Fitness Training & Coaching: The ideal pair

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I loved my 2 years in graduate school. I got to get up early every morning and study exercise science all day long with the help of a great library, an exercise physiology lab, and dedicated professors. What could be better for someone who wants to learn their profession!

I learned exercise science inside and out. What an asset that was and is. It has given me the ability to design and implement safe and effective exercise programs for hundreds of very diverse clients over the last 20 years.  I am so thankful to have gained this in-depth knowledge through a well-designed curriculum of guided study.

Training-and-CoachingIn my studio my clients have become stronger, more flexible, more functional, reduced their pain levels, achieved more muscular endurance and improved their cardiovascular fitness … consistently … without fail. And, without injury. They have received the thousands of benefits that come with safe, effective, and consistent exercise and it’s been great to see their progress.

But, I cannot say they have all lost significant amounts of body fat or achieved the physical appearance they wanted. That was important to my clientele of 40+ year old non-athletes. They wanted to “look” better! And, a lot of them didn’t.

The people who significantly changed their appearance, and got all the compliments from their friends, were the ones who lost a lot of body fat! No matter how good their exercise program was, no matter how strong or flexible they became, no matter how improved their blood profile was, if they didn’t lose weight no one noticed their fitness change, and that was important to them … and therefore to me, too! And, those who lost the most body fat were most often the clients who made real changes in their eating habits.

I learned was the critical importance of nutrition for fat loss and how fat loss itself is a tremendous sculptor of a better looking physique. In, fact, when it comes to body appearance change for the maturing crowd I found nutrition to be the most important factor. That was a rude awakening for an exercise physiologist and personal trainer.

Clients would say to me, “Do you have a specific eating plan you could give me to follow? If you tell me what I should eat I’ll do it.” But I didn’t have one!

So I began to study the specifics of weight loss and “diet” plans with intensity. I even decided to lose weight myself, even though I was already fit and lean. I just wanted to gain personal experience in the process and join together with my clients in their struggle.

I found that I didn’t have to create my own specific nutrition program. There were many great ones out there already.  I searched the myriads of books and programs already written and selected a few of the best that fit with my philosophy and the lifestyle of my particular clientele.

Now I had what my clients had asked for. I had several very well-developed, specific eating plans to give them so they would know just what to eat, how much to eat, and when to eat it. I felt I had it all: a specific, detailed eating plan and a specific, detailed exercise program!

But, I sadly found that I still needed something more! There were those who succeeded well. They got great results and I could happily share their testimonials, but in truth there were too many whose results I was not happy with.

I was able to execute my exercise plans in the studio flawlessly. It’s called personal “training”. The clients simply showed up for their appointments and I guided them through their daily exercise prescription. Done.

But the execution of the nutrition program turned out to be much more difficult! Many clients weren’t following the plan well enough. Results were sporadic. I could tell clients what to eat, but I couldn’t keep my eyes on them or hand them their food like I could do with weights in the studio. I needed a new approach, a new set of skills. How do  I get them to follow a specific plan … outside the studio?

I found what I needed in the field of fitness and wellness coaching. This turns out to be an entirely different field of study. Personal coaching is related to but very different from personal training. It’s the science of health behavior change.  It is the development of the paradigms and skill sets needed to assist people to transform their entire lifestyle into a healthy fitness and wellness way of life.

“Training” involves shaping client’s behaviors in your presence. “Coaching” is a process that awakens and empowers the client themselves. It calls for a deep change from within in order to change health behavior outside the studio – and that’s where real and lasting success lies.

A comprehensive approach to total lifestyle change is the most powerful way to make a profound and lasting change in people’s health, fitness and wellness. Wellness coaching is a remarkably powerful tool to facilitate this process. It is a tremendous addition to a personal training program. My success with clients who engage in the personal coaching process greatly surpasses those who do not.

A decade ago I thought and today I believe that fitness and wellness coaching will move to the forefront of the health and fitness world for adults. I hope is does because it’s greatly needed. I’m happy to be a part of that future now.

 

Randy Bengtsson, M.A., CWC

Randy Bengtsson has a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science and Wellness Management from Humboldt State University and has a Certified Wellness Coach certification from the Spencer Institute. He has owned and operated Lifestyle Fitness & Wellness in San Juan Capistrano, CA, for the last 21 years.

Randy@LifestyleFitness.club

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