I just have some questions about what my trainer wants me to do vs what I'm capable of doing

[Mysticalmadness]

Hi Everyone!

So excited to become a part of the fitbit community. 

I have had my fitbit charge 2 for almost 2 months now and I love it. My mom loved it so much that I bought her one for mothers day (even though she already had the fitbit one). 

I have a few questions that have to do with working out. 

1. I got a personal trainer for extra support and motivation. She wants me to do cardio 5x a week and strength train 2x a week for 40 minutes per workout ( strength train once with her, once on my own). I feel as if 7 days a week is too much for my body to handle. I feel so exhausted on the weekends. 

2. With my cardio, I felt really great when I was working in my peak heart rate zone. I could walk 3.4 ish mph on the treadmill with anywhere from a 3-5% incline for 30 minutes. She was afraid that I was going to hurt myself and get shin splints. I'm not the type of person to over strain myself. I'm good at listening to my body and realizing when I need to slow down or lower the intensity. Should I just politely take her suggestions and do what I know I can do? Or should I continue to follow the regimen that she is setting for me?

3. With strength training, I know that I can do more than what she is asking me to do to an extent. I've had 6 sessions with her so far, and she has yet to increase the resistance on the exercises she is asking me to do. I do lunges, squats, shoulder presses, bicep curls, "dead bug" (for abs), opposite arm-opposite leg, crunches, bridges, and this exercise where I lift a medicine ball over my head. She does alter and/or add something new every time I see her, but I know that I'm capable of adding weights to my squats and lunges for example and I'm not sure that the lack of resistance is helping me to progress.

I just wanted some friendly ideas/advice/suggestions on how I should approach these things as a newbie? I'm not necessarily struggling - I've lost about 15 pounds so far. But I want to do more if I'm capable of doing it. 

Thanks 

Ashley

[Stephy724]

Hi Ashley,

Your trainer probably isn't pushing you as hard since you aren't taking any rest days. Sometimes it is better to do light weight constantly to help get your body back in shape easier. If you would still like to push yourself a little more, ask her about it. In a month or so, she might change up your routine to do more strenuous workouts with a rest day, or a light cardio day in between. 

Congratulations on the 15 pounds! I know it's boring, but working it off the right way and slowly will help keep it off. Also, the elasticity of your skin will shrink better the slower you loose the weight.

(I made that last part up, but it sounds legit.)

Best wishes,

Stephanie

[GershonSurge]

@Mysticalmadness,

These types of questions are best discussed with your trainer. 

Given that you are exhausted, you should decrease one or all of the following:

• Frequency - number of days
• Intensity - speed for the treadmill or weight and reps for strength training
• Time - Length of workout

Your suggestions are doing just the opposite. 

It's best to be conservative about exhaustion as it can lead to injuries.

[emili]

If you are feeling exhausted on the weekends, then I certainly would not increase anything about what you are doing. If you do, you will be way more exhausted. You could increase the intensity and decrease the days, but.... if you are losing and feeling stronger- then her plan for you is working. I do for sure agree that you should keep open communication with her. Ask questions, make suggestions, consult on your sessions openly and honestly. Congrats on your achievements so far and continued success in your journey.

[Mysticalmadness]

Thanks everyone so far for the advice. 

I was thinking that I would want to decrease the days that I actually workout and just take some slow, long walks on the weekends that wouldn't be strenuous or intense. I feel much better since I "skipped" workouts this weekend and just walked, along with whatever cleaning and yard work I'd gotten done. I feel much more rested and energized. My trainer won't be happy with me though. She is strict on that 5 days of only cardio. And then I work out with her once a week, as previously stated, so that's 6 workouts a week right there. And I hate "double-dipping" where I perform two workouts in a day. I don't have that much time to dedicate to working out specifically. 

[DanielleinDC]

Talk with your trainer and tell her what you told us. If you feel seven days is a bit much, tell her. I've heard of people who do light exercise, like yoga, on their rest days. If you like taking a relaxing walk, there's nothing wrong with that.

[WavyDavey]

I'm a big fan of strength training, so I would do fewer sessions of cardio and keep the weight training at.the same frequency. Strength training can be very taxing, but it's really important. A lot of it is scheduling cardio vs. weights correctly. I say take the day off after each of the weight training days (just do active recovery with walks), and then do cardio 3x/weeks the other days.

The good news is, your body will adapt quickly. The bad news is once your body adapts, we have to work harder to continue progress.

[Vallen]

Hello Ashley and congrats on the 15lbs!

Don't feel obligated to stick with a trainer simply because you pay them. Finding the right trainer is an investment into your own health and fitness goals, and not just paying someone to make you sweat. 

That said, something you should really sit down and discuss with your trainer are what goals you have. Be as specific (and realistic) as you can. As a beginner I would recommend a basic three, one for strength, one for fat loss, and one for cardiovascular health. For example, in the next 6 months I want to be able to do 10 good Pushups, decrease my body fat by 2-3%, or run/walk a mile in X amount of time.

A good trainer should be able to layout a plan and be assessing those goals over time and constantly adjusting them as needed. These goals hold you accountable, but more importantly they hold your trainer accountable. That being said, you may not always reach your goal despite the having the best trainer and/or the hardest work ethic, so its important to be able to determine if your trainer is simply taking your money or is actually helping you get to where you want to be.

In my personal opinion, a beginner should focus on one thing at a time, the body is very adaptable, but the mind generally isn't. This means that all the new mental stress of working out, doing cardio, eating healthier is probably making you exhausted. (Note: Eating healthy does not mean eating less!) This is mental fatigue, which could explain why you feel more energized and relaxed after a stroll or just doing regular activity. 

If you're main goal is fat loss, focus on getting stronger first. Don't be afraid to gain a little muscle (weight). If you want to burn more fuel (fat) you need to build a bigger engine 🙂 In my unprofessional opinion, a beginner should focus on strength first, then conditioning (the real word for cardio), then nutrition. I say nutrition last only because it should be implemented slowly throughout and then focused on once you have a solid program that you are 99.9% consistent with, especially if you want to lose fat. Most beginners try to workout and eat less when their body is not used to either, and that's a recipe for disaster. 

Fitness is a life long journey, there is no real end to it, your goals will change as you accomplish them, but don't be in a rush to change everything all at once. In fact trying to do so will only lead to mental and physical fatigue and eventually giving up. The best program is the one you can stay consistent with 🙂