Category | Arts & Living

Q&A: Getting personal with the trainer

Published on March 16, 2010 by Berlin Sylvestre

Brian Bagwell, one of KSU’s personal trainers, knows that a waist is a terrible thing to mind.

KSU personal trainer and physically-fit Brian Bagwell works with students to achieve their physical goals. Photo courtesy of Brian Bagwell .

The junior exercise health science major urges students to stop wishful shrinking and to start training with the Student Recreation and Wellness Center’s seasoned instructors. With personal experience, education and dedication to his craft, Bagwell wants to help other students experience the triumph of mind over platter.

SENTINEL: Some people are too intimidated to walk into a gym because they’re afraid to display how out of shape they are. Is there anything you could say to encourage them not to worry about it?

Bagwell: There are many different types of people in the world and different body types among them. Each person in the gym is there for a unique reason and must focus on just that.  Comparing yourself to others is a bad habit when starting your workouts. I am an advocate of only competing against yourself. The majority of people in the gym are just as lost and intimidated as you are-even the meatheads who overwork their muscles and usually tear some soft tissue in the process.

SENTINEL: On what sort of routine do you start beginners?  Do you keep in mind that they’re new to this regimen and go a little easy on them or can they expect to get boot-camped?

Bagwell: Each person receives a unique program designed for specific needs, goals and abilities. I pay such close attention to how uncomfortable and intimidating it can be to start something so foreign, and my goal for the beginner is to keep him or her coming back, not to scare him or her away.

SENTINEL: Once the results from training start to kick in, what’s the first physical change people notice in the mirror?

Bagwell: One of the first places they start to notice progress is the arms. [Arms] tend to be one of the last places unwanted body fat accumulates, so they show signs of weight loss the quickest.  More definition is sure to keep people motivated.

SENTINEL: What is the worst fitness advice you’ve heard?

Bagwell: I have heard that working out more is always better than working out less. This is hard to break down, because each person has a different threshold. I experienced this when I first started working out. I used to train three to four hours a day and worked everything as hard as I could all the time. I neglected to give myself the needed healing time for my muscles to rebuild themselves. As a result of my over-training, I was unable to get any real gains. After scrupulous research, I decided to cut my workouts back and give myself more time to heal. Within a few months, I gained a solid 10 pounds of muscle and got comments from all my friends and family.

Overtraining is the fastest way to stress yourself out and prevent progress. Train hard, but train smart; rest is just as important as working out.

SENTINEL: What diet fads would you banish to hell?

Bagwell: I am against all fad diets. Avoid any get-slim-quick plan that excludes valuable nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins or even fats. We all need to balance our nutrition and nutrients, which work together to help the body maintain good homeostasis. Stick to healthy, less-processed foods and avoid things that have little to no nutritional value, like hydrogenated oils and bleached flour. Stock up on low-calorie foods that are high in nutrients, such as blue berries, almonds, legumes and a vast spectrum of other fruits and veggies. Keep your meat intake below 30 percent of your daily value and enjoy good whole grains. If you eat a well-balanced diet, it will actually have a thermogenic effect on your metabolism, helping you burn fat rather than store it.

SENTINEL: A surprising number of women shun weight-training for fear of “bulking up.” Is this avoidance silly?

Bagwell: Completely ridiculous! For one, women lack the high amounts of testosterone needed to build large, bulky muscle. The female body is designed to be a certain body type, one that will gain definition and bone deposition from weight training. I train women constantly and see the best results when complementing a weight-training regimen with cardio. Women, please feel free to push the men aside and take advantage of all that progress you are missing out on. Weights rock!

SENTINEL: Is it silly for women to avoid building muscle in the chest area, for fear of shrinkage?

Bagwell: Silly is an understatement.  Muscle and fat are both two separate entities; neither turns into the other.  Your body takes fat from all over and pumps it into the blood stream to be used as needed. Building muscle behind your breasts will only lift them and add a little perkiness. Enjoy your push-ups and bench presses;they will not reduce your size any more than the rest of your workout will.

SENTINEL: Some guys can be pretty macho about not taking exercise classes, as they feel it’s not masculine. What class(es) can you pretty much guarantee to make a sweaty, noodly mess out of men who only focus on lifting?

Bagwell: The cycle classes are brutal ways to burn off excess fat. From what I hear about our hip-hop classes, they really kick your butt into gear as well. Classes are a great way to diversify your program and are a fun, social outlet that will allow you to meet other health-minded people who help keep you accountable. Definitely check out every class that fits into your schedule.

SENTINEL: What’s a common misconception about working out with a trainer?

Bagwell: Trainers will not do the work for you; it will get tough and you will sweat. It’s good for you and it’s worth it. Trainers do not know everything, but feel free to ask questions and always do your own research before taking any advice that sounds a little out there.

SENTINEL: Is there a “bad side” of working out?

Bagwell: There are no bad sides to working out; there are bad sides to the human psyche. People are, unfortunately, going to obsess about how they look and not just in the gym, but everywhere.  Look in the media, in magazines and on TV. Body image can convolute the real reason we need to be in the gym: to feel good and to be healthy. The easiest way to avoid this obsession is to find happiness within, not from the gym. First, be happy with who you are and build on that.

SENTINEL: Often, people will turn to starvation or diet pills to shed weight quickly. If they get results quickly, why should it matter how it was achieved? How do you talk someone out of shortcuts and keep them coming to the gym instead?

Bagwell: Depriving the essential nutrients required for your body’s function will not only make it harder to keep any weight-loss off, but will also cause the rebound effect to occur, sending your body into a downward spiral of unhealthy repercussions. It is common to gain up to 30 percent more weight after a starvation period or “diet” as the body goes into a catabolic storage state where it breaks down its own tissue and stores everything for the expected famine. In order for your body to have a metabolism that keeps you in shape, you must have the nutrients necessary to turn the turbines in your engine.

SENTINEL: What’s a trainer’s pet peeve?

Bagwell: When someone decides I can’t help them before we even start the workout. I never understand why someone will come to train, then give me attitude or friction. I promise: I am here to help you and make your transition as easy as possible. Let’s just have fun and start sweating!

Exercise is something we are built to do. It’s sad that so many people have trained their bodies to be comfortable without activity, but it is never too late to make the change. Don’t make unreasonable expectations, though, and if you slip up, don’t hold it against yourself. Every day is a new day. Good luck and feel free to get in touch with us. I look forward to training with students.

Contact the personal trainer’s office at 678-797-2576 or visit room 129 in the Wellness Center to schedule an appointment. Training sessions are free, and participants are allowed two 45-minute sessions per week.