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5 Reasons to Work with a Personal Trainer

Simply stated, working with a trainer is a great way to know 1) where you are and 2) where you want to be. Also, working one on one with an exceptional certified personal trainer is a great way to:

  1. Push past plateaus. Maybe you’ve hit a roadblock in your training. One of our Greenville health club trainers can help pull you out of your fitness rut, determine areas of weakness, and implement a combination of concentrated fitness and nutrition coaching specifically designed for you.
  2. Receive expert guidance. Maybe it’s your first foray into fitness. If you’ve limited gym experience, a Greenville sports club personal trainer can be incredibly valuable. Learn how to use the equipment effectively. Learn how to design a workout effectively. Learn how to make the most of your gym time so you can realize results in no time!
  3. Sharpen your focus. Maybe group fitness classes and standard gym settings are overwhelming or distracting for you. A more private, intimate training experience can definitely bring more focus and comfortability to your workouts.
  4. Tackle your fitness obstacles. Whether it be fat loss, strength, mobility, body transformation, sports performance, and/or injury rehab or intervention, we’ve got you covered.
  5. Exercise on your schedule. Personal training aligns with your schedule and needs.

Want to give personal training a whirl?

When you join the Greenville gym, we schedule a free initial personal training session so you can test out this service. During your intro session, your trainer will perform some basic fitness assessments and discuss your goals/background/nutritional habits to create a recommended training trajectory. No commitments to packages are necessary until you are sure this special service is for you.

Whatever your health and wellness goals, our Greenville athletic club trainers can help.

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More Than Just A Gym

With locations in Columbia, Charleston, Summerville and Greenville, you may just refer to us as your local South Carolina gym. But there are a lot of words that can be used to describe our facilities: sports club, athletic training camp, wellness center.

Think about it; we offer more than just a set of machines and equipment you could theoretically have set up in your own home. We also offer personal training from certified professionals. You meet privately with someone who can help you target your trouble areas and determine a personalized strategy meet your fitness goals.

And there’s also a rotating schedule of classes for such fun and healthy activities as spinning, martial arts, yoga and dance. And those are available for beginners, moderate athletes and even those looking for a more hard-core, boot-camp type of exercise regimen.

Of course there’s also the communal aspect of Pivotal Fitness. In addition to taking classes with your friends, you can form partnerships with other gym members who share your schedule and provide ongoing motivation. You can even bring guests along with you if you have someone visiting from out of town.

Need some nutritional counseling? We offer that, too. You can start by accessing our supplement shop (at some locations) to pick up all of the vitamins and nutrients you need for a balanced diet before and after you exercise. Our nutritionists provide dietary information and inspirational support that’s specific to your lifestyle and weight loss goals.

Other special aspects of our comprehensive Greenville sports club are our Ladies Only Facilities, where only women are around while you work out, and our childcare program, where kids can be active and have fun while you’re taking care of your workout. Some locations even boast a tanning salon.

As you can see, it’s an all-in-one health center that offers physical fitness, social networking and recreational advantages. Ask us anytime how you can get started – or just start getting even more involved in our numerous opportunities than you are already!

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Relying on Tools & Apps for Running

The New York Times website published an article in December 2011 about the unreliability of running watches, mobile apps and similar technology that’s meant to record your mileage, time and calories burned. Professional runners may be aware of the discrepancies of information that are possible when they use these tools, but there is a concern that new and improving runners can fall for flashy – yet fallible – technology.

Trusting an inaccurate source to act as your data counter and running coach can not only confuse your stats (such as personal accomplishments of time and distance) but actually impede your development as you prepare for marathons and try to monitor and build endurance. It can also be harmful to someone’s health. If you understand your max to be two miles and your tracking device tells you that you’ve covered 1.8 when you’ve actually run 2.1 miles, you could push yourself beyond a healthy range while trying to cover what you think is within your ability.

Makers of these devices say that they are limited by technological developments and are frequently updating their software. They site geographical confusion and satellite lags for some of the errors that can show, for example, up to a half-mile difference between what a runner has actually covered and what the device says they did. But they also state that it’s ultimately up to the user to understand that the devices are not yet perfect, nor should they be the sole source of performance measurement for any serious athlete.

One way you can attain consistency in your training is to depend on the equipment at your local Greenville gym, where data screens always show accurate and consistent statistics. If you also sometimes run at a site away from the health club (such as your neighborhood park), syncing your phone app or step-o-meter with the treadmill you’re used to can at least give you a reliable comparison for further training. You can also rely on a personal training at our Pivotal Fitness Greenville sports club who can stay on top of monitoring your workouts to make sure you’re fulfilling your training expectations and maintaining consistency throughout the course of your practice and performance.

Most importantly, you should always trust your body when it comes to fatigue, hydration and muscle soreness so that you know when it’s time to slow down or rest during a workout. Regardless of numbers and figures, learning how to read and trust your own physicality is the number one rule when it comes to a healthy running strategy.

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April Showers Bring …

Just when it’s starting to finally warm up outside, this month’s deluge of rainstorms may put a damper on your outdoor workout routine. Instead of getting frustrated or using this as an excuse to take a little month-long break, think of it as motivation to finally join a Greenville gym and make a habit of visiting it.

Although most health professionals are extremely supportive of supplementing gym time with an outdoor sports regimen, the best structure may be a blend of both. Those who exercise outdoors do gain some additional benefits, such as excess exposure to sunlight, and therefore Vitamin D. You also get to take in the fresh air and experience a change of scene each and every time you head outside. Meanwhile, those with a gym membership can also partake of the gym community, gym classes, personal training and plenty of diverse, top-rate equipment.

Other tips for beating the rain in order to work out this month include:

  • Start early: April showers are more common in the afternoons, so getting an early start can help you avoid many storms. Plus, you have the rest of the day to reschedule your exercise if need be.
  • Prep your gear: Whether you’re jogging with your headphones in or wearing your new top-dollar running shoes, getting caught in the rain can mean more than a minor annoyance. Having a towel, parka or plastic baggy on hand can be the difference between a successful (but slightly damp) rainy day workout and the frustrations and high costs of property damage.
  • Remember the perks: Whether it helps you keep a positive attitude by thinking about the beautiful flowers that are about to arrive or just being grateful it’s not snowing anymore, a sunny attitude can go a long way toward combating gray skies. Plus, if you work out in the rain you can skip the shower afterward–just kidding!
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Welcome, Pivotal Fitness Greenville Newcomers!

January always brings a big boom of newcomers to the gym. Whether you received a Greenville gym membership as a gift over the holidays or simply resolved on your own to lose weight or get in shape for the New Year, we just want to say…welcome!

This week, we though we’d provide you with a brief overview of the membership benefits when you join Pivotal Fitness’ Greenville health club. Here are five of our favorite perks:

1) Get started with a FREE 7-day trial. You can try out our workout equipment and attend some of our group fitness classes before you ever commit to one of our flexible membership plans.

2) Speaking of classes, we’re proud to offer a variety of old favorites and contemporary alternatives, ranging from yoga to spin class to martial arts. Don’t forget to check out Boot Camp—now there’s one powerful way to kick your healthy year off right!

3) Child care you can trust—for all ages. The nursery is a safe place for infants and toddlers. And KidZONE keeps your older children occupied and supervised with great activities while you work out or take a class. Your kids will love it!

4) More than just machines. We pair exercise equipment with personal training, group activities and even nutrition and weight loss guidance. Who says you can’t have it all?

5) Convenience. Aside from having a gym in your own home, we’re the next best thing. Actually, with knowledgeable staff and support from your gym friends, working out in public may be even better. Although we’re easy to access from most of Greenville, we also have locations in Columbia, Charleston and Summerville.

Of course, we can’t fit every perk into one blog post! Here are a few more:

  • 50,000-square-foot gym with more than 150 pieces of equipment
  • Ladies-only gym—right inside our own facilities!
  • Mind and body room (Pilates and Yoga)
  • Locker rooms with lounge area and sauna

But seeing is believing. Once you come by, you can see the space, meet the staff and check it out for yourself. We can’t wait to meet you!

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The Key To Healthy Weight Loss

Weight loss can seem elusive and difficult to master, especially with so many weight loss programs clouding our judgment with their constant advertisements. The reality is that weight loss is as simple as exercising more and eating the right amount of nutritious food. By developing healthy eating habits and getting on a regular exercise routine, you can meet your weight loss goals and maintain your goal weight. Here are some helpful tips to help you along the way:

• Avoid fat burning supplements. These are generally just stimulants. The pounds you lose from taking these stimulants will return once you stop taking them.

• Strength training is key to long-term weight loss. By building lean muscle mass you will begin to burn more calories. It also helps to regulate the way your body perceives hunger, helping you to avoid those pesky cravings.

• Identify when you are truly hungry. Many people eat because they are sad, happy, stressed, anxious, or for any other number of emotions. When you crave food, stop and ask yourself if you are truly hungry or simply responding inappropriately to an emotion.

• Eat fresh food. Prepared, packaged, and processed foods contain chemicals, sodium, and other unwanted preservatives that can detrimentally affect you over the long term. Foods to avoid include artificial sweeteners or foods with synthetic fat substitutes.

It is not easy to modify your eating and exercise habits, you will likely need help along the way. That is why Pivotal Fitness strives to be the  that offers the most comprehensive solutions to help you meet your goals. With everything from personal training to nutritional consulting and group fitness classes, we provide the quality services that inspire you to meet your fitness goals.

Stop by the Pivotal Fitness Greenville fitness club today, we will give you a 7 day free pass to let you try out our facilities so you can have the Pivotal experience for yourself.

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