Hi everyone,
Those of you that are regular readers know that I am both a health coach and a personal trainer. I love combining the two passions into helping my clients not only obtain a more healthful and fit lifestyle but a more savvy perspective about how to lose weight and get fit.

Every health coach is different but most good health coaches have a desire to inspire long term health change in the individual. Health coaches help the individual strategive and plan a lifestyle change until it becomes habit. Unlike many weight loss plans that offer gimmicks and expensive food programs, a good health coach has faith in his clients and knows he is capable of thoughtful change where he is not at the mercy of gimmicky short lived weight loss products.

I thought you would find it of much interest to see what a health coach letter to a client would say. I often use writing to convey cardio plans and strength training plans that are customized for the individual. I like to pay attention to the details of my client’s life and personality. This I believe provides the perfect context for integrating real change in the person being coached and or trained.

This letter/training plan below is one of many to a past client by the name of Dave. He had high bllod pressure, high triglycerides, pre-diabetes, and was 45 lbs overweight. He lost 21 lbs in 3 months. He continued to loss weight on a modified coaching plan of mine where we had phone dialogues over an additional 4 month period of time.

Dave is at his ideal weight of 172 lbs and has maintained it for 16 months. I am confident he will continue to maintain his weight and enjoy all the health and energy benefits of being lean. Take a look. If it interests you to see more letters to my clients, let me know and I will plan on posting more of them. If you are a client, I will protect your identity. Not to worry.

Hi Dave
Three days in a row with me and you lived through it! Ha Ha! Lol.
Nice work. You are doing well!

Good Things Going On:

1. 5 times up and down stairs at Serenata/ before exhausting legs.

2. 3 times up and down stairs at Serenata/after exhausting legs in gym.

3. Your wife is happy you are working out.

4. I am happy you are in a solid fitness program and continuing it on your own.

5. My dogs are happy you are doing well, and they don’t even know you!

New Stuff as a Reminder:

1. Keep the chair squats.

2. Continue working the erector spinae muscles with seated back extensions.

3. Don’t look down for too long. As the docs say, if it makes you dizzy then don’t do it! Never liked that answer, but I am thinking it is fitting.

4. Start Rowing, it’s great for posture muscles and as you increase in pace and distance it turns into a cardio exercise.

5. The right answer is always, ” I feel terrific!”

6. Fake it until you make it.

7. Make vascular appointment.

8. Notice cardio order changes – some days you will do cardio at the end of your workout.

P.S.
You wore me out trying to fatique your legs last week. Nice work on getting them strong. Use minimum of five lbs each hand on most days when doing the chair squats.

Here’s your revised schedule based on our conversation and your last training visits with me.

Day One
Rowing and Biking.

Row five minutes at any easy pace

Rest one minute.

Repeat for a total of 6 times. Let the pace feel easy and consistant.

Lat Pull Down
55 lbs/ 60 lbs/65lbs 15 reps
To back scapula retraction with thickest band. 15 reps
Go back and forth between the two exercises for a total of 3 sets.

Bicep Curls
15 lbs 10 reps. Keep chest tall and knees slightly bent.
2 sets with one minute rest inbetween.

Leg Extension to Hamstring curl back and forth 2 times each changing the weight as below and doing the same repetitions. Only do more reps on the last set of each exercise if you can while still maintaining good form.

Leg extension
50 lbs/60 lbs/70 lbs 15/12/10 reps
to
Leg Curls
40/45/55 lbs1512/10 reps.

Adductor
75 lbs 18 reps
to
Abductor
80 lbs 18 reps
repeat above

Finish with following:
1. 10 seated Back extensions with 15 lbs each hand – two sets. KEEP CHIN UP>
2. Torso twist on back holding for one minute each side.
3. 15 reverse abdominal curls
4. 10 standing knee up keeping straight psoas exercises( car practice).
5. 10 chair squats with 10lbs in each hand – 3 sets.
6. Finish with a leg press if they have it at gym Dave. You were up to 160 on ours at the Serenata Beach CLub and doing 2 sets of 15. Start light and see how their equipment feels. Find a weight that feels heavy by time you get to 15 reps. Make sure your head is back and you are pushing through the heels.
7. Psoas stretch

Finish with a 30 minute bike ride at level 4. 55-65 rpms.

Day 2
Bike 2 minutes at level 3 45-50 rpm’s
Bike 2 minutes level 4 at 50 -55 rpm’s
Bike 2 minutes level 5 at 50 55 rpm’s

Bike 20 minutes at level 3 at 60- 70 rpm’s.

Finish with one minute at quickened pace then slow and cool down for 2 minutes easy.

20 scapula retractions with heavy resistance band
10 seated toe touches keeping chin up
15 scapula retractions with heavier resistance band.
2 sets of 5 regular pushups- no girlie ones!!

Leg extension
2 sets of 10 reps
75 lbs with a minute break in between. ( no back and forth on legs today.)
Dave if you can do more on the last set then do it as long as form is good.

Leg curl
2 sets of 10 reps
60 with one minute break between.

On last set if you can do more, then do more and this will go for all machines today.
Take the full lminute break even if you feel recovered. Strength requires longer recovery to build

Adductor
95 lbs 15 reps
2 sets
minute rest between sets

Abductor
105 lbs 15 reps
2 sets
Minute rest between sets.

* Comments – take a full minute rest as we are working on strength and not endurance so you want to go into 2nd set completely rested. Doing it in this manner adds strength to legs.

Day 3

Bike 10 minutes level 3 rpms 45- 50
Bike 5 minutes level 4 at 60 – 65 rpms fast.
Bike 5 minutes level 3 at 50 -55 rpms
Bike 10 minutes at level 5 aiming to keep above 55 rpms

Easy two minute cool down.
This workout should feel difficult. To be expected. Just do the best you can and know that it is normal to feel a little wiped out.

Lat pull down
50 lbs 18 reps
1 set only

Push ups on floor
3 sets of 5. Half minute break in between.

Leg extension
50 lbs 18 reps
1 set

Leg curl
40 lbs 18 reps
1 set.

Adductor
80 lbs 20 reps
rest 30 sec.
Repeat

Abductor
95 lbs lbs 15 reps
85 lbs 15 reps
75 lbs 15 reps
*Do these right in a row Dave. No rest between. Today is an endurance day.

Standing Bicep Curl
12 lbs with tall posture 18 reps
1 set only

10 leg side raises with support
5 leg side raises with no support

10 leg kick ups with support
5 leg side raises with no support

Finish with following:
1. 10 Back extensions 15 lbs.
2. Torso twist on back holding for one minute each side.
3. 15 reverse abdominal curls
4. 10 standing knee up keeping straight psoas exercises( car practice).
raise one leg up with it bent and maintain tall posture without leaning back. Hold 5 seconds and alternate doing 7 on each side.
5. 10 chair squats with 5 lb weights in each hand.

6. walk 10 times to the side over an object for balance.

Day 4
As day one

Day 5
As day two

Day 6
As day three

Day 7
Rest. Not to be confused with sitting all day in a lazy boy and eating potato chips! Ha ha. I gotta have some fun as you know! Glad all is going well with you! Until next week. Call or e-mail if you have questions or just need to brainstorm some strategies for maintaining your weight while on your European vacation.

Enough changes to keep you progressing without getting too messy and intricate with the details. Enjoy your weekend.

Kim
www.bodysmartinc.com
904 501 6002