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That special quality of a good personal trainer

You can have all the qualities common to professionals (honesty, reliability, etc.) and all the qualities particular to the field of exercise (knowledge and experience in the field). That is often sufficient to be successful, but it might not be enough for the more advanced client or those who want to go to the “next level”. The really good trainers possess the quality of being able to be “in the moment"; this special quality will enable a trainer to take the client to the next level.

The next level? Someone exercising is willing to exercise at a certain level by themselves. That level is less than the absolute maximum they are capable of. A good fitness trainer who is in the moment will get the subject to go to the next level - somewhere above what they are willing to do and closer to what they are truly capable of. As one of my clients once told me, “I pay you to give me a workout I could not possibly get by myself”.

What to do after physical therapy ends?

What to do? Follow the PT recommendations and exercise.
flexion diagramA few years back I broke my arm near the elbow in two places. After a few weeks in a sling I began physically therapy. They were very knowledgeable and with their help I significantly increased my arm function.

When my stint with physical therapy was finished I had regained all but 14 degrees of extension of my arm. I was told that was a good result; the limited range would not hamper me much, and it would be hardly noticeable.

I resumed my strength training regimen as usual. It was a once a week full body workout. I would stretch occasionally, but this was not a regular part of my weekly routine. I limited my range of motion on the arm exercises to a pain-free range; I gradually increased my range.

A few months later I stopped by the PT to see if I had increased my range. They were amazed to find I had regained all but two degrees.