Marshal Micheal is one of the best personal trainers in the city. He is a certified sports nutritionist and a renowned fitness trainer. His background story is an inspiration for most people and his passion for health and fitness has no bounds. Today, Marshal trains and advises popular celebrities and professionals and has risen to the top of the fitness industry.
Interview with Marshal Micheal –
1) Why did you decide to become a personal trainer?
I decided to become a personal trainer because fitness had always been my passion. Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to become a bodybuilder and join the army & serve the country but unfortunately, I met with a major accident after my +2 exams. I broke my leg and the doctor told that it would be impossible for me to walk for a year but I couldn’t accept that. That’s when I decided to join a gym to strengthen my legs as per his advice. I started lifting and eventually I started loving it. At this point the urge to become famous in this field grew stronger. So, after working for 4 years as an IT professional I gave up everything and started concentrating only on this passion to make it a full-time career. I had come to a realization that nothing could make me happier than following my heart. Helping people to be fit and healthy is my ultimate aim.
2)Where do you work at and What are your professional qualifications?
I used to work for various gyms till 2017 but now I’m a freelancer personal trainer training my clients in different gyms in Hyderabad!
I am an MBA graduate / Masters in Event Mangement/ degree in marketing and advertising.
A certified sports nutritionist, a certified personal trainer from (national academy of sports medicine NASM) and a certified Physique Elite Trainer (Kris Gethin gym)
3) What workouts do you enjoy?
I enjoy weight training a lot which includes heavy lifting of different muscle groups every day. I am also fond of functional training.
4) How do you develop rapport with a client?
To develop rapport with a client, good communication plays a key role. How well you know the clients body type, their lifestyle and their requirements is an important factor. I keep talking to them during their session and make it more informative by giving them details about how a certain workout will affect their body. I try to distract them from the pain and talk about general things like movies, sports, news etc.
5)How do keep your clients motivated?
I keep my clients motivated every single day by constantly texting them when they don’t turn up, tag them in some motivational & informative videos about health. I also involve them in my personal routines by sending them my own workout videos, pics of the food I eat etc.
A trainer should always implement everything he says and give his best only then he can motivate his clients to stay fit and healthy.
6) Do you have any useful tips to lose that belly fat?
There are no tips for losing fat from a certain body part. Every part in the body is important and we should work on overall health and wellbeing rather than focusing on one part. I don’t believe in spot reduction, when you want to lose weight you have to go on a calorie deficit diet and when you want to gain weight you have to increase your calorie intake, it’s quite simple. But to answer this question here are some tips to lose fat:
Eat plenty of fiber rich foods, avoid food that contains trans fats and a lot of sugar, cut down on eating refined stuff, fried items, foods having too many carbs, artificial fruit juices and aerated drinks. Instead, eat protein rich foods, use olive & coconut oil instead of the normal oil, exercise daily which includes some weight training as well as cardio.
7) What is your definition of a successful workout session?
For a Heavy lifter a successful workout session means you are surpassing your own limits every week and finishing your workout with high intensity and less rest periods. When you finish your workout, there should be a ‘wow what a session’ kind of feeling. I feel it every day specially when I hit the legs at the starting of the week. At the end of the workout I am unable to walk properly and that’s a good session for me!
8) 5 cardio exercises you’d recommend any customer of yours and why?
First of all, I would like to admit that I’m not a cardio person who thinks running for hours and hours on the treadmill will burn fat. I make my clients do more of HIIT workouts, CrossFit, floor workouts, functional Training. So here are a few exercises I’d recommend my clients:
Battle ropes for upper body and core strength.
Tyer flips
kettle bell swing
Weighted sprints
Mountain climbers
These exercises consume more energy and you burn more calories as well as increase your stamina, strength and power!
9) How do you ensure that a fitness program is effective?
A fitness program becomes effective only when it’s designed according to the client’s goals, his/her body type and lifestyle, their strength and stamina. The right type of exercises should be selected and applied in a systematic manner. A program becomes more effective when the client is on a healthy diet, sleeps well and has enough motivation to achieve his/her goal.
10) What makes you a good personal trainer?
A good personal trainer is one who has a lot of knowledge regarding workouts and nutrition. They should have good communication skills and should be confident in how they handle their clients. They should also have immense amount of experience in lifting weights & training clients in the same field. They should be result oriented, disciplined with their clients and most importantly be approachable and helpful. I believe I have all of these qualities so that makes me a good personal trainer!
11) What do you like about your job?
I don’t consider it as a job but instead as a service to people. The one thing I love the most about what I do is that it gives me the freedom to express myself, my passion. This field has given me everything that I’ve wanted, so I can confidently say that this is the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.
12)Finally, what is one good advice you’d like to give someone who wants to be fit?
For someone who wants to be fit, I’d advice them to start working out on a regular basis, eat the right kind of food, maintain a healthy lifestyle, limit alcohol consumption or avoid it completely and last but not the least to not go to the gym for clicking selfies or for ego lifting!
Work for the body you want, eat for the body you want!
