Trainer: Jessica Marich
Client: Daniel
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Work out experience: Daniel’s work out experience consist of running a mile for 3 days a week.
She does not perform strength training, but she wants to add some into her fitness routine. Her
main reason for exercise is to improve her overall health.
Daniel has had hand and thumb surgery in 2003. She does get headaches and migraines,
neck stiffness. She has pain between her shoulder blades knees, and middle back as well. I don’t
think that she needs a doctor’s note. Her surgery was back in 2003, which she has well recovered
from it. Daniels headaches and migraines could be from her neck stiffness and back pain, which
could be improved with strength training.
Daniel’s family history consist of cardiovascular disease such as congestive heart failure.
There is history of stroke, type 2 diabetes, and 4 types of cancer (breast, uterine, cervical, and
vaginal). I strongly encourage this exercise program because of her family medical history.
I encourage any type of strength training for the back, legs, arms and core. But I want her
to try to stay away from really heavy lifting since she hurt her back while lifting a life guard
stand in June. There should be no problem performing an assessment test on Daniel. This
Program will be a one month program, 5 days a week.
Exercise Prescription
Cardio: 1.5 miles, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Strength Training: 3 sets of 8-12 reps, Tuesdays and Thursdays
Tuesday:
Legs
Squat with free weights
1. Stand with your feet hip width apart. Your toes should be pointed slightly outward.
2. Look straight ahead and pick a spot on the wall in front of you. You’ll want to look at this
spot the entire time you squat.
3. Keeping your back straight, bend knees and squat down until your quads are parallel to
the floor.
4. Return to start by straightening your knees and back at the same time to avoid injury.
Squat with bar
1. This exercise is best performed inside a squat rack. To begin, first set the bar on a rack to
just below shoulder level. Once the correct height is chosen and the bar is loaded, step
under the bar and place the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) across it.
2. Hold on to the bar using both arms at each side and lift it off the rack by first pushing
with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso.
3. Step away from the rack and position your legs using a shoulder width medium stance
with the toes slightly pointed out. Keep your head up at all times and also maintain a
straight back. This will be your starting position.
4. Begin to slowly lower the bar by bending the knees and hips as you maintain a straight
posture with the head up. Continue down until the angle between the upper leg and the
calves becomes about 90-degrees. Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.
5. Begin to raise the bar as you exhale by pushing the floor with the heel of your foot as you
straighten the legs again and go back to the starting position
Lunges
1. Begin standing with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands on your hips.
2. Step forward with one leg. Shift weight onto leg that was stepped forward until your rear
knee almost touches the ground. Your posture should remain upright, and your front knee
should stay above the front foot.
3. Drive through the heel of your lead foot and extend both knees to raise yourself back up.
4. Repeat the lunge on the opposite leg.
Dead lifts
1. Begin standing with a barbell close to your shins. Your feet should be directly under your
hips with your feet turned out slightly. Grip the bar with a double overhand grip or hook
grip, about shoulder width apart. Squat down to the bar.
2. Begin by bringing the bar upward, maintaining a firm back.
3. After the bar crosses the knees, complete the lift by driving the hips into the bar until
your hips and knees are extended
Chest
Bench press
1. Lie back on a flat bench. Using a medium width grip, lift the bar from the rack and hold it
straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.
2. From the starting position, breathe in and begin coming down slowly until the bar
touches your middle chest.
3. After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Focus on
pushing the bar using your chest muscles.
4. Repeat.
Free weight chest press
1. Lie down on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand resting on top of your thighs. The
palms of your hands will be facing each other.
2. Lift the dumbbells one at a time so that you can hold them in front of you at shoulder
width.
3. Once at shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are
facing away from you. The dumbbells should be just to the sides of your chest, with your
upper arm and forearm creating a 90 degree angle.
4. Then, as you breathe out, use your chest to push the dumbbells up. Lock your arms at the
top of the lift and squeeze your chest, hold for a second and then begin coming down
slowly.
5. Repeat.
Fly machine
1. Sit on the machine with your back flat on the pad.
2. Take hold of the handles.
3. Push the handles together slowly as you squeeze your chest in the middle. Breathe out
during this part of the motion and hold the contraction for a second.
4. Return back to the starting position slowly as you inhale until your chest muscles are
fully stretched.
5. Repeat.
Push-ups
1. Get into a plank position with hands planted directly under the shoulders. Toes on floor to
stabilize the bottom half of the body. Engage the abs.
2. Begin to lower the body — back flat, keep a neutral neck until the chest nearly touches the
floor. The body should remain flat from head to toe the whole time. Keep the elbows tucked
close to the body, so the upper arms form a 45-degree angle at the bottom of the push-up
position.
3. Keeping the core engaged, exhale as you push back to the start position as explosively as
possible without leaving the ground. Repeat for 10-20 reps or as many as can be performed with
good form
Back –
Lat pull-down
1. Grasp the handle with a pronated grip. This will be your starting position.
2. Pull the handle down, squeezing your elbow to your side as you flex the elbow.
3. Pause at the bottom of the motion, and then slowly return the handle to the starting
position.
Pull-ups
1. Grab the pull-up bar with the palms facing forward.
2. As you have both arms extended in front of you holding the bar, bring your torso back
around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your
chest out. This is your starting position.
3. Pull your torso up until the bar touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the
upper arms down and back. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement.
Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position.
The upper torso should remain stationary as it moves through space and only the arms
should move. The forearms should do no other work other than hold the bar.
4. After a second on the contracted position, start to inhale and slowly lower your torso back
to the starting position when your arms are fully extended and the lats are fully stretched.
5. Repeat.
Superman: 1 minute.
1. Lay face down on the ground, arms straight above your head.
2. Tighten your glutes and pull in your belly button.
3. Lift your arms while lifting legs with back muscles only. Hold.
4. Return to start and repeat.
Bent over dumbbell row:
1. With a dumbbell in each hand, bend your knees slightly and bending at the waist; as you
bend make sure to keep your back straight until it is almost parallel to the floor.
2. The weights should hang directly in front of you as your arms hang perpendicular to the
floor and your torso. This is your starting position.
3. Lift the dumbbells to your side (as you breathe out), keeping the elbows close to the
body.
4. Squeeze the back muscles and hold.
5. Slowly lower the weight again to the starting position as you inhale. Repeat.
Thursdays
TricepsDips
1. With a bench behind your back. With the bench perpendicular to your body, hold on to
the bench on its edge with the hands fully extended, separated at shoulder width. The legs
will be extended forward, bent at the waist and perpendicular to your torso. This will be
your starting position.
2. Slowly lower your body as you inhale by bending at the elbows until you lower yourself
far enough to where there is an angle slightly smaller than 90 degrees between the upper
arm and the forearm.
3. Using your triceps to bring your torso up again, lift yourself back to the starting position.
4. Repeat.
Triceps Press:
Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and hold it overhead at arm's length. The palm of your hand
should be facing inward. This will be your starting position.
1. Keeping your upper arms close to your head lower the dumbbell behind your head until
your forearms touch your biceps. Breathe in.
2. Go back to the starting position by using the triceps to raise the dumbbell. Breathe out.
3. Repeat.
Biceps
Bicep curl
1. Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand. Keep your elbows close to body, and
palms facing forward. This will be your starting position.
2. Exhale and curl the weights while contracting biceps. Continue to raise the weights until
your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Hold the
contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
3. Then, inhale and slowly begin to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions
Hammer curl
1. Stand up with your back straight and a dumbbell in each hand. The elbows should be
close to body, palms facing toward body. This will be your starting position.
2. Curl the right weight forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Continue
the movement until your biceps is fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder
level.
3. Bring dumbbells back to starting position while breathing in.
4. Repeat the movement with the left hand.
5. Repeat.
Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays
Core
Plank: 1 minute.
1. Support yourself on forearms and toes.
2. Keep your elbows directly below your shoulders.
3. Squeeze your abdominals and your butt to keep a straight back
4. Hold for 1 minute.
Crunches: 1 minute.
1. Lie on your back on the floor.
2. Bend your knees with feet flat on the ground.
3. Cross your arms in front of your chest, or behind your neck or head.
4. Lift shoulders towards the ceiling using your abdominal muscles.
5. Inhale and return to start.
V ups: 1 minute.
1. Lie down on a flat surface. Start with your legs straight.
2. Using abdominal muscles, pull yourself up to touch your toes.
3. Let your torso and legs back down slowly.
Flexibility:
Upper body:
Anterior Shoulder Stretch: Place one arm across the front of your body.
With the other hand, hold your elbow. Pull your arm across your body
without twisting your torso. Hold, then switch sides.
Triceps Stretch: Reach your hand behind your head, hold your elbow and
gently pull. Hold, then switch sides.
Biceps Stretch: Hands behind your back with your palms together,
straighten arms. Raise your arms up and hold until you feel a stretch in your
biceps.
Levator Scapula Stretch: Sitting with one arm behind back, use other hand to
reach across to the base of the head and gently pull the cervical region in
between lateral flexion and flexion. The head should move such that the nose
moves towards the opposite pocket.
Lateral Flexion Stretch: while sitting, put one hand behind back, and other
across on other side of the head. Gently lateral flex and slightly extend the
head.
Lower body:
Quadriceps Stretch: lay prone on floor, reach back and grab your ankle
and flex knee, bringing heel to buttocks. Hold. Repeat.
Gluteus Medius Stretch: sit on ground with both legs extended in front
of you. Flex left knee and cross over right knee. Cross both arms over left
knee to hold the stretch. Hold. Repeat.
Lying Hamstring Stretch: Lie on your back. Raise your left leg as high
as you can keeping your pelvis flat on the ground. Hold your lower thigh
and move toward your head. Flex your foot to stretch your calf too.
Core:
Abdominal Complex Stretch: start by laying on floor in prone position
with hands on floor by chest. Keeping lower extremities and pelvis on
floor, push your core up with your hands and arms. Hold.
Prayer: Start on all fours. Exhale as you sit back
on your heels, lower your head, and then stretch
arms out.
Future of Client
Continue with exercise for about a month. To avoid boredom, I want Daniel to meet with
me after her first month to evaluate her progress and create a new program if she would like to
switch it up. I would like to see her increase her cardio to 2 miles for 3 days a week. Daniel
could also switch her cardio from running to swimming since she is a lifeguard. I would also like
to see her try new core training exercise such as: bicycles, weighted Russian twist, reverse
crunches, and toe touches. I would like to see her increase her weights in strength training by
about 10 pounds, if not more as she improves as well. Since she does have low back pain, I
would like to see improvements in her back strength. I would like to see a decrease in back pain
in the future for Daniel as well.