Fitness Coach Q&A
with Kyle Krancher, GMAT Ninja Fitness Expert
Kyle ran collegiate Track & Field, winning 2 state titles back to back while earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Since then, Kyle has been Head Coach and Senior Manager of 2 successful gyms, competed at the national level in Olympic Weightlifting, started several exercise programs to empower underserved youth, and established his own remote coaching business. Learn more about Kyle here!
Wait a minute… the GMAT and GRE are not tests of physical strength. So how can physical fitness impact a student’s performance on these tests?
Studying for the GMAT or GRE is a stressful, sedentary task and many students feel increasing anxiety and anticipation as their test day approaches. Physical fitness is a perfect outlet for productively working off any pent up energy, allowing you to feel calm and in control when you get into the test room! In addition, countless studies have shown the cognitive benefits of regular exercise, so getting some movement into your day is a great idea for GMAT or GRE students.
Check out this article for more on how exercise can boost your GMAT or GRE score.
Have any of your clients had mental goals along with physical goals? What are their stories?
I’d say pretty much every client of mine has mental goals that go hand-in-hand with their physical goals. Mind and body are really two halves of the same whole -- working toward your physical goals will help you achieve your mental goals.
A common mental roadblock is that people just don't have a healthy relationship with exercise. They fear going to the gym because they’re uncomfortable with the movements or equipment, have horror stories from PE classes past, or spend hours punishing themselves through exercise because they “cheated” on their diet over the weekend. These are just not healthy frameworks when it comes to physical activity. A goal that I set with all my clients is this: treat exercise as a celebration of what the body can do, not as a punishment for what you ate.
What types of exercise would you recommend for optimizing mental clarity and performance?
Exercise of any sort will always trump none, but not all movements are created equal. I’m always a fan of efficiency (which I’m sure you can appreciate when a lot of your time is spent studying) so anything I can do with little to no equipment and space is always my go-to! For boosting mental clarity and performance, I like to fall back on the good old-fashioned burpee. It only has three parts to it:
lay down on your stomach
stand up
jump!
How you get in-between those points doesn’t really matter -- just going from vertical to horizontal rapidly gets the whole body working and the blood flowing quickly! If you’ve ever done burpees before, you’re probably well aware of this :). It’s a tough exercise, but after you’re done you get to ride the endorphin high for the rest of your day.
Many GMAT and gre students are incredibly busy people. What if it seems like there just isn’t enough time in the day to exercise?
I firmly believe that if you try to find time in the day to do something, it’ll never happen. You’re going to have to make time for exercise. Like I’ve already said, some exercise is always better than none -- and I think we can all find 20 minutes to get something in!
In general, the best time to workout is whenever you can, but I personally advise waking up a little earlier to get your movement in so that you jolt the body and mind awake for a productive 24 hrs. If you’re not able to do that, any other time will do just fine. Keep it simple with this easy rule: whatever you do for your workout, keep it short, hard, and fast. Set your clock for 20 minutes and give it your full effort! It will beat an hour of half-hearted effort eight days of the week.
What if I don’t have a lot of space or exercise equipment?
Since I’ve already talked about the burpee, let’s talk about some more low-to-no equipment and space-conscious exercises. Calisthenics (or body weight only movements) are going to be your best friend. We’re talking push ups, pull ups, sit ups, lunges, squats, and dips! No equipment needed and these are easily made more difficult or accessible by adjusting the range of motion, volume, or even the combination of exercises done in a session. There are countless variations of these exercises, and you can quickly search for online videos to find inspiration for your routine.
Check out this video for a 12-minute routine that you can complete without any equipment.
What are some signs that a person could really benefit from working with a personal trainer?
If you feel you don’t know what you’re doing, have been inconsistent in the past, or overall are unhappy with the feel of your body, you could benefit from working with a personal trainer. Just like you go to a mechanic to fix your car or to GMAT Ninja to improve your test score, you’re paying a personal trainer for the knowledge, experience, and support to change your body which in turn improves your life.
What can a client expect from you as a trainer? And what do you expect from them?
A client can expect compassion, honesty, accountability, attentiveness, and a wealth of knowledge from me as a trainer. Being a collegiate track and field athlete, a national level olympic weightlifter, and having 7 years coaching under my belt, my approach is informed by not only my personal experience as an athlete but by countless successful client stories.
What I expect from my clients is simple: effort and honesty. If they can give a solid effort and honestly communicate their struggles, fears, and general feedback about how the process is going, we can work collaboratively to pave a path from where there are currently to where they want to go.
What usually happens during your first meeting with a client?
When I meet with a client for the first time, my main focus is getting to know them. What do they do for work, what’s their athletic background, what’s been their struggle with exercise in the past, what’re their goals, what do they expect from me, etc. Once we’ve had a chance to chat and learn about one another, I like to outline the pathway of getting started, expectations, and finish by showing them the software we’ll use for most of our day-to-day communication.
How does remote training work?
As I’ve said before, I’m all about efficiency -- so I’ve made remote training as easy as one, two, three! Step one is our initial consult. We get to know each other and set goals while identifying any potential barriers to those goals. Second step is to download the TrueCoach app. This is where you’ll receive all of your workouts, be able to provide feedback (and even video!) on how the workouts are going, and ask questions on anything you might be unclear about. Lastly, you’ll complete your workouts using the app and I’m notified right on my phone. I then go in and monitor how things are going and make adjustments as needed!
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TEST ANXIETY ON EXAMS LIKE THE GMAT, GRE, EA, AND LSAT?
Take our 10-minute Test Anxiety & Performance Quiz to help you understand the factors that contribute to test anxiety
Learn more about our mental skills coach and our mindfulness coach