Working With Me

I do what is referred to as “in home” personal training.  That means that I go to the client, rather than having the client come meet me at a studio or gym.  Most are in Seattle, but I also have a number who are outside the city, for example in Shoreline or on the eastside in Kirkland and Bellevue.  I have worked with people in a wide range of locations and situations.  Some live in large apartment or condo complexes that have a gym within it, so I work with them there using the equipment available in the gym.  Others have a private gym or workout area they have created in their home, maybe in the garage or a spare room.

However, most clients I just meet in their homes.  It is possible to create a very thorough strength training program that can fit in one’s living room, even a small one!  For these clients I often suggest some simple equipment, such as a yoga mat, a set of dumbbells, and perhaps a stability ball.

Another popular meeting place is a park, especially when the weather is nice!  This is a good choice for parents of young children who may find it difficult to find time away from the kids to work out.  If they take the kids to the park, they can then exercise while the children play.  Depending on what is available at the park, I often even incorporate playground equipment into the program. . . It works great for many upper body exercises!

The bottom line is that I strive to help people find a way to fit exercise into their lives in an enjoyable and realistic manner.  Our modern life is so busy and crammed with activity that many people feel they are too busy juggling career and/or family to find time to go to a gym.  Many are pleasantly surprised by how little equipment (even none in some cases) it takes to create a complete workout.  I truly enjoy helping my clients achieve their fitness goals in a way that fits in with the rest of their life no matter how busy or chaotic it may be.

I work with a wide range of clients, all ages and fitness levels.  I see people who have never truly been active during their lives and want to get started for the first time, people who want to come back after a long layoff due to injury or life circumstances, or active athletes who want new ideas for their workouts.  If you are interested in working with me, please visit my contact page.

My Credentials

I am certified to be a personal trainer by the American College of Sports Medicine.  I also have a double B.S. in Biochemistry and Physics from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in Physics from Stanford University.  You can learn more about my  athletic and educational background on my about page.  

If you would like further verification of my credentials, you can visit Kathy Pullen Personal Training on Thumbtack.com.   Thumbtack is a company that connects independent professionals offering services with clients. Here you can find information such as reviews of my work and a background check.  

My Basic Training Philosophy

A good workout plan will incorporate training for strength, endurance, and flexibility. When I work with my clients, I develop an individualized plan for each of these areas of fitness. Below I give a brief description of my training philosophy.

Endurance Training

Endurance training is important to enable you to maintain an active state for long periods of time, whether that means running a marathon or just keeping your energy up during a long work day. In particular it will strengthen your heart and lungs, which also is important for preventing many chronic diseases as you age. Endurance training also burns up a lot of calories, so it is useful for losing or maintaining weight. When developing a workout plan, I will help you determine what activities are best, how frequently, and how intensely you should do them to meet your particular fitness goals. It is important to not do exactly the same thing every day. Your body adapts quickly, and you will get better results by varying the duration, intensity, and even the type of endurance training you do.

Strength Training

Strength training will enable you to perform effectively during shorter but more intense time periods. If you are an athlete that may mean being able to jump higher or lift more weight. In everyday life it is important for being able to effectively carry out activities of daily living like lifting a big bag of groceries without straining your back. Strength training, especially of the core muscles, will also help you have good balance, which is important as you age. It can also help prevent injuries, because strengthening the muscles around a joint will help stabilize it. In fact, often if you have chronic problems in a joint such as your shoulder or knee, what you need to do to resolve the problem is to correct some muscle imbalances. Finally it can help with weight loss because muscles burn energy even at rest, so building them up will increase your metabolism. Whenever possible, I prefer to use exercises for strength training that use your own body rather than machines. Such exercises require you to use your balance which will strengthen your core muscles in a functional manner and also burn more calories because your whole body is working. Also using minimal equipment means you can often do the workout anywhere, including at home, which is important for clients who do not enjoy going to gyms or just don’t have the time. For example, rather than using a leg press for your legs, I would use squats or lunges. There are many variations on these basic exercises, using free weights or adding jumps or different upper body positions to keep it interesting and to keep your body guessing!

Flexibility Training

Flexibility training is often neglected. People often think it is just for dancers and yoga fanatics, but stretching doesn’t have to mean extreme flexibility. It can just be a matter of releasing a muscle in your body that is tight. Many chronic injuries can be relieved by stretching. In fact often a combination of strength training and stretching can have dramatic results. For example a common cause of knee pain is tight quads and weak hamstrings, which can be alleviated by properly stretching your quads and strengthening your hamstrings. Or shoulder pain is often caused by tight muscles on the front side, such as your chest and anterior deltoids, and weak muscles on the back side, such as the posterior deltoids and lats. For each of my clients I asses what stretches would be appropriate for a particular activity and flexibility level. I also pay particular attention to any joints he or she is having pain in. Even if you are not having pain now, you may later in life if you do not start a program of stretching while you are more mobile. For example it is common for shoulder and back pain to appear as one ages, often due to postural problems that are exacerbated by muscle imbalances.

What to Expect in a First Session

Usually a session lasts about an hour, but the first session is longer because we will do some talking first. I will ask some basic questions about your health history, what your activity has been like recently and in the past, and talk with you in more detail about what your goals are. Then we will do an hour training session. In that first session I will assess where your particular strengths and weaknesses are. I will be looking for any alignment problems (especially knees, back and shoulders tend to cause people problems) so that we can keep things safe as you begin a workout program. . . If you haven't been training regularly for a long period of time it is easy to get injured so I want to prevent any potential injury before it happens. Throughout all this session, both the talking and the working out, I will be trying to get a feel for what kinds of activities you like to do. . . Everyone is different and it is important that you enjoy the sessions, because you will be much more likely to stick with it and reach your goals if you are feeling good about it! After this first session we will form a long term plan to help you to your goals, whether it be for weight loss, increasing your strength and endurance, or enhancing athletic performance. I want it to lead you not only to your immediate goals, but to a lifelong enjoyment of exercise and feeling good!