Attitude is Everthing

I played Football in high school, or rather, I was on the football team in high school, and really only played when we were so far ahead on the scoreboard and our coaches had exhausted every other option on the bench.  My team was really, really good, an eventual Regional Runner-Up in the Ohio High School Football Playoffs and our roster featured many future Division I football players along with at least two that made it all the way to the NFL.  I was regularly knocked down, over, around and through by a majority of these players, and getting bowled over and then getting back up was a regular part of my duties on the scout team, or “warriors”, as our coaches called us.  I felt a little like a warrior with bruises up and down my shins and headaches that would last for hours, but through it all, our team motto remained the same:  Attitude is Everything.  This mantra was repeated to us ad nauseum by our coaches, shouted by the players at the end of each practice, stamped on t-shirts, posters and signs all over our locker room and throughout the high school, and the words ring true to this day, now more then ever in my current profession.

Being a trainer is certainly about having the skills to actually “train” someone, i.e., knowing how to execute, perform and demonstrate certain exercises and having the knowledge to explain the why’s and how’s and the purposes of what we are doing.  There is also a great deal of Psychology and simple listening when it comes to clients as well, because, after all, we are dealing with people and they have problems just like we do.  But a lot of times my job is really about attitude, and my attitude is just as important as that of my clients.  If I’m in a bad mood, or sluggish, or had a bad night’s sleep, or something is on my mind during a session, it will show and it won’t take long for a client to notice that something might be up.  I’m pretty good at faking it either way, but I would argue that a client is more likely to choose a trainer based on their personality then their skill level, and attitude in general is a huge part of that.

Conversely, if a client comes into a session or into the gym with a negative attitude, giving up too easily and thinking that the effort may not be worth it, then we are in trouble from the start.  I’ve had clients sign up for sessions and then disappear for months or even forever without giving a reason, and I’m sure their attitude had a lot to do with it.  So here are a few ways that I’ve learned to keep that positive attitude in the gym, stick with what you are doing and put a little trust in the trainer who is trying his best to help you out:

• How you start is just as important as how you finish — One of my favorite client quotes is from someone who really doesn’t like being there, but she gets the reasoning behind it:  ”This place is like Church; I never want to go but I always feel better when I leave.”  A lot of people hate exercising, and I get that.  But as long as you know why you are there and know you are going to feel better about yourself when you are done, that’s good enough for me.  
• Use your friends for help and support — My favorite sessions, and perhaps the most productive, are those in groups, whether they are group personal training or classes.  Friends and partners keep you motivated, focused, energized, and entertained, and when you are done, you can say you have accomplished something together.
• Don’t be afraid to vent — Like I said above, we are all people and we all have our problems.  I might not be able to solve your problems at the gym but I can certainly listen to them, and then do my best to get you a great workout at the same time.
• Don’t be afraid to try – Some clients that I meet for the first time are simply afraid to try new exercises and perhaps afraid that they might fail.  Many times, I’ll show someone an exercise and the response will be “but I can’t do that!”, and then they’ll try it and it’ll be no sweat.  I won’t ask you to do anything that I can’t do or you really, really don’t want to do, but I do ask that you give certain things a shot.
• Be honest — If you really, really hate something and really, really don’t want to do it, feel embarrassed at any point during the workout or don’t understand why or what we are doing, let us know.  Most trainers when something is up, but we love honesty as well.
• Listen to the music — Music helps, a lot.  There are countless mornings when I get to the gym and I am dragging and need something to pick me up, and music is the absolute best thing to get my body moving.  Make yourself a playlist and mix it up from time to time with your favorite beats, ones that get you going and give you a little motivation.
• Eat something!  Some of my clients can get away with skipping breakfast or going hours without eating before coming in, and that’s ok, but I find that most people need something in their systems to get them through an intense workout.  Grab a cup of coffee (black!), a handful of raw cashews or almonds, a banana or an apple before you come in just to give you a little jolt.  And make sure you are hydrated, because that’ll bring you down just as quick.

Attitude’s change all the time, sometimes multiple times per day depending on the circumstance.  But staying positive and keeping a healthy attitude will go a long way toward your success, in and out of the gym.