The 7 Deadly Sins Of Personal Training
By admin
I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
We certainly did… filled with family, food, sunshine, and a less than stellar but beautiful run.
I know it’s the beginning of July and that means I normally do a Confessions Post…
And while I’ve got some great confessions to get off my chest, I have something else on my mind…
What separates a good trainer from a bad trainer?
It’s a valid question… one I think about every time I go to the gym where Dan and I are members and I see trainers working on the floor with their clients.
I love eavesdropping, and analyzing training styles of others. It has been extremely useful to my own training over the years but it also has helped me to separate the good ones from the bad ones.
And you should know too.
I mean, if you ever find yourself shopping around for a one-on-one trainer, I want you to be confident in your decision and know what to look for (but of course you should check out FitWomensWeekly to get training from yours truly).
The 7 Deadly Sins Of A Personal Trainer
Deadly Sin #1: Impatience
When training, does your trainer stay calm and collected until you are able to perform what ever move they want you to correctly?
Some people can watch a single rep and instantly understand how to work their bodies to make their rep look and feel exactly as it should. Other people can’t.
For some people, doing something like a push-up will have them sticking their butt in the sky (even on their knees) with their nose coming down between their hands instead of their chest. And even after explaining what they’re doing wrong…
It still doesn’t “click”.
I have seen trainers flip out and talk to their clients as if they were stupid for not understanding basic moves.
It’s sad really.
Deadly Sin #2: Laziness
Have you ever seen a trainer simply walk their client from one machine to another while clearly remaining unfocused the whole time?
They don’t attempt to show new and exciting exercises because they don’t want to have to demonstrate. They work their clients just enough for them to say they received a workout, regardless if that work is helping them progress or not.
Laziness catches up quickly, very quickly, as clients need energy in order to move, they don’t want to be around that looks as if they just woke up, even if it is 5:30 am.
Deadly Sin #3: Impersonal
Everybody has their own goals. Your goals are different than mine, and mine are different from the girl working out next to me.
Trainers that treat their clients like an assembly line, giving them all the same workout, without getting to know each client on a personal level and their personal goals, won’t go far.
One of my favorite things about training is the relationships I’ve built with my clients. And I can assure you they feel the same.
Getting to know clients allows them to feel comfortable, to tell you what they like, what they don’t, and what they expect out of their training.
Deadly Sin #4: Uninspirational
There are workouts all over the place thanks to Pinterest, Youtube, and blogs…
People don’t come to a trainer just for a workout.
They come for the motivation and the push. If a trainer fails to be supportive and motivating then they aren’t doing their job.
If that means holding a hand when someone is first getting the confidence up to try a box jump, then hold a hand. If it means giving them a card saying you’re proud of them for sticking to the workout schedule for an entire month, then do it!
90% of women don’t push themselves if they don’t have a trainer or a class to help them.
This is mostly the case with trainers are tired, or have a personal issue going on. Just like with any job… you leave personal issues at the door.
Deadly Sin #5: Monotony
Doing the same thing over and over and over again.
What I love most about fitness is that there are so many options!
There is no reason why a trainer should need to do the same workout, or even close to the same workout, all the time.
Spice things up, get creative!
Monotony doesn’t keep clients… that is why so many people will stick to something for just a month or two before going on to try a new workout program.
If you need some help spicing up workout programs, this is extremely helpful: How To Create Your Own Workouts.
Deadly Sin #6: Fraud
Perhaps the worst of all sins… when a trainer is a fraud.
A trainer is an example for others. If you’re drinking sugar-laden beverages and pigging out on fast food all the time while avoiding the workouts you preach to others….
That’s fraudulent actions and it will catch up. How can you teach others if you don’t follow the habits yourself?
I can’t tell you how this one sin has helped me. It has made me more conscious of my own nutritional and exercise decisions.
Their voices in the back of my mind.
And no, this doesn’t mean perfection is key. I preach enjoying a small cheat meal each week, so because of that, I feel better enjoying my own cheat meal.
Balance… it’s all about balance.
Deadly Sin #7: Lies
Okay, I said that #6 might be the worst… but I lied.
This is.
Honesty is 100% important. Clients ask me all the time how long it will take for them to lose x-amount of weight.
I could lie and say something like, “oh, stick with me and you’ll drop it in a week.”
The real answer:
“I’m not sure… it depends on how dedicated you are outside of the workout. I can teach you what to do, but it is only if you follow my advice and change your current habits that you’ll see real results. Plus, the weight didn’t come on over night and it won’t leave over night either.”
And often times, I have to give tough love… but you know what?
That’s what it takes. I refuse to sell my training as an overnight success plan. And any trainer that gives false promises should be ashamed.
I am not sharing this to come off as perfect myself. I am sure, just like the real deadly sins, that I have been guilty of one or another at some point in my career. I’m human after all.
I think of the real deadly sins, the one that I am most guilty of has been envy when it comes to my job. Seeing other trainers become huge and feeling that twinge that leaves me wondering, what can I do differently?
Perhaps, that can satisfy my July Confession?