I’m a personal trainer AMA

[PThelp]

Hello, I’ve got a few hours spare and happy to answer and exercise/ health/ fitness related questions 😊

Good question! Why do I feel immense pressure on my bladder when doing seated leg press?

Have you ever secretly judged/ looked down/ get annoyed at people who are very fat and/ or seriously out of shape? Especially if they’re struggling with what you’d consider a simple workout?

How long have you been doing it and what is the biggest transformation you’ve seen with health/ fitness/ muscle?

Do you think step aerobics is a decent form of cardio? It’s something I enjoy doing, but I think maybe it doesn’t give as good a workout as something like running would (but I hate running)

@PistachioTiramisuLimoncello dunno if this helps but I found after I had my twins I had issues with this. It turned out to be glute weakness partic on one side.

I now

• warm up with PF exercises in the gym before I train
• do a lot of mobilisation to engage glutes eg 1 legged bodyweight squats, isometric holds - just to wake them up
• focus on glutes when jumping, deadlifting etc so make sure it's not other muscles taking over

This has helped me a lot but ofc don't know if your issue is the same - but glutes and PF all related

I have another one; why when you’re planking do fitness instructors make you do it on your forearms. It’s really uncomfortable in my shoulders as they feel like they’re in the wrong position for me but hands easier.

I find split squats - where you are in a lunge position - are more forgiving on my knees and back.
Alternate split squats, are good for your core as you need to balance, and stepping backwards rather than forwards puts less pressure on the front knee.

I started doing a bodyweight work out but stopped because my wrists were in agony. Is there any way to help with that? Are there any bodyweight work outs that keep the load off your wrists (I’m guessing unlikely 🤣).

If that’s not possible, what would you recommend for a 54 yo woman with weak wrists who really need to get her body in shape?

Thanks for this thread!

MacBookAir

thank you!!

Can you give us tips on mindset and on how to keep motivated to exercise long-term? I think that’s where a lot of us end up giving up, even if we enjoy the exercise and positive effects on our bodies and minds. Thanks!

@Celeryeditioni see an online only 1-2-1 trainer and it’s very economical. He has a very efficient business with a combo of calls and IRL, find similar?

I am a late-diagnosed menopausal ADHD-er. All my life I've found I love <whatever kind of exercise> for three weeks, then I lapse. There's no point in trying to make it a habit. "Just do it" doesn't work. Do you have any suggestions for people like me?

oh thanks for this!

40s, tall and slim but torso is becoming more and more flabby and "wrinkly" - it's like the elasticity of my skin has given up! What's the best exercise?

And my underarms - I can see dimply skin forming, assuming it's cellulite (and one side is worse than the other!), how do I tone them?

If you have the finances you could look into a PT coming to you or going to a small studio, which is a very different environment to a gym.

If that isn't an option for you, I would probably ask chat GPT to write you a full body program with details of the equipment you have, how often and how long you want to train for.

Yes, I also sometimes struggle with it. Gentle movement, anti inflammatory medication, walking, figure 4 up the wall stretch for long periods of time, high pigeon, low pidgeon.

I use the Sarah Beth yoga app as well to keep on top of it.

@PThelpWould you recommend it as a career? My 17 year old is considering it and I’m not sure how to advise.

You need to look at your nutrition. Essentially you need to be in a calorie deficit, high protein, high fibre. No matter how much you train, if you consume more or equal calories than you burn, you will not lose body fat.

Yes, and I would encourage all women to do pelvic floor exercises and educate themselves about the function of the core and pelvic floor. Weight training if done correct is brilliant for the pelvic floor.

Honestly, I'm not that knowledgable in jump training. What are your goals? Are you looking for more power in something in particular or mainly for bone health for instance?

As a progression I would be looking to start some single leg work with the jumping, but it would depending on you and your goals.

A leg press will be causing a lot of intra abdominal pressure, which will be very challenging on your pelvic floor. I wouldn't advise you push it.

Strengthening your glutes and core, pelvic floor exercises with diaphragmatic breathing will help.

Movement will absolutely help both your knees and back, I would advise getting a trainer who knows about knees to start with if you can. You want to get your legs and glutes nice and strong without putting strain on your knees to start with.

Ball squats, wall sits, glute bridges, banded clams, 4 point hip extensions, core strengthening, and back mobilisations like cat cows would be very beneficial to you.

Split squats are not knee friendly for someone starting out with bad knees in my experience. That would be a movement to potentially one day work up to. Slow and controlled low step ups would be a much better alternative.

Yes, you can get some wooden mini paralette bars to help, they help take pressure off the wrists,

Also, I would prioritise over time getting your wrists stronger over time, persevering with the floor exercises. It takes a good while, but is worth it.

I think that viewing exercise and wellness as a lifestyle that is a non negotiable is helpful for a lot of people- it is for me. Motivation is fleeting, discipline- making health long term a priority as a mindset.

I personally train and eat well because I don't want heart disease, I don't want cancer, I don't want dementia. I want to see my children grow up, if I'm lucky enough, be able to keep up with grandchildren.

Listening to motivating podcasts helps, Dr Rangan Chatterjee's podcast is excellent.

No, I wouldn't. It's tough to do well, I think the better trainers are generally older and have a bit of life experience behind them.

It will 100% be worth it! Go and join!