Jeremy Koerber
I had an impromptu consultation last week with a client who has been training with us since October to discuss her results. I could tell she was uneasy about where she is in her training and was expecting more than she has seen through her training. So I started asking questions.
Have you lost any weight? No.
Have you cut out sugar like we talked about? No.
Are you going to cut out sugar? Yes. Since the beginning of January I have cut out sugar.
Have you weighed yourself since then? No.
Have you increased the time of your walking sessions since your last progression? No.
Are you still walking on your non-strength training days? Yes; 6 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes at night.
Are you stronger and have more stamina? Yes.
My reply to these questions was this: Then you are ready to lose weight.
For the record, this is a client who has tried everything to lose weight. Every diet, book and program known to man and she has had success in the past only to regain the weight plus more. The two things missing in every attempt was physical activity and a coach. This client also has a health history and list of surgeries that would make your head spin so when we say “baby steps” we mean it. Her walking sessions began at 2 minutes twice per day and her 30 minute training sessions twice a week started with only eight sets. In that time she has progressed to longer walking sessions and more sets in her strength training sessions and has improved her base conditioning and balance.
The holidays are an impossible time to lose weight and for this client, reversing 40 years of bad choices isn’t as simple as waiving a wand and PRESTO you are thin. Due to physical limitations, medications and her initial level of conditioning, the first three months of training was to get her to the point where we can start adding more concepts, exercises, volume and intensities. Something she wasn’t ready for
when she came to us in October.
If this approach still doesn’t make sense to you understand that we build muscle and lose weight from the inside out. It starts at the cellular level and any attempt to rush the process will result in serious muscle soreness or injury. This results in a negative outcome and most often that person quitting. For the client in the story above, it was paramount that she feel:
A. Safe
B. Supported
C. Positive
If any of these three components failed to make the grade she was gone. Therefore a workout volume that slowly conditioned her muscles without soreness or pain was a must. Explaining to her that 2 minutes on a treadmill is better than no minutes on a treadmill and that tiny increments are indeed a success (remember she has gone from 4 minutes a day to 11 minutes a day), and making the sessions enjoyable by providing a pleasant atmosphere where she wants to go is everything. Despite the fact the scale hasn’t moved, this client is ready to lose weight because she has conditioned her body to the level where she now can accept workouts with greater volumes and intensities. Her recovery is better but most importantly, so is her confidence.
Will your program start this slowly? That is a question we cannot answer. Each individual is wildly different but what we can say with 100% certainty is that the slow change process, while not as glamorous as the massive change programs being touted in multiple media outlets, works and has a track record of keeping weight off permanently.
If you are interested in how our training or coaching works, please call us at 314-807-8634 to discuss how we can assist you. Whether one-on-one, semi-private or online, we have programs, services and products that can help you improve your health and wellness for the long haul.
I had an impromptu consultation last week with a client who has been training with us since October to discuss her results. I could tell she was uneasy about where she is in her training and was expecting more than she has seen through her training. So I started asking questions.
Have you lost any weight? No.
Have you cut out sugar like we talked about? No.
Are you going to cut out sugar? Yes. Since the beginning of January I have cut out sugar.
Have you weighed yourself since then? No.
Have you increased the time of your walking sessions since your last progression? No.
Are you still walking on your non-strength training days? Yes; 6 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes at night.
Are you stronger and have more stamina? Yes.
My reply to these questions was this: Then you are ready to lose weight.
For the record, this is a client who has tried everything to lose weight. Every diet, book and program known to man and she has had success in the past only to regain the weight plus more. The two things missing in every attempt was physical activity and a coach. This client also has a health history and list of surgeries that would make your head spin so when we say “baby steps” we mean it. Her walking sessions began at 2 minutes twice per day and her 30 minute training sessions twice a week started with only eight sets. In that time she has progressed to longer walking sessions and more sets in her strength training sessions and has improved her base conditioning and balance.
The holidays are an impossible time to lose weight and for this client, reversing 40 years of bad choices isn’t as simple as waiving a wand and PRESTO you are thin. Due to physical limitations, medications and her initial level of conditioning, the first three months of training was to get her to the point where we can start adding more concepts, exercises, volume and intensities. Something she wasn’t ready for
when she came to us in October.
If this approach still doesn’t make sense to you understand that we build muscle and lose weight from the inside out. It starts at the cellular level and any attempt to rush the process will result in serious muscle soreness or injury. This results in a negative outcome and most often that person quitting. For the client in the story above, it was paramount that she feel:
A. Safe
B. Supported
C. Positive
If any of these three components failed to make the grade she was gone. Therefore a workout volume that slowly conditioned her muscles without soreness or pain was a must. Explaining to her that 2 minutes on a treadmill is better than no minutes on a treadmill and that tiny increments are indeed a success (remember she has gone from 4 minutes a day to 11 minutes a day), and making the sessions enjoyable by providing a pleasant atmosphere where she wants to go is everything. Despite the fact the scale hasn’t moved, this client is ready to lose weight because she has conditioned her body to the level where she now can accept workouts with greater volumes and intensities. Her recovery is better but most importantly, so is her confidence.
Will your program start this slowly? That is a question we cannot answer. Each individual is wildly different but what we can say with 100% certainty is that the slow change process, while not as glamorous as the massive change programs being touted in multiple media outlets, works and has a track record of keeping weight off permanently.
If you are interested in how our training or coaching works, please call us at 314-807-8634 to discuss how we can assist you. Whether one-on-one, semi-private or online, we have programs, services and products that can help you improve your health and wellness for the long haul.
RSS Feed
