Posts Tagged ‘Personal Training’

This week I had the great pleasure of interviewing Alan Holl.  Alan has an wealth of knowledge within the wellbeing industry and is currently in charge of the personal training product for Fitness First.  We talked to him about the industry and how he feels that  people can make a change in their own lives.

TG: Hi Alan, thanks for being interviewed.  Could you start off by telling us a little about your background in the wellbeing industry?

AH:  I was originally a Physical Training Instructor in the Royal Navy until leaving and joining Fitness First.  I have been part of the National Fitness Team for 5 years now holding various roles including National Group Fitness.  I now head up Personal Training in the UK for Fitness First and I truly believe we are at a stage where we are leading the UK in our innovation and career opportunities with our Personal Training brand.

TG: What are the top 3 traits of a great personal trainer?

AH:  Personality, Be approachable and Dedication.

TG: What would you look for in a personal trainer?

AH:  That they are a people person…  They need to be able to inspire the clients that they are working with to go on and do things that they could not do alone.  A Personal Trainer needs to be dedicated to their clients and not to their own training and education, the training and education comes because they want to improve their clients chances of reaching their goals…. This sometimes gets overlooked.  There are some great training providers in the UK industry, notably Faster Global and we are starting to rival the US in some of our education, something I love about the UK industry.

TG: What is it that a personal trainer can give a client as opposed to the client working alone?

AH:  Motivation, empathy and that little extra push when times are hard.  When working out alone we all have off days, even I do.  With a trainer you almost become responsible to one another.

TG: In your experience what would you say are the 3 most important ground rules that should be set between clients and trainers?

AH:  Honesty, Integrity and most of all be able to laugh, even in the hard times.

TG: What would you say are your top 3 tips for weight loss?

AH:  Eat sensibly, Focus on your training sessions and rest.  Too many times people cut out all the things they are not supposed to eat and then fail, moderate things.  When you are training, give it your all just for that hour or so in the gym, it will soon be over.  Get to bed at a reasonable time and cut down the stress levels, this will help control your cortisol levels which is a huge reason why people don’t achieve.

TG: If you were the Prime Minister what would you do to get the nation back on the road to health?

AH:  Educate the nation properly.  Don’t just tell them to eat 5 a day, tell them why!!  The whole 5 a day thing is ok but when you are eating 3-5 pieces of fruit high in natural sugar you are sending your insulin levels into freefall so proper education into the reason why you should eat healthier would be better.

TG: How important is it that an individual sets themselves realistic weight loss goals?

AH:  Very.  The big mistake people make is measuring their achievements by weight.  Muscle is almost twice as heavy as fat so when you use weight as a gauge you can get disheartened when you don’t achieve and quit.  It is all about what you look like and how happy you are with yourself.  Pick a jean size and buy yourself some, there is your motivation!!

TG: Tell us a bit about what the future holds for you Alan?

AH:  To continue to support and inspire Personal Trainers to being the best they can be.  To grow the Fitness First Personal Training brand to be the obvious choice for every trainer in the UK.

TG: Thanks for your time Alan, and we wish you all the best for the future!

Have a look at fasterglobal.com!