I know I get a raised eye brow every time people see this on my website or when they see our banner at events across the city. I know I have also wrote about this in previous posts, but I wanted to take time to maybe simplify it. Maybe I do that too much… Either way, it couldn’t hurt.
I believe that personal training should be really personal, duh! Right? Most trainers try and sell you a package and then put you through a number of workouts that they use or have “borrowed” from their CPT books.
Problem is they are built like a body builder or an elite athlete or worse they are not built at all, the YMCA is known for this. Unhealthy trainers are as much of a problem as “over done” trainers. The reason this is important is because you can tell a lot about a trainer and his/her technics by looking at their bodies. But you cannot do this if you don’t know some facts first, what facts? I’m glad you asked!
10 ways you know your trainer is up to no good.
- Your Trainer explains the calculations for figuring out how many calories you should be consuming on a daily basis.
This is funny to me because I hang out with trainers all the time, and they don’t count calories. They just don’t eat them! Zero calorie this and zero calorie that, it’s enough to make you crazy… Crazy about your food. This tends to turn people off of the nutrition part of their fitness journey, which in turn makes them work harder in the gym. This is how people burn out, they spend 20 minutes learning how to calculate but never anything else about their food or it’s content.
- Your trainer will talk about getting in their reps or sets during your work out.
Annoying because trainers who are worried about sets and reps are going to accidentally make you a body builder. Doing the big 3 all the time, bench press-squats-dead lifts, will only work for so many people, it’s not the way of getting toned. But it will ad mass, even if you are already big in those places.
- You see your trainer drinking a protein shake from a jug or a mix.
Not only are most protein mixes overly sweetened they are full of simple carbs, this will lead to extra fat storage if your not in the gym constantly. You are not a fat burning machine… yet, even if you were you wouldn’t want to burn out your filters (liver, pancreas, intestines and your stomach). Trying to burn stackers, stimulants, sweeteners, and artificial fillers. This will lead to further problems down the road for those trainers that range from Crohn’s disease to IBS as well as a slue of others. Besides that you need far less protein than what was previously thought, if there is anything I have learned about this industry of fitness, it is that it’s information is really out dated and in-accurate.
- If your trainer says “how does this feel?”
You trainer should test everything before having you attempt it, that’s an unsaid rule! I will never have anyone do something that wasn’t tested on myself or another trainer in a friendly game of “kill the trainer”. This is how we play… If your trainer hasn’t tried it than ask for something safer.
- Has your trainer ever told a story about being drunk, or being hungover?
This really annoys me! I have only ever been “drunk” once and that was on accident, but alas you have trainers telling their clients, by example, that it’s Ok to compromise on alcohol. Chances are they have never gone 40 days without it! I dare you to ask them, how them telling you about getting hammered will help you be inspired to lose weight or be strict with anything? Where is the inspiration?!
- Have you ever been told “this won’t put bulk on you”?
Well chances are with the out dated information out there your trainer may not even know that. I know this because I see it every day, trainers giving their clients heavy weights and making them do 3-5 sets of 15 reps with 2-5 minutes of rest in between. This is precisely how you put on bulk! Heavy weights and low reps with 15-30 SECOND breaks are far more effective at making your muscle dense not huge!
- Does your trainer eat organic?
This is more understandably a problem because of the lack of nutritional teaching and research from trainers and instructors of trainers alike. If you haven’t been told, you won’t do your research… I feel like when I tell my clients to go do their research they are more likely to do it. If you assume they will, they won’t. Organic foods are easier to digest which makes them a faster energy and less of a burden for the entire body when it comes to storage and free radicals in your blood.
- When the last time you were told to get off your knees during your pushups?
Why is this a question? Well, I firmly believe that if you are not pushing your clients with time lines and goals that are inline with their own, you are not doing your job. Telling my clients that they have two weeks to get from their knees to their toes with pushups is just one way I give them something to strive for. They immediately think that I’m crazy but most of them try to do it right then, when this happens they no longer get to do the knee pushups. It’s all about helping you beat your perceptions of your fitness level, all while pushing you to a new one.
- Does your trainer eat?
You probably don’t know this answer and you would probably hate to ask it for fear of ridicule. You would be surprised how many trainers run out the door in the morning grabbing only a sugar free latte’. They are supposed to be your source of trust on nutrition for the day. Breakfast is important but all meals are important, as well as what those meals contain. Whether you are eating 5 meals a day or sticking to 3 square, you ought to be able to follow your trainers example and not just there “advice”.
- Is your trainer rounded or defined?
This question is slightly more detailed than the others and will take some time to figure out. It starts with looking at their physique then graduates to their eating and snacking habits before it stops at their mental and spiritual health and well being. Why is the latter so important? Well that all depends on the client, it can be helpful if you feel the need to disclose some confidential information in a pre-workout rant and you want the confidence that your trainer is either giving you sound advice and will keep it confidential. Yes, you can tell if this is the case with your trainer, most trainers will listen when you need to rant but some of them will gossip right along with you. I think it’s important to be someone my clients can lean on for sound Biblical wisdom as it pertains to life. If that’s not for you than you will still benefit from the other talents we bring to the table as it were.
The physical part of this is related to your trainers muscle, is it round or angular? Because round isn’t defined dense muscle, they are no doubt strong but they may have no idea how to get you that “healthy”, ‘hollywood”, fit look you desire. Look closely to their before and after pics and see if you can spot any similarities in there past clients.
I make no apologies for the spiritual content of this site or the stance of this company and our relationship with God whom we believe to be sovereign. We will however apologize for the millions of mistakes the fitness industry and ourselves make on any given day. No body is perfect but we would like to think that we are balanced and holistic, as we have humbly helped scores of individuals in all areas listed in this blog as well as so many more. Please let us know how we can help you, it’s our passions that drive us.
