When training a client hard isn’t the answer

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and the benefits of regular physical activity are well known. Scientific research has shown that people who exercise regularly are healthier physically and mentally, have more energy and sleep better.

For many people, lack of motivation, self-discipline and knowledge are barriers to achieving both the recommended amount and intensity of exercise. For this reason, they might choose to train with a personal trainer.

We’ve all heard the saying “No pain no gain”. The more and harder you train, the more fat you will burn, the better you will look, the healthier you will feel…But is this a fact? Could pushing a client too hard have an adverse effect?

While a high intensity workout performed regularly provides lots of benefits such as fat loss, increased strength and fitness or reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, excessive and highly intense exercise can cause a variety of health problems.

99% of all illnesses are caused by stress. And the stress caused by excessive, intense exercise is no exception. Overtraining affects blood levels of important neurotransmitters such as glutamine, dopamine and 5-HTP. This can lead to chronic fatigue and depression.

Too much exercise will also cause Cortisol levels to increase. Cortisol is known as the “stress” hormone. Chronically high levels of cortisol might cause sleep disturbances, fat gain (particularly around the abdomen), depression or problems with digestion.

Another negative effect of excessive exercise is that it can be harmful for the immune system. Weakened immune system leads to frequent illnesses. The most common symptoms of altered immune system are chronic fatigue, decreased appetite, weight loss, sleep changes (too much or insomnia), lack of physical energy, frequent injury or illnesses.

When is the right time to slow down?

If a client is experiencing high amounts of stress due to their lifestyle, it’s their decision not to supplement that with excessive exercise.
As a personal trainer, you should always consider client’s overall lifestyle when making recommendations on intensity and frequency of each session.

A client with a high job stress, relationship stress, not enough sleep and poor nutrition will take longer to adapt to exercise and to recover after each training session than a client who isn’t under so much stress. Therefore high stress factors need to be taken into account before developing any fitness goals and programs. Once you prescribe a training session, ask your client how they’re feeling. How are they sleeping? Are they more sore than usual? How long do they take to recover after each session?

If you feel that a client trains excessively with you or on their own, advice them to:

1. Get enough rest - Allow your body to recover with good sleep. Take also about 30 minutes every day for yourself to relax – read a book, have a bath, go for a walk or listen to music.
2. Reduce the intensity and frequency - Recommend moderate exercise 2-3 times per week.
3. Eat a healthy diet - A combination of healthy protein, carbohydrate and fat.
4. Eat more carbohydrates - No carb or low carb diets are very popular. Although cutting down on carbs might lead to decrease of body fat, a combination of excessive training and a low carb diet will significantly raise cortisol levels which could have a negative effect on immune system.
5. Try a yoga class - Regular yoga practice is shown to reduce cortisol levels. For those of you that think yoga is too easy, I encourage you to try one class.