rtperez72 Some of My Previous “Trainers”
Since going to a gym to exercise was not an option during this pandemic, I turned to YouTube. I have enjoyed workout videos by Sydney Cummings, Heather Robertson, Joanna Soh, HASFit, POP Sugar Fitness, Nobadaddiction, and Chloe Ting. In the past, I utilized various programs. I tried the Core Rhythms workout program with Jaana Kunitz & Julia Powers. Core Rhythms was a Latin Ballroom Dance exercise program that included using techniques from Salsa, Merengue, & Samba. These exercises were designed to strengthen your core, and abdominals, while sculpting legs, arms, buttocks, and thighs. While this was a fun workout, it didn’t do much for me except help me to sweat and dance.
Another program that I enjoyed was Tae Bo with Billy Blanks. Tae Bo is a very stimulating cardio kickboxing exercise program. Billy Blanks seems to have a good sense of humor but is also very humble and motivating. He talks throughout the workouts and is consistently trying to pump up everyone working out with him. He had his step-daughter, Shelly, as his assistant in most of the videos. I had the VHS tapes a while ago and still have a variety of Tae Bo DVDs. However, this type of workout didn’t help me to meet my strength & weight loss goals.
**Image from Sydney Cumming’s YouTube Channel**
Why Do a YouTube Personal Trainer Spotlight?
There are several YouTube personal trainers that I have “worked out” with online during the past year. When I say “worked out with,” I mean that I have done their exercise videos (to eliminate any confusion that I may have worked out with them). I felt it was a good idea to do spotlight blog posts was to share some of this personally helpful information with others. There are SO many personal trainers on YouTube now that it can be somewhat daunting while searching for one type of workout or another.
And there are many trainers that I may have used one or two of their videos but chose to move on to someone else based on one reason or another. Since I had not yet purchased a smartwatch (to keep track of calories burned), I chose to do videos of YouTube trainers that provided the number of calories they had burned during the workout. I realized that I was not going to be burning the same amount of calories as the trainers but it gave me a baseline.
I also preferred YouTube trainers that would stay in the moment and would talk through the exercise. For me, that seemed to be more “real” like I was actually working out with them and not just jumping around my living room by myself (LOL). I enjoy humor. So anyone that seemed like they had a good personality and joked around a bit during the exercise videos kept my attention longer. If someone was too or just business-like videotaped themselves doing the workout without any interaction with the camera, I pretty much lost interest.
Who is Sydney Cummings?
Sydney is the owner/founder of Royal Change Fitness and is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist. Sydney has always been an athlete and was a star high jumper while in high school in West Virginia. She attended college at West Virginia University on a full academic and athletic scholarship. Her goal, at the time, was to become a nurse and enrolled in nursing school. Then the job at the non-profit organization where she worked was eliminated.
When this happened, she didn’t know which way to turn. Ultimately she decided to follow Dustin Houdyshell’s advice (her now-husband) to move to Charlotte, North Carolina, to work at a gym as a personal trainer. The decision helped her to find her calling and to continue with fitness and personal training.
How Her Challenges Shaped Her Future
Sydney has dealt with some tragedies in her life, one being the loss of her younger brother Zac. He passed away in June of 2017 from a brain injury that resulted from an ATV accident. After her brother’s passing, Sydney & Dustin decided to launch the YouTube channel. Dustin devoted all of his time to help her to market herself on social media and build their company.
Then in September of 2018, she and her fiance, Dustin, were leaving their Charlotte studio after recording a fitness video. They were approached by four youth in hoodies when two boys drew their guns and fired 8 shots. One bullet grazed her shoe and the other one shattered her right heel bone. She had to take several months to heal and take a break from providing daily workout videos on YouTube.
The recovery process for both of these incidents was difficult for her (them) however, it only seemed to make her resolve to be a great personal trainer more pronounced. Dustin does all of the videos and takes all of her pictures. They have truly become a fierce and effective team in the fitness industry.
Sydney’s Company & Passion
Sydney Cummings and Dustin Houdyshell have created a massive community (The Sydney Squad) that provides online group coaching and accountability. This Sydney Squad membership includes: being part of an online community, having a daily workout schedule, a private Q&A with Sydney, daily challenges, Sydney’s secrets & tips, exclusive discounts, body assessments, nutrition & recipes, and access to guest speakers. You can join the Sydney Squad for $29.99 per month (although there may be a discount for the first month) or $174.99 per year (which is 1/2 off!).
I have not joined the Sydney Squad and cannot share my personal experiences about it. Since her community has grown tremendously since its’ inception, one can deduce that she is doing a great job connecting with her fans/clients. (Disclaimer: I am also not affiliated in any way with Sydney Cummings or The Sydney Squad. I am merely presenting the information here in this blog post so that my readers may check it out for themselves).
Sydney has provided daily workout videos on her YouTube channel and lets everyone know that she uploads “every day at 5 am.” That is some serious dedication to herself, her fans, her community, and to helping as many people as she can. She mentioned in one of her videos that she was “not doing this to gain notoriety but to have as many people (“sweaty bodies”) working out with her as possible.” Sydney truly has a passion for fitness and helping others. Her mantra is that she wants to “change lives.”
Some Reasons I do Sydney Cummings’ Workouts
As I mentioned earlier, I started working out with various personal trainers on YouTube last September (2020). There were a few trainers that I quickly moved on from but Sydney Cummings stood out for me as someone that I wanted to continue following. Her energy, humor, humility, dedication, and passion are truly inspiring. Whenever I do one of Sydney’s workouts, I know she will push me to my limits. I have stuck with videos that provide a “calories burned” amount for personal reasons. She offers all types of exercise videos for HIIT training, upper body, lower body, stretching, total body strength, boot camp, and videos of various lengths (30, 40, 50, & 60-minute workouts).
Sydney is great at explaining each exercise and provides modifications if anyone doing her video cannot keep up with her movements. She also explains those movements (for example: which muscles they are working on and if the focus was strength/balance). I like the fact that she answers viewers’ questions as well. There is one video where she answered a viewer’s question about proper stance when doing squats. Sydney informed her viewers that everyone has their hip bones angled differently into their pelvis. She mentioned that it was more beneficial for her viewers to do what is comfortable for them.
Great Workouts & Great Style
I like the way Sydney talks throughout her exercise videos. She is a very motivating person by giving praise & positive feedback. Sydney tells her viewers that they are doing a “great job” and to “keep going & not give up.” She explains when a movement is challenging for her and offers viewers to take no longer than a 4-second break before getting back to the workout. Honestly, sometimes I don’t know how she can continue to talk throughout the exercises because sometimes I am so out of breath myself. I can’t imagine trying to motivate others to keep going while I’m exercising.
She also tells viewers to let out a “whoop” to get more energy to continue during a workout. Somehow she finds a way to motivate herself and others every day. And she always asks her viewers to leave a comment after the video that they “Crushed It” meaning that they gave 100% effort during the workout.
Sydney tries to shake things up by doing videos in different locations (instead of just her “stage”). There is one video where she did her workout on the shore of Lake Norman. Throughout this video, she mentioned how challenging the workout was on the sand and that it was pretty hot while she was recording. She somehow made it through that particular workout even with her microphone and camera shutting off due to the heat.
Her Professionalism
She shows up to each video dressed appropriately for her workout. There is always a smile on her face and a spring in her step. Sydney shows her viewers that she challenges herself during each exercise and encourages us to do the same. She explains that sometimes our scales may not show us any progress and that this could mean that we lost 10 pounds of fat and gained 10 pounds of muscle. Sydney mentions how important it was to view progress in different ways. She tells her viewers to pay attention to:
*how our clothing fits
*by taking measurements
*to lift heavier weights or move faster than we were previously able to do.
More Great Things About Sydney Cummings!
Sydney and Dustin have been very passionate about offering their workout videos without any advertisements. It is refreshing to complete a workout without pressing the “skip ad” button on the screen. It does take some of the focus away from exercising and slows you down. It truly makes a difference. Sometimes we are pressed for time or are just trying to make sure that we can fit our workout into our busy days. If we have to watch various advertisements, that adds time to our exercise routine. So I do appreciate that they keep the ads out.
I like the fact that Sydney encourages women to lift heavier weights. She mentioned, in one video, that she felt bad when she noticed women at the gym using only cardio equipment. Sydney made it a point to inform her female viewers that women don’t have the right amount of testosterone (male hormones) to become bulky. She also said that if women wanted to achieve a “bulky” physique, they would have to change their diet and lift weights in an entirely different way.
Sydney has encouraged me to focus on the types of hand weights that I have used and challenged me to lift heavier. I started using 5, 8 and, 10 lb weights. Since I started on this workout journey, I have purchased 12 and 15-pound weights and pushed myself to use them whenever I can.
What Makes Sydney Stand Out From the Other Personal Trainers
For me, what makes Sydney Cummings stand out from other YouTube personal trainers is her personality. She is real during her videos and doesn’t pretend that the movements are easy. Sydney lets her viewers know which exercises challenge her. It helps to know that your trainer keeps pushing herself even when the exercises get more taxing. She encourages her viewers to continue to work hard & finish the workout. Sydney even tells viewers that when she tries to inspire others, she is trying to inspire herself. She has mentioned during her videos that she is trying to motivate other people & change lives. Sydney states that she knows other people are working out with her and that motivates her as well.
She laughs and jokes around during her videos. Sydney tells viewers during a leg workout that “We will laugh together. We’ll sweat together & we will set our legs on fire together.” She jokes about having noodle arms during an arm/upper body workout and even had a video with a “blooper” when she dropped her sweat towel. Also, she sometimes does a little dance after a workout once she has said her goodbyes and thanks to her viewers. All of these things, along with her professionalism and fitness knowledge, make Sydney one of the top YouTube personal trainers.
Overall, Sydney’s workouts are fun, motivating, challenging, and help me push myself to my limits. I plan to continue to work out with Sydney Cummings!!
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