Ryan,
I'm new at lifting weights - started a year ago w/ a trainer who badly need a new client at a commercial gym in my area. He's patience and I worked out w/ him until last mo. when I decided to try NROLFW by myself.
When I just started, I had no clue why he made me do squats, and I just have to trust him that whatever he prescribed would be for my own good. We did a lot of machine stuff and high reps Barbie dumbells, plus bodywt exercises, and 5m cardios. After 3mo or so, I started reading about weight training, and came across Krista's stumptuous.com - that's how I got serious about lifting. I'm not afraid of bulking up, and I don't want to be skinny stick. But it took me awhile to convince my trainer to train me more seriously and ditch the machine, until I got my NROLFW.
Some women wants to be like Monica Belucci, some looks up to Gwyneth Paltrow, and some like me aspires to be powerlifter, or at least able to squat, deadlift and benchpress more than 25lb. As a trainer, it's your job to ask them what they really want from your service. I wish my trainer would ask me the question you asked here.
The books that I really like is Lou & Alwyn's
NROLFW, also
101 Workouts for Women, and Eric Cressey's Max Strength and various sources from the web like
stumptuous.com and
stronglifts.com.
What I want from a trainer:
- discipline, coming to session on time
- explain the movements
- ask questions to client about their needs etc
- being respectful, esp. male trainers to their female clients. women who are overweight usually have low self-esteem, they need to be empowered and encouraged that they can do whatever they set their hearts to.
- open to new things - like not all women like to do machine, not all like lifting 2lb weights 25 times.
good luck w/ your clients!
