UM Rec Services Personal Training

by Adam Toffan , M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS, CSEP-CPT Assistant Fitness Training and Assessment Coordinator, Recreation Services at the University of Manitoba Until recently much of the benefits of personal training have been documented but not quantified. We know personal training helps, but how much? Now we have research to give us the numbers. Personal Training effect on Stage of Change: A large part of the personal trainer’s role is counselling, especially early in the relationship when the trainer and client are getting to know each other. However this is continuous in varying degrees throughout the relationship. When assessing a person’s readiness to change behaviour related to their physical activity, one tool used by fitness professionals is the Trans-theoretical Model (TTM) which classifies someone into one of the following stages: Pre-contemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action and Maintenance. During counselling, this information is used by the personal trainer t...

by Adam Toffan , M.Sc, NSCA-CSCS, CSEP-CEP Assistant Fitness Testing & Assessment Coordinator, Recreation Services at the University of Manitoba Small Group Training and Wearable Technology top the Association of Fitness Studios “2018 Top Fitness Studio Trends Report”. The ASF’s annual survey of its membership has found that Small Group Training and Wearable Technologies continue to grow across the industry. Here are 5 reasons why: 1. It Keeps You Coming Back Many people have a hard time pushing themselves to get to the gym and, once in the gym, pushing hard enough to maximize the health benefits. Training with a partner or in a small group helps improve adherence, motivation and results! Someone is less likely to skip a session when they know someone is expecting them. The small group also provides more attention while in the workout. In small group fitness classes or personal training, you get extra attention from the instructor since there are fewer people for the in...

by  Andrea Dietrich , B.Kin.,   CSEP-CPT Fitness and Training Coordinator,  Recreation Services  at the University of Manitoba What is it Basal Metabolic Rate? Basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the bare minimum amount of energy expended by an individual at rest while awake. More precisely, the amount of energy your body needs to breathe, lay restfully awake, and control body temperature. Ideally, you would have fasted for 12 hours, and the environment was temperature-controlled as well. So how do you actually use this information? Let’s change the word energy to the word  calories . BMR is then the bare minimum amount of calories your body needs to merely function. This has implications for your diet, whether you are trying to lose, gain or maintain weight, feed growing muscles, or spend your weekend lying in bed in a dark room, quietly just existing. Most of us do more (much more) than lay in bed on an average day, and even tasks like sitt...

by  Andrea Dietrich , B.Kin., CSEP-CPT Fitness and Training Coordinator,  Recreation Services  at the University of Manitoba Resistance training (also known as strength training or weight training) is a broad term that denotes any activity that requires you to work against a resistance such as gravity, body weight, bars or dumbbells, or machines. While this article will discuss resistance training as a planned set of exercises during a focused session of activity, resistance training also has a sneaky way of working itself into one’s everyday life, which is why it is so important. Basic tasks such as picking up your pet or child, carrying in groceries, preventing a slip on the ice, or even getting up out of the tub all depend on having the muscular strength and endurance to perform these actions. Many people know they should be doing more during their workouts than just focusing on lengthy cardio sessions, but maybe do not understand why it is so import...

by  Andrea Dietrich , B.Kin., CSEP-CPT Fitness and Training Coordinator, Recreation Services at the University of Manitoba High intensity interval training, or HIIT for short, is on trend these days; however it is not necessarily a new concept. Distance athletes have been using HIIT training for years, though it has gone by another name: fartlek. Fartlek is a combination of Swedish words that translate to speed play. Runners will often use this type of workout to get faster at their craft by running at various intensities for a shorter duration of a workout. So what exactly is high intensity interval training? We see HIIT as short burst of intense exercise followed by a brief period of recovery or less-intense exercise, typically in a 45-second workout to 15-second recovery ratio. Because of the time engaged in activity and the level of intensity, our bodies rely on carbohydrates as fuel for the working muscles. However muscles also produce by-products that lead to muscle ...