Before enrolling in this course, I already had at least decent confidence in planning and modifying my workout regimen. However, I really learned a lot about myofasical release and when/where to incorporate it into the workout program. I definitely noticed added benefits from the pre and post workout rolling. Better range of motion in my exercises, movement felt easier/less pull in my body and I was able to do better reps or more reps depending on the exercise.
I also learned some really great programming and exercise choices from the online program design tool on the PTA Global website. This is also going to be really helpful for me as a trainer because it will help me make balanced, effective workouts for clients. You are able to enter the goal, style and level for the workout you want to build and then it creates the program.
- 12 weeks
- 3 phases (each phase 4 weeks longs)
- 3 different styles: traditional, progressive, hybrid
- 3 different levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
I printed one out for myself to try. It was easy to modify and add a couple of the exercises that I really like to do. I made the 3 day a week program a bit more of a split program since I’m focusing on gaining upper body size.
Another change I made to my program as a whole was adding back cardio back in. Since my goal has been hypertrophy and I’m an ectomorph, I had dialed my cardio way back to none last summer. I’d heard that cardio kills your gains. But going over heart rates, recovery score, energy systems and how different types of workouts affect your hormone profile (crucial for muscle gain,) I learned that there was a benefit to keeping my cardio at a certain level. In short, the heart is a muscle and it has to be strong enough to keep up with the demands of lifting heavier weights. When we did the cardio assessment, it turns out I have an excellent recovery heart rate. This means my heart is strong enough to work in anaerobic zones which produces growth hormones and helps with muscle gain. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of changes I get out of a better program.
Lots of our students want to learn more about program design, and we certainly teach that. But we also talk about the fact that when you first start working as a personal trainer, you have to start by building your client base. And that’s all about getting to know your potential client, finding out about their goals, their motivation, their obstacles and then delivering an experience that shows them why working with you will help them! Programming is important but it’s not the biggest priority right up front. Having a resource like the program design tool is a great way to have professional workouts ready to go without having to spend hours and hours creating them for every single potential client. When you can deliver a great experience and earn the right to work with a client longer term, the program design tool still provides you with a great platform which you can modify to suit your client’s individual needs.
Interested in learning more about our program? Want to join our next class in January 2020? Click here!
