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FAQ
Table of Contents
What kind of equipment do I need to be able to get in shape in my home?Some clients have sophisticated fitness centers in their home that include commercial grade treadmills and elliptical machines, Olympic free weights and dumbbells, benches and specialized weight stack machines. Other clients have nothing. In some respects, working with clients that have no equipment is easier than those that already have a functioning in-home fitness center... We're starting out with a blank sheet of paper! For most clients, we can create high impact workouts by simply using a small set of dumbbells, a high quality Swiss ball, and an exercise mat. We've written a "white paper" called Move It, Use It, Lose It: A Transformation Success Plan for Total Fitness at Home. This paper contains detailed information that can help freshly minted fitness enthusiasts get the right equipment that will allow them to have high impact workouts requiring a minimal amount of space and financial commitment. To receive your own free copy of this report call us at 704-541-0041 or email us at Dave@DeskJockeyFitness.com?subject=Request for Fitness Xform Plan. Back to TopI prefer to workout in a gym type setting. Can you work with me there?I really doesn't matter where you choose to implement your fitness program, in-home, in a gym setting, or a local YMCA. What is important is that you follow your stretching and strength training program as written. Initially, most of our clients will work with their trainer in-studio for the first 6-12 weeks, for 2-3 sessions per week, depending on their goals. During this period the trainer will ensure that the client performs all exercises with the correct form, tempo and intensity. It also allows the trainer to tweak the program as the client's exercise skill, flexibility and strength increases. After the first 6-12 weeks many of our clients choose to workout either in their home fitness center or their preferred commercial setting. By now the client should have a solid understanding of proper exercise form and technique. A new program design is also typical at this point. Changing of the exercises is necessary in order to ensure steady progress and avoid exercise adaptation by the body. The technical term for changing the exercise program is called "periodization". I work for one of the big banks. Most of my days are spent either in meetings or working with a computer. At the end of the day my shoulders are tense and I often have a pounding headache. Do you have any exercises that can alleviate these symptoms?Since I don't have assessment test results to review on your particular case I am unable to give you an specific exercises to perform to address your particular issues. There are a number of factors that could be contributing to your tense shoulders and occasional headaches. Have your set up your computer workstation to be ergonomically correct? This can have a HUGE impact on how you feel at the end of the day. Do you regularly get up and walk away from your computer or do you try to hang in there all day except for bio breaks or lunch? I recommend taking a 5 minute break to stretch and perform some "office" exercise every 50 minutes. An assessment would also flush out your current physiological stress level. Is your job stressful? Are other stress sources in your personal life impacting your work day? Stress can be a debilitating factor on the body as well as the mind. We might consider taking a look are your stressors, prioritize them and prepare a plan to reduce your current stress level. If you still are having problems you might consider visiting a massage therapist, referable one with neuromuscular specific training. You may have your muscles so tensed up that the only way you're every going to be able to relax them is to have them released through massage therapy. Back to TopI know I need to get in shape but don't have any free time. How much time does it take to workout with you?A lack of time is universally the number one reason why people believe they can not maintain a consistent fitness regimen. What they're really saying is that exercise has not yet reached the necessary level of priority in order to adjust their day so that exercise is included. In the best case a non-threatening event happens that converts a non-exerciser into an exercise evangelist. A comment or innuendo about your body shape or weight or an article or movie about a disease or condition that could have been prevented by exercise. Usually these external motivators are not isolated... they need to accumulate over time until the aggregate sum of them pushes the non-exerciser over the hump to get them moving. Regarding how much time is necessary in order to benefit from exercise... Perhaps it would be better to ask what is the maximum recommended amount of exercise? The answer: 60 minutes. Unless you are a professional athlete looking for that extra "edge" and you are working with competent trainers, exercising for more than 60 minutes is a waste of time and potentially harmful to you. Ten to 15 minutes of exercise per day is enough to get started. I've found that most people that get to the point where fitness is a regular part of their life will not be satisfied with a 15 minute workout and eventually bump up their time to 20-30 minutes. The frequency of your workouts is much more important than the duration. Back to TopWhat distinguishes you from all of the other personal trainers in Charlotte?There are many qualified trainers in Charlotte; and there are some not-so-qualified people claiming to be trainers. Anyone considering hiring a trainer or exercise coach should exercise due diligence by considering several trainers, check their references, verify their certifications and make certain they have professional liability insurance. Once you complete your due diligence, you'll probably have a much shorter list of trainer candidates. The next step is to determine the trainer's specialty of "niche". If they don't have one than it's time to take them off your list. "Jacks of all trades but masters of none" is not what you're looking for in a trainer. There are trainers out there that specialize in working with children, group settings (group fitness instructors), models and beauty pageants contestants, body building and sports specific performance. If these are your goals there's a trainer out there just for you. A Desk Jockey Fitness trainer or exercise coach will be focused on postural and functional fitness. What does that mean? We will discuss with you issues that appear to be unrelated to fitness, such as what you do at work, your caffeine consumption, and any organized sports you may have participated in high school or college. All of these factors add up to a bigger picture of YOU and help define HOW to achieve your fitness goals. Most of our clients have jobs where they spend most of their time behind a desk, in front of a computer, or on the telephone, or a combination of all the above. This seemingly safe environment is actually a rather hostile place for their bodies. Our trainers are experts at determining how our client's desk job is impacting their physical condition and then designing exercise programs to counteract the "desk effect". We rely on postural assessments for one simple reason: The posture never lies. It tells us where the body has been, what it has been doing, and where it is going health-wise. If changes are necessary in order to avoid chronic painful conditions such as back, knee or neck pain, the posture will tell us every time. We can not change the past, but we can impact our clients' future by employing fitness principles to get and keep them healthy. Back to TopYour fitness center is too far from my home for me to go there on a regular basis. Can you work with me by traveling to my residence?There are occasions where it may make sense to have a Desk Jockey Fitness exercise specialist travel to your home. Sometimes it is necessary to assess the client's fitness equipment, the client is too busy to visit the studio, or the client is unable to travel. Obviously it will be more expensive than if you meet with your trainer in-studio. Our studio is specially designed to assess and instruct clients for physical limitations and proper exercise techniques. In a perfect world, all of our clients would be assessed and trained in-studio under the auspices of a trainer, especially during the initial 6-12 weeks. For clients that live outside of the Charlotte region but are able to visit our studio on occasion, we will perform the assessment and initial program instruction in-studio. The exercise instruction will be video taped and burned to DVD and provided to the client. This will allow them to have the benefit of getting a complete and comprehensive assessment, have a custom designed exercise program to meet their needs and abilities, and still workout in their local residence of commercial fitness center. Back to TopI've heard that your assessments take at least two hours to complete. How can that be?Our assessments are very comprehensive. As a result they do take more time than what you might be accustomed to if you worked with a trainer in a "chain gym" setting. In most gyms, the assessment is a marketing tool to get a new client. At Desk Jockey Fitness, our assessment is designed to learn detailed information about your present physical condition. Only when we know your true physical condition will we be able to understand which exercises and which level of those exercises are appropriate for you. Paul Chek often states that "Exercise is like a drug. The right drug helps you but the wrong drug can harm you". The goal of the assessment is to ensure that only the right exercises are included in your custom program. So what goes into the assessment?
Most people that exercise by themselves focus their exercise energies on areas where they are already strong. For example, have you ever observed men in skimpy tank tops in a gym bench pressing a ton of weight? Too often, these same gents are also wearing baggy trousers because their legs are like tooth picks and they have no butt - they avoid squats like the plague! A comprehensive and properly administered assessment will identify a client's weak areas that need strengthening to bring balance with their already strong areas. It also allows us to establish a fitness baseline. Later on we will reassess to ensure that the client is progressing towards her fitness goals. Why are you giving away the Use It, Move It, Lose It: A Transformation Success Plan for Total Fitness at Home when you have a brick-and-mortar personal training services?The programs we design for our clients will only incorporate the equipment the client has access to OUTSIDE of our studio. We are less concerned with WHERE our clients work out than the fact that they DO workout. Quality workouts can be achieved in-studio, in-home and in-club type settings. It's really up to the client where they are most comfortable working out. The best case scenario for new clients is to work with them 2-3 times per week for the first 6-12 weeks. As they learn proper exercise technique and become stronger they will be better equipped to workout on their own where ever they choose. Our goal is to build independent clients, not clients who must rely on their trainer to count reps and sets. As the client progresses in her exercise skills we will add variation to her program by introducing her to exercises that she might not be able to do in her home or club setting. Our only purpose in doing so is to add variety to her workout to prevent it from becoming stale. Over time, our long-term clients should only need to come back to us to reassess their fitness level and redesign a new program for them (periodization). Back to TopI used to be a regular exerciser but had to stop due to a back injury. I've been through physical therapy and am better but there's still some nagging pain. I'd like to get back to exercising but am not sure how to get started. What should I do?The first step is to make sure you are in fact cleared for exercise by your attending physician. In fact, anyone attempting to initiate or restart an exercise program should first discuss their intentions with their physician. Assuming your pain is chronic in nature and not acute a properly designed exercise program may be the final ingredient to get you pain-free. A good starting point for your exercise program should include the stretches and exercises you were doing with your PT. Using these routines as a baseline a properly trained fitness instructor should be able to incrementally progress your routine to get you back to better health. Back to TopA common misconception about RA is that pain associated with exercise will only aggravate the condition. Even for RA sufferers, exercise can be a key ingredient to pain management by maintaining joint strength and stability. In many cases, the appropriate type of exercise is dependent on the present condition of the exerciser. When the RA is in an acute state exercise should be limited to a passive range of motion. Isometric exercises are recommended in less acute states.
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[home] [services] [testimonials] [faq] [staff] [sample exercises] [client success stories] [articles] [contact us] [photo gallery] [site map] [furniture] [Real Food™ Products] Mission Statement: Desk Jockey Fitness is a wellness facilitation center, teaching our clients how to feel good—both in body and in mind. Our clients’ successes are based on their strong desire to restore their self-confidence, to improve their body image, and to live productive, pain-free lives. Our clients provide the determination; Desk Jockey Fitness provides the tools in a private, non-judgmental setting. We accomplish measurable results through a holistic mix of functional exercise instruction, nutritional counseling, and lifestyle coaching, a dash of motivation and copious doses of accountability. Looking for a “new you?” It’s time to discover the Desk Jockey difference. Copyright© 2003-2008 Desk Jockey Fitness. All rights reserved. Desk Jockey Fitness 10700 Kettering Drive Charlotte, North Carolina 28226 704-541-0041
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