In January 2018, Richie Templeton of RPT Personal Training joined the Move Freely Sports Therapy Suite in Mansfield Place. We asked him to share his training mission and philosophy with our clients.
In January 2018, Richie Templeton of RPT Personal Training joined the Move Freely Sports Therapy Suite in Mansfield Place. We asked him to share his training mission and philosophy with our clients.
Intro to Personal Training (PT)
Daniel [Cassells]: Richie, welcome to the Move Freely Suite. You’ve been with us for a few months now. How are you settling in?
Richie [Templeton]: Thanks, Danny. It has been a great move. The RPT studio space is great and your team has been very helpful. My clients say it’s a nice training space in the city, away from the hustle, but central enough to remain convenient.
Danny: Please share with our group what you do.
Richie: My ethos is that personal training is for everyone, not just for people who are already in good shape or have a good level of strength and stamina from previous training. My mission is to have all my clients learn the benefits of weight training and proper nutrition, beyond just looking good.
“‘When performance is measured, performance improves.’ ”
— Peter Drucker
The pace of modern living works against us all … In our working lives, daily desk jobs and desk lunches, eye-neck-and back strain from working at computers and performing repetitive tasks with non-ergonomic tools.
In our regular lives, we do the bare minimum of NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) which in the past helped contribute to our overall daily movement and calorie expenditure. Things like walking to the supermarket, walking to work, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, playing in the park are all becoming things of the past. The lack of physical activity and overconsumption of high-calorie foods add up to the whole body deconditioning and excess body fat levels that are not immediately obvious, and over time, are detrimental to our health.
Some of the people who I work with are looking to improve their body composition, strength /fitness and nutritional habits before they develop any health problems that may arise from modern day living. Some of them have already developed the health problems that come from inactivity and poor dietary habits, they rightly see how training and nutrition are a way out of their ill- health.
Now that self-care and wellness are all over popular culture, awareness is rising, which is good. I know that there is still a gap in realizing that personal training is one of the important ways to achieve a healthy, balanced way of life with body confidence and renewed vitality. Many people view personal training as someone who stands over them, barking orders, counting repetitions, and just there to inflict overall pain, some trainers may do this, I train with a different approach.
Personal Training Clients
Danny: Personal training (PT) is seen as a luxury for celebrities, athletes and executive types. How do you approach this belief? Is there are certain type of client that you work with?
Richie: I train people of all ages and fitness levels. Everyone can benefit from PT. Some clients in their 70s and 80s train to improve overall strength which helps prevent muscle wastage (sarcopenia) which also helps with fall prevention. Many women train to maintain muscle mass and guard against bone density loss that comes with ageing (osteoporosis).
For a reduction in body fat levels, proper nutrition along with a properly structured weight training program I find works best, I currently train a lady who started at 78kg and is now maintaining her weight at 55kg from just dietary intervention and weight training alone, she now competes in powerlifting competitions
I train professionals in law, finance, healthcare, etc., whose main obstacle to good health and fitness is the time in their schedule, or rather, not having control of their schedule.
Overall, I hear from my clients that training helped them grow into better colleagues, doctors, parents, human beings and gain confidence in areas of their lives not related to training. One client, she set training as a priority, a previously inflexible duty Rota worked itself out around our training commitment. Flexibility developed where she imagined there was none.
From parents and other clients who are overscheduled to the max, I hear similar stories. The time spent in training gives them the resilience and confidence to better attend to the rest of their lives. The way some people turn to spirituality or meditation, my clients are geared toward the physical. The mind and the body are connected, anyhow. The main thing is to start where you are and incorporate resistance training into your schedule whether it’s bodyweight or free weights.
Motivation
Danny: Is there something special you do to keep clients motivated toward achieving their goals? How would you describe your training approach?
Richie: The goal of PT is creating long-lasting habits that become a better way of living life. My approach is to start with the basics … technique, consistency, proper nutrition. Over time, this leads to habit, progress, maintenance, set a new goal … repeat. Through all this, I encourage the client to have patience with the process and compassion for themselves. My techniques are based on science, physiology of the human body, and principles of human behaviour.
Each client is different as to how she or he is best motivated. Weigh-ins and body measurements, or how your clothes fit are several ways to gauge progress in body composition. Being able to do one more set/repetition or adding more weight than you did previously are ways to measure performance goals.
“‘Plateaus aren’t always bad. Sometimes maintenance is progress.’ ”
— Richie Templeton, RPT
The Process
Danny: This is a 1:1 engaged, training experience. Do some clients find that closeness intimidating?
Richie: The PT partnership between the client and myself are built from the consultation and at each session. Building trust in the training partnership is key. The client understands that I will meet them where they are. We grow from there. I offer supportive accountability and create individualised training programs that allow the client to enter into a flow that also motivates them outside the studio. There are no magic routines, there is just hard work, nailing the basics, and most of all consistency. I also encourage clients to find an activity that they enjoy to complement PT, like jogging, dancing, tennis/badminton for cardiovascular workouts. It is also helpful to have something to de-stress … yoga, walking or going to a meditation class where it is nice and quiet. The whole experience is aimed at creating fun activities that put the client in flow and motivate them to keep going.
Each client has her or his idea of what is a good result for their health, fitness and body composition, and that’s what we work to achieve. I try to understand the motivation behind the goals and this helps tailor the training … and sometimes adjust expectations.
Danny: How long is a training commitment? Do people stop training?
Richie: The time frame is set by the client. During the initial consultation, I do a deep dive to explore motivation, goals, injuries, current fitness. We work through an initial set of programs and then re-evaluate. Many clients have been with me for 16 years, others train for 2 -4 years, and another group trains intermittently and can work independently using what they have learned with me.
Each client is different in how much accountability and support she or he needs. I am flexible. People do stop training, though. It is important to find the approach to health that works for the client. The process should not be painful, but it is work, namely, time, patience, consistency, especially with weight loss, attention to nutrition, especially calorie control is crucial for weight loss
About Me: Why Personal Training
Danny: Thanks for that. Now, how did you come into personal training as a career?
Richie: When I was younger, I was not happy with my body. This lack of body-confidence had knock-on effects to other parts of my life. I started lifting weights to change how I looked and was motivated by the turnaround to study the human body and how it functioned. I moved to England from Ireland to properly study how to coach and train. I worked at a big gym for a couple of years in London and eventually moved to Edinburgh, where I worked for several big chain gyms for 16 years, developing my passion for everything training and nutrition related and an eagerness to keep learning. This is the expertise I bring to my clients.
It is really nice to hear from clients who work with me for a period of time and then stop when the habit of training is embedded. The client may reach out periodically for a new consultation to change up training routines or overcome plateaus. The best feeling is when the client starts progressing their routines (properly) and sending me training updates from the literature and current practices. Then I know training is truly a ‘sticky’ habit. Personal training with me is a way to guide the client along in wellness, fitness and body confidence as a way of life.
Danny: So, you are ahead of the curve as a trainer, advocating for total body health and fitness before it was a thing?
Richie: I think everyone is learning, studying, and understanding health and fitness a whole lot better these days. Not just in popular culture, but in medicine as well. In hospitals, doctors enroll patients waiting for major heart / lung and cancer surgery in ‘pre-habilitation’ programs to prepare them for the stress and recovery of their operations. To give patients an edge and the reserve to endure the trials and complications of the hospital. Doctors, now advocate for ‘ongoing care’ after leaving the hospital, which includes physical rehabilitation and activities to support the recovery and help their patients return to health after hospital discharge.
With your clients, they come to you to help with their sports injuries, for chronic conditions, etc. but there is still scope for ongoing training to maintain the results, build strength and guard against repeat injury. I think of personal training as ‘pre-habilitation’ for the ups and downs of life … personal, family, career, recreation. Personal training is appropriate for everybody.
Getting Started
Danny: Richie, thanks for sharing your time and expertise. How can people interested in working with you get in contact?
Richie: Thanks, Danny. First thing is to set up a free consultation in person. My website details more about my training approach and the client experience.
Please let me your clients know to quote RPTNEW18 when calling for a consultation, so that I know the contact came through Move Freely!
Contact
RPT Personal Training | 9 Mansfield Place | Edinburgh EH3 6NB,
Phone 0131 557 4404 | Mobile 0781 181 0629 | Email r.templeton.rpt@gmail.com
Website https://rtpersonaltraining.co.uk |