Rate My Trainer!

[reboundstudent]

I've had a gym membership with a monthly personal training sessions for over a year now, but for the last 6-8 have been EXTREMELY lax about using it for various reasons. After discovering Nerd Fitness, I decided to get back into it, with a vengeance and a plan. (Essentially following this: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/15/how-to-build-your-own-workout-routine/, with some interval running and martial arts-y focused stuff thrown in.) I've found a lot of really helpful articles on this site about how to do the exercises correctly, but I figured, as long as I have some of these personal trainer sessions saved up (having not used them for 6 months...) why not get some personal attention?

Tuesday night I met with the trainer, and I explained that I wanted him to show and correct me on how to have good form on the following exercises; squats, dead lifts, lunges, dumb bell row, overhead press, bench press, and pull-ups.

Right off the bat, he said these exercises were the best out there for full body work outs, and that he was very impressed someone was actually asking about how to do them with good form. (I told him about the website, and he says kudos to all you lovely people!) We only had half an hour, so he took me through about 1-2 sets of each of the exercises just to get me used to them.

For the most part, what he showed me overlay exactly with what I learned on this website. I did, however, want to check a couple of things.

1) He instructed me to squat with a 20 pound bar. While I was doing the squats, I felt a slight twinge in my lower back. It wasn't painful, and only occurred when I was in full squat position. When I squatted without the bar, the pain wasn't present. My trainer explained that this was due to my back muscles not being used to stabilizing the weight.

2) On overhead press, all the bars were occupied, so he had me practice the form with dumb bells. He said a bar would be better, but dumb bells would work just as well and then I could work on individual arm stabilization.

3) While trying to do pull ups, he showed me the modified version (similar to doing a pull-up with a chair) but... I couldn't even get that one. I wasn't strong enough to even hang there, and also.... well, I was too short to fully reach the bar. My trainer suggested I start out on the lap pull down to build up strength, but over and over we've been told to NOT use machines.

So what do you guys think? Overall, would you agree/disagree with what he said on these three points? Thanks!

[bigm141414]

Yeah I tend to agree with most of what he says. And I admit when I started my pull up journey I did the lat pull down machine. There are better ways to work the muscle groups. Inverted body weight rows are a great starting point (and the only real use for a smith machine), also DB rows, and then do negatives (Hop to the top position and slowly lower yourself).

Nothing wrong with DB OHP. It can help sort out some imbalances as well. I use DB presses from time to time to make sure my right side (weak side) is still on the level with my left.

[CalvinHobbes]

I was using the lat pull down machine and the assisted pull up machine for a while but I stopped and started doing inverted body weight rows on the smith machine. I definitely feel this has been better for me and I've progressed further with pull ups.

[Moxie Hart]

Sounds like a good trainer.

There are lat pull downs in the rebel fitness guide so I wonder if those are one of those "not so horribly for you when you are starting out" type of things. I don't know though.

[Waldo]

For the overhead press I would think that dumbbells would be better until you start getting up to the weights where it becomes difficult to get the dumbbells up there or they simply become unweildy, a point that may never occur.

[Lachy]

I know it's not cannon around here, but I too use the lat pull down machine if reps/sets required for a routine don't match my abilities. I agree with your trainer, use the pull downs to build some basic strength to begin with. But keep going back to the pull up bar and trying again. Eventually you'll be able to do negatives, and from there progress to sets of proper pull ups.

I think in general he is giving good advice. Just watch your squat with those back pains. If they persist, don't up the weight. Maybe post a video of your form.

[aj_rock]

Yeah, throw all the tomatoes you want, I too use the lat pulldown. It's easier to load than putting weights on yourself while you do pull-ups.

I would stick to barbell stuff first though, if possible. Your gains will progress better that way, because you can load smaller % weight on. You can get much higher in strength doing the barbell, and then do dumbbell once you stop making progress.

[ebm1224]

i was recently instructed by my trainer to do a lower back exercise i had never done before. i have no idea if it's safe/effective but it's the first time i ever felt my lower back targeted in an exercise (and my lower back has been sore once or twice after a fitness class where weights were used so i take that to mean my lower back is a bit weak).

the exercise is done on one of those diagonal benches where you basically wedge your legs in so your whole body is at a diagonal. from there face forward (imagine a swimmer on a block about to dive into the water to start a race). from there you basically just lean over and pull yourself back up, keeping your arms across your chest so your lower back is pulling you. i felt it pretty much right away.

again, not sure if it's safe and affective but if your lower back is a little weak (as it sounds like it might be from the pain doing the squats) then that might help.

[Guest guest4729]

i was recently instructed by my trainer to do a lower back exercise i had never done before. i have no idea if it's safe/effective but it's the first time i ever felt my lower back targeted in an exercise (and my lower back has been sore once or twice after a fitness class where weights were used so i take that to mean my lower back is a bit weak).

the exercise is done on one of those diagonal benches where you basically wedge your legs in so your whole body is at a diagonal. from there face forward (imagine a swimmer on a block about to dive into the water to start a race). from there you basically just lean over and pull yourself back up, keeping your arms across your chest so your lower back is pulling you. i felt it pretty much right away.

again, not sure if it's safe and affective but if your lower back is a little weak (as it sounds like it might be from the pain doing the squats) then that might help.

I think you're talking about a back raise on a Roman Chair? It's almost like a sit up only you're facing down, you're in the air and it's easier. That's one of the exercises I like to do at my school gym. You could always make it more difficult by holding onto a weight.

[weirdquark]

Yeah, your trainer sounds pretty good to me too.

The only reason I didn't use the lat-pulldown machine much when I was working up to pull-ups was because I mostly worked out at home and didn't have access to one. But I think it's a good way to work your way up to being able to do pull-ups -- the pulling motion is similar, so it should hit the same muscle groups. (I think I've heard there are some differences, but I don't remember what they are.) Inverse rows are a good substitute (and are what I did instead) and rows in general hit those muscles, but the workout routines that I've seen that are all "use free weights" tend to be good with cable exercises and the lat-pulldown machine.