Introduction and Request for Training Tips

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I decided to join this group after reading an insightful posting by Dr.

Siff on the " Weights " board, wherein Dr Siff criticised traditional

training techniques for " average " people (like me). The points that

struck me were that no-one wants to be considered " average " and

techniques that develop the exceptional athletes are just as

transferable to non-competitive lifters and should be taught as a

resource to draw upon in our training routines.

The point in question leads me to my dilemma. I am a 40 year old male

who has been in general fitness training for about 18 months. I am a

member of a Lifetime Fitness club which has state of the art equipment

and facilities and am interested in developing a routine to maximize my

general fitness goals. There are over twenty trainers in this facility,

most of whom I have seen train on their own time. However, I have never

seen any of the trainers performing the traditional power lifts of

squats and deadlifts.

Indeed, I have seen very few of the club members perform squats and even

fewer of them perfom deadlifts. I have been convinced that

incorporating these movements into my routine will increass the benefit

to me over similar lifts I perform using Icarian and Ground Zero

machines. However, I recognize the risk in attempting the lifts without

proper technique training.

Is it advisable to hire a trainer to teach me a lift if the trainer does

not perform himself/herself as part of their fitness routine?

Is it acceptable to attempt the lifts based upon book diagrams?

Any other suggestions?

Thank You

Novi, Michigan - USA