How to Pick a Personal Trainer
What’s up G&Gers?!
In an unscheduled break to our current series (Trampolining S&C: Part 1; Part 2) today I’m going to do something unrelated to both trampolining and strength & conditioning.
This is due to the fact that my wife and I are currently moving out of our residence, and slowly moving things from place to place for storage, so I just don’t have the time to sit down and hammer out a 3,000 word article on biomechanics.
I should have written it ahead of time, I know, but unfortunately I’m way behind with my writing.
So please forgive me for this short stopgap article, but I do hope you’ll find it edifying and interesting!
In an unscheduled break to our current series (Trampolining S&C: Part 1; Part 2) today I’m going to do something unrelated to both trampolining and strength & conditioning.
This is due to the fact that my wife and I are currently moving out of our residence, and slowly moving things from place to place for storage, so I just don’t have the time to sit down and hammer out a 3,000 word article on biomechanics.
I should have written it ahead of time, I know, but unfortunately I’m way behind with my writing.
So please forgive me for this short stopgap article, but I do hope you’ll find it edifying and interesting!
Today I’m going to write a bit about something I see a lot
in gyms and online, and hear about an awful lot from friends, colleagues, and you
good people online – poor trainers who seem not to care.
If you’re attending a mainstream gym, or maybe a gym in a sports centre/council-run facility, you’ll often find you get a trainer assigned to you. You’ll do your induction with them, you’ll get your programme written by them, you’ll maybe even get some sessions with them included in the price of membership (because there’s nothing like forcing you to “enjoy” an optional service to really drive up sales).
Does this sound familiar? It certainly does for me, as every commercial gym I’ve ever been in/been a member of has operated in this way.
What I think most people struggle with in this setting is, if they don’t really like their trainer, or their trainer isn’t quite up-to-scratch, how do they deal with that situation?
I know a lot of people who are so unbelievably British that they won’t say anything to the gym if they’re not keen on their trainer, even if they know their trainer is giving them bad advice. It’s a politeness complex we Brits seem to struggle with, and it’s just crazy.
I want, in this post, to let you know that it’s okay to do something about it if you’re not keen on your trainer. Sometimes, when someone just gets assigned to us and we have no say, it’s hard to see that there are alternatives.
If you’re attending a mainstream gym, or maybe a gym in a sports centre/council-run facility, you’ll often find you get a trainer assigned to you. You’ll do your induction with them, you’ll get your programme written by them, you’ll maybe even get some sessions with them included in the price of membership (because there’s nothing like forcing you to “enjoy” an optional service to really drive up sales).
Does this sound familiar? It certainly does for me, as every commercial gym I’ve ever been in/been a member of has operated in this way.
What I think most people struggle with in this setting is, if they don’t really like their trainer, or their trainer isn’t quite up-to-scratch, how do they deal with that situation?
I know a lot of people who are so unbelievably British that they won’t say anything to the gym if they’re not keen on their trainer, even if they know their trainer is giving them bad advice. It’s a politeness complex we Brits seem to struggle with, and it’s just crazy.
I want, in this post, to let you know that it’s okay to do something about it if you’re not keen on your trainer. Sometimes, when someone just gets assigned to us and we have no say, it’s hard to see that there are alternatives.
So in this short article I’m going to begin with some
tell-tale signs of a poor trainer, some signs of a good trainer, and finally some ways to assess how to choose your
trainer and how to change your trainer if yours isn’t fitting the bill.
Let’s get to it.
Let’s get to it.
Tell-Tale Signs Your
Trainer is Poor
There are many ways to spot a poor trainer, or to be more
fair to trainers out there – trainers who have decided to start taking the easy
options and giving very little of themselves to their clients.
Firstly, and in my opinion the most basic and easily
rectified problem, is just basic professional
image and general conduct. Is your trainer dressed professionally? For
instance, if you saw them through the gym window, would you think “they look
like they’re taking pride in their appearance” or would you think “bro, the
80’s called, they want their lycra back”?
Source:
http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article214352.ece/binary/06EE66B1-9571-EB21-2FFD863EA789B397.jpg
Would you want this guy writing your training programmes?
Would you want this guy writing your training programmes?
That clothing is perhaps not appropriate these days, no one
spends that much money on hyper-statement sports fashion. And perhaps the
opposite, where the clothing makes you look like you’ve been dragged straight
off the roughest estate in Liverpool, is just as bad (or maybe worse).
Honestly, I’ve seen trainers coaching their clients wearing scruffy old
trackies that had holes where the end of their cigarette had clearly dropped
into their laps and burned through (we used to call them blim-holes).
If your trainer looks scruffy, unkempt, or smells like they haven’t showered for some time, then that’s a warning sign.
Furthermore, your trainer should be able to model what they’re saying, there should be some visible evidence of ‘practice what you preach’. You see, a lot of people are driven to the gym for an aesthetic reason, and if your trainer can’t provide an example of that aesthetic, then you’re going to struggle to take them seriously. Those who aren’t there for aesthetic reasons will most likely be there for health reasons, and the same thing applies – trainers should ideally look healthy, because if they’re not you are well-entitled to say “sorry, but why should I follow the advice you clearly can’t even motivate yourself to follow?”
Or worse still “why should I follow advice when, if you are following that same advice, it seems not to have worked?”
I don’t want to seem like I’m flaming people unnecessarily, and remember that some people may have medical conditions that inhibit them from staying in the shape they would like, so I won’t say anything like “if they’re obese” or whatever, but these are all things to consider. Also, don’t buy into this “oh he’s skinny so why would he know how to lift?” mentality – plenty of the world’s smartest strength coaches aren’t swole bros, but my God they know their stuff. I’m just using these instances as general examples of how a trainer should be setting out to project themselves.
If your trainer looks scruffy, unkempt, or smells like they haven’t showered for some time, then that’s a warning sign.
Furthermore, your trainer should be able to model what they’re saying, there should be some visible evidence of ‘practice what you preach’. You see, a lot of people are driven to the gym for an aesthetic reason, and if your trainer can’t provide an example of that aesthetic, then you’re going to struggle to take them seriously. Those who aren’t there for aesthetic reasons will most likely be there for health reasons, and the same thing applies – trainers should ideally look healthy, because if they’re not you are well-entitled to say “sorry, but why should I follow the advice you clearly can’t even motivate yourself to follow?”
Or worse still “why should I follow advice when, if you are following that same advice, it seems not to have worked?”
I don’t want to seem like I’m flaming people unnecessarily, and remember that some people may have medical conditions that inhibit them from staying in the shape they would like, so I won’t say anything like “if they’re obese” or whatever, but these are all things to consider. Also, don’t buy into this “oh he’s skinny so why would he know how to lift?” mentality – plenty of the world’s smartest strength coaches aren’t swole bros, but my God they know their stuff. I’m just using these instances as general examples of how a trainer should be setting out to project themselves.
Secondly, what order does your trainer do things in? For
instance, in one gym I’ve been to in the past, they always used to book an
induction in the gym itself prior to a fitness programme write-up, which
preceded any actual fitness evaluation. That’s just ass-backward. How on earth
are you going to show your clients the pertinent exercises in the gym without
knowing what they’re going to be doing in their programme? And how the heck are
you going to write them a programme without knowing their base levels of
fitness or training goals?
See, if your trainer is doing things in an odd way, begin by simply checking whether this is gym-enforced policy and it just happens to be stupidly back-to-front, or whether this is how your trainer chooses to do things. If it’s the former, then that’s just a sign that the gym management may be a bit poor, but not necessarily a reflection of the trainers (though one does have to question why the trainers haven’t mentioned this to the management). If the latter, well you have to question why they think that’s an appropriate methodology.
Seriously, in case you aren’t aware, and I guess thirdly, lots of trainers get lazy, and they cut corners. For instance (using our previous example), if you’re being given a training programme before you’ve had your consultation and done your base fitness tests then chances are high they’ve given you a generic template they give to practically everyone. That sounds terrible, but I see it all the time.
The amount of full-body workouts at 3x10 with a 15 minute cardio warm-up and cool-down I see given out is criminal.
The other issue with laziness is it removes any impetus for the trainer to keep up-to-date with you and your training programme, which really does need checking and updating with some regularity. If you’re familiar with the SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) then you know you can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect the same result.
Regardless of what Einstein said...
See, if your trainer is doing things in an odd way, begin by simply checking whether this is gym-enforced policy and it just happens to be stupidly back-to-front, or whether this is how your trainer chooses to do things. If it’s the former, then that’s just a sign that the gym management may be a bit poor, but not necessarily a reflection of the trainers (though one does have to question why the trainers haven’t mentioned this to the management). If the latter, well you have to question why they think that’s an appropriate methodology.
Seriously, in case you aren’t aware, and I guess thirdly, lots of trainers get lazy, and they cut corners. For instance (using our previous example), if you’re being given a training programme before you’ve had your consultation and done your base fitness tests then chances are high they’ve given you a generic template they give to practically everyone. That sounds terrible, but I see it all the time.
The amount of full-body workouts at 3x10 with a 15 minute cardio warm-up and cool-down I see given out is criminal.
The other issue with laziness is it removes any impetus for the trainer to keep up-to-date with you and your training programme, which really does need checking and updating with some regularity. If you’re familiar with the SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) then you know you can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect the same result.
Regardless of what Einstein said...
Source:
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/569/668/fa9.jpg
When he said the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over expecting different results, he was almost there.
When he said the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over expecting different results, he was almost there.
The other issue with a generic plan is that the trainer
might not even know why that’s not really a great way to go about their
programming. If that’s the case then they may well not even be properly
qualified…
Tell-Tale Signs of a
Good Trainer
Firstly, a good trainer will be interested in you and your goals, not just making sure you don’t
hurt yourself bad enough to sue. This means they’ll take more time in meeting
you, doing an initial testing and goal-setting appointment (or even
appointments), discussing what exactly you want/don’t want/like/don’t like,
than they will in showing you the machines and fire exit strategy (not that
it’s not important, it’s just not really a lengthy process). This also means no
lazy, half-arsed, generic programmes because your trainer will care enough to
tailor-make one.
Secondly, a good trainer will keep up with their clients’ progress, tracking their progressions
and altering workouts as it is necessary. I know this isn’t always a
possibility in a commercial gym as you can have to book in for a refresher
session or whatever, but I know it can work because I’ve seen successful
systems in commercial gyms before now. If there is a filing system available in
your gym, which the trainers should be regularly checking, then don’t feel like
you can’t whack your programme in there with a post-it on.
Thirdly, a good trainer (in this instance one in a gym where
the interaction is minimal) will make
sure your programme is as future-proof as it’s realistically possible to be.
This means he/she will programme in some form of periodization to account for
the adaptations your body will make to their programme over time (remember the
SAID principle we mentioned earlier?). This means no generic 3 x 10 programmes
that, when asked, the trainer simply says “just keep doing it until it doesn’t
work”. That’s lazy, and we all know (because we read it in Breaking
Down the Bro Bible) that 3 x 10 forever will not last forever.
Fourthly, you can tell a good trainer because not only can
you tell they have all the scientific underpinning necessary to develop your programme in an
informed manner, but they don’t try to brag and use ridiculous words you can’t
comprehend. The best trainers will take
their knowledge and explain it in the best way for the participant they are
working with, and they will modulate that approach from person to person. It’s
all good and well understanding scientific principles, like hypertrophic response,
peak torque, and momentum-lever arms, but if the client doesn’t there’s no
point putting them down by talking in a way which insinuates you’re smarter
than them. It just grates. Also, a good trainer will not to go about
nutritional advice in a way which could put the client down, such as ‘shaming’
them for eating the way they do, or offering negative criticism instead of
constructive criticism and helpful advice. A good trainer will also give you
straightforward advice, he won’t whip up PubMed to show you the research to
help explain to you the virtues of intra-workout supps.
Source:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a1/23/e0/a123e02ebaf89123ff1abacfffeccdc5.jpg
No one likes that guy, blatantly taking intra-workout protein so people see how ‘well-informed’ he is, but is still curling in the squat rack.
No one likes that guy, blatantly taking intra-workout protein so people see how ‘well-informed’ he is, but is still curling in the squat rack.
Changing Your
Trainer?
So, we’ve discussed some aspects of both good and poor
trainers, and by now I’d hope you have an informed opinion on your own trainer.
But here’s the major takeaway here – do you need a new trainer?
If so, there’s plenty of ways to go about it. The usual suspects are google, ads in your gym, and word-of-mouth, but what if your gym employs trainers (like a lot of commercial gyms) and you only have a pool of a few to pick from?
Or what if you’ve already been assigned a trainer?
Well, fear not – you are the consumer and therefore you are king.
If you only have a few to pick from then try them all out! If you’ve just joined your gym and you have a few sessions included in the price, then test out a few of the trainers. Many trainers will have certain things they really love, their specialisms, and more often than not it won’t be the same as their colleagues, so work with them to see which one will best fit their specialism with your training goals.
But here’s the major takeaway here – do you need a new trainer?
If so, there’s plenty of ways to go about it. The usual suspects are google, ads in your gym, and word-of-mouth, but what if your gym employs trainers (like a lot of commercial gyms) and you only have a pool of a few to pick from?
Or what if you’ve already been assigned a trainer?
Well, fear not – you are the consumer and therefore you are king.
If you only have a few to pick from then try them all out! If you’ve just joined your gym and you have a few sessions included in the price, then test out a few of the trainers. Many trainers will have certain things they really love, their specialisms, and more often than not it won’t be the same as their colleagues, so work with them to see which one will best fit their specialism with your training goals.
Source:
http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/5e/5e33c1dcf8fd63f9fa59c1981ecbbc0b179dc9032faa047fa61fa53fb63fe4bd.jpg
If you’re not into yoga and your trainer is, expect to make a change. Also, yoga sucks.
If you’re not into yoga and your trainer is, expect to make a change. Also, yoga sucks.
As for being assigned a trainer and feeling like you can’t
change, I would always suggest talking to your trainer about whatever issues
you feel you’re having. If you’re not sure you’re adapting appropriately to the
programme they prescribed, tell them. If they’re any kind of trainer they will
make sure they change the programme to achieve your goals. The same goes for
any issue – if you have a problem then raise it with the trainer first, if you
feel you can, and they then have the option to either improve or lose a client.
If, however, you just don’t like them – maybe don’t tell them. Maybe just ask to change to a different trainer, at the desk or through one of the other members of staff.
If, however, you just don’t like them – maybe don’t tell them. Maybe just ask to change to a different trainer, at the desk or through one of the other members of staff.
Anyway, this was supposed to be a short post – I was
planning on around 1,000 words, and it’s somehow gone over 2,000, so I’ll wrap
it up.
You are the consumer, you are the one putting the effort in to get fit and healthy, therefore you deserve to be afforded the opportunity of the best training you can find. Don’t be put off by commercial gyms and their assignations, you have the right to ask for the very best.
You are the consumer, you are the one putting the effort in to get fit and healthy, therefore you deserve to be afforded the opportunity of the best training you can find. Don’t be put off by commercial gyms and their assignations, you have the right to ask for the very best.
So next time we’ll be back into the S&C for Trampolining series I’ve been doing, and it’s going to be a tricky subject! I’ve been reading up on some complicated physics for this one, so stay tuned…
P.s. I designed a new signature for my posts. So, for the first time -
P.s. I designed a new signature for my posts. So, for the first time -
Stay Glorious,
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