Today, someone make an interesting comment to me. She said, I was thinking of you this morning while I was at physical therapy. Her physical therapist said “zumba and personal trainers keep us in business”. She said it was an interesting conversation. In response, I actually agreed with her “that most programs and personal trainers do not instruct on form and movement before engaging in any strength, intensity or even dance ‘zumba’ exercises. People can injure themselves if they are not taught the basics and how to be in tune to how they are moving their body. We (the trainers at KettlebellFitnessCT) teach movement before strength and strength before intensity”. To make a blanket comment is not fair to the reputable trainers out there who want to make a difference in the quality of their trade and the well-being of their clients. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to continue the conversation but it did prompt me to write this blog.
The business of personal training and training DVD’s is exploding with all types of trainers and programs but they are not focused on how people move. How can someone really learn proper form and movement, especially with kettlebells, from a DVD? You can’t! We get countless people coming to us saying, I don’t know if I want to work with kettlebells, I hurt my back from the class I took or from the **** kettlebell DVD or my knees hurt from squats. Well, when we observe their form, it’s no wonder they hurt themselves. Even some trainers out there are not properly trained to instruct the proper form and movement required especially for kettlebells. So, know your trainer. How do they instruct? Do they take corrective action to adjust your form and be sure you understand how your body is moving? We continue to educate ourselves to provide the most safe and effective environment. As always, consult with your physician before starting any fitness program. If you have a current issue, your physician will prescribe the proper course of action.
Whether it’s 1:1, 2:1 or our group program, we meet to first assess movement and the fitness level before giving our recommendation on the best program for that person. From that initial consult we may ask for physician clearance or at any time during training, if we feel there is reason, we may recommend you see your physician for further consult. Obviously, with 1:1 or 2:1 sessions, form and movement can be addressed on a very individual basis. That’s why we structured our group program to be limited to no more than six clients in any session. This provides the opportunity to teach and watch how each client is performing an exercise all while providing the client with the personal training experience in a small group setting. If we see that the form is not being executed properly and to avoid injury, the client is instructed to the lesser progression or the exercise changed or stopped completely. We then schedule a workshop time to work individually on that movement.
Experience the difference fitness can make in your life!
