The Lab Trainer Revealed – Rishi – Part 2
In this week’s Lab Trainer Revealed Rishi Part 2 with Rishi Haria we delve into the star trainer’s thoughts on popular dieting, fitness and lifestyle methods.
We also get a look into his views on fitness transformations, the role mobility plays in his traditional strength and body building type training, as well as what his “cheat day” looks like!
Keep reading for more or click here for Part 1.
Dieting & Lifestyle
1. What do you think of the Keto diet?
It has been proven to be effective to lose fat, but you need to cut out carbs completely which can affect your energy, gym performance and just general food enjoyment. Carbohydrates can help you improve your strength and endurance.
I don’t think its necessary to cut carbs to the extent that the keto diet asks but it can be used as a tool to achieve a certain result as with any type of diet or eating lifestyle.
2. What do you think of the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle that many athletes seem to be picking up on these days?
From a morality standpoint I see where they’re coming from. Animals should be treated better than they are before being consumed for food & there are environmental issues too.
From a health perspective I believe there are definitely benefits from consuming animal proteins regardless of what some extremist vegans try to make you believe. There’s always contradicting information out there so people should be open minded & research something thoroughly before coming to a conclusion. I’m quite a skeptical person naturally so I’ll never follow a lifestyle because it’s trendy. I’ll make my own decision based on personal experience and information provided by experts that I consider to be leaders in the field.
3. What is your opinion on supplements — protein shakes?
I’m a fan of protein powders as they are convenient & great for me because they help me reach my protein dietary targets. I don’t like getting all my protein from chicken breasts and meats because it gets quite boring. I’ve never tried any of the plant-based protein powders. I have always use casein or whey protein and I’ve never had any issues with them. I actually like the taste of protein powders so I mix them in my oatmeal in the morning, for example.
Ultimately, I think supplements can be useful but not essential. If you get the basics of your training diet right, they are not 100% necessary.
Fitness Transformations @ The Lab
4. How long do fitness “transformations” take?
I think it depends on how dramatic the transformation they are looking for is & also how sustainable their progress will be. Anyone can lose a great deal of weight in a short space of time if they crash diet and increase their calorie deficit by exercising more. But sustaining extreme dieting or exercising phases can often lead to a rebound effect because it can take it’s toll on you psychologically & physically too.
If you throw a more specific goal into the equation such as building a significant amount of muscle and losing fat then the transformation process will take longer with more planning. Not everybody is suited to ‘The Biggest Loser’ type approach. I’m not a fan of extreme dieting. I like to get improve their metabolism while eating efficiently for their goal without feeling starved.
Losing weight is easy but improving your body composition requires structured periodization.
5. Have you ever had any challenging or difficult clients?
I think there are two types of people; those who are willing to work hard when it gets tough and those who easily give up.
The first, when the set gets hard they’ll try their best to finish it even if they fail. The second, as soon as it gets hard they just wimp out a bit and they want to stop. A lot of it comes from an attitude towards hard work. A strong mental mindset is a big thing to making lot of progress in training.
Keeping up with Rishi
6. How do you keep up with your fitness in your free time?
I like traditional strength and body building type training. I don’t like to be overly creative with it because I find the most conventional exercises to be the most effective. For example exercises such as the squat, deadlift, bench press, & overhead press are excellent exercises that generally don’t need tampering with.
7. So you do mostly PT classes or group classes?
When I first started at the Lab, I was doing a few group classes but then I transitioned to purely PT which I’m more passionate about. I prefer the one-on-one experience & want to help each of my clients on each step of the way to reaching their goals.
My goal isn’t to just pick the most fun exercise, it’s to pick the best movements and diet to get them results. When you get results you get motivated. I track everything as well as taking progress pictures to show them how far far they have come. Their strength increases, they shed fat, & gain lean muscle. There’s enjoyment & satisfaction when you make significant progress.
Flexibility & Mobility
8. How big does flexibility and mobility play in your training methods?
It plays a huge part to whether a client is able to execute exercises and do the movement correctly. If they are able to do an exercise properly, its easy to progress them. If they need a bit more work with mobility and flexibility we just have to take things a bit slower & work on improving form before increasing the workload too soon.
Let’s Talk Misconceptions
9. What do you think is the biggest misconception about fitness?
I think people always look for a special diet or a special training program and they keep following something they read in a magazine. It’s really quite simple and straight forward, they need to be consistent and listen to credible sources of information.
There are no short cuts. I understand it can be confusing with all the contradicting information out there but at The Lab we have some very capable trainers. I like to think that all my clients can wholeheartedly trust the information I provide them. I’m always trying to learn more & to improve my own progress as well as that of my clients.
How about a Cheat Day!?
10. Give us an idea of your cheat day?
I’m a fat person at heart. I would just eat all day. I’m constantly torn between gluttony and vanity. That’s why I enjoy ‘bulking’ (eating more to gain muscle but with some fat gain as a side product) for parts of the year and then ‘cutting’ (eating less to drop body fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible). Over time my physique does improve going through these 2 different phases.
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Hope you enjoyed the latest instalment of The Lab Trainer Revealed – Rishi – Part 2!!
Next week, we with sit down with another one of our fabulous coaches to give you a glimpse into the minds that play an essential role in our Lab Family.
Keep watching this space – The LAB Trainer Revealed!
– The Lab Team
