USU students’ personal trainers
Remember those New Year’s resolutions that were made in January?
Getting back in shape after the sugar overload of the winter holidays is never an easy feat. During the first few weeks of January most people feel motivated and determined. By mid-February they are losing steam and when March rolls around the corner those goals are a thing of the past.
Since it is warming up in Logan, now is the perfect time to dust off those New Year’s resolutions and hit the gym again. USU students get free access to the on-campus workout facilities which is like having a free four-year gym membership. However, it can be difficult to find the motivation to go to the gym and even once there, it can be difficult to know exactly what to do or what not to do.
Stretching, breathing while lifting weights, drinking fluids and making sure to get in a cool-down are all on Shawn Clark’s list of to do’s when he goes to work out. Clark is a senior in political science.
“No one breathes while they are lifting weights,” Clark said. “You go in there and you look at people and their faces are red when they are bench pressing because they’re not breathing.”
Jean, a pre-med student who did not give her last name, said she likes to drink lots of water so she doesn’t “die” during her workout. In addition to staying hydrated, Jean agrees that stretching before and after a workout is important.
Along with the list of “do’s” there is always a list of “don’ts,” one of which Andy Hollaway, a senior doubling majoring in exercise science and human development, learned from personal experience.
“I had a huge breakfast before a conditioning class… we did a circuit and that was not a good idea. I ended up over the trashcan multiple times so that breakfast was wasted,” Holloway said.
As far as the best and the worst thing that people do while working out, the list goes on and on as people add their opinions and experiences to the conversation. Despite everyone’s opinion on how to work out, the subject is important to many students and the University.
Along with the Fieldhouse and Aggie Recreation Center facilities, USU provides various fitness classes, personal trainers and intramural sports. Although not all these programs are free to students, they present opportunities for individuals to meet their fitness goals.
Arthur Hockwald, the personal training assistant who oversees the personal training program, gave his thoughts about best practices for working out.
“There’s not any single thing that is going to be best for an individual, it depends on what their goals are. It depends on where they’re starting,” he said.
Hockwald went on to explain they often have people come in who are underweight and want to gain muscle, or someone who is overweight and want lose a healthy amount of weight. A common practice in personal training is identifying a person’s goals and background and guiding them to get healthy and accomplish their goals.
Besides goals, a key practice central to fitness — both in a program or independently — is finding the motivation to accomplish those goals. When people understand their goals and motivations, they can then learn the best techniques and practices for fitness.
Hockwald said, “some people are very intrinsically motivated…They’re motivated by internal things, while others are motivated by physical appearance, while sometimes they might be motivated based on rewards.”
Hockwald said one of the worst things people can do with fitness is to become complacent.
“You don’t want to end up doing the same thing over and over and over again,” he said. “You don’t want to get injured because of that. If you’re doing the exact same workout every day, you’re going to plateau and you’re not going to make any progress.”
For those who have a desire to begin working out, but don’t know how to proceed, the Campus Recreation Fitness programs at the ARC offer free health and fitness consultation.
Many feel hesitant in starting or restarting working out, Jean said, but “going to the gym in the first place instead of doing something else is a big step in the right direction.”
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—Dillan.passmore@aggiemail.usu.edu
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