Questions That are Sending Me to the Madhouse!

Off Topic
21

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I find myself getting frustrated a lot, usually when someone asks your opinion, and then just dismisses it once you’ve given it. Although I still try to be as helpful as I can at the gym, especially to the younger crowd, I’ve stopped trying to ‘save’ everyone. It’s just too frustrating, and takes time away from my own training. People don’t want to hear that they’re doing anything incorrectly.

S[/quote]

Your overall level of happiness jumps big time when you stop getting pissed at everything you see done incorrectly in the gym/stop giving unsolicited advice.

Almost all I’ve learned comes from lessons learned the hard way.

22

[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
…I shadowed a dietitian who was quite abrupt sometimes. (This guy’s practice is booming despite his sometimes abrupt approach…

What do you people think?
[/quote]

I think the dietitians practice is booming BECAUSE of his abrupt approach.

23

It’s not a matter of getting pissed per say,… just a bit baffling. Obviously if you seek someone’s opinion, there must be a reason,… either they have some experience in the matter, or schooling, or something. But then to blindly dismiss the advice you actively sought out… that just leaves you back where you were at the beginning.

S

24

[quote]cremaster wrote:

[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
…I shadowed a dietitian who was quite abrupt sometimes. (This guy’s practice is booming despite his sometimes abrupt approach…

What do you people think?
[/quote]

I think the dietitians practice is booming BECAUSE of his abrupt approach. [/quote]

The guy gets results with his patients. Almost everyone of them is foreign born and many of them don’t speak English. He has translating personnel in his office (it’s a chiropractic and dietetics office). Once they go off track with the translator, he says, “Look, tell her/him that’s unrelated to what I have to say here… This is what I’m gonna have them do…”

Notice the authoritative tone in his words. He doesn’t ask; he ORDERS. Nearly all of his practice is done through HMOs and Medicaid because insurance only covers dietetics for obesity, renal disorders, and diabetes and the population there suffers from those conditions a great deal; they don’t give a rat’s ass about “looking good”, nor do they even belong to gyms.

Talk of Dorian Yates, or maybe even Arnold, will have them looking at you like you have three heads. (Stu, you know the area - Main Street between Sanford and Roosevelt Avenues in Flushing.) This guy’s abrupt and he gets results. He gets blood sugar and weight under control in the most UNSOPHISTICATED ways! If a patient fucks up, he just says, “NO GOOD!”

I used to think even the veterans on here, particularly PX, were a little too harsh and impatient in their tone. Now I know why. There really comes a point in which people can no longer disrespect YOUR time and energy, and even THEIR time, energy, and in some cases, MONEY!

Imagine going to a trainer, nutritionist, or dietitian, PAYING for their services, only to just ignore what they advise and instruct.

25

I think we’re all fully aware that people often have more money than sense.

26

Brick, at times you need to be patient with people, usually that is reserved for paying clients :wink: and potential clients.

However, I agree. There are a lot of things I don’t know, or I’ve read about and just didn’t commit to memory because it isn’t important.

the worst is when you have someone paying you and they just totally disregard your information or think you don’t know what you’re talking about.

I don’t know how many times I try to tell people it’s their nutrition that is holding them back, and they shoot back, with

them: I eat healthy
me: what do you eat for breakfast
them: cheerios
me: slams head into wall

27

The best are the people who want to lose belly fat, ask what they can do.
You tell them the whole the logic flaw, and them bam

them: yeah, but what about this insert ab exercise?
me: thinking WTF, did you really just say that

28

A “my way or the highway” attitude and being able to look someone straight in the eyes and tell them that they are not necessary to you but that you are necessary to them is absolutely essential when working with the general public.

29

[quote]A Ninny Mouse wrote:
Your “I don’t know and I don’t care” responses made me laugh for some reason. [/quote]

Good.

I actually have a screen printed shirt that says:

Pick one:
a) I don’t know.
b) I don’t care.

I wear it to the gym regularly!

30

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
A “my way or the highway” attitude and being able to look someone straight in the eyes and tell them that they are not necessary to you but that you are necessary to them is absolutely essential when working with the general public.

[/quote]

I finally realized that after 30 years of living.

31

I’m starting to believe that people don’t want answers they want excuses. They see/know I train and am a trainer and feel somewhat insecure so they’ll ask a question so you’ll think they intend to get in shape and when you give them an answer they can come up with an excuse to not.

32

I like when some woman I know tries to justify potato chips or chocolate as being a good idea for someone trying to lose weight, and they say things like “Well, they’re made out of potatoes right?” or “Chocolate is made out of milk so it’s good too right?”
As though if I was to agree with them it would instantly change the characteristics of these foods.

33

People who pay to disregard or not follow through with the programming/nutrition that they paid me for are the reason I can’t deal with personal training anymore. I just don’t have patience for stupid anymore. The questions about “toning my arms” really burned me.

“How can I get my arms like yours?”
“Why don’t you start with learning how to do a real push-up? That’s a movement that will increase your strength and help with those flabby triceps”
“Push-ups are hard, I like doing those curls though”
“OK, how’s that working out for you?”

1 in 10 see that it is an honest question and are open for discussion, the rest stare blankly like hamsters.

34

This reminds me of an episode of The Haney Progect on the golf channel. He’s trying to fix Ray Ramono. I haven’t watched it all, but in one episode he was trying to explain something to Ray and Ray kept interrupting him with his own version of what is wrong with his swing. This Haney guy pretty much told Ray to STFU.

35

Eh - I’ll tell people what they need to know, if they choose to ignore it it really doesn’t bother me. My advice is simple and to the point - you can take it or leave it.

Thing is people do listen, you’re just not saying what they want to hear. They’re hoping to hear about a magic pill, or to have their own beliefs (which clearly haven’t worked) validated. When they hear terms like “consistent, hard work” “portion control” or “attention to proper exercise and nutrition for the rest of your life” they start to drift away. They won’t put in the work, they know it, so while what you’re saying obviously has merit, they just dismiss it and continue to seek the holy grail of remaining a lazy pig while losing the weight effortlessly…

36

[quote]SkyNett wrote:
Eh - I’ll tell people what they need to know, if they choose to ignore it it really doesn’t bother me. My advice is simple and to the point - you can take it or leave it.

Thing is people do listen, you’re just not saying what they want to hear. They’re hoping to hear about a magic pill, or to have their own beliefs (which clearly haven’t worked) validated. When they hear terms like “consistent, hard work” “portion control” or “attention to proper exercise and nutrition for the rest of your life” they start to drift away. They won’t put in the work, they know it, so while what you’re saying obviously has merit, they just dismiss it and continue to seek the holy grail of remaining a lazy pig while losing the weight effortlessly… [/quote]

Perfect.

37

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I find myself getting frustrated a lot, usually when someone asks your opinion, and then just dismisses it once you’ve given it. Although I still try to be as helpful as I can at the gym, especially to the younger crowd, I’ve stopped trying to ‘save’ everyone. It’s just too frustrating, and takes time away from my own training. People don’t want to hear that they’re doing anything incorrectly.

S[/quote]

Me too. Now I just do my thang and wait for people to come to me rather than offer information. They must FAIL to understand first.

38

[quote]metal.head wrote:

[quote]Bricknyce wrote:

What do you people think?

[/quote]

Brick,

here are 2 things that might help:

i had this genius professor in undergrad who was head of the dept, and when people would ask retarded/nonsensical questions in class he would simply reply, “your question is incorrect” and just keep teaching like they hadn’t said anything.

also, my girlfriend practices internal medicine, and when her patients pull that “google MD” shit with stupid questions, she simply says “irrelevant” and keeps talking.

maybe these will help?
[/quote]

It works. Get to the point with a quick answer, and move on to the next topic so it doesn’t give them any time to say,‘But, google said…’

39

[quote]SkyNett wrote:
Eh - I’ll tell people what they need to know, if they choose to ignore it it really doesn’t bother me. My advice is simple and to the point - you can take it or leave it.

Thing is people do listen, you’re just not saying what they want to hear. They’re hoping to hear about a magic pill, or to have their own beliefs (which clearly haven’t worked) validated. When they hear terms like “consistent, hard work” “portion control” or “attention to proper exercise and nutrition for the rest of your life” they start to drift away. They won’t put in the work, they know it, so while what you’re saying obviously has merit, they just dismiss it and continue to seek the holy grail of remaining a lazy pig while losing the weight effortlessly… [/quote]

X3

Plus I think a lot of people have their own ideas how weight could be lost or muscle grown and want their ideas parroted back to them to get some kind of validation or sanction. Too many times people try to re-invent the wheel and come up with a square, but want to hear from someone “yeah that’s awesome should work”

There’s a lot to be said for “giving the wrong advices” to people. I’ve lost a considerable amount of weight in the last 3 months (with a low carb diet and a 5 day split) and I’ve been telling people that really rub me the wrong way that I pray to god 3x a day to help me lose weight, and nothing else.

40

[quote]dianab wrote:
People who pay to disregard or not follow through with the programming/nutrition that they paid me for are the reason I can’t deal with personal training anymore. I just don’t have patience for stupid anymore. The questions about “toning my arms” really burned me.

“How can I get my arms like yours?”
“Why don’t you start with learning how to do a real push-up? That’s a movement that will increase your strength and help with those flabby triceps”
“Push-ups are hard, I like doing those curls though”
“OK, how’s that working out for you?”

1 in 10 see that it is an honest question and are open for discussion, the rest stare blankly like hamsters.[/quote]

So true. People never seem to believe that hard work (in the gym and kitchen)+consistency= results.

Do people ever get offended when you ask how it’s working for them? I’ve had a couple of people get pretty mad after asking ( I don’t know why).