Rob Johnson, BS, CPT, is a Master Level Trainer at Sweat Life Fitness, Inc. in the Haile Plantation Village Center. Rob has been helping individuals exceed their own expectations for over 9 years! He does so by keeping an honest balance between trainer and friend, motivator and educator, and being compassionate yet stern when necessary. Rob’s favorite quote sums up his approach to life and training – “The quality of one’s life can be dictated by the harmonious functioning of physical and mental strength.” In our sit down interview, he shares some of his insight and experience with our readers. Enjoy.
Dan: What inspired you to become a personal trainer?
Rob: My desire to become a personal trainer was influenced by my own experience with running and weight-training, as well as my work with rehab, specifically physical therapy. I decided it felt much better to prevent injuries by having a strong body and being proactive rather than reactive. I’ve always had a fascination with the human body and how it works, as well as how to manipulate it, such as in making it bigger, stronger, leaner, faster, etc.
Dan: How does your degree in Kinesiology assist you in creating training programs for your clients?
Rob: My degree in Kinesiology from Indiana University helps me greatly in creating training programs for each client. The wide variety of classes and hands-on experiences I participated in makes it easy to work with all types of populations. My knowledge of biomechanics and anatomy comes into play every day – if you know how muscles attach and work, you can be very creative with how you train people.
Dan: What are some ways that you keep clients motivated and accountable?
Rob: Keeping clients motivated and accountable is a very fickle task – and I love it! Everyone is different, and part of the job is figuring out tactics that will work with all different kinds of people and personalities. One key that is simple, yet almost always effective, is constant contact and reminders that you are there and thinking about them and their goals. This can be done in a number of ways, with my favorite being text messages throughout most days. It can keep the client thinking about the task at hand, and makes it easy for important reminders. We see people 2-3 times per week, on average, so this is an easy way to be a daily part of their life – and keep them focused on their goals.
Dan: How much of a role does proper nutrition play in obtaining desired results?
Rob: Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition! It’s simple – nutrition is 70% of your physical goals, whether its performance related or weight loss or gain. You could workout as hard as you can, but without a complementary nutrition plan, your efforts will most likely be futile! I take a very active and influential role with all my clients in regards to this. I try to share my knowledge constantly, every session and in between, so my clients get the best results possible. It’s been proven 100% of the time, that when a client follows the food guidelines we set for them, their goals become a reality!
Dan: Thanks for sharing Rob – good stuff.
Rob Johnson, BS, CPT, is a Master Trainer at Sweat Life Fitness, Inc. in the Haile Plantation Village Center. He can be reached at rob@sweatlifefitness.com for more information and training consultations. We always appreciate and welcome your feedback and comments.
