What Does Your Training Say About You?

There are a lot of the reasons I love training. It is totally honest, it can't be bribed and it can't be cheated. You get out exactly what you put in so if are not getting results it is because you are not earning them. This is just as true of improving your diet to achieve weight loss as it is of training to accomplish a physical goal. As a Glasgow personal trainer I have spent a lot of time in gyms and watching someone train can tell you a lot about the kind of person they. Actions always speak louder than words and here are some of the things a persons training habits can tell you about them.

Are they engaged and take the time to research things so they are following a good training and nutrition plan, or do they take no interest or responsibility for their understanding of the process and blindly follow the herd? If your training is based on what the big guy in the guy says then you need to dig deeper and get more engaged in the process.

Are they committed, sticking to the plan long enough to see the benefit or get bored, distracted and give up once the novelty wears off? You can't succeed at anything worthwhile without persistence and training is no exception. Trying to lose weight, build muscle, increase strength, rehabilitate an injury all take time and if people don't stay the course long term they might as well not start until they are in a place where they will.

Are they disciplined and pay attention to all the little things that quality training demands. Do they maintain high standards with technique at all times or are they sloppy in everything they do? People who stop striving for perfect technique are on a slippery slope; before you know it they are putting themselves at risk of injury and have seriously reduced the effectiveness of their efforts.

Are they a hard worker, pushing for more weight and / or volume and try to break personal bests or are they scared of hard work and make excuses to avoid it? If you can't track someone's improvements from a training or nutrition plan it is nearly always because they have not working hard and are just going through the motions.

Do they show character by doing all that is required and not just that which is enjoyable to them? Do they give as much effort on the tough exercises like squats or do they just play with the vanity stuff? If someone's list of 5 key exercises they do contains stuff like curls, lateral raises or leg extensions they seriously need to evaluate why you are in the gym at all.

Are they focussed, working to a schedule in the gym to get everything done that needs to be done or are they easily distracted and float through your sessions? People often use the gym as a social event, a place to meet people and make new friends. While it is great to meet like minded people try to make sure the people you meet are committed to getting results. That way you get the best of both worlds.

Are they successful, reaching the goals they are working towards or do they never make any progress? So many people spend weeks, months and even years in the gym without making any progress at all. If you are not making progress you are wasting time and should really look at changing what you are doing in the gym. A lack of effort, poor choices, sporadic attendance are all roadblocks to getting what you want. Eliminate them and start moving forwards.

Are they open minded enough to take on new ideas and suggestions or are they stuck in their ways, doing the same thing over and over? Training and nutrition are evolving all the time so keeping up with best practice is an important part of getting the body you want. You should be committed to the goal, not the methods used to get there.

Does your training show you to be an engaged, committed, disciplined, hardworking person of character who is open minded, focussed and successful? Training not only helps you reach your physical goals it also gives you a chance to develop who you are as a person. The character traits you need to succeed in your training are the same ones you need to do well most parts of your life. So develop them in the gym and apply them everywhere else.

Iain Smith (MPhil/CSCS) owns Standout Gym, an independent warehouse gym in Glasgow, focusing on weight loss. He offers small group training as an affordable alternative to Glasgow personal training. Iain is a former international decathlete with 17 years coaching experience. www.standoutgym.com.