Why You/We Hate Personal Trainers

Off Topic
21

[quote]FutureGL wrote:
Ok so here’s the story. I’m looking to get ACE certified within the week. I’ve been studying for a while now and am not all too worried about the test. I’m more concerned about being the best personal trainer possible. I’ve read the shit out of T-Nation articles and have been posting here for a while now and believe me it’s no fun to have to contradict everything you know to be true just to pass a certification exam.

But I know what’s effective and what’s not from T-Nation, and now I know how to deal with special needs clients (hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes etc) thanks to my studies and textbooks.

BUT. I want to know from everyone here: Why do you think trainers are shit? What can I do to make sure that I become the best trainer I can be?

I can promise you already this much: no bosu balls, no “functional” training, no pretty pink 2.5 lb dumbbells for the ladies (or the embarrassed men), no zumba class bullshit, no 1/4 squats for clients who are capable of full squats.

GIVE ME YOUR DEMANDS.[/quote]

You’ve already fucked up… Personal Training isn’t about satisfying some T-Nation Elite Athletes, it’s about achieving, motivating, and inspiring your clients fitness goals. Pink pretty dumbells just might work for one of your clients. If you really want to be good try to get the best clients you can, then try to help them decide on quality goals, then help them achieve it.

22

out of curiosity is there somewhere on line you can take a practice ACE exam? just wondering what the exams are like, and in my experience with IT certs there’s usually somewhere you can practice. Anyone have a link?

23

The silly exercises they get the middle aged guys and ladies to do. If I see one more bosu ball bouncing housewife working on her core I think I’ll puke.

The hottie trainer who is the biggest booster of the core training never uses them. I see her, and her great ass, training every morning doing squats and dead lifts. She should get her clients doing them but I guess they wouldn’t pay for that advice.

24

I see too many fat people doing curls with trainers to respect the trainers at my golds.
there is 1 female trainer who is in kick ass shape and who seems to know what she’s doing and busts her fat clients asses.

25

The trainers are my gym are a complete joke, worst I’ve ever seen in my life. When they teach exercises, it’s ALWAYS wrong… And it’s not just wrong, it’s atrociously wrong. So wrong in fact, that a person with no gym knowledge could probably teach it better. I watch and get nautious when I see them ‘train’.

It’s probably the most aggrivating thing to see, and you know the clients are going to quit because they’re sore after… Well I would joint pain from those brutal things too.

Other stupid things that piss me off are random uses of gigantic pink swiss balls. A guy made his client do the seated hammer strength bench, while putting his feet up on the swiss ball. The guy had no gym experience, had 5lbs on each side… WHY DID THE SWISS BALL HAVE TO BE THERE!!!111!1!1!one!11!

26

[quote]FutureGL wrote:
I can promise you already this much: no bosu balls, no “functional” training, no pretty pink 2.5 lb dumbbells for the ladies (or the embarrassed men), no zumba class bullshit, no 1/4 squats for clients who are capable of full squats.
GIVE ME YOUR DEMANDS.[/quote]

I have been a personal trainer for some 3 years now.
The best trainers in my opinion are the ones who don’t let arrogance or small-mindedness hold them back.
There are some programmes/nutrition plans/philosophies/equipment I don’t agree with totally,even on T-Nation.
But before I rubbish any plans,I may try them out myself first,I may discuss it with other clients and trainers,I may borrow elements that I believe work.
I’ll give it it’s day in court,no matter how ridiculous it may sound.
Real world studies count,not just lab studies.
Anecdotal evidence is not to be dismissed (Don’t believe me? how many years has the whole 'how much protein should I eat? debate been going on? anecdotal evidence of bodybuilders on high protein diets showed results a long time before actual studies backed this up.)
If a trainer says he got results with this plan or that,who am I to rubbish it because it flies in the face of ONE article I read on T-Naion last night.
My philosophy is that we’re ALL students,I don’t care if a guy has every qualification in the book,wrote the book,and lectures at university,has been in the game 10 years…
Does he know more than me?
Very probably.
Does he see things from my point of view? Are his philosophies the same as mine?.Does he know what works for MY clients?
Maybe,maybe not…
The fact is,we’re all still learning,we may have the basic shit down,but everyone is still learning and understanding about the human body.
Pick up a textbook.What is it? the 3rd edition? the 4th revised edition? there you go.
By the time that info was collated,research reviewed,the book edited and printed,there have been a hundred over studies which may already contradict it.

There’s only one philosophy-WHAT GETS RESULTS.

And it’s practically a family motto here on T-Nation-

EVERYTHING WORKS!..FOR A WHILE!

You can’t afford to dismiss things in their entirety-
-Those fetching pink dumbells have their place-some rotator cuff/wrist work will often require very light weights,particularly if they have/have had past shoulder issues.

-Bosu balls have their place,just stop doing f**king everything on a bosu ball/wobble board every goddamn time,like some PT’s.Jesus,some of 'em practically throw a hissy fit if they are all being used,they are so limited.

-Partial reps have their place,but yes,unless they are already lifting heavy and doing partials to get over a plateu or something,they need to focus on going deep and being flexible/stable ASAP.

-Functional Training has it’s place,it’s just that too many PT’s worship it,like it’s the f**king holy grail,and do nothing else,or they misunderstand what ‘functional’ is or limit themselves by not incorporating it into an overall approach.If it’s an exercise that’s not in a Paul Chek book,they don’t wanna know.

-Zumba? I don’t know what that is,but I’m gonna find out.In case a client asks!

If I had a client who wanted to stop training with me and try crossfit for a while,for example,I wouldn’t stop him,I would educate him and give him the chance to educate himself on the possible drawbacks and limitations,and he may do better on crossfit,or he may be back again in 2/3 months with his tail(bone) between his legs.

Anyway,always be studying,always be reading,always try out new stuff.
If you don’t agree with a certain diet or workout plan,it will not be good enough for many clients to simply say ‘Don’t do that’ or ‘That doesn’t work’ if you don’t explain WHY it doesn’t work or you don’t believe in it,they are likely to try it themselves ANYWAY or feel frustrated that you don’t have all the answers,and maybe they need a new trainer.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s the all-celery and maple syrup plan that some celebrity is touting,I’ll read up on it,research it,find out who reccomended it,maybe try elements,and then I can explain with conviction to a client ‘This won’t work for you because…’ OR ‘It appears to work for her because…’

27

[quote]MODOK wrote:
Personal Trainers are nice, and since I live in the south I’m sure the ones I’ve interacted with are not representative of the more professional in the field. The one thing that really gets to me when talking to them is their the way they stick to their chosen dogma, and refuse to listen or understand that their are other ideas and theories out there that work very well. They can be incredibly hard headed, and that is a turn-off to me as someone who enjoys scientific discussion.

“The wisest men know that they know very little”- ancient Chinese proverb.

If you think the random personal trainer is dogmatic… try conversing with a CROSSFIT trainer. At times when they are lighting into me about their “WODs” I’ve prayed for a strip of duct take and a frag grenade to end my suffering.[/quote]

Totally agree.In fact I think I just wasted half-an-hour rambling on in my post saying much the same.

I have been guilty of being arrogant in the past,I got my level 2 Gym Instructor,read a few articles and started acting like I wrote the f**king book because I’ve been training for like 5 years.but I think I’m older and wiser now,and I see some of the younger PT’s doing the same thing.

Just cos’ you got hawt abz and another trainer doesn’t,it don’t mean dick.
I was gonna quote some Eastern Philosophy,because that is indeed ‘my shit’,but since you started it-
‘A fool pretend he knows everything,a wise man pretends he knows nothing’
OR
‘A wise man can learn more from a stupid question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.’

There are limits to this,obviously,no-ones going to brag their PT/coach is an idiot,
but most clients do not appreciate a physiology lesson every session.

I’ll educate them,but with baby steps.
When they have questions,I’ll have answers.
If I don’t know the answer,I’ll have an educated,carefully considered answer for them next session,or on the phone later that day.
The best thing anybody can do today to be a better PT,in my opinion,and many experienced coaches and PT’s would tend to agree,is to lose your f**king ego.

I know a lot,but I don’t know dick.
I’m still learning.

28

First, there are shit bags in every single profession, pursuit, and endeavor since the beginning of man. I am sure there was a least one weakling who pretended to kill the woolly mammoth but instead let his wife do it.

Regarding PT. I think it is a great profession, and since most are poor at it, a great place to succeed. One thing another poster already mentioned was this: most will not heed your advice. Being motivator and being persuasive are in some ways more important than your knowledge.

Another point that needs to made is this most people will be satisfied with minor results. Now I refuse to accept minor results with myself or dedicated athletes. But the problem is most people would be completely satisfied with doing a brisk 1 hour walk.

Anyways, good luck. Its a great job with some cool benefits. If you get the right clients it can be life changing.

Dave

29

[quote]Ace Rimmer wrote:
I have been a personal trainer for some 3 years now.
The best trainers in my opinion are …

[/quote]

you my friend, make sense/speak the truth

30

[quote]FutureGL wrote:
Nate112 wrote:
Bosu balls are great for balance for athletes with power lifting,.

Could you explain this?[/quote]

Sure thing, I play high school football, and usually before i even start lifting heavy things like DL or Squats , the month prior I will do everything on a Bosu ball. With belly up or belly down. It just helps strengthen your ankles and definitely helps with your balance and stability. Not only are you worrying about form and trying to lift a nice heavy weight , but your also working on staying on the ball, so your watching your balance. Soon you can move on to squatting onto a Swiss ball. I can absolutely guarantee that if your training an Athlete, you want him to do his power lifting on a bosu ball first, if he gets perfect form on that, than he’ll have no problem with doing it on floor, also use dumbbells not just barbells.
That’s the reason i believe to be true, it was taught to me by a CFL Conditioning coach i had for several months.

31

[quote]montez wrote:
I have had to personal trainers in my life and i hated them both.
My first trainer told me I was a decent wight for my height but to get me lean he put me on a ridiculous diet based around. of canned tuna, rice cakes, and sliced turkey. he had me lifting weights that were way too light for me and made me do speed rep. I and most people on T-Nation believe and the lift heavy and eat enough training style.
my second trainer did’nt know shit about how to choose exercises that actually build muscles he had me doing natural lunges, leg extensions, step ups and sit ups with a medicine ball. I am pretty sure the front squat routine I was doing was better than all those exercises combined lol.And to add insult to injury he told my that I was just good at front squats because I was used to them, the important thing was to keep my body guessing.

please don’t become one of these idiots.[/quote]

I was reluctant to judge the PT(s) involved,as I only have bits and pieces of info,but I can see that whether or not the training/diet methods he used were right or wrong,
it seems their approach was wrong for YOU,and it seems the PT’s did not take the time to get feedback from you,or listen to you,or explain why this or that works or
why you are doing what you are doing with them today.
Good personal training is about RESULTS.
results are achieved by connecting with the client and finding a balance between what the client WANTS and what they NEED.
If I can’t get a client to keep on doing a certain exercise because they hate it or it doesn’t feel right,I don’t bash them round the head with a textbook and say ‘This is what you’re SUPPOSED to be doing!’ I explain why this is gonna work,I explain the muscles being used,I’ll show them alternatives or modifications,I’ll explain how this is going to achieve what they want,that I have a progression in mind,I’ll look into whether there is another exercise that maybe better for their body type,lifestyle,etc. if I’m still gatting nowhere,
the exercise is ELIMINATED.
Bottom line-they pay my wages.
I have to find another way.
Once they make progress with a balance of what they want and need,they will be happy and keep coming back,they will make progress,they get fitter,they get stronger.
Once they have made progress,they will gradually get used to doing stuff that may be out of their comfort zone.
They may still ask questions or be skeptical,but they’ve SEEN results,they see it in the mirror every morning.
Soon enough,they will either be setting new goals and wanting to try new stuff,or training themselves and telling their friends that they did it with your help.
Hey presto,that client refers 2 of their friends…

(Having said all that,you could do all that and more and still get nowhere with a client.Let them drive another PT mad,they will start to make you look bad.)

welcome to the circle…

32

[quote]MODOK wrote:
Personal Trainers are nice, and since I live in the south I’m sure the ones I’ve interacted with are not representative of the more professional in the field. The one thing that really gets to me when talking to them is their the way they stick to their chosen dogma, and refuse to listen or understand that their are other ideas and theories out there that work very well. They can be incredibly hard headed, and that is a turn-off to me as someone who enjoys scientific discussion.

“The wisest men know that they know very little”- ancient Chinese proverb.

If you think the random personal trainer is dogmatic… try conversing with a CROSSFIT trainer. At times when they are lighting into me about their “WODs” I’ve prayed for a strip of duct take and a frag grenade to end my suffering.[/quote]

Couldn’t have said it better myself, I’ve had good success with a trainers chosen program but after a few injuries, still healing btw, he thinks I need to jump right back into his program thinking it’s the end all be all. He also doesn’t believe in me taking in over 80 grams of protein daily.
In the meantime I’d doing some TOT training and feel fresh again. Still nursing a pulled hammy and back spasms in my lower trap. None the less, like the others said you will benefit more by listening and being understanding just like any thing else. God gave us two ears and one mouth, use em proportionately

33

Teach them how to squat, deadlift, bench and shoulder press properly. Educate them on nutrition. Encourage them to succeed, because people who get personal trainers probably need more motivation than regular “self-taught” trainees.

34

[quote]Nate112 wrote:
FutureGL wrote:
Nate112 wrote:
Bosu balls are great for balance for athletes with power lifting,.

Could you explain this?

Sure thing, I play high school football, and usually before i even start lifting heavy things like DL or Squats , the month prior I will do everything on a Bosu ball. With belly up or belly down. It just helps strengthen your ankles and definitely helps with your balance and stability. Not only are you worrying about form and trying to lift a nice heavy weight , but your also working on staying on the ball, so your watching your balance. Soon you can move on to squatting onto a Swiss ball. I can absolutely guarantee that if your training an Athlete, you want him to do his power lifting on a bosu ball first, if he gets perfect form on that, than he’ll have no problem with doing it on floor, also use dumbbells not just barbells.
That’s the reason i believe to be true, it was taught to me by a CFL Conditioning coach i had for several months.[/quote]
I disagree on this one. Eric Cressey just released a study not to long ago
http://apt.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1519%2FR-19845.1&ct=1

I haven’t got around to reading his book about The truth About Unstable Training Surfaces. I wouldn’t see the benefit of doing the big three on unstable surfaces to get your balance because the ground is never going to be unstable when your standing on it and squatting or deadlifting.

35

[quote]Lift or die wrote:
Nate112 wrote:
FutureGL wrote:
Nate112 wrote:
Bosu balls are great for balance for athletes with power lifting,.

Could you explain this?

Sure thing, I play high school football, and usually before i even start lifting heavy things like DL or Squats , the month prior I will do everything on a Bosu ball. With belly up or belly down. It just helps strengthen your ankles and definitely helps with your balance and stability. Not only are you worrying about form and trying to lift a nice heavy weight , but your also working on staying on the ball, so your watching your balance. Soon you can move on to squatting onto a Swiss ball. I can absolutely guarantee that if your training an Athlete, you want him to do his power lifting on a bosu ball first, if he gets perfect form on that, than he’ll have no problem with doing it on floor, also use dumbbells not just barbells.
That’s the reason i believe to be true, it was taught to me by a CFL Conditioning coach i had for several months.
I disagree on this one. Eric Cressey just released a study not to long ago
http://apt.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1519%2FR-19845.1&ct=1

I haven’t got around to reading his book about The truth About Unstable Training Surfaces. I wouldn’t see the benefit of doing the big three on unstable surfaces to get your balance because the ground is never going to be unstable when your standing on it and squatting or deadlifting.

[/quote]

I guess I just explained it poorly. I’m saying it is meant for athletes to help with balance for the field or ice or whatever your doing for your sport, not just for staying balanced during your power lift on a normal surface. It’s just a stability technique. I can now do a front squat on a swiss ball with a plate on each side, you cannot say that doing squats on the bosu ball didn’t help me with that seeing as I could not do that before hand. Everything has a study for it, I go by what i’ve learned from experience.

36

O ok as long as the work on the swiss ball does not replace the work on the floor it should be a supplement.

37

[quote]reneeweimer wrote:
I think trainers are fine. I don’t feel the urge to pay one, though. I’ve been able to use free military trainers - lucky me! My pet peeve with trainers is when you see one trainer give the same program to 15 different people. Come on, they can’t possibly all have the same training goals?!?

Renee[/quote]

Yes they can; 95%+ want to look better.

I regularly joke that I’m an impersonal trainer, yes, I stole that line, sorry I can’t remember who to credit.

Chris

38

The reason trainers suck is because there are so many different training ideologies.

39

[quote]Airtruth wrote:
FutureGL wrote:
Ok so here’s the story. I’m looking to get ACE certified within the week. I’ve been studying for a while now and am not all too worried about the test. I’m more concerned about being the best personal trainer possible. I’ve read the shit out of T-Nation articles and have been posting here for a while now and believe me it’s no fun to have to contradict everything you know to be true just to pass a certification exam.

But I know what’s effective and what’s not from T-Nation, and now I know how to deal with special needs clients (hypertension, osteoporosis, diabetes etc) thanks to my studies and textbooks.

BUT. I want to know from everyone here: Why do you think trainers are shit? What can I do to make sure that I become the best trainer I can be?

I can promise you already this much: no bosu balls, no “functional” training, no pretty pink 2.5 lb dumbbells for the ladies (or the embarrassed men), no zumba class bullshit, no 1/4 squats for clients who are capable of full squats.

GIVE ME YOUR DEMANDS.

You’ve already fucked up… Personal Training isn’t about satisfying some T-Nation Elite Athletes, it’s about achieving, motivating, and inspiring your clients fitness goals. Pink pretty dumbells just might work for one of your clients. If you really want to be good try to get the best clients you can, then try to help them decide on quality goals, then help them achieve it.
[/quote]

I agree being a PT will never be about satisfying T-men. I disagree with a lot of the rest of your post. I will not use pretty pink dumbbells because there are better tools for weaker/elderly/frail clients.

“if you really want to be good try to get the best clients you can” – absolutely not. Being a PT is about bringing fitness and health to everyone who desires it, not to those who seem like fun clients or already seem to be in decent shape.

I agree with the end of your post too. It’s about helping your clients decide upon and achieve their goals. HOWEVER, my problem with zumba/bosu/pretty pink dbs is that these are not efficient tools for achieving said goals. I won’t use products or methods that don’t achieve results.

40

to the unstable surface lover…the field isn’t unstable, major lifts on unstable surfaces is haphazard and a cheap gimmick that offers nothing for real strength development, except injurty. Yes you recruit high threshold motors, but it messes with your motor recruitment, which could in turn creates poor and defective motor patterns on your squats and dead lifts,furthermore even dumber than doing a squat on a bosu ball with the belly of the ball up…are you mad, thats genius look at your ankles when you do that then look at the path of your hips, then look at the tracking of your knee, then look in the mirror behind you and try your head, its probably where your asshole is.

Seriously guys this is an open forum open to everyone but if you don’t know what your talking about don’toffer up suggestions that’s going to get someone hurt. go chew on a body blade, don’t offer up that garbage. Unstable surfaces have their purpose, injury rehabilitation and circus acts, but no one has ever got strong doing bosu-ball squats or Swiss ball Cock push ups.