Wish and NYC will bring it to you

Back, back, back!

Yesss it has been a whole month, maybe a little more but I am here.

So many things happening in NYC that I had to share. If you follow me on instagram or twitter (@trainerpugliesi) you already know what I am going to talk about!

Have you heard of Soul Cycle? It is a cycling/spinning studio in nyc (they have a couple of locations in and out of nyc). There is one right by the gym I train and many clients and friends kept telling me about it so i got curious!

On wednesday I decided to go check it out, ask about pricing and schedule - while I was in there they had just finished a cycling class. I look over and Christina Perri walks out! Say whaaaat! That is what I thought too! I am a big fan right, twilight and all but mostly I love her songs!

And as a fan (I usually don't do this buuut) I had to talk to her. She was really nice and even apologized for being all sweaty when we took a pic together! HA

This is the thing about NYC - small and full of opportunities right. Makes you dream big and for me that is what life is all about. You dream, you put your heart into it, and you conquer whatever you want!


CP had a dream. She waited tables in LA to support herself while writing, singing, an playing songs. Look at her now! It is possible you know!

Not Easy but WORTH IT!!!

Hey!

I have been a little absent lately but for a good reason: my clientele is building up! I am actually surprised by how fast I am getting clients. Most of you might not know how personal training works here in NYC and basically most places. I will give you a brief explanation of how the process works in the gym I am currently working. When a new member signs up for the gym they automatically get a free (complimentary) Personal Training session. The managers or whoever makes that sale can schedule that PT session for the new member or they can give us their contact and we do the scheduling as we would like. Sometimes when I get to the gym and check my calendar, new appointments have been scheduled. In most gyms a trainer will not get paid for these complimentary sessions, so basically we are doing show cases - just trying to show the members what we can do, hoping they will buy a package. The gym I am working now pays its trainers for these COMP sessions but believe it or not, it is minimum wage. I know right, not fun - especially for those who went to school for 6 years to become competent professionals!!! The free PT sessions are just one way of selling personal training sessions. Another way is what they call prospecting. Now...this is voluntary work. 

Prospecting is when you walk around the gym and every now and then you create the courage to tell a member that they are performing an exercise wrong or that they should try performing an exercise in a different way. Personally, when I prospect I just like to introduce myself and let them know I am there if they need anything. Some people don't appreciate when you interfere on their workout so you have to be careful when approaching someone like that. When you prospect you can also schedule free pt sessions for members if they seem interested in buying PT packages. 

As you can see it is not easy being a personal trainer, you have to be motivated and positive because there is a lot of work involved and at the beginning nothing is guaranteed. Since I got to NYC I have been extremely positive and determined. I have set goals for myself: the first week I started at this gym I got 2 paying clients and by the end of the second week I wanted at 3 more - I got them! As that goal was reached, I made a new one: to have at least 8 clients within the next two weeks - today a client bought a 10 session package after I trained him for one hour and my manager gave me another client who had just bought sessions without even doing her complimentary training -- the 2 new ones from today gave me 8 clients. NEXT GOAL: I want 7 more clients by the end of March. I believe it is possible and because I believe it, IT IS DONE!

If you are a new trainer or is thinking about becoming one, I hope this helps a little -  just be patient, positive, and determined. NYC is one of the most competitive markets for personal training, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!!!

 This is for everything right? Your profession, your relationships, your health - but it is always worth it when you get there!!!

Eating Paleo

Hey everyone!

You might have been hearing and seeing a lot about the so called paleo diet! I will try to make this as simple as possible so you can get out there and start eating HEALTHY!

The paleo diet consists of eating what our hunter-gatherer ancestors used to eat a really loooong time ago. Dr. Loren Cordain based his "paleo diet" on years of research which showed that our ancestors had no chronic illnesses and diseases. Research showed that not only they were healthier, but also that their eating habits along with their daily activities made and maintained them physically strong individuals. The foods that were available at that time were fresh fruits and vegetables, beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and game meat, if you can get it, fish, seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthful oils (olive, coconut, avocado, macadamia, walnut and flaxseed). Dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods were not part of our ancestral menu.

If you have tried everything but have yet to find the right diet for you, give this a try for 30 days and let me know what you think!

Because a picture is worth a thousand words, I am posting a very basic guide of what you can and cannot eat while following the paleo diet.

Acting + Fitness = FAME

Hey!

I am back after an eventful week. Not complaining...I loved it! 

It has not been a month in NYC yet but I am ready to have the crazy schedule that personal trainers have! In fact I started a couple of new clients this past week and one of them is training at 6:30am. Not that bad right, considering the gym is opened 24hrs...it could be worse! haha

Did you know that there is about 8 million people in NYC. People from all over the world and with that at least 8 million dreams on the verge of becoming real. I am saying this not only because I came to NYC with a dream but also because every day I meet a new, old, small, big, accomplished, or half way there dream! 

One of my clients is one of the thousands of actors who moved to nyc chasing growth and fame! His goals are: increase lean mass and muscle tone -- he is shooting a movie (cannot give more details yet) in the summer so we have until then. His goals are realistic and he is injury free which makes the life of a trainer so much easier. In two weeks he auditions for a movie called "Unbroken" which will be directed by Angelina Jolie. Once he gets that part and becomes famous, as his personal trainer I will have to move L.A. And you know I will! Later on this week I will post a sample of what the actor and I have been doing!!!

 

Unilateral VS Bilateral

Hey everyone!

Hope everyone "Trained Dirty and Ate Clean" today! Finally I was able to start my normal workout routine after 2 weeks in the city. I was about to punch someone. You probably know what I am talking about right? When you go 2 or 3 days without your workout every little tiny small thing gets on your nervous...no worries family and friends, I am better now.
As promised here is my first training tip: bilateral VS unilateral exercises. Bilateral exercises use both limbs in conjunction to move a load. For example: barbell chest press, barbell shoulder press, and most fitness machines. Unilateral exercises work each limb independently. For example, dumbbell bent-over row, dumbbell biceps curl, and some machines (hammer strength/pure strength). Why would you do unilateral exercises? As we all might have realized before, the muscles from one side of our body are often a little stronger than the other. Usually, our dominant side tends to be stronger. The use of unilateral exercises will help decrease this muscle imbalance (difference in strength between two sides). Although unilateral exercises are more unstable (challenging), they are great for beginners who often present muscle imbalances. Bilateral exercises should also be incorporated into adaptation (phase I) workouts since these exercises tend to be more stable. Also, when using a bilateral exercise (i.e. barbell bench press) you are able to lift a heavier load when compared to an unilateral exercise (i.e. dumbbell bench press). Therefore, bilateral exercises are awesome for increases in strength.
I hope you find my tips useful. Try them tomorrow and let me know!!!
Time to go to bed..tomorrow at 5:30am I am up again. The life of a trainer right?!

Tchau  

ps: the picture is showing a pure strength machine...they make the unilateral exercises more stable, great for the adaptation workouts!

Subway or bicycle

Hey!!!

Today I decided to test NYC's ways of transportation. One of the gyms I work is 10 blocks from my house, not bad at all, only a 12min walk. The other gym is 85 blocks away, meaning I can either bike or take the subway (25min) there. The subway is not too bad but depending on the time you will definitely be standin up the whole way! According to google maps it would only take me 30min on a bike to get to the gym 85 blocks away. Well, IT LIED TO ME. It was a scary 45min ride...bicycles here can only ride on the street like cars...and there are cars everywhere almost running you over every second. On the way back I got the bike in the train and decided to get home safe! When in NYC use the subway!
Tomorrow I will talk about some lifting techniques!!!

Ps: notice how scared I look in the pic!

NYC - A New Start

Hey!!!

So, I am very new to this blogging thing, hope I can handle it! If you read a little about me, you saw that I am from Brazil but have been in the US for almost 8 years now. I am also new to New York City. I got here on the 29th, exactly 12 days ago. I came from Ithaca (upstate NY) where I was finishing my Master's in Exercise Physiology. BTW, I am finishing my thesis, for those of you who have been through this...pray for me! haha
I came to NYC to do what I love; it might sound cheesy but I am here to help people achieve their goals, whether is to lose weight, get stronger and fit or improve their overall HEALTH!
NYC is overwhelming at first but now I can go pretty much anywhere without feeling like a lost child. Two days after I got here I had my first job interview in the city! I was really excited. I got there and there were 40 of us, nicely dressed, professional Personal Trainers. I am not gonna lie and say I did not get intimidated...but I KEPT CALM!
2 weeks and 4 interviews later, I got the job! I am officially employed in the city!
LET THE FITNESS BEGIN!
Tchau!