About becoming a personal trainer

[Kyle Aaron]

Wendler didn't say everyone on the net agreed. He said he and Rip and other strength coaches agreed.

Him and Rip and some strength coaches are far from the entire internet when it comes to training "advice."

 

[The Hamburgler]

True that ^

Had my first non friend or family client. Think an hour session might be too long for her. She literally just wants to keep moving without breaks.
Maybe I'll just have to push her harder til she needs a break lol

 

[Kyle Aaron]

Start the stopwatch and then try it circuit style. Allow 1'00" per bodyweight exercise, and 2'00" per weight exercise.

goblet squats
inverted rows
pushups
prone brace

They're self-paced, but you can't sit or lie down to rest - rows must be rested at the hang, pushups raise your bum in the air, etc. Do those four in row three times and see if she wants a rest after a mere 12'00". And of course, you can regress or progress the exercises. If she's pumping away on goblet squats, change to split squats; from inverted rows with knees bent to legs straight to feet elevated; from knee pushups to toe pushups to feet elevated; from prone brace on elbows to on hands to raise rear leg. Etc.

Or have her do (for example) 10 reps, then sprint down the driveway and back, then the next exercise.

Obviously you can do the same with kettlebells. Swings, squats, rows and presses work well. 1'00" of each, "faster!" then sprint, etc.

Barbell complexes are good for this. Hang clean + front squat + push press. Do that for 2'00" with just the bar and see what happens. If she finds it easy, "good warmup," and then put 5kg on each side.

Tabata is always your friend with the cocky clients, too.

She'll be asking for a break soon enough.

 

[PowerBuilder]

Wendler didn't say everyone on the net agreed. He said he and Rip and other strength coaches agreed.

Him and Rip and some strength coaches are far from the entire internet when it comes to training "advice."

Alright. I was wrong.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

At the gym we've got a retention system, whichever instructor does the first session with the person is responsible for getting them to come to more appointments or at least talk to them in the gym to try to make sure they stay a member.

A few weeks back a guy came into the gym for his initial consult. Straight away I thought, "this will be a lost member six months from now." He outright said, "I haven't worked out because I'm lazy... no, the routine I get makes no difference, I'm just lazy. I probably won't come often."
"So why are you here?"
"Well, I thought I'd try."
"I can't promise results. That's up to you. Doesn't matter what routine I give you if you don't do it."
"Fair enough."
He had not enough patience to learn any free weight compound movements, so I just gave him some machines and one or two dumbbell exercises, can't remember exactly.

The other day I was showing a guy through a routine in the squat rack and this bloke rocks up. "I wanted to tell you," he said, "I am lazy, but I am honest."
"... okay," I said uncertainly.
"I haven't been doing your routine."
"Well, that's up to you."
"I'm just telling you because I'm honest, I may be lazy because I'm honest."
"Um, good."
"I've just gone to the next room and done those machines."
"Well, you're getting your body moving, that's good."
"Yeah but I'm not doing the routine you gave me."
"I assure you that you're not the first gym-goer to ignore the advice of gym staff."
"Well I'm lazy but I'm honest."
"Rightyo."
Eventually he wandered off.

I didn't know how to tactfully say, "actually I don't give a fuck." There are so many people in gyms who want help and advice and will take and follow it, I've got no energy left over for the rest.

It was all rather odd.

 

[The Hamburgler]

Start the stopwatch and then try it circuit style. Allow 1'00" per bodyweight exercise, and 2'00" per weight exercise.

goblet squats
inverted rows
pushups
prone brace

They're self-paced, but you can't sit or lie down to rest - rows must be rested at the hang, pushups raise your bum in the air, etc. Do those four in row three times and see if she wants a rest after a mere 12'00". And of course, you can regress or progress the exercises. If she's pumping away on goblet squats, change to split squats; from inverted rows with knees bent to legs straight to feet elevated; from knee pushups to toe pushups to feet elevated; from prone brace on elbows to on hands to raise rear leg. Etc.

Or have her do (for example) 10 reps, then sprint down the driveway and back, then the next exercise.

Obviously you can do the same with kettlebells. Swings, squats, rows and presses work well. 1'00" of each, "faster!" then sprint, etc.

Barbell complexes are good for this. Hang clean + front squat + push press. Do that for 2'00" with just the bar and see what happens. If she finds it easy, "good warmup," and then put 5kg on each side.

Tabata is always your friend with the cocky clients, too.

She'll be asking for a break soon enough.

First session was to just get a feel for where she was at
I wouldn't say she was cocky, she just comes from boot camp background where they're moving non stop for an hour straight
Ive got her on Thursday and Friday so I'll see what I can do lol

 

[PTC]

On Monday night, coach Goosey tells me some proffesor of exercise science is coming to talk to me. He runs the physios who work part time at the club. He is the knowall head honcho who controls these dimwits.

Anyway, him and Goose disagree, I wont go into what, but they dont see eye to eye.

So this clown comes in on Monday night. Goose introduces us. He stands there watching footballers and PTC clients lifting, little Jesse is squatting 120kg for reps etc

This guy says nothing, not a word, realises he may be out of his depth here, waits for me to get distracted, and disappears. I doubt he was familiar with much of the equipment he saw.

No bikes, treadmills or rowers, fuck, panic, guys powercleaning on a platform, others squatting.

I walked outside 30 minutes later, he was just sitting there leaning on the fence. Never set foot back in the gym.

Goose and I laughed. I guess most clubs he goes to dont have that level of equipment or lifters.

The fucking book learned maggot told Goose that our 6'5" guys should not be lifting weights, any weights. Goose lost it.

This moron stood there in his polo shirt with Personal Trainer and other titles printed all over it, stunned.

One day I'll tell you what one of his physios said to me, you wont believe it.

 

[Zdeněk]

one day i'll tell you what one of his physios said to me, you wont believe it.

tell me!!

 

[The Hamburgler]

Sounds like some of the guys involved in the AFL.
I had one of my teachers at AIF try justify guys doing single arm lateral raises as part of a strength program, the other classes members had a good laugh at me trying to stop myself from flipping out (this happened a few times lol)

 

[Rugby88]

Sounds like some of the guys involved in the AFL.
I had one of my teachers at AIF try justify guys doing single arm lateral raises as part of a strength program, the other classes members had a good laugh at me trying to stop myself from flipping out (this happened a few times lol)

OHHHH AIF - never listen to anything they say lol

 

[tat maytals]

Sounds like he was after some input from you. Maybe you should have asked him more about what he was doing. Could have been looking for guidance or change of routine.

At the gym we've got a retention system, whichever instructor does the first session with the person is responsible for getting them to come to more appointments or at least talk to them in the gym to try to make sure they stay a member.

A few weeks back a guy came into the gym for his initial consult. Straight away I thought, "this will be a lost member six months from now." He outright said, "I haven't worked out because I'm lazy... no, the routine I get makes no difference, I'm just lazy. I probably won't come often."
"So why are you here?"
"Well, I thought I'd try."
"I can't promise results. That's up to you. Doesn't matter what routine I give you if you don't do it."
"Fair enough."
He had not enough patience to learn any free weight compound movements, so I just gave him some machines and one or two dumbbell exercises, can't remember exactly.

The other day I was showing a guy through a routine in the squat rack and this bloke rocks up. "I wanted to tell you," he said, "I am lazy, but I am honest."
"... okay," I said uncertainly.
"I haven't been doing your routine."
"Well, that's up to you."
"I'm just telling you because I'm honest, I may be lazy because I'm honest."
"Um, good."
"I've just gone to the next room and done those machines."
"Well, you're getting your body moving, that's good."
"Yeah but I'm not doing the routine you gave me."
"I assure you that you're not the first gym-goer to ignore the advice of gym staff."
"Well I'm lazy but I'm honest."
"Rightyo."
Eventually he wandered off.

I didn't know how to tactfully say, "actually I don't give a fuck." There are so many people in gyms who want help and advice and will take and follow it, I've got no energy left over for the rest.

It was all rather odd.

 

[The Hamburgler]

OHHHH AIF - never listen to anything they say lol

Dw I turned our class into powerlifters lol

 

[PTC]

tell me!!

Einstein approached me after screening the players, he said he was concerned that every player was stronger in the top 6" of a squat than they were in the bottom 6".

True story

He wanted to know how I would go about correcting it.

My head immiediately spun around, I was looking for Ashton Kutcher.

 

[leachy]

Einstein approached me after screening the players, he said he was concerned that every player was stronger in the top 6" of a squat than they were in the bottom 6".

True story

He wanted to know how I would go about correcting it.

My head immiediately spun around, I was looking for Ashton Kutcher.

That would make the ROM about a foot. That guy sounds like a freakin idiot.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

Sounds like he was after some input from you. Maybe you should have asked him more about what he was doing. Could have been looking for guidance or change of routine.

I was paraphrasing the conversation. He didn't want detailed feedback. He just had this odd thing where he wanted to openly admit he was ignoring everything I'd told him.

Sounds like some of the guys involved in the AFL.

They have some odd ideas. I was talking to a trainer involved with them. He was doing half squats.
"Don't you want full range of motion to strengthen glutes and hams, reduce chance of hamstring injury?"
"Oh no we do stuff like this," he said demonstrating. Lay down in front of the cable machine, put a strap on his heel, stretched out his leg and did a really slow hip extension/flexion.

Seemed silly to me, but I always say: results count. Do teams who abandon deep squats and replace them with half squats and slow cable hip extensions (a) have less hammie pulls and (b) win games more often? If the answer to both is "yes", it's a good idea. If the answer is, "well, it depends..." then probably not.

I wouldn't claim to know either way. Despite what they told us at PT school, most of us will never work with top athletes.

Theory's great, we can learn a lot. But what about results? One of my clients told me another trainer had said you shouldn't hold your breath during squats and deadlifts, you risk injury. I asked, "Do this trainer's clients squat or deadlift more than their bodyweight on the bar?"
"Not even that. Half squats and stuff."
"So that is the result of that trainer's advice. No-one is injured, no-one gets strong."
"I guess. I want to be strong, but I don't want to get injured."
"Ask the other trainer if they can name a healthy person who was injured holding their breath, or where some trainer got sued successfully because of their advice on holding your breath while lifting heavy."

Hasn't got back to me, so I assume the answer is "no-one."

I would ask the visiting clipboard guy if the teams he's advised have (a) lowered incidence of injury and (b) won more games. If so, all good. If not, thanks, bye.

Results count. This is why I don't give PT business advice

 

[eje]

But Markos..Kyle...don't you know Prof clip board has letters before and after his name, doesn't that mean i should accept what he says as truth??? You should accept what he says as well....

 

[knoted]

But Markos..Kyle...don't you know Prof clip board has letters before and after his name, doesn't that mean i should accept what he says as truth??? You should accept what he says as well....

Well generally yes, you should trust people with letters after their name. It's just exercise science (and nutrition somewhat) that are a bit mixed up.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

I trust them enough to actually wait to hear the results they've got, if any.

If Random Unqualified Unexperienced Stranger says, "I reckon so-and-so," I'll dismiss it out of hand; that person has nothing on which to base their ideas, so any resemblance between their ideas and the truth is purely accidental.

If someone with experience and/or qualifications says it, I'll wait to hear results.

After all, people with experience contradict each-other, people with qualifications contradict each-other, to say nothing of people with experience contradicting people with qualifications, and vice versa. How to resolve the contradiction?

Results count.

 

[PTC]

Apparently the exercise science guy has told Goosey that he'll check out the boxing rather than the gym stuff lol

Not a single word was uttered to me.

What a dick.

 

[GHOSTrun]

Einstein approached me after screening the players, he said he was concerned that every player was stronger in the top 6" of a squat than they were in the bottom 6".

True story

He wanted to know how I would go about correcting it.

My head immiediately spun around, I was looking for Ashton Kutcher.

u n b e l i e v e a b l e