Big Box Gyms: Yay or Nay?

And how do they compare to working out with a personal trainer? Amy Hudson and Dr. James Fisher look at big box gyms and the benefits of working with a personal trainer.

You’ll hear about everything from motivation and habit-building to fitness results, and will walk away with clarity on which option to go for to make the most out of your time and exercising efforts.

• Dr. James Fisher kicks things off by sharing a frightening stat: only about 10% of the population engages in regular strength training.
• What’s interesting is the fact that only about one-third of people attend big box gyms, meaning that about two-thirds of people don’t actually even attend once per week…
• Dr. Fisher and some of his colleagues have done some research and have identified a lack of motivation, not being supervised and advised by a personal trainer, and not seeing progress from your workouts, as key factors that lead to that phenomenon.
• Did you know that 50% of new gym members will stop their membership within the first six months because of non-attendance?
• True, big box gyms provide you with the space and equipment you need… but if you aren’t already engaged or lack a certain level of understanding and commitment, you won’t attend regularly.
• To some degree, gyms are reliant upon a degree of non-attendance – if all of their members showed up at the same time, they would have to turn some people away because of maximum occupancy.
• Dr. Fisher touches upon a couple of big social elements that play a crucial role in the big box gym context.
• Ask yourself this: “When thinking about the gym, do I go there for the health benefits of exercising or for the social element in that environment?”
• Amy Hudson talks about the lack of time aspect that’s often part of the equation for many people who are thinking about strength training.
• Dr. Fisher and Amy discuss how a model like the Exercise Coach Studio’s one differs from big box gyms and helps people succeed.
• Studies on exercising motivation show that, unlike other groups like people who focus on CrossFit, people engaged in supervised strength training reported higher motivation for things such as ill health avoidance and health-related benefits as key reasons for exercising.
• Amy lists one of the key motivators for having a personal trainer: it collapses the timeline for you to get where you want to get to.
• As she points out, getting people to that place of seeing results faster will lead to them being motivated and wanting to continue with exercising regularly.
• Amy shares a question they often ask their Exercise Coach: “If you and I were sitting here a year from today, what things would have to happen for you to feel very satisfied with your progress?”
• Amy and Dr. Fisher go into studies in which participants were paid to go to the gym… but were still unsuccessful with exercising regularly.
• A good reminder from Amy: motivation is hard to keep, and it’s important to stay honest about that.

Mentioned in This Episode:

The Exercise Coach - Get 2 Free Sessions!

Submit your questions at StrengthChangesEverything.com

This podcast and blog are provided to you for entertainment and informational purposes only. By accessing either, you agree that neither constitute medical advice nor should they be substituted for professional medical advice or care. Use of this podcast or blog to treat any medical condition is strictly prohibited. Consult your physician for any medical condition you may be having. In no event will any podcast or blog hosts, guests, or contributors, Exercise Coach USA, LLC, Gymbot LLC, any subsidiaries or affiliates of same, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, or agents, be responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to you or others due to any podcast or blog content.

What’s the secret to an effective workout? More reps? More sweat? More weights? In this episode, Dr. James Fisher and Amy Hudson break down the science behind strength training, revealing why muscle fatigue, not time or reps, is the real key to results.

From type-2 muscle fiber recruitment to recovery strategies, what you’ll hear will help you rethink how you train and why less might actually be more.

• Dr. Fisher and Amy address the “million-dollar question:” What’s the secret to effective exercise?
• Dr. James Fisher is a fan of questions such as What is the stimulus? – He likes that once we have in mind that the exercise is the stimulus to adaptation, we can just stop blindly going and doing as much as we can.
• Dr. Fisher and Amy Hudson share the secret of effective exercise: fatiguing the muscle or working it at the right level of intensity.
• Dr. Fisher touches upon type-1 and type-2 muscle fibers – and why you should want your workouts to recruit type-2 muscle fibers…
• Amy and Dr. Fisher list a few signs that you may have recruited your type-2 muscle fibers the right way.
• Dr. Fisher cites some of his research on dissociating effort from discomfort and some interesting findings related to it.
• Some studies have shown that people who are averaging 6-10 hours of sleep per night will build strength in muscle size quicker than those sleeping an average of less than 6 hours.
• Remember: the workout is the stimulus; it’s the time after the workout that allows that muscle adaptation.
• “All the wonderful benefits that strength training delivers happen during those recovery days between your sessions,” says Amy.

Mentioned in This Episode:

The Exercise Coach - Get 2 Free Sessions!

Submit your questions at StrengthChangesEverything.com

Previous episode - The Truth About Muscle Soreness: Myths, Recovery, and What to Do Next

Previous episode - The Truth About Sweating: What It Really Means for Your Exercise Routine

This podcast and blog are provided to you for entertainment and informational purposes only. By accessing either, you agree that neither constitute medical advice nor should they be substituted for professional medical advice or care. Use of this podcast or blog to treat any medical condition is strictly prohibited. Consult your physician for any medical condition you may be having. In no event will any podcast or blog hosts, guests, or contributors, Exercise Coach USA, LLC, Gymbot LLC, any subsidiaries or affiliates of same, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, or agents, be responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to you or others due to any podcast or blog content.

Can just 20 minutes with a personal trainer really make a difference? In this episode, Amy Hudson and Dr. James Fisher explain why effort – not time – is the true driver of fitness results. From the science of stimulus to the dangers of overtraining, they reveal how shorter, smarter workouts can transform your body and redefine your approach to exercising.

• Amy Hudson and Dr. James Fisher discuss whether the amount of time you spend exercising is indicative of what results you should expect.
• Amy kicks things off by introducing the 2x 20-minute approach the Exercise Coach’s personal trainers advise their client to embrace.
• Some clients ask whether they should exercise more to accomplish their fitness goals...
• Dr. Fisher touches upon the inefficiency or lack of quality that’s almost always tied to working or exercising for long periods of time.
• According to Dr. Fisher, what we need to think about in terms of exercise is stimulus.
• Exercise is the stimulus to adaptation, it’s not the adaptation in and of itself.
• The goal is for exercising to provide the stimulus to our body to improve our cardiorespiratory fitness, our ability to deal with blood lactate accumulation, to recruit muscle fibers, get stronger, and increase muscle size and our metabolism.
• Dr. Fisher and Amy talk about the danger of overtraining and what that may lead to.
• A 20-minute session with a personal trainer can do wonders when it comes to your fitness goals – Dr. Fisher and Amy explore why that’s the case.
• Remember: the key is not how often and for how long your train but it’s effort level you’re working at.
• “What we encourage our clients to do is, basically, to become more in tune with their own body to understand the sensation that the stimulus of a full effort of an exercise session gives your body, and to understand how long your recovery will take,” says Amy.
• Amy has noticed how eye-opening it is to her personal training clients to get to know their own body, see and feel it respond to the stimulus that we’re creating, and watch it change.
• Dr. Fisher and Amy discuss the importance of following a sustainable workout.
• Dr. Fisher and Amy point out the difference – and common mistakes – between a workout at a regular gym and a session with an Exercise Coach personal trainer.

Mentioned in This Episode:

The Exercise Coach - Get 2 Free Sessions!

Submit your questions at StrengthChangesEverything.com

Previous episode - The 6 Essential Elements of an Effective Strength Training Program with Matt Brzycki

This podcast and blog are provided to you for entertainment and informational purposes only. By accessing either, you agree that neither constitute medical advice nor should they be substituted for professional medical advice or care. Use of this podcast or blog to treat any medical condition is strictly prohibited. Consult your physician for any medical condition you may be having. In no event will any podcast or blog hosts, guests, or contributors, Exercise Coach USA, LLC, Gymbot LLC, any subsidiaries or affiliates of same, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, or agents, be responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to you or others due to any podcast or blog content.

Are your daily steps really telling you how fit you are? Amy Hudson and Dr. James Fisher unpack the limitations of step tracking and explain why effort, not volume, is the true driver of fitness. From sedentary habits to the power of strength training, they reveal what actually moves the needle when it comes to improving your health and longevity.

• In today’s episode, Amy Hudson and Dr. James Fisher look at whether there’s a meaning behind taking and tracking a certain number of steps and its role within the fitness context.
• While tracking our steps can make us feel good about ourselves and being active, it’s something that doesn’t tell us the full story about our fitness.
• Tracking steps is founded on a good evidence base: a study showed that taking between 7,000 to 10,000 steps per day is associated with a lower risk of mortality in older adults.
• Dr. Fisher talks about a recent Exercise Coach Franchise Conference and the importance he gives to tracking how much time he spends in a seated position.
• Going for a jog and a walk when attending a conference helps Dr. Fisher get some exercise done during the day and get some daylight…
• Dr. Fisher believes that tracking the number of steps taken during the day is particularly important for those with a sedentary job or inactive lifestyle.
• Knowing how little steps one takes during the day can prompt lifestyle changes.
• The main problem with tracking steps is that we start to become quite volume-monitored, rather than effort-monitored.
• Dr. Fisher points out that, nowadays, people should aim for 12,000 steps instead of 10,000, and that “not all steps are equal.”
• Think of the difference – in level of effort – between a walk that’s more like a hike and one that’s on completely flat ground, where the heart rate stays low.
• The risk associated with tracking steps is that it doesn’t give you a good gauge of your fitness, nor of the exercise that you should be undertaking to try and maintain muscle mass and muscle fibers.
• Don’t focus on the number of steps… focus on effort level.
• 5,000 steps done as a jog are more effective than 10,000 steps done as a walk.
• Amy and Dr. Fisher discuss why strength training is the key way to stimulate our muscles, our metabolism, and myokines.
• Dr. Fisher sees strength training as the biggest thing that’s going to shift the needle of your overall health and well-being.
• For Amy, if your goal is to change your body, to add strength, improve bone density, and your hormonal and metabolic health, you have to participate in strength training.
• Amy gives a definition of exercise: “a stimulus that causes your body to produce positive adaptations.”
• Dr. Fisher concludes by sharing a couple of concerns and considerations related to tracking steps.

Mentioned in This Episode:

The Exercise Coach - Get 2 Free Sessions!

Submit your questions at StrengthChangesEverything.com

Previous episode - The Truth About Sweating: What It Really Means for Your Exercise Routine

Southampton

This podcast and blog are provided to you for entertainment and informational purposes only. By accessing either, you agree that neither constitute medical advice nor should they be substituted for professional medical advice or care. Use of this podcast or blog to treat any medical condition is strictly prohibited. Consult your physician for any medical condition you may be having. In no event will any podcast or blog hosts, guests, or contributors, Exercise Coach USA, LLC, Gymbot LLC, any subsidiaries or affiliates of same, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, or agents, be responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to you or others due to any podcast or blog content.

Think your heart rate tells the whole story of your workout? Think again. In this episode, Amy Hudson and Dr. James Fisher unpack the myths around heart rate tracking, explaining why it's not the best measure of workout effectiveness — and what you should focus on instead. From hunger hormones to interval training tips, you'll walk away with a smarter approach to training that actually supports your fitness goals.

• Amy Hudson and Dr. James Fisher look at heart rate, what it actually means and whether it’s meaningful or not when it comes to the effectiveness of your workout.
• With heart rates, we’re looking at how we can move oxygen around the body – all the way where the oxygen is transferred into muscle cells and our active muscle.
• Dr. Fisher explains that as soon as we move into the higher end of our heart rate, we’re in the carbohydrate burning zone.
• When we do strength or interval training, our ghrelin – the hormone responsible for the feeling of hunger – doesn’t go up, so we don’t have a hunger response.
• When we do moderate or low-intensity steady state exercise – and we stay below a certain heart rate zone, we get a spike of the ghrelin hormone.
• Remember: your heart rate is NOT indicative of the quality of your workout.
• Dr. Fisher touches upon EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen) and explains what it is and when it may occur.
• Amy and Dr. Fisher discuss interval training and why it’s something you should consider doing if you’ve ever got the chance.
• Something to be cautious about with interval training: If we’re doing it based on heart rate, it typically takes our body a certain amount of time for the heart rate to respond.
• This means that the interval has to be long enough to be effective.
• Next, Dr. Fisher and Amy unpack the concept of resting heart rate and what it means for you in relation to your training.
• As you may be busy looking into your heart rate, just remember that it gets influenced by external factors such as caffeine, stress, dehydration, illness, and lack of sleep.
• A good reminder by Dr. Fisher: When we first start tracking anything, we’ve got to remember that it’s just a snapshot.
• If data is your thing, it's important that you recognize that once you have long-term data, you can start to see trends.
• Dr. Fisher’s take is to “look at heart rate after the fact (e.g. the workout), not looking at it during the event.”
• When you’re thinking about your workouts wondering whether they’re working, Amy suggests asking yourself WHY are you exercising?
• Think about what your goals are with exercising and whether those are happening.

Mentioned in This Episode:

The Exercise Coach - Get 2 Free Sessions!

Submit your questions at StrengthChangesEverything.com

Apple Watch

FitBit

Garmin

This podcast and blog are provided to you for entertainment and informational purposes only. By accessing either, you agree that neither constitute medical advice nor should they be substituted for professional medical advice or care. Use of this podcast or blog to treat any medical condition is strictly prohibited. Consult your physician for any medical condition you may be having. In no event will any podcast or blog hosts, guests, or contributors, Exercise Coach USA, LLC, Gymbot LLC, any subsidiaries or affiliates of same, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, or agents, be responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to you or others due to any podcast or blog content.

Is sweating synonymous with a good workout session? Amy Hudson and Dr. James Fisher address why people sweat and whether sweat is a reflection of the intensity of your workout. You’ll hear about the different contributing factors that lead you to sweat, something dogs and humans have in common when it comes to losing heat, and why the lack of sweat may end up turning working out into less of a big deal. Get ready for the sweaty truth!

• This episode features a listener question related to one of the factors people look at as a potential indication of the quality of their workout or how hard their exercise session was: sweat.
• Dr. James Fisher kicks things off by explaining why we sweat – and why it has nothing to do with fat loss.
• Dr. Fisher confirms that, unfortunately, sweat is NOT an indicator of the quality of your workout.
• Think about someone sweating because they’re eating spicy food.
• Prone to sweating? That’s simply a sign that your core temperature is starting to rise.
• Dr. Fisher lists a couple of contexts in which someone may start sweating and why that may happen.
• When it comes to losing heat, humans and dogs have something in common.
• Amy Hudson touches upon the fact that not everyone enjoys sweating while training, and how this often turns exercising into less of a big deal.
• Remember: sweating isn’t a product of how hard your body works or your heart rate. It’s simply about the temperature of your body.

Mentioned in This Episode:

The Exercise Coach - Get 2 Free Sessions!

Submit your questions at StrengthChangesEverything.com

Previous episode - The Truth About Muscle Soreness: Myths, Recovery, and What to Do Next

Rocky Balboa

This podcast and blog are provided to you for entertainment and informational purposes only. By accessing either, you agree that neither constitute medical advice nor should they be substituted for professional medical advice or care. Use of this podcast or blog to treat any medical condition is strictly prohibited. Consult your physician for any medical condition you may be having. In no event will any podcast or blog hosts, guests, or contributors, Exercise Coach USA, LLC, Gymbot LLC, any subsidiaries or affiliates of same, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, or agents, be responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to you or others due to any podcast or blog content.

Everything you need to know about muscle soreness. Hosts Amy Hudson and Dr. James Fisher talk about why soreness is NOT indicative of the quality of a workout, what causes – and what doesn’t cause – it, the difference between muscle soreness and joint pain, and what you can do to reduce that soreness. If you’re someone who exercises on a regular basis, you can’t miss this one!

• Today’s episode, which is a part of a series that looks at indicators of the quality of exercising, focuses on soreness.
• Dr. James Fisher kicks things off by explaining why soreness – or actually delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS in short) – occurs.
• How a workout was and how novel it was are factors that contribute to DOMS.
• Dr. Fisher and Amy Hudson debunk the myths regarding the role that a high degree of lactic acid plays when it comes to exercising and muscle soreness, as well as the idea of torn muscle fibers.
• Calcium plays a key role in muscular contraction: it initiates the process and interaction between actin and myosin muscle fibers.
• Dr. Fisher touches upon the reason why some people may use compression garments that compress muscles, and why muscle inflammation is actually a good thing.
• You know that feeling in the muscle right after a set or a workout? “The pump”, as it’s often referred to, is a product of an influx of blood to the muscle and a product of muscular contraction and energy production.
• Dr. Fisher and Amy discuss muscle pain – and why the pain itself isn’t actually in the muscle but in the connective tissues and fascia surrounding it.
• Feeling sore after a workout? Going back and doing light exercise can help you alleviate it.
• Dr. Fisher and Amy talk about the so-called repeated bout effect and why it’s a strong reason for you not skipping too many workouts…
• Remember: if you feel sore after a workout, that’s a natural process of your body’s remodeling and rebuilding. Not feeling sore? That doesn’t mean that you didn’t have a good workout!
• As Dr. Fisher puts it: “People will feel sore when exercise is a novel stimulus, but the soreness will alleviate over time as a part of the repeated bout effect.”
• Keep in mind the muscle soreness you feel may actually be joint soreness.
• Dr. Fisher and Amy share some recommendations for working out a muscle group when you feel some muscle soreness.
• A healthy diet (with an adequate protein intake to support the repair process) and sleep are key assets in alleviating muscle soreness.
• Some people overlook the importance of sleep, which is a big marker for our body’s ability to rest, recover, and rebuild.​​
• When feeling muscle soreness, getting on a stationary bike or going for a swim, instead of going for a run, can help with the recovery process.
• Making progressive overload a key "philosophy" of your workout sessions will help you decrease muscle soreness.
• A final, important reminder from Amy and Dr. Fisher: “Soreness is not indicative of the quality of our workout. It’s not a badge of honor.”

Mentioned in This Episode:

The Exercise Coach - Get 2 Free Sessions!

Submit your questions at StrengthChangesEverything.com

This podcast and blog are provided to you for entertainment and informational purposes only. By accessing either, you agree that neither constitute medical advice nor should they be substituted for professional medical advice or care. Use of this podcast or blog to treat any medical condition is strictly prohibited. Consult your physician for any medical condition you may be having. In no event will any podcast or blog hosts, guests, or contributors, Exercise Coach USA, LLC, Gymbot LLC, any subsidiaries or affiliates of same, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, or agents, be responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to you or others due to any podcast or blog content.