Personal Training - Personal Trainer Toronto FAQ

I hear ya! A lot of my clients were sick and tired of being sick and tired and just wanted to get started.  So it's simple.  Just call me (Colin) at 416 726 4482 and we'll set up a time for your "no commitment" freebie consultation. 

This "consultation" is simply us sitting down and having a chat ... you get to check out the facilities, I ask you some questions, you ask me some questions and then you decide what you want to do. 

Maybe you want to think about it, maybe you want to go home and talk to "the boss" first, (lol) or hey, like most people at this stage, you want to get started asap! It's all up to you, as to however you want to proceed.  Takes about thirty minutes on average. (depending on how many questions you have! lol)

The one thing I'll promise you is this ... there will be no "used car salesman" pressure tactics at your consultation.  If you don't believe me ... leave your wallet at home! lol!  (BTW, if you are a used car salesman, no disrespect intended! 😊)

If you decide (then or at some other time) that you do want to proceed, we'll set up another time to get together to do payment, (cause you left your wallet at home, remember? 😉) paperwork and scheduling for your training going forward.

BTW, just as an aside, a big part of hiring a Personal Trainer is just that ... "personal"!  This consultation will also be a great opportunity to get feel for the person you're going to be dealing with, right?  

There's nothing worse than training with someone you just don't feel comfortable with.  If you read my testimonials you'll get the impression time and time again that my clients and I have/had good relationships. This is one of the intangibles of the business that can actually affect your chances of success.    So ... what are you waiting for? Call me right now! 😁 416 726 4482. Colin. 

A competent Personal Trainer should provide the following.

1. Instruction ... teaches you how to exercise in general ... and specifically how to do the exercises you'll need to do to reach your goals.

2. Motivation ... encourages you and motivates you to do what is needed to accomplish your goals.   

3. Support ... someone who you can lean on for support and reassurance while on your way to your goals.

4. A training partner! Working out is always better and more fun when you have company.  Especially one that is a great "instructor". "motivator" and "supporter"! 

You will learn the biomechanics of exercise so that you'll actually be able to look at a piece of equipment and know exactly what muscles it will target just by "how the machine moves". 

A great side benefit of this knowledge is you'll be able to cut through the hype of those TV infomercials to see which of those "fantastic new exercise inventions" actually work and which are just gimmicks! (Hint? MOST are worthless!)

Secondly, one of the main reasons why people fail to accomplish their fitness or weight loss goals is due to lack of motivation and support. I provide this and more. With going on thirty years of experience, I also provide the shortcuts to help you to get to your goals as fast as possible.

 We are a private Personal Training Studio where you get personalized one on one training. "Private" meaning this is NOT a "walk in" facility for Joe Public in some strip mall or the other. :)  

As a matter of fact, the studio is attached to my house. (attached but completely separate ... not IN my house! lol) Consultations are by appointment only and subsequent access is for clients only.  

This is personalized one on one training therefore we do not do any "group" activities.

No

 No. However we do incorporate Kick boxing as part of our unique weight loss program which adds a huge element of fun and excitement to the workout, but we do not offer standalone "martial arts" training. 

Comparing a gym to us is like comparing apples to oranges. Each has its own purpose.  Personal training is not meant to take the place of a gym. 

The gym is perfect for self motivated people who know exactly what to do and how to do it ... enabling them to achieve their goals.  This comes from time, knowledge and experience.   

However the majority of people who do not fall into this category can find the gym to be a bewildering and even an intimidating environment. Too often I see people just wandering around the gym ... obviously with no clue as to what to do.   

On the other hand, we provide a comfortable, NON JUDGEMENTAL, private environment to give you the best chance of getting you to your goals in the fastest possible time.  As a matter of fact I guarantee it. 

You'll have expert instruction, plus you will be working out in a pleasant, private environment without any distractions.   After being with us you will be able to go join a gym (if you so desire) and feel perfectly competent and confident in what you're doing.  This will enable you to take full advantage of all the facilities that your gym will have to offer.

We do not offer "in home" training. The problem with having a trainer come to your home is simple.  You don't have access to the equipment that will get you the fastest and best results. Yes, a personal trainer can bring some equipment to your home and some folks do get results from this type of training.  However, you need a variety of equipment to get the BEST and FASTEST results.

We have less than the "big gyms" but a lot more than most trainers ... and certainly a heck of a lot more than a trainer would be able to lug over to your house! Seriously though, we have a lot of free weights, resistance bands, stability balls etc, and yes even some of the "big machines". (Treadmill, leg press machine, squat rack, leg curl machine, etc, etc, etc)

Five main reasons why Personal Training at The Fitness Workshop P.T.S. is better than personal training at the gym:  

1.  Experience. I've met many, many personal trainers at gyms, (just working out myself for going on thirty years at most of the major gyms in Toronto) and attending various courses and expos. Most have been fresh out of school and have little to no practical experience. Cora and I are often horrified by some of the "advice" and "instruction" that we overhear these folks giving their clients.  

Having said that there are some really good ones out there as well, but generally speaking you are assigned a personal trainer ... you don't get to pick one. Besides the general trend is that the better a trainer gets, the more likely that he/she will leave the gym environment and strike out on his/her own.  

2. "Personal" training. If you are lucky to get a "good" personal trainer at the gym, these very trainers have to work under the same constraints as a regular gym client does!  More often than not they have to wait for machines and equipment to become available so that you (the client) can use them.   How "personal" is that training?  

Additionally a typical personal training session is about an hour long and you might be spending upwards of fifteen minutes of that hour (that you're paying for) just standing around! 

3. Distraction free environment.  Let's face it ... personal trainers are humans too! (even the good ones! 😉) They get distracted.  With a couple of hundred people in the same space at the gym there're bound to be distractions. Plus ... you the client can get distracted for the same reasons.  

4. Price for what you get.  At the more popular gyms you can pay an arm and a leg for Personal Training ... in relation to what you're getting.  It's not uncommon for clients to come to me telling me stories of paying up to $120 a session for personal training!  

Since we're talking price, I'll let you in on a little secret. 😉 Just between me and you. (and the rest of the internet lol!)  I have more than one client who has been with me for over a decade because they got in on such a ridiculous rate at one of my sales and they benefit from my "rate guarantee"!   These clients have looooong since met their goals but just use me like a gym now because that guarantee has locked in their massively discounted price for life!  

5. PRIVACY! This is a biggee. A lot of people would prefer to workout in a private environment. This is why "in home" personal training is so popular. There are many reasons for this but for the most part many people are just not comfortable working out in front of a whole bunch of other people. You'd be surprised how many clients have come to me because they're not comfortable with people "watching them" while they workout. They may be self conscious about their bodies, they may be self conscious about their lack of exercising competence, they may feel they're being judged. 

We offer the privacy, a no judgement atmosphere and the one on one attention of "in home" training but with all the other advantages of "the gym".

The "best" time is whenever is best for you!  Slot availability differs from time to time but I start at 5am until 7pm. I have great relationships with my clients so I am able to be flexible by swapping slots between clients who might have more flexibility ... with those who have less. I try my best to set slot times to what works best for each client's time availability, lifestyle and personality.

It all depends on your goals. I have trained folks from beginners to pros.  People who just want to get fitter and healthier, sleek and lean, people who want to lose a little or a lot of weight.  I've trained "hardcore" athletes like bodybuilders and powerlifters and even people who just want to get better at their sport.  

Each person's needs are different and as such you will need a "personalized" program which will work best for you.  Generally speaking however, if I had to give a timeframe, you will feel better after our very first session and should start to see physical changes in as quickly as 4 to 6 weeks, irrespective of your goals!

A personal trainer should at the very least be certified through a recognized association. However, the most important qualification a trainer should have is EXPERIENCE.  So many times I see trainers fresh out of qualifying who are full of "theory" but don't know squat (no pun intended) about the practical aspects of certain exercises and programs. 

Not only that but more importantly, they don't know the psychology behind getting the best out of a client. That ability to get the client to put forth the effort it takes to get to his or her goals only comes from experience. Apart from my nearly three decades of experience, SEE HERE for the other reasons why you should hire me. ;)

That's my job! :) First we will look at your goals.  Then based on those, I will be able to tailor a program specifically geared towards getting you the results you want ... in as short a time frame as possible.

Resistance training (also known as weight training, weight lifting or strength training) is for everyone. It is an important tool for achieving a complete healthy life. Resistance training is not just for people who are athletes, want to build or tone muscle, or are using resistance training to achieve a better looking body.  

Resistance training is the term used to describe using weights, machines, but even your own body weight can be used to effectively work your muscles. It is the umbrella term used to accurately describe all forms of resistance training, whether working with weights or not.  

Although strength training accurately describes what resistance training does, many people confuse the term because they think it only applies to those trying to become bigger and stronger when, in fact, all resistance training which is correctly done indeed increases strength, but does not necessary visibly increase size.  

Resistance training does improve the look and tone of the body but it is now known to be more than just a specialized exercise activity.  Medical research has shown that resistance training does the following:  

• Strengthens the muscular system  

• Strengthens the skeletal system  

• Improves bone density (decreases the chance of osteoporosis)  

• Increases metabolism  Improves posture  Limits atrophy of the muscles  

• Aids in hypertension control  

• Aids in cholesterol control 

• Aids in body fat control  

• Increases circulation  

• Aids in prevention of adult-onset diabetes  

• Improves mood and self-esteem  

• Improves quality of life  

• Aids in the prevention of heart disease and certain cancers  

These are just a few of the many benefits of resistance training documented by medical professionals. A well-planned resistance training program should be a part of everyone's health and fitness lifestyle regardless of age, gender, or goals.   

The most important aspect of resistance training is correct performance of the exercise. Too many people become concerned with how fast an exercise is performed or how heavy a weight is being used.  This means that the exercise is done incorrectly. This can cause injury and most often results in endless resistance training without benefit or results.

Lifting weights is not necessarily a part of every program.  Again, it will depend on your particular goals.  However I do like to incorporate some weight training in my programs because in combination with other forms of training, it has been proven to get my clients to their goals the fastest.   Don't worry, even lifting a five pound dumbbell is considered "lifting weights"!

This is a pretty common myth that is out there.  Really being "muscle-bound" can be used to describe a body that lacks flexibility, irrespective of that person trained with weights or not.  

Many, many years ago people believed that weight training or any type of resistance training would make people "muscle-bound" or inflexible. That myth has long since been debunked by researchers but many people still believe it. 

Resistance training will not make you inflexible or "muscle-bound."   It is important to remember that resistance training, cardiovascular training, and flexibility are all important components of your fitness program. Everyone does need flexibility training even though resistance training does NOT make you "muscle-bound." 

Another common myth. It is as physiologically impossible for muscle to turn into fat any more than bone can turn into skin. You can gain or lose fat and gain or lose muscle, but the muscle you gain will never turn into excess fat, just like the fat you have can never be converted to muscle. (wouldn't that be great though? lol!)

While it's true that younger active people produce more new bone tissue than they lose, therefore increasing their bone density, we generally achieve maximum bone density and strength (peak bone mass) at about age 30.  

Since bones are living, growing tissue, they respond to resistance exercise (or weight bearing exercise) by growing more dense and strong.  It's pretty much similar to the way your muscles would respond to exercising.  However bone mass and density gradually begins to decline as we get older and thus less active. 

Within the first few years after a woman goes through menopause, her bone loss is usually the most rapid.  It has been well documented that exercise, (especially resistant weight exercises) can slow & even reverse the bone loss that usually occurs after age thirty, whether you're a man or a woman. I call it "bone loading". :)

This is the biggest myth out there as far as women lifting weights are concerned. The answer is absolutely not. Please keep in mind, women will have a much tougher time acquiring "Big muscles" even if they want to!  

The look you are talking about that you've seen on women body builders is not achieved by accident in a general fitness program, but with very specific programs that take many hours a day and years of very specific training. (Not to mention the "supplements" that they might be taking. Testosterone anyone? :)  Bottom line? You need not worry about becoming an "accidental body builder." It simply will not happen.

Not by a long shot!  It just happens to be the simplest way for the average person to do so.  However just going by "bodyweight" can be somewhat misleading.  I can show you a person who looks a certain way at a certain weight but who looks like a completely different person at another time ... at the same bodyweight!   How is that possible? 

It's called "body composition redistribution".  Big term which for our intents and purposes can simply be illustrated like this.  Suppose a person loses 10 pounds of fat but gains 15 pounds of muscle ... that a net gain of five pounds of bodyweight, right? However do you think that person will look better, feel better and be healthier now? Absolutely. 

So it all depends on your body composition and your goals.   We use a more overall approach to tracking progress, we go by how the client looks, feels and weighs ... but in addition to this we also keep track of their actual body composition throughout their progression.  In my opinion and experience this is more effectively achieved by simply keeping track of your body fat percentage.

Well, you can use a body fat percentage chart to see that. This chart represents a general but meaningful rating system. The numbers represent Bodyfat percentages.

Well, I've had clients who've lost 100 plus pounds! However, again ... just going by "bodyweight" can be somewhat misleading.  Historically my clients have lost an average of two to four PLUS pounds per week ... consistently.  More importantly they have learned certain strategies to keep it off once they've lost it! 

Keep in mind that a very good rate of healthy weight loss is about 1.5 to 3 pounds per week.  Anyone who promises you weight loss of more than that per week is feeding you a line (pardon the pun) ... unless you want to starve yourself on one of those radical "diets" out there. We all know how that turns out in the long term ... the weight comes back and then some!   

My method of sensible eating (NOT dieting) and fun, effective workouts gets you the best results for your health and long term maintenance.  There's an "eating strategy" that I teach that will allow you to lose all the weight you want (and keep it off) WITHOUT changing what you eat or how much you eat!  

Clients who've lost the weight my way comment on how EASY it is to keep it off. (and that's important for your health as opposed to yo-yo dieting)

We are conveniently located near the Markham Road and Lawrence Avenue intersection in east/central Scarborough.  

If you're from out of town, listen to what a client of ours once said ...  "With this level of quality training and the excellent rates ... it's more than worth the drive to Scarborough!"  

You can see our rates here.