There are so many ways that a personal trainer can help you, but for today I’ll focus on one specific reason – Increasing Range of Motion (ROM). With a qualified personal trainer that performs body assessments like me, I can identify Range of Motion restrictions you may, or may not even know you have. Once a ROM restriction or limitation is identified I incorporate exercises and stretches that will help the joint’s ROM improve. Many times it can take weeks to see improvements, other times I’m able to share a stretching technique that can help rather immediately to improve the ROM.
Today I’ll use my husband as an example, as he was part of my motivation for becoming a personal trainer. He injured several of his lower lumbar discs causing bulging discs. (It’s important to note that if this type of injury occurs you must seek medical advice from an MD, possibly have an MRI performed, and receive medical authorization to work out) Over several weeks I had him perform specific exercises and stretches that increased his ROM in a forward bend dramatically. When he first started he couldn’t bend over without causing intense pain, and couldn’t even make it to 45 degree forward flexion.. You can see from the images below his improvement over 2 week (1st to 2nd image) and his improvement over months (2nd to 3rd image). Also note how he no longer requires a dramatic bend in his knees to bend forward.
As an added bonus to working with me not only can you see improvements over weeks and months but I also have techniques I can teach you that can often help you feel better rather immediately. Below you will see the change in how far the client can bend forward after performing a stretching technique for ONLY 90 seconds.
So my number one answer to the question of “How can a personal trainer help you?” is.
I am a personal trainer that is invested you. The way I work as a personal trainer is to provide you with the guidance and care that is specific to your needs. There is a lot general guidance on how to improve disc pain, and my husband had tried nearly all of them before I became a Personal Trainer. But, none provided the relief or improvement he sought. The guidance he received was too general and not specific enough to how he was limited and what aggravated his injury. It wasn’t until I stepped in as a Certified Personal Trainer and developed a specific plan for him that he started to see notable improvement within weeks. #ActualizePT
Actualize Personal Training 