.S. As I leave I’m so pissed off that I tell Bobby to get ready for the workout of his life, his Bi’s and Tri’s don’t stand a chance today.

San Antonio Personal Trainer Blog

thepersonaltrainer — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:47:57 +0000

Hey San Antonio and Boerne,

The last several days have been incredibly hectic for me, but I am now back to my normal schedule and will be posting my regular blurbs this week on the SA Personal Trainer blog. Thanks for all of the great emails!

Make this week great - it’s your birthday, America!

Summer is REALLY here! Another post from a personal trainer in San Antonio, TX

thepersonaltrainer — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:15:52 +0000

Hey San Antonio and Boerne,

Sorry for my lack of posting here on the San Antonio Personal Trainer Blog of late, my son and I have been camping quite a bit the last few weeks! It has been a great time getting out and letting my son experience something new - he loves the tent, the sleeping bags, the lake, etc. He has been going out on my boat since he was a baby (he’ll be 4 in September) but the camping part is new to him.

Speaking of trying something new, I realize how easy it is to fall into a rut in the gym. You do the same thing week in and week out. It USED to work, but it doesn’t anymore. Will it work again? In short, NO. Once your body adapts, it’s time to find something new. WHAT, you ask? Well, it can be as simple as adjusting rest times (try resting much less or a little more), slowing down rep tempo, doing different exercises, doing exercises in different order, exercising different body parts on different days, etc. There’s so many ways to keep it fresh, and in the book I am working on (STILL WORKING ON), I really touch on this quite a bit.

The key is to mix things up and gauge your workouts - be honest with yourself about progress. Don’t change your overall program and goals every week though! I know people that read a new article or see a new training program and want to change everything up. Things need a little time to work, but intensity should progress - that is what spurs change.

Keep the workouts up - don’t let the heat get you lazy. Oh, and STAY HYDRATED!

Mental Toughness

thepersonaltrainer — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:54:28 +0000

Hey San Antonio and Boerne!

It’s the day after an amazing victory by Tiger Woods over a relatively unknown golfer on the 19th hole during a sudden death playoff at the US Open, and while I fully expected Tiger to win, I am still amazed by the man.

While many don’t feel golf itself is a “sport”, Tiger Woods is definitely an athlete (look at him). I was watching him last week in a news conference and they asked him what he was going to do after his practice round and he said “What I always do, I’m going to go lift and do my cardio…”

Tiger Woods bench presses 315lbs for reps. He also has seemingly mastered an activity like no other person in history has mastered their game or sport. Truth be told, Tiger, Peyton Manning, Michael Jordan and a few other athletes would be successful in whatever endeavor they focused on. Why? They’re all insanely mentally tough. They go that extra mile and they get the absolute most out of what they’ve been given. Sure, those three people were definitely blessed with gifts that I simply do not have, but they all three have LEGENDARY work ethics and they’re all three LEGENDARY PERFECTIONISTS.

Tiger Woods won the US Open just weeks after serious knee surgery. I know, I know, it’s just golf, but he hits the ball 340+ yards - do you have any idea the torque he puts on that knee? Did you hear him making excuses? Did he use that as a reason not to win the tourney?

If your mind leads, your body will follow. I’ve gone through months of serious dieting and I’ve thought to myself “What if I just have a burger and fries this one time, I’ll be ok…” When you cave in, you make it “OK” to fail. Missing one workout is never just one workout. If you want to make the type of physical changes that people stop you every single day to ask “How’d you do it”, you have to put forth the effort. It takes amazing discipline, sacrifice and work - and those are things that ANYONE CAN do, but so few actually apply themselves.

Make a commitment to yourself that you’re going to lose those inches this time. You WILL get into a size that you haven’t worn in 10 years. You WILL not be ashamed to wear shorts or go to the pool, lake or beach. It is within your reach, and all you have to do is say that you will not let anything stop you. I’ve seen some seemingly ordinary people make extraordinary changes with weight loss, muscle gain and body recomposition, and they weren’t blessed with the genetics that Tiger, MJ, or Peyton have. They simply made a decision and worked their tails off.

Become your own real life success story - you WILL inspire others in a way that’s nearly impossible to imagine. I can’t even begin to tell you how I’m inspired by my very own clients that come to me to lose fat or gain muscle. They come to me for guidance and coaching, and they never even realize the positive effect they’ve had on my life. Every time I don’t want to eat tuna or chicken breast, or anytime I think about skipping the gym to lay out at the pool I think of their sacrifices and work ethic and the changes they’ve made and somehow, it becomes something that I can’t wait to do again and again.

It’s time to go workout!

Monday Inspiration - More San Antonio Personal Trainer Related News

thepersonaltrainer — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:37:01 +0000

Hey San Antonio and Boerne,

I hope everyone had a great Father’s Day. Peyton and I had a great time on our trip to Canyon Lake, and it was wonderful to spend the weekend with him camping and boating. He is no longer the least bit afraid of the lake and now he understands that his life jacket will keep him afloat. It was tough to keep him out of the water!

Obviously, I talk to a LOT of people. Some who come to see me or call me to inquire about my personal training services. Others who I meet through networking, seminars I may speak at, at the gym, restaurant, grocery store, etc (hey, I’m a friendly person). I am a people person - I love chatting, talking and listening. But one thing I can do without is something that I get a whole lot of. I get them all the time (and not from my clients). What? Excuses. I can’t stand them. From “I don’t have time” (the most popular) to “I could never look like that” - name it, I’ve heard it.

“It’s time to stop making excuses and take action…”

Most people do not want that advice, but it’s simply the best I can give. We all have jobs. We all have families. We all go through tough times. Some of us don’t know how to cook (I do) and some people just don’t know how to get started. But I’m telling you this - it just takes one step to get moving. If you’re standing still, from a fitness standpoint, you’re moving backwards. It will become more and more difficult every single day you wait. There is no time like the present, and while results don’t happen over night, they do come surprisingly fast when you’re doing all the right things.

More San Antonio Personal Trainer related news…

I’m still working on my “Train the Personal Trainer” section and I’m guaranteeing all personal trainers in San Antonio and anywhere else in the world: you aren’t going to find anything like this. If you want to become the top personal trainer in your area, get ready. If you’re dying to know more, drop me an email at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com.

I drove up to Boerne to check out our new personal training studio that will be opening in the next few weeks, and it looks GREAT. I know there are a lot of good people in the Boerne and Comfort areas who are ready for something new, and I will be giving it to you! You will not be disappointed!

And for you boot camp fanatics - I am thinking about a summertime boot camp class. If you’re interested, drop me a line - if I can get enough interest in the next few days, I’ll do a few classes.

Do something great - you are the only person that can stop you!

CERTIFIED Personal Trainers - What You Need To Know

thepersonaltrainer — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:35:19 +0000

Hey San Antonio,

As I have mentioned before, I do a lot of work in the marketing aspect of the personal training business. I help personal trainers from all over the US, Europe and Australia become the top in their respective areas and the “go-to” authority when someone in their city or town has a question about health and fitness. One thing that I’ve always been a believe in is the “See what the other guy” is doing mentality. Not necessarily because I want to do it, but because I believe understanding what is going on in any industry is important for allowing your business to evolve and grow.

Last night, I was reviewing a few personal trainer listing style pages and I saw a few things that really caught my eye. I have been lucky enough to work my way to the top of Google, MSN, and Yahoo, so a lot of people have been able to find my site, http://the-personal-trainer.com/ and the San Antonio Personal Trainer blog. On my main site, I have a link to an article I wrote several years ago, “What to Look For in a Personal Trainer”. On many of the other pages I reviewed, I found a very similar link.

One common thread I have found in many of the other links is the emphasis those writings put on the certification. Everyone that has visited this site regularly knows that over the last 12 years, I have attended a plethora of personal training certification events, schools, seminars, etc. I actually teach many different courses and do speaking engagements along the same lines of many of the certification courses (but I typically discuss advanced training and nutrition principles). I’m also a huge believer in formal education and I have completed my degree in Kinesiology. However, I’m simply amazed at how many of these sites attempt to lead the consumer to believe that the certification and formal education MAKE the personal trainer. This is simply MISLEADING.

In the past when I’ve seen these discussions, it’s usually been two sides: the personal trainer with no real formal experience who has been training for 20 years versus a trainer with no real world experience that has several degrees and a few high dollar certifications. Of course, different people from each group end up siding with the one that is closer to their situation. Well, since I have several years of experience, multiple certifications and formal education, I can definitely be considered as an authority to speak on the matter objectively! :D

As mentioned above, I’ve completed many different certification exams and courses. While many of the organizations have different bells and whistles, the underlying principles of training the human body are the same. Many of the different certifying organizations have been around longer or make it a little more difficult (or expensive) to obtain their certifications, but the fact of the matter is that the differences in the major personal training certifications are minor.

The average consumer doesn’t know the difference between ACE, NASM, ACSM, ISSA, IFPA or any of the other 2000 certifications out there, and you know what? It doesn’t matter. The certification nor the education make the trainer. My experience is what I hang my hat on. Understanding different people’s goals, the fact that every single body is different and the way that people react to exercise and different nutritional strategies varies greatly are a few things that it simply takes experience to understand. As most of you know, I have a vast background in IT and I always remember seeing resumes where an individual had every Linux and Microsoft certification available, but had never had a JOB! My point? NOTHING replaces real world experience. When you interview your trainer, the fact that he or she is certified should be recognized as a minimum pre-requisite to perform as a personal trainer. Real world experience, not what has been memorized from a book, is what will seperate an amazing personal trainer from Joe Average personal trainer that you’ll see training at Gold’s or Lifetime.

One more important note - I realize when many personal trainers list their years of experience, in many cases they list how many years THEY have been working out. How many years they’ve worked out means nothing when it comes to training others. LOL - I’ve seen 24 year old personal trainers listing 12 years of experience. Sorry guys, playing freeze tag or hide and go seek on the playground, unfortunately doesn’t qualify as personal training experience!

Look for a proven track record and don’t settle. It’s your decision, your money, and your body!

Have a great Father’s Day weekend. I plan on spending this afternoon on Canyon Lake with my son on our ski boat. While it is Father’s Day, I want to take a second to remind my son that daddy loves you, Peyton, and you are my whole entire world! Can’t wait to swim with you today, buddy!

Personal Trainers - Does It Really Matter?

thepersonaltrainer — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:56:38 +0000

Hey San Antonio and Boerne,

First off, everything is going as scheduled and our second personal training studio in the area (in Boerne, TX) will be opening in July! I promise to keep everyone updated!

I do a lot of work with other personal trainers in San Antonio and around the world, so I have a great feel for what is going on in the industry locally, nationally and beyond. While I have no doubts that there are great personal trainers everywhere, I’m usually amazed at the amount of trainers that are light years behind in simple training and nutrition science. Look, I’m the last person that jumps on every wave that comes and goes - I hate fads. But I’m talking about the sheer numbers of trainers that are using the “old school” (read: useless) training and nutritional techniques for results: hours of slow cardio, starvation, tons of isolation work, bogus supplements, and ____________ (fill in the blank).

I discuss intensity quite a bit here. I also discuss nutrient timing and other training strategies that will help you completely change your physique, with or without the help of a personal trainer - and the great thing is that I get emails from two groups. First, are the people who are listening, trying out what I’m preaching and wanting to learn more. They love what they’re doing and the results they’re getting and they’re excited that they’re seeing changes very quickly and busting through plateaus they’ve been at for years. The other group is from personal trainers that tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. LOL Seriously! They tell me that they’ve built their bodies and they know what works.

You know what? I’m not debating that at all. I’m sure they may know “what works for them” - the trick, however, with personal training is to find out what works best for each and every client. Unfortunately, I see it every time I spend time around other trainers - they train every client the same way, no matter their experience, condition, or goals. They simply hide behind their certifications or degrees and refuse to adapt or better yet, be questioned.

I’ve said it a million times - you are the consumer and you can shop around. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or even challenge your potential personal trainer. A good one can answer whatever you throw at them (correctly). If they don’t know the answer, they shouldn’t be ashamed to tell you and that they will find the answer for you (not feed you a line of bull to just look intelligent). It DOES happen - I have normal people that tell me everyday that a trainer told them one thing or another, and while it may sound good at first, more times than not, it’s absurd. Understand that egos are ugly in this business - and all too often you’ll receive bogus information from a personal trainer when they may not know the answer.

You’re right, it’s scary! How on earth is a person that doesn’t work and/or study in a field that understands the human body supposed to find credible information about how to lose fat and change their body? It’s not easy. Magazines and the internet aren’t always reliable (supplement companies keep the magazines going, so they’ll say anything to keep the advertisers happy, and the internet is USUALLY the blind leading the blind). Just like everything else such as investing, making a large purchase, having repairs done on your house/car, etc, it comes down to taking the information and objectively evaluating it.

There are plenty of sub-par personal trainers in San Antonio (and everywhere else), but there are also some phenomenal ones as well. It takes someone competent to help you change your body. It’s not just doing a few exercises and telling you to eat this at this time - it requires education and getting you in the business of changing habits that have contributed to the condition that you may be in now. Find a trainer that works from the root of the problem, not one that is just looking to do patch work on where you are now.

It’s definitely a lifestyle change, not a quick-fix!

Thursday Update - Sleep, The Missing Ingredient to Success

thepersonaltrainer — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:13:11 +0000

Hey San Antonio and Boerne,

I decided to leave those last two posts near the top of the blog, because for some odd reason, I received more feedback and questions over those two posts than any others in a few weeks! Weird how that works, because while I was writing them, I didn’t think they’d garner too much interest.

I read an article the other day about “a new study” suggesting that we, as humans, only need 6-7 hours to be at our peak. I am going to be the first to say that generalizations like this are crazy. The body repairs and recovers while asleep. While many people may not put their bodies through a lot of physical (and mental) strain through the day, those of us with kids, heavy exercise regimens and stressful jobs may require a bit more. I know, I know - I’ve heard people say “When I sleep more than 7 hours, I feel worse…” Let me explain. When you wake up tired, there are one of two things happening: either you’re completely depleted (dehydrated, not enough trace minerals, etc) or you aren’t sleeping well. The latter has to be determined by a sleep test (obstructed sleep apnea, etc) but the former can be taken care of with the diet and proper supplementation. Sure, sleeping 12-14 hours will leave you dehydrated - and fasting for that long will also leave you vitamin and mineral depleted. Of course, starvation leads to a rise in catabolic hormones that breaks down the body further, so long bouts of sleep will probably not leave you feeling rested.

It is still my opinion that for us that exercise and train, it’s paramount to make time for sleep - preferably 7.5-9 hours. As a society, we’ve decided that it’s ok to trim hours from sleep for other activities. Remember this though: a sleep deficit of three hours has the same hormonal effect on fat that overeating by 1000 calories. So if reducing body fat is your goal, being between those sheets with your eyes closed should also be a priority!

Working Out: Too Much V. Not Enough?

thepersonaltrainer — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:00:56 +0000

Hey San Antonio,

I hope everyone has enjoyed their weekends and have recharged themselves enough for the week ahead! I’m in the process of going through my 2000 emails that have accumulated this weekend (no exaggeration). I’m good at staying on top of them, but I had so much going on this weekend that I fell a little behind!

I receive regular emails from a lot of different fitness enthusiasts, fitness “pros”, other personal trainers, etc and a lot of times, they’re trying to sell things. I’ve mentioned it a lot over the last 2 years: you don’t have to spend 20 hours a week in the gym to have an amazing body (I seriously spend less than 4 hours per week exercising). I believe in intensity, compound movements, consistency and hard work. I don’t believe in breaking down the body piece by piece to exhaust every muscle - it’s simply a waste of time.

On the contrary, one of the marketing guys I receive regular emails from is now hocking 4 minute workouts. Look - I am not going to put a minimum amount on a workout. I can kick someone’s butt with a 20 minute sprint workout or an intense, heavy circuit. But I will say this without a shadow of a doubt: 4 minutes is NOT enough to make serious progress (and I’m guessing this guy isn’t taking his shirt off to show the fruits of his 4 minute labors…)

Working out is more than exhausting muscle fibers and making the heart beat: it’s about forcing the body to adapt to an unfamiliar stimulus. Is 4 minutes enough to present the body with a foreign stimulus (beit weight, reps, sets, etc)? I don’t think so. 4 minutes isn’t quite enough time to get muscle building hormones activated (this is a good thing ladies, don’t think you’re going to swell up) and it’s definitely not enough time to deplete muscle glucose to the point where the body feels the need to overcompensate and burn fat after the fact for hours.

I don’t think you should be in the gym just burning time saying “Ok, I have 15 more minutes, what should I do?” I think you should have a plan, get in there, work hard and get out. Often, I am able to finish my workout in 45 minutes. On average, it’s 55-65 minutes (sometimes a bit more, sometimes less), but I have years of training experience. Regardless, you’d barely be breaking a sweat in 4 minutes.

My point? The easy way isn’t always the best way. It may seem appealing, but use common sense: is anything worth achieving usually obtained easily? I don’t think so - do the work, reap the benefits.

Let’s make this week amazing!