Did personal training improve my life?
In June 2022, I decided to drastically change my entire lifestyle. Why? My abdominal girth was definitely increasing again, which was undoubtedly due to my poorer diet and regular wine evenings with my friends. So something had to change...
For the first few weeks, I tried to take matters into my own hands and change my diet, as well as doing light exercise every day - push-ups, jogging, the usual. But after a few weeks I realized that I needed professional support if I wanted to keep up with these drastic changes. So on July 18, 2022, I searched the Internet for "personal training" and contacted the first search result directly via their contact form:
Hey Trainer,
A few weeks ago I started changing my diet, walking a lot and doing light exercises (push-ups, abdominal exercises). As I am definitely not a nutrition or sports expert, I am looking for professional support to avoid mistakes.
Accordingly, I would like to take individual lessons with you in order to eat healthier according to a plan and to strengthen my entire body. In the past, I've tried a gym membership from time to time, but unfortunately the support from the trainers was never very helpful in achieving anything in the long term.
Can you help me with this?
Greetings and many thanks in advance, Alex
I received a reply the same day and arranged a meeting on the phone. A few days later, I was standing in a park just around the corner from my apartment in the most beautiful summer weather, wearing sports gear, and had my first private lesson with a personal trainer. It was all about my body and current abilities so that she could get an overall picture. Of course, I was pushed to my limits with every exercise so that this overview would be as representative as possible -- wow was that exhausting. Fortunately, we didn't have to worry too much about the personal touch as we got on well straight away. From then on, I spent 2 hours a week in the park with my new trainer. The best thing about the personal training concept for me was the fact that, firstly, I didn't have to prepare anything and, secondly, I only had to be motivated to get my body moving in the park. The trainer did the rest, she planned every session, documented my progress and made sure that I reached my limits every time.
But why personal training? Is it even worth it?For me, it was definitely the better decision compared to the usual gym, which I had already tried several times. As I wrote in my initial message to the trainer, I never knew much about working out and unfortunately never felt that the trainers at the gym had enough time for me. So the logical conclusion for me was that I needed someone who would simply take dedicated time just for me to address my specific and personal needs. Of course, it also has its price and the monetary foundations have to be in place, but fortunately this was not a challenge for me at that moment.
What happened then?After working on the basic muscles in the first few weeks, we set a goal that was far enough away to maintain motivation over the long term -- a full pull-up without assistance. On my first attempt, my body moved perhaps an inch if measured accurately. Perfect, so we had planned my own moon mission... then let's build a rocket. Accordingly, we began to work more and more intensively on my back muscles, which of course also resulted in better posture when standing. Then one day I did it, my first complete pull-up, without any assistance. And yes, I didn't die. I don't know the exact date but it was a wonderful day with lots of sunshine and singing birds -- at least that's how it seems in my memory. It certainly rained 😃.
And what about today?Today I can do 10 pull-ups in a row and play with different variations to target different muscle groups. Hence, we set ourselves a new goal for the new year of 2023, although this time it should be even further away. So far away that you have to take your passport with you to training to reach it. My new goal: A handstand.
We have been working on the muscle groups that are important for handstands for a year now. Funnily enough, the handstand uses almost every muscle in the body, so over the last 12 months my entire musculature has improved significantly. The visual side effects of an athletic body are of course nice to see, but I haven't quite achieved my goal of handstands yet. There are still little things missing to gain full control. I have the strength, but I still lack stability. That's why I will continue to achieve this goal at some point and to remember this sunny day in the future.
Training with professional guidance has definitely improved my life drastically, as I can reduce stress and achieve new goals through sport. It quickly became a routine that I can't imagine living without. I feel healthy, sporty and beautiful. I'm happy with myself. What more could you ask for?
Finally, I’m very thankful for everything you did for me over the last year, Dominique! Without you I would still struggle to get my fitness level higher than beginner. I am sure that this success story will continue in 2024, we’re not done yet.
You want to power up yourself as well? Then visit https://fitnesslifestyle-by-dominique.de for more information.