Spilling some beans…

There are things your personal trainer might not be willing to admit.

I’m not speaking about your trainer specifically, nor am I saying they’re a bad person.  These are some unfortunate facts. Aside from Apps, nothing listed below is particularly new, however they do seem to be increasing.

Some trainers overly rely on apps. In fact it could be the app that automatically generated the workouts you are doing. Pro-Tip: If all you wanted was a follow-along workout then you can download one yourself and cut out the personal trainer middle man.

Some trainers passed their exam due to their memorization skills.  The NCCA accredited Certified Personal Trainer exams follow this format:  (1) Complete course work based off a singular textbook. (2) Obtain an in-person CPR/AED certification. (3) Bring your ID and copy of your CPR/AED card to a testing center. (4) Take a multiple choice exam. Pass/Fail results are known immediately.

Being NCCA accredited is not a mark of excellence or some gold-standard in and of itself. It simply means the test was administered under a particular set of conditions. It does not reflect the accuracy of the information tested.

Assuming they earned a passing score, that’s it. There is no test of actual abilities and it’s entirely possible to pass the test without previously picking up a weight beforehand.

In theory, you are now considered hirable in the majority of commercial gyms and YMCA’s. The organization that you tested under did their part by selling you an exam, the rest is up to the trainer. 

Some trainers “learn exercises” from watching online videos or from an app exercise library right before they make you do it. They spent minimal, if any time actually learning the material themselves. They only have a surface level knowledge of the exercise, little to no idea whether it’s a good/bad idea for you and zero idea how performing it will effect you the next day.

Education might not be a priority.

“What’s the quickest way to get continuing education units? I may be near my deadline.”

“Hell, I don’t want to have to study my ass off again!!!”

These were actual comments made by trainers. One has very poor time management skills and the other is intellectually lazy at best. 

These aren’t trainers looking for academically rigorous of physically challenging courses.  They are looking for a trophy (credits) for putting in the minimum effort at minimum personal expense.  I’ll take an intellectual guess that these individuals largely don’t invest in material that doesn’t award credits.

While I understand that individual finances dictates things, I cannot reasonably speculate these same people will want to be paid over minimum-wage (not accept the lowest pay) and not appreciate clients intentionally giving their minimum effort.

Revisiting the trainer continuum

Friend:  (as a coach) “Where do you see yourself in three years?”

Me: “I hope I disagree with somethings I believe in now.”

 I put myself just above the midpoint along the trainer continuum, My peers might move me to the left or right depending on how much I’ve pissed them off lately.

Best……………………………………..Me……Average…….…………………….Worst

My generalized continuum.

The far left: Highly Qualified/Educated/Experienced trainers. Thought leaders and educators, client and principle defined training, operate within their scope of practice, established professional guidelines and the limits of their technical abilities.

Networked with allied health specialists and trainers with specializations outside of their own. Many have colleagues or a mentor figure(s) they can contact directly with questions or for different perspectives. Open-minded to other approaches and willing to say “I don’t know.” 

Tilting towards the far left: Recognizes their strengths and weaknesses.  Actively working towards improving these qualities. Quicker to ask questions, and not live in absolutes.

Above midpoint: Can do what their certification says they can do. Able to apply the basics of training and define things for an individual client. Understands and can apply the major principles of training. Some have pursued specialized education and more in-depth material covering the foundational sciences and training methods.

Willing and able to read material/research that conflicts (or debunks) previously learned material.   

Midpoint: Trainers that can safely and passably apply most of what their certification exam covered. They know when referring out is a necessity.

Below midpoint:  Weak in critical areas relevant to training (Risk stratification, exercise selection and technique, programming beyond a single session.) Cannot apply more than half of what their certification says they can do. 

Might not value education and often seem to be close-minded.  Stuck in a singular mode of training.

Tilting towards the far right: Doesn’t recognize weakness or misunderstandings.  Cannot recognize flaws in their own logic.  Unwilling to change their mind on a subject even when presented with unquestionable evidence. Has not read beyond the entry-level textbooks (and might not have fully read that one either.)

The far right end: Potentially dangerous trainers operating outside of their scope of practice, education and technical abilities. God-complex, and not one to refer out even when its in the best interest of the client. 

FACTS.

It’s possible to have traits spread among different points. I’ve known several trainers that hit a near equal amounts of far left and below midpoint qualities.  

Wherever you currently see yourself along the continuum, your actions, or lack thereof can move you in a different direction.  Moving to the left can prove difficult, however moving to the right (or staying there) takes very little.

It can be hard to fairly place yourself along the continuum. We might might grade with unfair modesty or have an inflated sense of ourselves.  

Barbell Boob

“Normal people will accomplish normal things.”

Louie Simmons, Westside Barbell

Some years ago a trainer stated their disapproval of my teaching relative beginner clients how to escape from failed barbell lifts. 

While learning the safe execution of various lifts, clients were taught “When (to escape),Why (you need to escape) and How (to do so without injuring yourself)” when it comes to aborting a failing lift. I’ve paid the bill on a number of bad lifts and others can benefit from my mistakes

It’s not something I encourage, and I’m a far bigger advocate of volume/intensity management and understanding rating of perceived exertion.  I hope this skill is never needed, but I also feel it is important and overlooked.  

I asked if any of their clients trained with relatively heavy barbells…or even with barbells at all. They said no, and by all indications the trainer wasn’t particularly knowledgable in either barbell or strength training methods. 

FACT: Years later, they remain uneducated on the subject.

I didn’t bother responding any further. Not every comment requires a response, and an opinion is only considered entitled if it’s an informed one.

They never asked why I would even consider teaching such a thing. I honestly don’t think my reasoning would have changed any minds, and it might not have shed any light on the subject no matter how simply explained. 

If only closed minds came with closed mouths.

Smile,Nod and Walk -Away.

Some trainers have stated “exercise is exercise, people have their way of doing things”

This could imply that nothing is automatically right or wrong.  I believe things are a bit deeper, and that context and nuances need be considered.  It depends on what the person meant by that statement. 

In contested lifts (sport and organization standards) things can be considered as acceptable/unacceptable. In non-contested areas an individual can lift something optimally, sub-optimally, safely or dangerously based on their unique structure and capacities,

Second, while there can be more than one way of doing something, inefficiently, ineffectively, client contraindicated or with disproportionate risk/reward ratios are several of those ways.

Third, if left unexamined, unquestioned or unchallenged it doesn’t take much to fall into the over-populated “anything other than what I do/say is wrong” world. 

 

 

Although some differences exist NO reputable kettlebell organization or instructor that I’m aware of would say either of these examples are acceptable.  Even if completely ignoring that fact, as shown the exercise risk raises while its effectiveness and relative safety drop.

…and things ARE WRONG when they violate scientific laws and whats been proven factual in human anatomy and physiology.

HISTORY: I recently viewed a trainers video stating that he hated seeing people swing Kettlebells poorly.  I can get behind that feeling and felt he raised some good points.  

However…based on what I’ve been taught by StrongFirst and Dragon Door his swing wouldn’t have passed standards.

On one end, it could be argued he is guilty of doing what he hates seeing. On the other end, if he is not subject to standards of particular organizations then he isn’t automatically wrong either. Giving a fair benefit of a doubt, his technique might be  perfectly acceptable based on where he learned it…which I hope wasn’t YouTube University.

Did it look dangerous?  Not on the surface, but it would depend on the individual.

Did it look less effective? It would depend on the goal of the exercise. Based on my education it skipped several essential elements of the kettlebell swing.

Smiling, Nodding and Walking-away beats getting into an internet fight over things.