I live an active lifestyle I have an active job such as construction and I do activities such as gardening, walking my dog, hiking, etc. Why do I need to workout?
That is great! We want all of our clients to be active and live an active lifestyle. Unfortunately, people that rely on this as their only source of exercise still have problems losing weight,staying healthy, or keeping their body from injury.
Our system is a proven method. It is a dynamic mix of resistance training at an upbeat cardio pace fused with flexibility and posture alignment. This is exactly what every person need to lose weight, tone lean muscle, and prevent injury. This system also stops the effects of aging such as osteoporosis, heart disease, muscle or joint pain, fatigue and trouble sleeping.
I am a woman - I don’t want to lift weights because I am afraid I will get too bulky.
Women CANNOT BULK UP BY LIFTING WEIGHTS! This is a myth, and if you have thought this has happened in the past to you or know someone who thinks this then here is the real answer.
Women do not produce enough testosterone to bulk. Testosterone is the holy grail of hormones regarding building muscle mass or size. A woman that is getting ready for the next women’s body building competition has to take very specific supplements in order to obtain this size. A temporary increase in size for women can only occur if they have and over acidic diet (Too much sugar, processed foods and starches). This causes women to retain water and bloat up giving them the appearance of bulking up. A couple of days of fruits and veggies and you are back in business.
“I have worked out and have played sports all my life. Why do I need a trainer?”
My favorite! First, there have been many changes to the fitness industry since you were in high school. I can guarantee that you will learn something new every single workout! We either will show you a more effective workout or something that you did not even know existed. This is true for every person we have ever trained, even all of our professional athletes and fellow fitness experts learn new things every day.
Second, have you ever heard of accountability? This is one of the biggest assets in a training program. Just because you have a base knowledge of how to workout does not mean that you are actually are going to do it and do it effectively. We are all our own worst enemies!
You might also know a little about the stock market, does that mean that you're going to manage your whole financial portfolio? No, you leave it to a professional who will objectively get you the results you need and help you stay on the right track. With your busy life you do not have the time to waste doing anything half-way. Your time is worth more than that!
“I can’t be sore all the time for work or taking care of my kids. I am worried that I will always be sore.”
Soreness is a part of the game. We are breaking down and rebuilding muscle tissue. There are two different types of soreness: delayed-onset muscle soreness and same-day soreness.
Delayed-onset muscle soreness - occurs when you are new to exercise or try different types of exercise. In other fitness programs, you are sore from one to three days, each day getting progressively worse. This process can last for several months, but with our program we can get you through this period in 21 days or less. It is based on your consistency. Long gaps in your routine create longer perioids of soreness.
Same-day soreness - we want all of our clients to be in same-day soreness mode. This means that the workouts are still challenging and effective, but your ability to regenerate muscle tissue has tripled. The recovery phase is the growth stage of your muscles, when muscle is made stronger. We have all the secrets to an amazing recovery!
I workout for 2 hours at the gym every day. I run on the treadmill, then the elliptical, and use some machines. I can’t lose any weight.
NO MACHINES! KNOW MOVEMENT INSTEAD! Honestly, machines are a waste of time. Don’t get us wrong, treadmills and elliptical are great for cardio as long as you know new and innovative routines to do on them. When is comes to effective cardio, a steady slow pace is the least effective. Interval training will burn more fat in half the time. We can show you how to do this!
As far as resistance training, machines just take up too much space in the gym. Free weight training is by far the best approach! You are utilizing 100% of the targeted area when using free weights and also you are forced to use your core more effectively. Machines do most of the work for you and you are only doing 40% of the lifting. This is why our clients get amazing results. You can literally be working three times harder than everyone else.
The only exception that we make for machines is when there is an injury involved, but the ultimate goal is to get our clients back to using free range movements.
I lost weight just doing cardio for an hour, three times a week. Why do I need weights?
This is always a fun one! Did you know that without resistance training 6.5 out of every 10 pounds of weight lost are actually muscle tissue and bone fragments? This creates a two-fold problem. First, the lost muscle tissue slows down your metabolism and your body fat increases. Secondly, the lost bone fragments throw off your hormone levels making it harder to lose weight the next time around. Bottom line, if you are just doing cardio you are basically dehydrating your body of all its water weight.
Your weight will go back up when you return to your normal diet. Weight training ensures that when you lose weight, you can keep it off and it helps you also shape your body the way you want it. The bone loss is not a problem because weight training actually increases your bone density and prevents osteoporosis.
I don’t have any time to workout.
Listen up! You always have time. The number one rule of highly successful people is time management. Taking care of your body will give you more energy to live a fuller more productive life. If you are worried that a program will interfere with your business watch how much more money you make when you are healthier fitter you.
P.S. I am sure your spouse and kids won’t mind the extra energy!
I have certain pre-existing conditions and injuries that have stopped me from working out. Is it ok to workout?
Yes! With our knowledge base and innovative training system we can not only work around your injuries, we can also decrease recovery time by strengthening the surrounding muscle groups. We have certain trainers who specialize in working with injuries. The most important thing to know is that even though it may be challenging at first, putting off a program after an injury can actually create new problems by causing weakness or lack of mobility. We are ready and capable to work with any condition!
Conditions we have catered to:
- Hip/Shoulder/Knee replacement
- Diabetes
- Club Foot
- Knee Problems (ACL surgeries)
- Variety of Heart Conditions
- Hyper/Hypoglycemic
- And much more!
I have had a bad experience with a trainer in the past. NEVER AGAIN!
There are good and bad trainers just like there are good and bad teachers or doctors. First Step Fitness always keeps up with the cutting edge. We are firm believers in keeping up to date with the health industry and are constantly updating our methods. There are trainers who take their certification test and stop the desire to learn more about their industry. All First Step employees have a college degree in their respective health field along with numerous continuing education credits. The largest fitness clubs only require a week long certification course before they can start training. This is not ideal for most prospective clients especially those who have certain health conditions. First Step Fitness has your back! We have taken care of all conditions with the great results and professionalism. Our staff is capable of modifying any exercise to the needs of our clients.
Ok! I need to start working out again! I want a trainer, but I am going to start running and exercising on my own for a few months to build up endurance and then I will come see you.
Would you build your house on a weak foundation? The first phase of the First Step Fitness program is the breakdown phase. In essence you are delaying the inevitable. Endurance will come with consistency and repetition in the gym, not by a repetitive, redundant routine. If you are ready to workout the best solution is to just go for it. Trying to build stamina on your own will lead to the creation of bad habits and more work for your trainer to undo when you start. Lastly, this is the perfect excuse to put off a program and before you know it, your New Year’s resolution has started in August!
I don’t like going to the gym because I feel like it is a meat market and I cannot use any of the equipment I need. I feel self-conscious around those who monopolize machines and make me feel out of place.
The First Step Fitness training centers are private facilities. Membership programs are available, but for the most part our clients come to train in a team setting with personal trainers. We have large open fitness centers in both Long Beach and Orange County. Our trainers will navigate you through the equipment and help you achieve your goals. The golden rule in our gym is that everyone is on the same team, and is all training together. This means we are all striving for an abundant healthy existence, and everyone feeds off each others positive reinforcement. All of the First Step Fitness clientele treat each other with respect and share our beautiful facilities together. You will notice the difference in atmosphere from a chain-brand gym from the moment you walk in.
