Meet Maxinne Cochrane

Introducing our second personal trainer, Maxinne Cochrane.

Maxinne owns a gym called The Shift Sweat Studio, located in the heart of Townsville, QLD. The studio is a women’s only gym offering coaching and nutrition services. Clients are offered education and custom meal plans are designed to help educate in regards to making healthier choices. We asked Maxinne about her career as a personal trainer and this is what she had to say:

What inspired you to become a personal trainer, and how long have you been in the profession?

Health and fitness has always been apart of my lifestyle, my parents are incredibly fit. When I had finished school I went down the corporate route and that just wasn’t serving the soul so I actually went on to study nutrition, my first love. I loved the idea of being completely wholistic so I moved in to training to compliment it.  Training full time fell in to place after that as my friend at the time offered me the roll of head trainer at her HIIT Camps here in Townsville back then. Ive been doing this now almost 8 years.

What motivates you to maintain your own fitness routine, and how do you stay committed to your goals?

This is going to sound so cliché but I don’t have to stay “motivated” to train. Its my passion, it keeps me sane, it is part of my lifestyle. It’s the feeling I get about myself when I train or finish a session that does it for me; I feel so empowered, strong and capable. Anything that makes women feel like that is worth pursuing. Extrinsically, I train for my son. I want him to see strong, healthy, fit women around him. I want him to see what discipline, health, resilience etc look like. We are our children’s greatest teacher so I try to model healthy behaviours to him daily. 

What advice do you have for clients who may be struggling with motivation or feeling discouraged, and how do you help them adjust their mindset and stay on track?

Oohh this is one is a little harder to answer as motivation is so personal and when im working with a client I try to tap in to their own unique characteristics. Generally, its all about what is the core of someones desire to change. What is there “why”? Why are they trying to achieve “x” and then we want to attach a strong emotion to that. I try to get clients to move away from extrinsic (external) motivators such as looking hot for “x” event or person as external validation / goals are fleeting, once the event is done or you have moved on from your ex, you wont care about the process and that creates yo-yo dieting etc. What we want to do is find intrinsic (internal) motivation. I also get clients to move away from aesthetic goals and move in to training based goals such as hitting “x” amount of pull ups, lifting “x” amount of weight. This helps them to fall in love with the process and not just the destination. This is what creates the sustainability, they fall in love with the daily grind, the feeling, not just feeling happy when the scale moves 100g.  

What is your approach to self-care and stress management, and how do you prioritise these practices in your own life? 

Self care is a little harder these days as I try to juggle new mum life and running a business so it's all about the small moments for me. Gym for me is self care, for real haha. Gym keeps me sane. I'm a better mother, partner and business person when I get my sweat sessions in. Secondary to that, daily walks outside are a form of meditation to me, I'll normally listen to a podcast or meditation while I walk, plus getting in the sun is great for the soul and mental health. I also ground myself daily outside on the sand or grass. I've also been doing shower mediations lately which is absolutely incredible, 5 mins and you feel like a new person haha. Stress management for me comes down to being organised so I love having diaries and planners out. 

What are some of the psychological benefits of regular exercise, and how have you seen these benefits manifest in your clients? 

I could talk about this all day but ill keep it short haha. Better focus, better mood, improved hormone function, improved cognitive ability, increase in self confidence / resilience which translates in to all facets of life. Gym is therapy. When my clients leave the studio or when my online clients leave the gym, the believe in themselves. They feel empowered, they feel strong, they feel capable. When you start your day like that, there is nothing you cannot achieve. When you leave the gym, you know you can do hard things. 

What do you think the benefits are of having a workout buddy? 

Ah, having a buddy is so helpful. Not only do they help with accountability but there is strength in numbers. If youre feeling anxious about joining a class or a gym, grab a friend.

Do you have any advice for individuals who are just starting a fitness journey? 

Just start. Sign up with a trainer or grab a buddy and join a studio and just begin. We all start somewhere, the more you show up, the easier it gets. Having someone to show you the ropes is always helpful so if you aren’t at a bootcamp type setting I would suggest getting a PT to show you how to correctly use machines and go over form for the fundamentals so you're less likely to feel like a fish out of water. Also, if you have gym anxiety I have 2 tips. If you can, go when it's least busy like early morning or middle of the day and 2. If it's busy, pick a corner, grab some DBS and just stay in one spot. You can do whole sessions with minimal equipment.

How do you customise workouts to meet the specific needs and goals of your clients? 

Online clients will have training set for specific goals whether that be strength, fitness or aesthetics (hello glutes). In studio we customise sessions for three reasons; injury, pregnancy/ postpartum and ability. If you're injured we will tweak movements to avoid utilising injured body parts. If you're pregnant we will make modifications at each trimester and for conditions like SPD and postpartum we offer regressions. And lastly, the studio has women of all ages and abilities so we offer progressions and regressions to suit everyone's needs.

What is your approach to nutrition, and how do you educate clients on healthy eating habits? 

Again, probably cliché but I follow an 80/20 rule with my clients. I try to teach women how to “have their cake and eat it too”. If you eat ish all the time, you're going to feel like ish. If you want the most out of your training, recovery and physique, you have to support that. In saying that though, life is to be enjoyed so I teach my girls how to indulge with moderation. My clients eat chocolate etc daily, no bro diets here. 

Can you share an example of a success story from a client you have worked with, and how their life changed as a result of working with a personal trainer?

Ohhh nooo this Is so hard. I have soooo many, picking is like choosing a favourite child haha.  Take a squiz at my IG profile or stories as I share them here often. @shiftsweatstudio.