The Aging Athlete: Finding the Right Personal Trainer (Episode 9)

Originally a blog post entitled, "The Aging Athlete: Finding the Right Personal Trainer (Episode 9)." It’s new year’s resolution time and that means that the health clubs will be packed for the next few months. Many people these days find a personal trainer at their new health club or through a friend. The great news is that a trainer can push you much harder than you would usually push yourself, so it’s often easier to see results with a personal trainer than without. However, trainers can also mess people up with injuries or pain, so what can you do?My Experience with Personal TrainersMany years ago I began working out with a personal trainer. The great news was that the synergy of him pushing me and me wanting to impress was a great way to make me work twice as hard with the trainer as I ever would alone. However, all of that effort soon lead to several new back and neck injuries, so it always seemed to be two steps forward and one back. After a while, like many people, I gave up on the trainer as I was tired of getting injured.A Core Stability ChecklistFor anyone who has any type of chronic neck or back issue, one of the problems is that almost always there is too little strength in the core muscles. These are the muscles that help stabilize the spine from the neck, through the upper back, and into the lower back.Published by Centeno-Schultz ClinicRead by Chris Centeno, MD