Posted on August 22, 2014 by Kate Halsall

Because I teach fitness classes as well as being a personal trainer, I receive a lot of feedback from people who think I do loads of exercise so I don’t need to train. To some extent it’s true, there are classes that I teach which I physically do – Pump and Spin being two examples. However, if I used my full weights in every class or full intervals in every class; I’d need a bigger fridge to store all the food I would need and I’d have DOMS every day and not be able to move! That’s not to say that I don’t work hard in those classes, but as an instructor we teach multiple classes a day and we need to ensure that our technique is sound and that we are motivating those who come to our exercise classes! If I’m pushing myself with 40+kg on the bar for 100 squats – there isn’t going to be much speech coming from me! Besides, classes are your workouts not mine. The thing is that classes do help me keep fit, but I still have personal goals that I’m aiming towards. So I teach and I have my own programme; you’ll find a lot of personal trainers do have their programmes but the key is that we all train differently.

I love lifting weights
You may remember a blog about women pressing heavy weights. I have my own weight training plan. Squats are my favourite exercise in the whole world, with pressing (specifically clean & pressing) my second favourite – and shoulders, anything shoulders! My training plan currently focuses on getting my squats to back above my body weight, without a compromise in my technique or aggrevating any injury. I’m not in a rush to do this, so it’s a nice slow building plan. As an example, one session I’ll do Barbell Back Squats 40kg 4 sets 8 reps with tempo 3010, then the following week the weight goes to 45kg for a couple of sets then back to 40kg; next time I start with 42.5kg, then the next up to 47.5kg for a couple of sets and back to 42.5kg. I’ll follow a set pattern for around 6 weeks and then change tempos, weights, reps and sets.

I’m recovering from injury
Another previous blog discussed the stages we go through during rehabilitation from injury. I have a slipped disc and I’m currently inbetween the ‘functional preparation’ and ‘go for it’ stages. Certain exercises seem to trigger the injury whilst others don’t – and it’s incredibly frustrating! What it does mean is that I’m focusing on a lot of core strengthening exercises and whilst I’m still doing things that I love like clean and pressing, I keep it to a minimum. So my core conditioning programme contains press ups, hanging knee raises, farmers walk, lunges with single arm presses, low rows and so on.

Freestyle Classes = My Style!
I’ve always said I teach the way I like to be taught, and I stick to it. But this also means that for classes such as bootcamps, kettlebells and hiit which have no scripted choreography, you get to workout the way I do. I’ll put the class plan together and I will test it. If it doesn’t push me, it’s not used. What kind of instructor would I be if I don’t practice what I preach!

I guess they key message here is that just because you’re doing something one way, and someone else is training entirely another – it doesn’t matter. We all train differently and we have to because our goals are specific to us!