The fintess industry is a babysitting indusrty.
A trainer should not only play the role of a coach that motivates you and keep you accountable but also act as a teacher, imparting knowledge so that you can do it yourself which make your achievements in the gym a sustainable one. If you can't do it (eventually) on your own, you'll always slip and resort to personal coaching, forever.
Most commericial trainers don't have this interest to teach you to be an independent trainee for life. By not teaching you proper training principles, nutrition, and alternative movements for different stages of your fitness career, you'll never learn the tools needed to live a fit life.
A trainer should not only play the role of a coach that motivates you and keep you accountable but also act as a teacher, imparting knowledge so that you can do it yourself which make your achievements in the gym a sustainable one. If you can't do it (eventually) on your own, you'll always slip and resort to personal coaching, forever.
Most commericial trainers don't have this interest to teach you to be an independent trainee for life. By not teaching you proper training principles, nutrition, and alternative movements for different stages of your fitness career, you'll never learn the tools needed to live a fit life.
Here are a few things you should know about the fitness industry.
1. Most trainers don't read or are reading the wrong things.Since anyone can obtain a training certificate these days by attending a weekend workshop without having a formal degree, any kid off the street with a pretty face and toned body can be your trainer overnight. This doesn't make them good teachers of the human body.
What most will do when you hire one is show you how to play with every fancy machines in the gym (which has nothing to do with daily functional movement patterns) and babysit you until your 60mins is up.
Even if they have a formal degree in exercise science, that still doesn't mean they have the hands on experience to properly teach you the technique invoved in weightlifting (the tension you need to get stronger and leaner).
Even if they have a formal degree in exercise science, that still doesn't mean they have the hands on experience to properly teach you the technique invoved in weightlifting (the tension you need to get stronger and leaner).
I remember when I was working on my masters degree, I was never taught how to perform a proper chin up or military press because we're too busy learning about the krebs cycle at the library or how to turn on the EKG machine that has nothing to do with real world training.
When you're shopping for a trainer, make sure that they
1) Are not getting their continued eduction from fitness magzines (like mens health or GQ) instead they are reading exercise research journals. You should ask them to name a few even if you don't know what they are just to see if they can answer you right away.2) Workouts themselves and can squat their own bodyweight for reps butt to grass
3) leaner than you and hopefully can jump higher or run faster than you.
Here are a few nationally recongnized certifying bodies (in the US) you should be looking for in a trainer that's worth your money.National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA)
National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSA)
USA Weightlifting (USAW)
If they don't have a cert from these agencies, your chances of landing a qualified trainer is 50/50. Even if they have competed in a sport or fitness event in the past or have personally experienced body transformations, that still doesn't make them qualified teachers of training on other people.
A trainer that cares about further education attends workshops and seminars regularily. A bonus if they write blogs and publish articles that helps clients (and the general public) to reach their goal outside of the gym. A good trainer should train a lot of people from different walks of life and most importantly, have something to show for.
Every trainer should have a transformation or testiomonial page.
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/p/2012-transformations.html
Every trainer should have a transformation or testiomonial page.
http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/p/2012-transformations.html
2. Commercial gym trainers are not result oriented.
It's not in their best interest to give you fast and lasting results because they want to keep you for as long as they can. Most gyms has such a high influx of new members that they simply don't need their existing clients to refer their friends to get new members to walk in the door.
It's not in their best interest to give you fast and lasting results because they want to keep you for as long as they can. Most gyms has such a high influx of new members that they simply don't need their existing clients to refer their friends to get new members to walk in the door.
You want to hire someone that has a long list of client transformations under their belt and always shop from a referred source (friend or family) that they trust and worked with. Don't settle with the nearest gym and let them pick out a random trainer for you. Get on facebook and ask your friends if anyone knows a respectable trainer in your area. Just like shopping for a mechanic to fix your car, if you're going to put your body in the hands of a professional, you better know what you're paying for. Wasting money and not getting results is one thing but getting injuried or being fed misleading information from an inexperienced, uneducated trainer is another!
Check out how Becky lost 108lbs in 8month!http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/p/2011-transformations.html
Don't be afraid to drive a little further or pay a little more to get a good trainer. You get what you pay for. If a gym charge you less than $40 a session or run specials and discounts every other week, you know they hire shitty trainers (and don't pay them much, either) and they aren't getting any renewals due to everybody quitting them all the time.
Result-orieted trainers don't market themselves as heavily as commericial trainers. They get new clients by keeping their existing clients happy. If you're ever pressured by a trainer to sign up or renew, he/she is probably not getting enough referrals due to lack of effectiveness in their training approach.
Here are a few places to stay away from when shopping for trainers
Anytime Fitness, Planet Fitness, Golds, Crossfit, Lifetime, LA, Curves, 24, and most corporate gyms and country clubs. Basically, if there's more than 3 locations of the same company in your city, it's commercial and they likely use young and inexperience trainers. You can workout there but don't bother asking their staff for workout or nutrition tips. You'll have better luck looking things up yourself online since that's where they're getting their education from, anyways.
Anytime Fitness, Planet Fitness, Golds, Crossfit, Lifetime, LA, Curves, 24, and most corporate gyms and country clubs. Basically, if there's more than 3 locations of the same company in your city, it's commercial and they likely use young and inexperience trainers. You can workout there but don't bother asking their staff for workout or nutrition tips. You'll have better luck looking things up yourself online since that's where they're getting their education from, anyways.
CrossFit… now catering to women who never use their Curves membership.
3. Commericial Trainers Don't Practice Personal Training
When shopping for a trainer, ask them what is their training philosophy. Hopefully their approach aligns with your goal. During your free consultation, they should ask you exactly what you want out of their service and propose a breakdown of short term goals that you can achieve in a given time frame to reach your long term goal. If they don't ask you questions regarding your fitness level, physical limitations (injuries), experience, deadlines, or insecure/concerned areas, you're most likely getting a cookie cutter workout template that the trainer use for all of his/her clients.
When shopping for a trainer, ask them what is their training philosophy. Hopefully their approach aligns with your goal. During your free consultation, they should ask you exactly what you want out of their service and propose a breakdown of short term goals that you can achieve in a given time frame to reach your long term goal. If they don't ask you questions regarding your fitness level, physical limitations (injuries), experience, deadlines, or insecure/concerned areas, you're most likely getting a cookie cutter workout template that the trainer use for all of his/her clients.
This means your program is not individualized and have a high chance of failing you. In this case, you'll save some money attending group exercise classes, instead or do it yourself with programs you can find online for free.
Also, ask for a maintenance program that will keep you from slipping into your old habits. If you know most of the basic lifts your trainers taught you, pay a little extra to have your trainer write a program that you can do it yourself. This will save you money in the long run. If they refuse to write you one, they are not in the business of helping.
Also, ask for a maintenance program that will keep you from slipping into your old habits. If you know most of the basic lifts your trainers taught you, pay a little extra to have your trainer write a program that you can do it yourself. This will save you money in the long run. If they refuse to write you one, they are not in the business of helping.
4. Don't Let Your Trainer Make It More Complicated Than it Needs To Be.
By impressing you with nonsense fitness jargons and complex theories, you'd feel like you'd not survive without your trainer. drop set after paused reps w/ chain til failure? under grip reverse curls on bosu? what does that work?
By paralyzing you with uncessary movements and psuedoscience dieting rules, you almost have no choice but to keep your trainer around to ensure you don't do stupid things. Seriously, how hard is it to eat less and move more?
To make this slightly more complicated, how about this - Eat real food (but still eat less) while move more (with movements that challenge the body, safely and naturally.)
5. Your Training Relationship is an Educational One.
When you're being told to train like this or eat like that, always ask your trainer why. Ask them to explain their theories/rules and make sure it's easy to understand, contextual in which it applies to you, and ask for articles that you can check it out later to get more clarity on.
When you're being told to train like this or eat like that, always ask your trainer why. Ask them to explain their theories/rules and make sure it's easy to understand, contextual in which it applies to you, and ask for articles that you can check it out later to get more clarity on.
If you are really serious about fitness for the long term and you want to get the best bang outta your bucks, ask questions and have them prove what they say. Just like hiring a lawyer or realtors, if you don't ask, they won't tell you. Make your trainer dig up the research for you so you know it's not all B.S.
Here are a few things to watch out for...
1. After 2 months of no change in weight (assuming your goal if fat loss), your trainer tells you, "you've gain muscle and lost fat (or that your fat turned into muscle)" to validate his/her program as a working one. Fire the idiot!
2. Charge you 75$/session while spend 50% of time on the treadmill for "cardio". By the way, you can do cardio yourself by walking your dog more frequently, for free.
3. They can't name the muscles involved in stabalizing the shoulder joint or the different planes of movements your arms can go.
4. Can't teach you how to deadlift your own bodyweight in the first 2 weeks and blame your 'inflexbility' on everything they can't teach or fix in your body.
5. Advice you to train 4x a week but doesn't give you homework to do when you can only afford to train 2x/week.
6. Text during training or ridicule other members or trainers at the gym.
7. Can't name the last 3 books they read on fitness that's not marketing related.
8. Don' teach free weight movements (barbell, dumbell, kettlebell) and only use machines for resistance training and thinks pilate and yoga (and other stuff you do on the floor) will "tone' your muscle.
9. Has never train anyone similiar to your goal or situation (age, previous injuries, sports, ...)
10. Don't know what ketogenic is, preach veganism, think creatine is a drug, post their crossfit WOD time on facebook, and say ignorant things like "you have to eat breakfast to boost metaoblism" or "brown rice is better than white rice".
11. Don't do baseline assessments to test your limitations and track progress.
12. Have you perform high rep sets to help you sculpt long lean muscles. Basically, believing spot fat reduction theory.
If you are already training with someone but is not getting the result you're looking for, read this piece and make better investments with your time, money, and energy.
If you're trying to do it yourself or is on the fence about hiring someone referred to you, read this
http://www.theiflife.com/the-biggest-workout-mistakes-people-make/
http://www.theiflife.com/the-biggest-workout-mistakes-people-make/
How To Get The Most Out Of A Trainer (With Low Funds) by Leigh PeleeNot everyone can afford a trainer full-time. Good trainers usually cost a decent amount of money. Still, there are plenty of options and things you can do to get the most out of your dollar if money is an issue.
1. Group Training – Group training is tremendously popular right now. Trainers and clients love it because they can help more people at one time. Group training is where there are a few of you training at one time. For example, 4 moms want to train together. If the fee is normally $50 an hour, one mom can’t afford that. But, with 4 people it becomes $12.50 a person. The same can happen for a husband and wife or parents and their kids.
Obviously the more people, the less the individual attention. But, if you keep the group small with no more than 5 people, it really isn’t bad and can be a lot of fun. Trainers usually don’t have a problem with group training, but you should set up the group yourself if it is not something they provide.
2. Use Them For Their Eye Only – If you know what you want to do, but you just want to make sure you are doing it right, hire a trainer for instruction only. I had quite a few clients when I was starting out that I would meet with just to do instruction of form and cues. They would buy a book like New Rules Of Lifting and want to make sure they were doing the programs right. A skilled trainer should have no problem helping you out with a few sessions just to help you get from section-to-section properly.
3. Work On A Once-A-Month Schedule – A trainer can set up a program and plan for you. Then you can meet, run through exercises and understand your program. Once you do, you can do your workouts until the next phase of your program (could be every 4-weeks). I have also done this with clients who needed programs, but couldn’t afford one-on-one training all the way through.
BOTTOMLINE, PAY FOR RESULTS!
Services
Weight Loss Consulting and Meal Plans
Personal, Semi-Private, and Group Training
Speed Camp
Distance/Online Fitness Programs
Cell/Text: 281-433-4008 / Email: Jem_yeh@Yahoo.com
1 comment:
Post a Comment