The incredible results from personal training vs self-training have now been shown in a groundbreaking UCLA study published by Equinox.
It is something that we have known for years, but now it is official – having someone push you to your limits while you are training increases body mass and muscle strength compared to exercising on your own. A groundbreaking, three-month study at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine in California, found that the Personal Training regime at Equinox had a dramatic impact on fitness levels.
The study reports that during a 12-week period, those who had a personal training session three times a week:
• Increased their lean body mass by 3.3 pounds, while self-trained group saw no change.
• Increased muscle strength by 42% vs.19% in self-trained group.
• Increased muscle power by 10% vs. 0.1% in self-trained group.
• Increased VO2 Max by 6% vs. a 3% decrease in self-trained group.
[quote]Carl Martin, Personal Training Manager at Equinox Kensington said “The UCLA study has shown how the dramatic effect that the motivation from a personal trainer can have. People who train with a personal trainer saw a 42% increase in muscle strength in a 12-week period compared to 19% of those who self trained – the results speak for themselves. Even five minutes of encouragement or advice from a member of staff or a Personal Trainer on the gym floor can help boost results.”[/quote]
Carl Martin also offers tips for self-motivation on your self-training days:
Make training fit into your day; If you are a morning person, get in, get out and go to work. If you are more of an evening person then finish on time and get to the gym. Don’t make it more difficult for yourself, make a time of the day you can commit to and stick to it.
Rope in a friend; Whether it is a work colleague, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, or even someone you meet at the club. Get someone to commit to coming with you and work out together. I guarantee you will be more motivated.
Establishing a goal; If you have something you are working towards, whatever it may be you are more likely to keep up motivation levels if you have a reason to do it with a target in sight. SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) will help you achieve your goals but remember after a period of time, assess where you are, evaluate what has happened, what changes your body has undergone and then re-evaluate your situation based on all of the information you have.
