Just Ask a Former Biomedical Engineer Turned Personal Trainer
Customization is a hot concept in medtech these days. The idea, of course, is that enhanced personalization will improve treatment accuracy, patient outcomes and quality of life. I’ve learned over the past two years that the same applies to personal fitness.
I have always been naturally thin (ok, get over it, haters). My exercise habits began with an intense ballet regimen as a kid. I then went on to enjoy running and swimming in high school and into my 20s and 30s. Now I find myself in my early 40s finding that I can no longer do what I used to do. Running on pavement hurts. And going “en pointe” triggers the mother of all Charlie horses. In recent years, I’ve just patted myself on the back whenever I’ve gotten to the gym in the midst of taking care of business and a toddler. Then I met Liam Glennon, former biomedical engineer turned personal fitness guru and owner of Perpetual Motion Trainers.
My first 30-minute session with Liam started as a promotion at my gym. I’ve been hooked ever since. The key to his approach: a scientific assessment of each client’s particular body type, health and workout preferences. And his Irish accent, bawdy sense of humor and entrepreneurial spirit guarantee a lot of laughs and healthy discussion about the importance of doing what you love to do.
Liam tailors each client’s workout program with a combination of exercises to promote power, strength and/or endurance. For example:
Already in shape -> 50% Strength/ 50% Power. Large range of exercises focusing mostly on strength and power. Slight focus on posture and/or injury prevention if applicable. Mostly fun and as much work as the client wants and/or can handle.
Totally out of shape and overweight -> 25% Strength/ 50% Endurance/ 25% Power. Safe exercises interspersed with fun exercises to promote interest in actually working out. Explanations, breaks and positive reinforcement. Confidence building.
Used to be in shape but now older and slightly overweight -> 50% Strength to promote fat loss along with muscle gain (no weight difference!)/ 30% Power/ 20% Endurance. Revisit of previous exercise regimen. Introduction of new exercises in every workout. Exposure to current training trends.
For me, Liam emphasizes power and strength, since I am not looking at endurance to help me lose fat and weight. I get a perverse thrill when I get so worked out in 30 minutes that my brain temporarily loses function. Immediately afterwards, I am so clear-headed that I’m able to wash out all mental noise and really focus. And, even with only a 30-minute session a week, I’ve re-developed strength and muscle tone that I had in my 20s.
As medtech professionals, we must practice the healthy lifestyle that we preach. In coming blog posts, I will offer you different workouts developed by Liam for different client types. In the meantime, here’s a Strength/Power session to try out. Don’t just “do it.” Make it work for you.
Strength/Power Workout
25 reps in any combination of reps and sets:
- Pull ups/Lat pull downs
- Rope Slams
- Renegade rows with dumbbells
- Ball slams
- Kettle-bell goblet squats
- Kettle-bell swings
Repeat for a total of 50 reps of everything. Or repeat twice for a 100 workout!
Try it and let us know how you feel!