PopSugar

Fit Tip: Consider Your Personal Trainer Temporary

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Hiring a personal trainer is a fabulous way to start or pump up a fitness routine, just don't rely on her too heavily because eventually you are going to need to learn to exercise on your own. Use your trainer to learn new moves, how to use the equipment, how to establish a routine, and to end a plateau. Whenever I work with a trainer, I always bring along a notebook so I can take notes and do the things I learned on my own.

Also, before I even get started I ask how long she has had most of her clients for and if it's ever over more than a year, it's a red flag that the trainer may not be preparing you for life without her. Learning to be healthy and fit on your own could add years on your life, but it will also save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. So by all means, hire a trainer, just use her as a trainer and not as a full time reason not to learn anything on your own.

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Virtual Trainer: Maya Yourself! Fitness

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 02:30:00 -0800

Personal trainers are a great way to get motivated. Problem is that some of us can't afford one, or that we are just too shy to even go there. Well, what about a virtual personal trainer?

Maya, the Yourself!Fitness ($24.99-$34.99) personal trainer, will help you choose your health and fitness goals and then she will work with you to achieve them. Virtual Maya will guide you through workouts (there are over 500 exercises) and you're not supposed to ever have the same workout twice. You get to choose everything from your music to your mood to your focus areas, and Maya will take care of the rest.

Once you set up your preferences Maya guides you through your workout, giving you step-by-step coaching from warm-up to cool-down, all in the comfort of your own home. You can buy Yourself!Fitness for your Playstation2, xBox or PC directly from the Yourself!Fitness site. I think I am more of a people person when it comes to training, but this is definitely a great concept!

David Kirsch's Boot Camp Circuit Workout

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:30:34 -0800

We are headed straight for the ultimate day of American indulgence, Thanksgiving, which if followed by a month of festivities closing out the year. New York based trainer David Kirsch created a workout to help FitSugar readers stay on track this holiday season. He's helped Heidi Klum bounce back post baby, so he can definitely help us all tone up. David's circuit boot camp is intense, fun, and sure to burn calories. Here's how to follow the workout.

Instructions: Work through the entire circuit doing 15 to 20 reps of each exercise. Then repeat entire circuit twice more for a total of three sets. Your goal is to complete three full sets in 45 minutes. Props needed: a set of three- to five-pound dumbbells, a four- to six-pound medicine ball, and an exercise ball to fit your height.

Click here for the PDF of the workout, then print it.
Source: WireImage

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Fit Tip: Split a Personal Trainer Session With a Friend

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:00:00 -0800

So it's January and you've vowed that 2009 will be the year you get in shape. If you're not sure how to get started, a personal trainer can teach you how to workout with all the challenges of new exercises and proper technique. Let's be financially realistic though. Unless you have a money tree growing in your backyard, it's tough to afford a ton of sessions at $30 to $50 a pop. And some trainer's time costs even more.

So why not split sessions with a friend? Many trainers will offer special small group rates, so invite one friend or maybe even a few. Not only will you save money, but having a friend join in will make you more likely to stick with it.

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Celebrity Trainers Who Tweet

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:50:09 -0700

More and more celebrity trainers are using Twitter to broadcast healthy eating tips, motivational words, and exercise advice. The trainers also reply to questions directed at them via Twitter, which help make users feel like personal clients.

Start following these trainers to feel red-carpet-ready every day - minus the hefty price tag. And don't forget to follow FitSugar on Twitter, too!

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Fit Tip: Pick Your Own Personal Trainer

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:00:00 -0800

A lot of gyms will lure you in with a few free sessions with one of their personal trainers when you sign up for a membership. I am a big fan of taking advantage of this offer, but don't let the gym pick your trainer. Instead, ask questions so you can learn a little bit about each of them and then pick the one that seems to suit you best. If you don't, chances are your gym will just assign a trainer who is available (i.e. has a wide open calendar) to you that you may or may not like, and you probably won't get the most out of your time with them. Better yet, if you can wait, check them out while you're at the gym before you make your choice. You may see a trainer whose style you really like, or dislike, which could help you pick.

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Ever Thought About Becoming a Personal Trainer?

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:00:00 -0800

When you spend a lot of time at the gym, you get to know your way around. You learn how to use all the equipment, and you take classes or have sessions with a personal trainer to learn all the killer strength training moves. I'm wondering, after spending so much time becoming fit, have you ever thought about becoming a personal trainer or fitness instructor to inspire others to be strong and healthy?

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5 Ways to Know You Need a New Trainer

FitSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:30:00 -0700

A personal trainer can help you tremendously in your efforts in getting fit. Most trainers are with you 100 percent in that goal, but some can be lacking in their efforts. Trainers aren't cheap so here are a few tips that could be indicators that you may need to put your money (and time) towards another trainer:

She did not sit down with you to get your history. Trainers should sit down with their clients to get their health history as well as assess their fitness levels before having them do a single sit-up.
He does not pay attention while you're doing your exercises. A trainer is supposed to make sure you are doing the exercises properly so you can get the best workout. If your trainer takes the time to clean up the weight room, check her voice mail or gossip with another trainer while you're doing your sets then you may want to look for another trainer.
She has you doing the same stuff over and over again. This is why you hired a trainer in the first place, right? Your trainer should have you switching up your exercises. A little repetition is OK, but doing the same stuff over and over again is not.

There are a few more so read more.

He makes you cry. Don't laugh, it happens. If you don't mix well with your trainer then you should try to find a better match to your personality. There is no rule you have to stick with a trainer you just don't like.
She airs out dirty laundry to you. You're paying her to help you work out, not to help her with her boyfriend problems. Sure, there is nothing wrong with a little girl talk, but it shouldn't get in the way of your exercise.

Do you have anything you'd like to add to the list? Share them below.

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Celeb Trainer Valerie Waters on Biel's Booty and Burning Fat

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:50:54 -0700

There's no hiding bellies or behinds when all you're wearing is a bikini. Shape recruited celebrity trainer Valerie Waters for a few tips on getting ready to bare it all - who better than a woman who has worked with clients like Jennifer Garner and Jessica Biel?

Valerie insists that eating clean (and eating breakfast) are big parts of the equation for achieving the body you want, and making your workouts count is the other factor in getting your figure bikini-ready. Her plan: Strength train three days a week, focusing on the big muscles (legs, chest, back, and arms). Increase the amount of fat you burn by doing interval training the other three days.

To learn what Valerie recommends for getting a shapely booty like Jessica's, read more.

Valerie plugged her product when she told Shape, "The Valslide is the secret weapon for a lot of celebrities because it will change your butt faster than anything you've seen. It's like using a slide board except that's it's smaller." She added, "You can do so much to work your butt with no equipment: squats, lunges, step-ups." If you're not in the market for her $30 fitness tool, print out my nine-exercise glutes and hamstrings workout. Take it to the gym with you, and start working that booty.

The A-List Workout

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 03:15:00 -0800

Want to train like a celebrity and get insider tips from 10 of Hollywood's hottest trainers?

The book The A-List Workout, gives you inside tips and workouts from some of Hollywood's hottest celeb trainers.

From the Back Cover:

Jessica Simpson's lean, long legs, Sheryl Crowe's sculpted arms, Angelina Jolie's, well, everything . . . What's the secret to these celebs' buff bodies? It's not genetics, and it's not luck: They work hard for their beautiful physiques under top Hollywood trainers, and now you can too!

In The A-List Workout, ten of the most in-demand celebrity trainers have come together to give you their favorite exercise plans and tips--the same advice superstars pay top dollar to get. Each trainer outlines easy-to-follow plans that target a specific body part--abs, legs, butt, arms, and more--and then each plan is synthesized into full-body workouts for beginners, all-over toning, trouble-zone busting, or weight loss.

This book is great because there are 10 different trainers represented. Most of the time when you pick up a fitness book, it's only by one person and his or her philosophy. You get a lot of variation in The A-List Workout, both in the exercises and in their approach to fitness, which is cool. It's like getting 10 for the price of one. What's more? It's written by Fitness Magazine's Allysa Shaffer.

The best part is that you don't have to spend a fortune on trainers like: Rich and Helene Guzmán (Hilary Swank), Mike Alexander (Jessica Simpson), Teddy Bass (Paris Hilton), Joe Dowdell (Victoria Secret Models), Christel Smith (Uma Thurman), Ashley Borden (Mandy Moore), Jeanette Jenkins (Queen Latifah) and Larry Krug (Donatella Versace).

Interested? Buy it on Amazon.com for $16.47.