-Roger Staubach
Many, many personal fitness trainers (PFTs) have said many, many times
“I passed my IFPA certification test, but I just don’t feel confident
to train people.” I am going to attempt to help you find the
confidence to “get in the game ,” not just for your sake and
for the sake of all the other PFTs who need a confidence boost, but
because of all the other people out there who are desperately seeking
a fitness professional that can help lead them to a healthy and fit
life.
First, recognize the fact that it is quite an achievement to pass the
IFPA PFT certification exam. It is a demanding test. The fact that
you have succeeded, places you at the very top of all entry level
trainers. While degreed PFTs may have spent four or more years in the
study of exercise science, you have studied the practical, essential,
useful knowledge of personal training and have learned precisely what
you need to know in order to train people safely and effectively.
Exercise science is good, but it is an academic education, what you
have learned is practical training. In the gym, no one is going to
ask you to diagram all the organelles in a Type II B muscle fiber, but
they will ask you about program design, proper exercise form and
technique and safety guidelines, and that is what you have mastered to
get through the IFPA Exam.
Second, concerning your lack of experience, the course material you
studied is experience. When you study the IFPA manual, you are
gaining hundreds of years of experience from the finest minds in the
fitness industry. If you use the program as it is outlined in the
manual, even though you are getting ready to take your very first
client through their very first workout, you are NOT inexperienced. You, personally may be a rookie, but the system you
are using is HIGHLY experienced! Follow the IFPA program
carefully, step by step and you won’t make any mistakes.
Third, go back and read the headline quote again…..Roger Staubach was
100% correct. If you want complete confidence, if you truly desire to
be the best of the best, if you are looking for success as a PFT, then
I suggest you learn the meaning of the following quote by William
Shakespeare: “All glory comes from daring to begin .”
Abdominal Training
Before I get into the abdominal crunch, it is important for you to
know that you can do crunches for 16 hours/day; 7 days/week and you
will not have a “six pack” or win an ab contest until you get the fat
off your waist line. Reducing your percentage of body fat requires a
disciplined approach to a simple formula. If you burn more calories
than you consume you will lose fat. You burn calories through
physical activity and you consume calories through eating and
drinking.
Review previous FitBit articles in case you need to refresh your
memories on fat loss. Remember that the typical person greatly over
estimates the amount of calories they expend and greatly under
estimates the amount of calories they consume.
The
crunch is the most effective abdominal exercise with the lowest amount
of risk. Performed correctly you can negate virtually all risk of
injury. The following describes the most safe and effective way to
perform crunches.
(1) To get in position: from standing position squat down; place
your hands on the floor in front of your knees and walk your hands
forward until you are on “all fours” (hands and knees resting on floor
or mat, back parallel to the ground).
(2) Bend your arms, lowering your shoulders to the floor and roll
onto your back.
(3) Feet should be flat on the floor, shoulder width apart with
the knees bent.
(4) Fingers should be interlaced behind the head for support. Do
not pull forward on the head while contracting the abdominals.
Excessive pulling of the hands on the head can cause damage to the
cervical & thoracic discs, ligaments and muscles. The hands form a
platform to rest the head. If you are deconditioned, your neck
muscles will fatigue faster than your abdominals.
(5) Contract the abdominals to “curl” the head and shoulders off
the floor. Pretend a string is attached to your nose pulling your face
upward toward the ceiling. This technique will prevent the chin from
coming to your chest. (If all else fails, put a tennis ball under your
chin to protect the neck).
(6) Keep the lower back on the floor and pull the stomach inward
while contracting. This will activate the transverse abdominus.
Always exhale during the concentric contraction and use a 2 second
timing if you are a beginner (gradually extend contraction time to 4,
6, 8, and 10 seconds; advanced trainers may want to try 10 second
concentric; 10 second isometric contraction at full flexion and 10
second eccentric). Inhale during the eccentric contraction and use a 4
second timing if you are a beginner (gradually extend contraction time
to 6, 8 and 10 seconds).
Variations of the crunch include:
(1) Twisting Crunch: with a twisting motion toward the outside
knee
(2) Legs Elevated Crunch: bent-knee or straight-legged with legs
pointing toward the ceiling.
(3) Legs Elevated Straddle: legs straight in straddle position
(4) Crunches on a Stability Ball
In
all the exercises described above never have the feet held down since
this causes a flexor synergy that will decrease the contraction of the
abdominals and increase the recruitment of the hip flexors. Allowing
the back to leave the ground as in the old-fashioned “sit-up” will
have a similar effect and is not recommended.
When
you complete the desired number of sets (recommend beginners start
with 1 set of 15 repetitions gradually increasing number of sets;
remember Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type from your PFT Course),
it’s time to return to a standing position. The safest way to
accomplish this is reverse the process you began with: roll over to
one side until you are back on your hands and knees. Walk your hands
back toward your feet until you return to squat position and stand up.
- Sincerely,
- Jim Bell, PhDc, IFPA
President
