With the time I have spent as a personal trainer and motivation coach over the past 4 years, it has become apparent that some trends begin to develop in terms of the clients that I have worked with. From this experience I have developed the 5 types of training personalities:
Stop Making Excuses That Limit Your Progress
1.) The Excuse Maker
No matter what, the excuse maker will find a way to put the blame on some other outside source for why they are not accomplishing their goals. Ultimately this comes down to simply not being committed enough in the first place to the goal set out and the work that will need to be put in to get there. The excuse maker will put the blame on a lack of time, lack of resources, or even a lack of their own willpower. Willpower is something that is created and developed in our own minds. To simply say that you failed because you had no willpower is complete BS!
In order to shift out of the excuse maker stage, an individual needs to re-evaluate their goals and determine how important their fitness and health really is to them. Are you able to pass up pizza and beers and instead reach for a healthy option, or are you the person that feels it is more important to fit in with the people pressuring you to enjoy pizza and beers with them. If these people really cared about you, can you not spend quality time with them without having to down a whole large pizza and 12 beer?
How about in terms of staying on track with your workouts? Do you value time on the couch in front of the TV more than working to improve your physical fitness and health? Is the entire season of your favorite TV show more important than your interval session or strength training workout? Furthermore, is there a way you can be more productive in other areas of your life so that you can enjoy both?
2.) The Program Jumper
The Program Jumper lacks patience. They are unwilling to see a program through to the end as they may become bored with it and immediately jump to the newest and hottest workout trend. There are many different types of effective programs out there, but the results come from picking one program and sticking to it with the consistency that is needed. Your program should also be based around your desired goals. If your goal is to get stronger and lose weight, you should use a program that involves basic compound movements in which your strength is measured at every workout to ensure you are getting stronger. If part of your goal includes weight loss then you had better implement some sort of nutrition strategy with your training as weight loss primarily comes as a byproduct of a shift in eating habits. The take home message here is: Pick a program and stick with it long enough to see it through and reap the benefits from it.
3.) The Eager Burnout Beaver
Our Eager Burnout Beaver tends to come out of the gates with guns a blazing ready to take the world on by storm. This person is ready to train 7 days a week for hours a day and do whatever it takes to get the body of their dreams. Unfortunately this person usually burns off all their motivational steam within the first few weeks of training and then returns back to their old lifestyle and habits as this type of excessive training leads to burnout, sickness, and an overall lack of energy for doing anything. The goal with training is to break the body down and let it recover, repair and come back stronger through proper rest, nutrition, and recovery. If we are continuously breaking the body down, we are not giving it a chance to ever repair and thus our progress will become stagnant. Beginners are able to progress very quickly by doing only a few training sessions each week. Why not start slowly, be patient, form new habits and allow training and healthy eating to become something that is enjoyable and something you look forward to?
4.) The “Know it All”
This type of training personality comes to their trainer explaining why and how their program should be designed and states how what they heard from their friend is definitely true. These people are so stuck in their ways that it completely limits their ability to try new things and be open to new ideas that could possibly take them to the next level. The majority of these people usually have mediocre physiques as their unwillingness to take feedback and constructive criticism from others severely impinges on their training progress. I am a big believer that the best way to become an expert in your craft and learn how to teach others is by first putting yourself through the paces and practicing what you preach. The “Know it All” type of personality usually does not practice what they preach and would rather just coach others on how to do things so they feel important. Learn how to keep your yapper shut, try to listen and learn everyday and use your own experiences to form your own thoughts and opinions on a fitness lifestyle.
5.) The Grinder
This is the holy grail of training personalities. This type of person is willing to listen and learn, and follow their training program through to a tee. They do not follow blindly, but rather they aim to understand why they are doing certain things, thus making them more educated in the process. This person is willing to work their damn ass of to get the desired result and will not utter a complaint along the way. They know that in order to succeed it will take boat loads of hard work and they also realize that most people would quit along the way. They grind through every last rep and set, they are precise with their food intake as they know this is the key to successful training. They put in the work not only to make themselves a better person, but also to set a good example for others. They know how much of an effect training, nutrition, rest, and recovery have on their life quality. They respect their bodies and in the end they understand that ultimately how they treat their bodies will become how they treat others.
