Variation is the Key: An Interview with Trainer Brenda Booth
June 09, 2008 | in Fitness | 0 Comments Share
She's a tough competitor and trainer with a varied background in endurance and strength training. Check out our interview with trainer and athlete Brenda Booth.
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As a competitive athlete, personal trainer and project manager in large marketing group, Brenda Booth knows first-hand how to strike the balance between the demands of career and fitness. We spoke with Brenda during her training for the June 20-21 Figure Universe competition in Miami.
Interview
Q: How long have you been a trainer?
A: I've been a certified personal trainer by the National Academy of Sports Medicine for two and a half years.
Q: Have you always been an athlete?
A: Yeah, pretty much; I started teaching aerobics in high school and was a competitive swimmer—the coach took a look at my shoulders and said "Okay, you're a butterflyer". So I swam butterfly (laughs). After college I started running and doing triathlons and getting into figure competitions.
Q: What was your race in swimming?
A: I swam the 200 butterfly...until the one meet that I almost drown in the pool and I was like "okay...I'm not sure that I like this anymore" (laughs).
Q: Butterfly is serious, demanding, intense stuff—that stroke's not messing around! So what fitness area do you specialize in now?
A: I focus on women's health and fitness—I concentrate on nutrition, core stability and getting people moving. Regardless of whether they want to do weights or endurance training, I help people get the right start in taking their first steps towards fitness. Most of my clients are women between 35 and 55, and are either new to fitness or getting back in shape.
Q: How would you describe your approach?
A: I'm hands-on, but open—I like getting feedback from my clients and approach it as teamwork between myself and those I'm training. I like to motivate and add variety so no workout is ever the same, and I strive to keep them focused. One of the most important things is that they're accountable, so they get homework assignments and we do weekly check-ins, and we keep a journal of their workouts and food. Diet is essential to fitness, and I don't think you can have one without the other.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration?
A: The people that inspire me most are the ones that say they are committing to something and then actually go after it and do it. Regardless of if it's changing your career or starting a fitness program or running a race—just saying it and then doing it is a huge motivator, and I love people like that. They back up their words with their actions.
Q: What's your favorite exercises?
A: I love multi-joint exercises and doing strength training on unstable surfaces; you can recruit more muscle and at the same time build balance and strength. The Bosu Balance Trainer
Q: What do you recommend for folks that are traveling or strapped for time?
A: Definitely circuit training—it's the fastest way to get cardio and strength training at the same time. You really only need your body weight, or you can supplement this with the stability ball
Q: What's the best piece of advice you can give to a beginner?
A: Learn proper form. Without a doubt, if you can find someone that you're working with—regardless of if it's a trainer, a really good athlete, or someone you're working out with—learn proper form. If you don't have proper form, you're going to waste a lot of time in the gym, be inefficient in your movements and expose yourself to injury. You'll get so much more out of your workout in less reps with good form.
Q: Ugh. We've all seen those guys at the gym doing curls with the straight bar, and they're swinging it back and forth...
A: Oh yeah, I see that and even if they're not my client, I can't not say anything. I look at them and I think "Lower back injury—L5 IS OUT! L5 IS OUT!" (laughs).
Q: Do you have any special projects you're working on?
A: I'm training for Figure Universe in Miami. I've changed up from solely doing endurance sports to lifting weights a while back, and someone recommended looking into this, and it really grew on me. It's a great sport.
Q: How does Body One Wellness work?
A: I either work with a client in their home or work with them in the gym, and focus my consultancy in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.
Q: Any tips specifically for runners?
A: Make sure that you're doing dynamic, active stretching and get your muscles moving before you run. I see people doing static stretches—holding their stretch position—before they run, but what you want to do is keep movement in your muscles as you warm up. Incorporate flexing of your feet, hamstrings and muscles in controlled motions. Don't bounce, but don't hold your stretch either. Then incorporate static stretches for cooling down after your run.
Credentials
- Certified Personal Trainer from National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
- Nutrition Coach
- Personal Trainer and Owner at Body One Wellness, LLC in Minnesota
Contact Information
If you are interested in contacting Brenda for training you may reach her via the following:
- URL: www.bodyonewellness.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/people/Brenda_Booth/597458290
- Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
- Phone: (612) 702-9397
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