[quote]bikemike wrote:
The personal trainers at my gym are stick boys. They run around with their clients on the machines and do silly things on giant beach balls. Last night one of the personal trainers (who is not a stick boy) was doing push presses. I commented to him that he’s the first personal trainer that I’ve ever seen doing a real exercise. He responded that he’s not a personal trainer, he’s a strength coach. So there’s hope.[/quote]
Yeah-I’ve seen personal trainers run the gamut. Unfortuantely, most that I’ve seen have been on the poorer end. But I have seen some with significant size themselves putting together appropriate programs (that include squats, deadlifts, bench, dips, pull-ups, and lots fo freeweight work) with a decent weight load and proper rep/set schemes.
Even the better trainers seem to give poor advice when the client is a middle-aged suburban house-wife. There is something to be said for not pushing someone past their abilities too soon, but lots don’t even try to educate clients they assume won’t have the discipline on proper lifting.
The point I am making is simple…judge a trainer based on what they actually know and can apply rather than their size. This takes some interaction and/ or observation before drawing conclusions. Prof. X’s first reply to this thread lamented the fact that there has been a shift in the size of your typical trainer as if the bigger guys actually know more than the smaller guys (not that the smaller guys know more either).
In my experience, which is pretty extensive in the training field, 99% of “trainers” don’t know jack crap about real training. This would have been a better answer than to imply that the bigger guys somehow knew more. Being a 180 lb. trainer I’ve seen it first hand where people will hit up the 250 lb. bodybuilder for advice and take it as gospel rather than listen to me who knows a lot more, both in theory and application. They miss out because they assume the bigger guy knows more.
The biggest of the big are quoted in muscle mags and these are the biggest sources of misinformation out there. Obviously size doesn’t mean anything in their case as far as training advice goes.
Everyone is an individual so just because someone has figured out how to get themselves huge don’t mean they can do the same for someone else. In fact, the genetically gifted are usually the worst to ask. Find the guy who started out at 140 lbs. and fought for every ounce of muscle growth to get up to 190-200 lbs. rather than the guy who was 190-200 lbs. before he even entered a weight room.
Just to reiterate, the only way to judge a trainer is based on interaction, observation and seeing what kind of results they produce. Size should not figure into the equation.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
jsbrook wrote:
JMB wrote:
bikejames wrote:
Anyways, I think I made my point. Training is one of those areas where size doesn’t necessarily matter.
It matters if you’re training for size.
JMB
Yes. But because a smaller trainer chooses to focus on strength over size for themselves, it does not mean they don’t know how to put significant size on someone if that is their goal.
I think you will find this to not be the case in most circumstances. Can it happen? Yes. Is it likely that the guy weighing 160lbs knows what is best for the guy who weighs 240lbs and wants to keep gaining?..not usually.
[/quote]
Yes. Much less likely. And if I went to a personal trainer (though I doubt I would) I would rather have a big guy. But I wouldn’t discount the advice of someone like Eric Cressy (sorry to bring that up again but a good example) who has proven himself knowledgable whatever my size.
My stereotype would be one that is in decent aerobic shape, somewhat muscular (but not big or strong). Their training emphasis would be on aerobics, core exercises, and machine weights. Their diet advice would tend toward adding protein and eating several small meals a day. [/quote]
Yup. Sounds like the majority of those I’ve seen. And MAYBE it’s ok because for many of their clients these protocols will take them as far as they want to go.
[quote]JMB wrote:
jsbrook wrote:
Yes. But because a smaller trainer chooses to focus on strength over size for themselves, it does not mean they don’t know how to put significant size on someone if that is their goal.
You’re right, but I wouldn’t blame a bodybuilder seeking advice for trusting a trainer whose physique exemplifies the bodybuilder’s own goal over a trainer who has to say ‘take my work for it.’
JMB[/quote]
No, of course not. It’s just more rational to our psyche. It’s like Doctor Phil selling diet books. Look at the dude. Maybe he knows what he’s talking about. But it somehow seems less credible that he hasn’t been incorporate it into his own life and get into better shape.
ALL PERSONAL TRAINERS ARE DIFFERENT just like you and me. I train along side some of the most athletic and DOCUMENTED strongest individuals in the US. This is also a private state of the art training facility, not BALLYS where they let anybody work,
Just like mechanics, dentists… there is always good and bad, it also is how much you pay and what speciality you desire or sports specific.
We all know most trainers are a joke and are basically a RENTED FRIEND WHO COUNTS FOR YOU and shows you how to use machines.
HOWEVER even Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods all have trainers to enhance their outcome from exercise.
I squat 670, bn 430 and DL 620 at 198, which is very good but just got SCHOOLED yesterday from a fellow trainer who last weekend squatted 1000# so KNOWLEDGE from superiors will always help you.
I want to train Jessica Simpson, shes HOT, RICH and dates personal trainers- wahooooo
Guys, part of the issue is that when we are talking about “small” trainers in the gym, we aren’t talking guys that are deadlifting their own bodyweight or anything like that.
We are talking small, because they don’t appear to do much of anything.
Sure, there are small guys who have great strength to mass ratios and so on, but come on, the regular dorks at the regular gyms are not small because they are strength focused.
If you go a few times, you’ll eventually see them working out on their own time, and you’ll know exactly how come they are the size they are.
A person who wants to make serious progress probably doesn’t want to take time to see if some person who exercises just to stay lean and small knows more than someone out doing serious work in the gym.
I don’t know. Just a rant… the average run of the mill trainer is a joke.
At my Gold’s we have a company that will hire anyone to fill a trainer spot and send them out to help newbies in the gym. I used to think this sucked for the image of a personal trainer here, but they make us independent trainers look really good after people have trained with them a few times. I’m not the biggest or one of the best looking trainers in my gym, but my reputation speaks for itself. People who want to know more about training come to me for answers, I focus on workout problems and leave nutrition to my friend who’s an actual nutrionist that is trainer and physical therapist and female to boot! I even get the big 250+ bodybuilders asking me questions about training and using ideas and techniques to get bigger. What i’ve found out is because of T-Nation is that knowledge is very important. Sureit helps to look fit but I also find some of the biggest guys in gyms are that way because of roids’ and if you took that away from them, they wouldn’t look as impressive.
Just remember you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, but it helps to read a couple of pages if you can. Most people come up to me in my gym and same i’m one of the smartest trainers they have met in their lives, i’m flattered byt the comments, but I tell them i’m not satisfied with my knowledge and I like to keep learning so i can be an even better trainer.
At least the good thing is most trainers that check out this website can help prevent the negative image idiot trainers in other gyms display. But then again they do keep me entertained when I see them f*** up! Cheers!
The average trainer that I see is eqrly 20s, about 5’10, 170lbs and fairly lean. They have builds more suited to surfing than to lifting.
When I first started at gym, one of the trainers wrote me out a program and handed it to me. I took out a big red pen and crossed everything but bench press and chin-ups off it. I then wrote in deadlifts, push presses, bent-over rows, power cleans, etc and handed it back to him. He looked at it, looked at me and said “Oh, you should have talked to our strength coach. He likes this sort of stuff”.
Every gym should be forced to hire a big, old, pissed off guy who graduated in old school training, and has never heard of a Swissball or core stability.
Every gym should be forced to hire a big, old, pissed off guy who graduated in old school training, and has never heard of a Swissball or core stability.[/quote]
Every gym should be forced to hire a big, old, pissed off guy who graduated in old school training, and has never heard of a Swissball or core stability.
Those swissballs sure are fun to kick though.[/quote]
My boss just bought one to sit on at work instead of a chair. That one would be fun to kick.
I agree with Prof. X. Nowadays a lot of the places you goto, I don’t want to mention names, but Gold’s hires anybody. We have a trainer there who is about 100 pounds wet. He is a fun guy to talk to but I have a hard time taking any kind of training advice from him. Then you have other guys who look like they practice what they preach.
However, yesterday I got a free pass for another gym in town so I tried it out. Being a former wrestler I have a lot of wrestling shirts I wear to the gym. The one trainer walked by, saw my shirt and stopped to talk. Turns out he know some of the guys I wrestled with. So we talked for a while.
Anyway this guy was huge. As we were talking you could tell he was extremely knowledgeable about this stuff. He was asking what I eat, asking if I got enough fat in my diet and what kinds. This guys was by far one of the most knowledgeable trainers I talked to. He enough recognized the Waterbury program I was doing and knew what T-Mag was.
Every gym should be forced to hire a big, old, pissed off guy who graduated in old school training, and has never heard of a Swissball or core stability.[/quote]
This is the funniest thing I’ve read on this board. I’m going to stick a pin in the next Swissball I find in the weightroom.
Every gym should be forced to hire a big, old, pissed off guy who graduated in old school training, and has never heard of a Swissball or core stability.
Those swissballs sure are fun to kick though.[/quote]
There are simply some things that are learned better by experiencing them, regardless of known theory.
[/quote]
I agree 100% with this statement!
One of the things that bothers me the most (even as a personal trainer) are these kids that are getting out of college with Sports, and Recreation diplomas who think they know everything there is to know about weight lifting.
These are the guys that just spent 3 years studying, with no time to even work out themselves. How the hell are you supposed to know how your client feels during a lift if you don’t lift it yourself.
P.S. For the record, I’m not ignorant, but I’m very cautious when taking advise from someone who hasn’t already reached the goals that I’m aiming for.
Everybody on this board seems to love “ragging” on trainers, I own my own training/consulting company, make an excellent living and from what I see in the gyms in the city in which I run my business, I’m not surprised by it at all. It’s so bad that sometimes I am loathe to identify myself as a trainer.
The truth is 98% of people who “work out” in the gym have no idea about good training from bad, led alone by 100% of non-exercising “Baby Boomer” clients who have never done any activity in their life and are the folks whom can afford my services. I don’t pretend to know everything, I’m constantly studying, trying to improve my knowledge base and it’s all driven by a sincere desire to help people “transform” their lives.
Oh yeah, I was an elite athlete for 10+ years of my life, just missed the '92 games, degrees and certifications coming out the yin/yang and I’m a big, strong, ugly, grumpy mofo. My company grossed $80 000+ last year. This sort of turned into a bit of a “RANT” but believe it, their are those of us out there who are doing wonderful things for all types of clients and athletes(if they can afford it).
From now on, I propose that we refer to those pretty boy/girl, no knowledge, no muscle, no “real world” experience, shaping and toning, Swiss Ball addicted, “BS Trainers” as either “Pipe-Cleaners” or “Thieves” cuz that is essentially what it amounts to. Just my two-cents.
[quote]mike_b wrote:
What is the stereotypical personal trainer? How would you describe him? What does he look like? How does he act? What is his personality like? How do other people see him vs. how he sees himself? And anything else you might like to add.[/quote]
Well this will be fun…
Stereotypical trainer… Skinny, little to no muscle definition, pasty, points you to machines, discourages you from free weights and lifting heavy. The other trainers roll their eyes when you share stories of what this guy says.
He’s nice enough, but kind of smarmy. Looks at the ladies, acts bored to be there.
The other trainers in my gym are a former competitive bb’er and another skinny guy who actually knwos what he’s talking about! AND he knows T-nation! AND he encourages me to use weights even while pregnant! He’s the PT who rolled his eyes when I told him what the stereotypical one said. (Deads are a pl’ing maneuver and I don’t need them.)
I don’t believe anyone is saying(or believes)only get advice from big guys. If you are looking to put on size, don’t go seeking advice from a 160lb guy. However this 160lb guy may be an expert at olympic lifts and could teach you a thing or two about snatches, cleans,etc… It all depends on your goals. Olympic hopefuls probably aren’t going to seek out a pro bodybuilder for training and coaching…and vice versa. If you wanna compete for a bodybuilding competition, seek the advice from those who have been there.
