Results are everything in personal training. If results do not matter then you may as well go exercising in the park with your friend/neighbour and break a little sweat and have a laugh. So whilst there is a role for the personal trainer as “entertrainer” (because anything that helps to get the sedentary person moving is a good thing), if you are serious about changing yourself, be it your body composition, your health, or your overall lifestyle, then a focused and rigorous approach is required. As we have drawn ever closer to the opening of UP Hong Kong I have been slightly taken aback by the concerns of some of the local population that tangible visible results are not something that they can expect to achieve through personal training. They could not be more wrong!
I am sure some of the concerns are people’s own ethnic stereotyping of themselves, after all culturally it isn’t as common to see a heavily muscled Chinese male than it is to see a muscular West African. I would be conforming to some ludicrous standard of political correctness if I didn’t accept that there are often physical differences between ethnic groups that may impact upon both body composition results as well as the approach one must adopt as a serious, outcome driven personal trainer. We cannot all carry 50lbs of extra muscle, just as we cannot all be competitive horse racing jockeys! However, every single one of us can improve our physical appearance and performance to a level that can be startling. For some it takes a little bit more time and patience, but I hope that the many and varied “before and after” results that we show across our UP website can help you to appreciate what can be achieved with the right mindset and intelligent coaching.
What holds local Hong Kong residents back from achieving their body composition goals is typically not their genetic make-up. Rather it is the frenetically paced, highly polluted, fast food, quick drink lifestyle of Hong Kong, and the lack of education on how to exercise and eat to maximise body composition improvements. One look at Hong Kong born and bred Senior UP Personal Trainer Kenneth Lo should tell you that adherence to the right principles can put a fantastically lean, muscular, and functional physique in the grasp of the local Chinese population.
The take home message for anyone considering personal training in Hong Kong, or anywhere else for that matter, and worried about their genetic potential is that whilst we can’t guarantee how far your own genes will allow you to go, we can guarantee that with “educated effort” you will be able to improve to a level that you once thought was impossible. But that’s enough waffle from me for today, the most important person who can tell you what you can achieve is someone who has been in your shoes. Take a look at Jeremy’s result photographs and read his words:
“I initially signed up to a 12 week program with UP Personal Training, and 12 months later I’m still there and absolutely loving it".
After starting out overweight and always thinking I would struggle to develop a “god body”, I can honestly say I’m the leanest, fittest and strongest I’ve ever been. My goals have progressively changed for the better over time, and I’m confident that my Personal Trainer will be able to help me get to where I want to.
People have different views as to what makes a good personal trainer. For me it was:
- Someone with the knowledge and experience to get results;
- Someone who could get the best out of me to ensure I got results;
- Someone who could continually motivate me;
- Someone who I strived to look like;
- Whilst not important to everyone, someone I got along with.
At UP they ensure that I got the Personal Trainer who definitely ticks all the boxes for me.
It is clear that all the UP Personal Trainers live and breathe training and nutrition. My own Personal Trainer’s knowledge and application is evident in the programs he creates and all the advice he provides.
Knowing how to continually motivate people isn’t easy, especially after training with someone for a long period of time, but he continues to do this, even at 6am! Sometimes it’s yelling, sometimes it’s reverse psychology, and sometimes it's just a subtle stare, but in any case it always works!
Finally, my Personal Trainer is simply a great guy. He drives you hard when you train, but can also have a laugh, and understands that everyone is different and hence respond to things differently.
I have been at this long enough to understand that the sessions will never ever get any easier, but if you listen to the advice and follow UP methodology then there is no doubt the results will come. After all, look at me now!!”
