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Interview With Charles Inniss
Personal Training Secrets To Lose Belly Fat and get a Flat Stomach
Q. Can you give us some background about yourself?
A. My name is Charles Inniss, and I'm a Physical Therapist and Personal Trainer originally from New Orleans, Louisiana. I've been an athlete most of my life. I played basketball and ran track in high school, and competed with the track team in college at Boston University.
Q. What got you started in fitness?
A. I was teaching gross anatomy labs at Boston University while I was in graduate school, and one of my students worked at a nearby gym. She knew I loved sports and thought that I would be a good personal trainer because of my knowledge and educational background. So, she introduced me to her boss and I started working part time at the gym.
When I graduated from Physical Therapy school, I spent about a year and a half working both as a physical therapist and a personal trainer. But for the past 6 years, nearly all of my time has been focused on fitness.
Q. What is it about fitness that you love so much?
A. I love fitness because it's proactive and preventative. So many physical problems and illnesses can be prevented by proper diet and exercise. As a health professional, my mission is to educate and inspire people to be more wellness oriented so there is less need for rehab.
Q. What adversities have you had to overcome?
A. I played competitive organized sports for 12 years, and I suffered at least one injury every year. Since I ran track and played basketball nearly all of my injuries were leg injuries, and so I would dedicate myself to strengthening my body as best I could.
I actually chose physical therapy as a profession because a physical therapist helped me to recover from a major hip injury and finish my senior year as the captain of my high school track team.
Q. What are your favorite and least favorite exercises?
A. My favorite ab exercises are decline reverse crunches, moving side planks, and bicycle crunches.
My least favorite ab exercises are the ones on any cheap gimmicky infomercial machine.
Q. What are your tips for the beginner, intermediate and advanced?
A. My tips for beginners who want to improve their midsection is don't slave away for hours doing ab exercises since you cannot spot reduce. Work your core 2-3 times a week for 5-10 minutes, and focus on weight training and nutrition to lose fat and burn calories.
For someone who is intermediate, my advice is to get off the floor and use some other core tools like the stability ball or a decline board. Also, make sure you stretch your hips and lower back so you get the most out of your exercises and are not limited by a stiff spine.
And for the advanced person, I recommend adding resistance to your ab exercises to break those strength plateaus. If you can do 25 reps of an ab exercise and it still feels easy, you need to up the intensity by using dumbbells, plates, medicine balls, or leg weights.
Q. Where do you stand on the use of steroids and supplements?
A. I have competed as a natural bodybuilder, and I believe the best way to train is to train naturally. Not only are drugs illegal, but they can also be toxic and harmful to the body. As a health professional, my main concern for people is health not vanity.
In regards to supplements, I know from experience that many supplements help performance and recovery, but working out consistently and efficiently is the most important aspect of training. If you're taking supplements and slacking off in the gym, you're not investing your money wisely.
Q. What are your future goals?
A.In a few years, I plan on returning to the sport of natural bodybuilding. But, for now I am focused on helping as many people as I can to get in shape and live a healthier life. I love writing, and I love public speaking. My goal is to write 10-25 books in the next 5 years, and lecture to audiences about health and fitness all over the world.
I want to be known as an awesome trainer, a great motivator, and a cool guy.
Q. What is the toughest part about fitness for you?
A. For me the toughest part of working in the fitness industry is witnessing people failing to reach their goals. I've met some great people through the years, and I wish I could just snap my fingers and get them the results they desire. I always do my best but sometimes that's not enough, but I will never give up trying to motivate others to reach a personal best.
Q. What is the toughest part about fitness for you?
A. For me the toughest part of working in the fitness industry is witnessing people failing to reach their goals. I've met some great people through the years, and I wish I could just snap my fingers and get them the results they desire. I always do my best but sometimes that's not enough, but I will never give up trying to motivate others to reach a personal best.
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