Not everyone wants to see a personal trainer on an ongoing basis. Whether it’s due to budgetary constraints or personal preference the goal is the same: to be able to work out effectively, efficiently and independently. Since we get inquiries about this on a regular basis, I thought I’d put together a wee article describing how we approach short-term training for beginners.

1. Assessment
Assessment tells us two fundamental things: where you are and where you want to go. We examine the way you’re moving, evaluate any issues or injuries, clarify your goals and discuss both your nutritional habits and lifestyle. This information will set the foundation for your program. We’re not a big box gym and we don’t use assessments as a selling tool . . . We give you the benefit of the doubt that if you’re talking to us, you’re already willing to make some serious changes.

2. Program design
Once we know where you want to go, we need to chart a course to take you there. While fundamentals remain the same, there is no universal template for how to maximize results. As such, every program is built from the ground up.

3. Education
If you’re training with us in the short-term, our goal is to teach you whatever you need to follow a program on your own. Our priorities are as follows:
* To minimize the risk of injury
* To pragmatically address your motivations, schedule and needs (we know that the best program in the world is worthless if it’s not followed. Instead, we strive to create the best possible program that you will actually stick to).
* To maximize the efficiency of each workout
* To lay the groundwork for all future programs

Although the number of sessions required to learn a program in sufficient detail varies, we find that most people are ready to work out on their own after somewhere between four and eight sessions. We’re not here to drag the process out, so we recommend note-taking and plenty of communication. For the sake of retention, these sessions work better in short clusters of two or three a week for two to three weeks. The total number ultimately depends on you.

4. Follow-up
Once the trainer is confident in your ability to work out safely, they will generally have you train on your own and then come back. These first workouts always generate a lot of questions and help to bridge the gap between theory and application. From there, a future visit for refinement and alternate exercises is recommended, but not necessary.

5. The next step
To borrow a phrase from powerlifting legend Louie Simmons, “Everything works, but nothing works forever.” After a few months of training, you may find that you’re either ready to move into a more advanced program or experiencing plateaus from your current program. That will mark the time to recalibrate your approach. Having already learned the fundamentals, this process is often much faster and may take as few as one or two sessions. Your familiarity with multiple approaches to strength and conditioning will allow us to create more effective and longer-term templates for you.

To sum up, we find that most people need somewhere between five and ten total sessions to create a strong foundational program. From there, the option exists to progress to bigger and better things.

If you think you’d like to start the process, you can either call us at 416.777.2264 or fill in our online assessment form.