This is Ryan (and Anna) ...
He works at Complete Fitness as a Personal Trainer. Ryan’s responsibilities include designing long-term program plans and then facilitating their instruction to a variety of clients. Some of his clients have been working with him for years.
What is the difference between a long-term exercise program and a short-term program?
It's not so much that people participate in short-term programs as such, rather, their motivation or other factors may limit how long they end up participating hence the short-term duration. A long-term program is about having a commitment to a specific fitness goal and dedicating the necessary time and effort over a sustained period of time to ensure they reach that goal and enjoy the associated benefits. The type of long-term program can vary significantly, for example, it may be participating in team sports over the playing season, or it may be working out at the gym for a set number of days per week.
What are the benefits of a long-term exercise program?
Physical adaptations that occur as a result of exercise are usually divided into two categories, acute or short-term, and chronic or long-term.
The short-term changes are often what causes people to stop participating in regular long-term exercise. They include things like muscle cramps, fatigue, shortness of breath, and sweating. However, all of these are normal adaptations and as long as a pre-exercise health screening and fitness appraisal is undertaken, and correct warm-up, exercise techniques, cool-down, and monitoring are practised they are perfectly safe.
Long-term adaptations are harder to achieve but are ultimately more rewarding. They include an increase in muscular strength, increased cardiovascular fitness, greater respiratory ability, improved sensory development, better body composition, and improvements to mental health.
How do you plan a long-term exercise program?
I always conduct an initial consultation with the client to determine their goals, needs, abilities, health status, and risk levels. Based on this consultation I then formulate a series of activities which best suit them. This usually includes a mix of Endurance, Strength, Flexibility, and Balance training, with certain emphasis on the areas that they most want to develop. For example, someone who wants to run a half-marathon will need to work on their Endurance training, whereas some of my older clients have been advised by their doctors to work on their Balance ability so that they avoid falls and subsequent injury.
Within each of these main types of training, there are various exercise methods which I can use to plan specific activities. I try to mix it up a bit to add variety to the routine and decrease the change of boredom. Examples include cardiovascular machines like treadmills, spin-cyles, and rowing machines, as well as resistance equipment like free-weights and circuit weight machines. I also recommend that my clients participate in some of the classes that our gym offers, although that is not my area of expertise.
How do you reduce the risk of injury amongst clients?
By ensuring I conduct a thorough pre-exercise health screen, explaining any risks that may relate to them personally, providing clear instructions and demonstrations, monitoring clients during exercise sessions, and ensuring adequate warm-up and cool-down practices are followed. These strategies tend to work very well, although there is never a 100% guarantee.
Do long-term exercise programs need to be modified?
Yes, they certainly do. I like to think of them as flexible documents that are regularly reviewed and adjusted. Goals and needs change, preferences are discovered, and work-life balance changes as does people's finances. All of these developments may impact on the nature o the exercise program over time necessitating adjustments be made. Hopefully, the modifications to an exercise program are being made for good reasons like a goal has been achieved, a physical adaptation has been realised, or a skill has been mastered and a new challenge is necessary. If find it is necessary to schedule client consultations and appraisals every 3 - 6 months, this helps to provide a realistic set of statistics hopefully showing good progress and also helps to motivate them to keep going.
What sort of documentation is required as part of a long-term exercise program?
Well, initially a client file is established which outlines all their key contact information, financial details for fee payments etc..., the results of the pre-exercise health screening and fitness appraisal, and any goals that have been discussed and documented. Then once I have formulated their program there will be a schedule of exercise sessions, this will outline the day, time, and length of the session as well as the specific activities planned. I also keep summary information notes at the end of the session detailing their progress. Once the first appraisal session has been conducted there will be additional statistics, notes, revised goals, and other information included amongst their file. If the client is a high-risk candidate there may also be correspondence paperwork between myself and their medical or allied health professional.
All of these documents must be completed using the correct templates that our gym has implemented, they consult with industry associations like Fitness Australia to ensure they include the correct information or use the templates they provide. I also have a responsibility to ensure client privacy therefore all my consultations are conducted discreetly and records are maintained securely.