personal trainer

[LXC]

so i'm looking for a personal trainer to first and foremost help us with the strength training to correct the knee problems, secondarily develop the necessary strength, alignment and flexibility to become better dancers. how should i go about choosing one? i'm looking at some profiles, each one with a list of certificiations, some on yoga, pilate, others cycling, group exerciese, kickboxing, etc. many pilate teachers come from a dancing background which seems a plus. but is pilate the way to go if my primary concern is the knee?

who are you working with and what qualifications in a personal trainer has been most helpful to you?

 

[alemana]

how did you get the list? from your gym?


most trainers will offer a free consultation or even first session... i would do that and see how you click, over and above your (very important) qualifications criteria.

 

[Ithink]

You need strong leg muscles to help knee problems and pilates is mostly a core strengthening technique which helps tremendously with dancing (posture, holding your center, etc.) but wouldn't really address your leg strength. What you need is someone to show you and lead you through leg muscle-strengthening exercises such as calf raises, squats and lunges. Ideally, you would just need a few sessions to learn proper form when doing these and then you can do them on your own.

As far as what classes to take: kickboxing, at least the class I take where we're doing squats, walking and standing lunges and various kicks, is a great one. So is any total body sculpting or conditioning class you can find which often focuses in large part on leg muscles because they are some of the largest muscles in your body and need the focus... And I would do cardio on a bike or elliptical on a medium resistance (where you get beyond creating momentum and then riding the machine) so that you are using leg muscles to push the pedals around.

BTW, I think I knew who you were at Nationals but was nervous about saying hi because I wasn't sure Orange dress, right?

 

[DancerForLife]

Also, if you have a knee problem, you might want to consider physical theraphy first. The trainers won't necessarily be able to diagnose any underlying problems that might need correction first.

As for trainers, I usually go to the gym and ask to sign up for a session. If I like the trainer assigned I stay; if I don't, I ask for someone else. I like to have sessions where I feel like I got a good workout but are not painfully sore, and enjoy the session.

 

[LXC]

i am looking at the list of trainers avaiable at our health club. it doesn't say anything about free consultation, so i guess i'll just call some and see how it goes.

as dance lessons, they're offered in different packges. i guess all the good common sense and advice on buying dance lesson pacakges(which we've never done) apply

 

[LXC]

ithink, you're right. we mostly need leg strength which is not the core of pilate. but i was just wondering if some of the pilate teachers are just as capable of doing it plus more. i was being greedy.

i wanted to say hi too a couple of times but couldn't do it. i guess we'll formally meet next time

dancerforlife, he's seeing therapist but very infrequently and does not really do the exercises as often as instructed. we need better structure and motivation. paying for personal trainer would certainly be a motivation!

 

[alemana]

a trainer with a broad background, which maybe includes pilates, would definitely be better than someone with a more narrow focus (regardless of the content of that focus.) it's a truism that many pilates instructor-types have dance backgrounds and/or are used to working with dancers.... so that would be a good thing for you.

but i agree in general with the advice in this thread that you need resistance training, whether with a qualified trainer and/or a physical therapist. that's what gets you strength. i would avoid group classes like the plague - they are bastions of bad/harmful technique and non-useful peer pressure, plus don't feature sufficient personal attention. unless the activity is something with a low injury potential, i'd avoid.

i have a pilates instructor who is in school studying to be a physical therapist (also has a traditional personal trainer background) and i have to say, i find the combination hard to beat. because she's seriously interested in rehabilitative/preventative therapy, she's ideal as an exercise trainer. her goal is NEVER to force me into an exercise when she sees it doesn't serve me... for example, mat pilates uses lots of "chin tucked to your chest" ab exercises that kill my sensitive neck. in a group class, i will usually at least try to do this move along with everybody else - usually to my own detriment. a pilates dogmatist might insist i continue to try, wheras this teacher, wisely, forbids me to do it until we figure out together how to reduce my neck strain safely.

 

[fluffy]

My trainer used to be a dancer (not ballroom) but has trained many ballroom dancers (including world champions) to help strength, stamina and flexibility. She is also very up on injury rehabilitation, and strengthening weak areas. I would recommend her if you were London based

 

[basicarita]

Alemana - I'm in NYC - if you're still reading this thread, are you still working with this trainer?

(I tried to PM you but gt an error message that your box was full )

 

[fascination]

she has been inactive for quite a long time

 

[Wolfgang]

The knee problem is definitely something that needs to be adressed.

Most personal trainers at gyms are in essence glorified membership sales people working on commission.
Keep that in mind.

There's a good dozen or so different certifications, all of them claiming to be the 'Gold Standard', I'd say look for a private personal trainer with whom you click, never mind the certification, it really is just a piece of paper.