Being a personal trainer is like any other career – there are good and bad trainers . There are trainers that are superior, trainers that are average and trainers that are bad! With the rate of growth in the personal training industry, which is expected to grow by 24% by 2020, there is an increase in less than legitimate types of trainers making it into the industry. It can be hard to separate the good from the bad. Let’s look at 4 ways to spot a trainer that’s bad. If your trainer does any of these things, you should find yourself a new trainer.
#1 Your Trainer’s favorite mantra is ‘no pain no gain’
A trainer is supposed to help you to reach your goals better than you would be able to on your own. Your trainer should safely push you out of your comfort zone and challenge your muscles in new ways that you wouldn’t normally think of on your own.
However, if every workout you find that your trainer is pushing you to the brink you need to proceed with caution. This is the kind of training that leads to you puking in the corner or collapsing. This is not effective training and it can be very dangerous.
You’ll burn out rather than watching yourself gain ground. Worse, you could land up with an injury that leaves you disabled. Pain is how your body tells you to stop doing something – respect that. Some degree of soreness is okay because it means you are pushing your body to a new level or in a new direction, but you shouldn’t be miserable and in continuous pain to get fit.
#2 Your Trainer Doesn’t Take Notes
An important part of every trainer’s job is to put together with a program so you can reach the goals you set. But if your trainer isn’t recording your data, he won’t be able to tell if the program is actually working. We aren’t talking about the reps. Your trainer should be putting together clear and consistent notes about your weights, tempos, sets, reps and exercises so that your trainer can determine what works best for you.
For example, if you are like many, you will mix light, medium and heavy weights and combination of high, moderate and low reps. This mix builds muscles, endurance and strength. It is a good guide but it’s not a ‘golden rule.’ You might see better results with less volume. The right mix is key to the best result and the only way your trainer is going to know this is if they are keeping track of your progress.
#3 Your Trainer Does Not Evaluate and Regularly Re-evaluate
Would you put your trust into mechanic if just started tinkering with the engine in your car, hoping to eventually figure out what the problem is rather than running diagnostics to first figure out what the problem is? Of course, you wouldn’t. The same applies to your trainer.
A good trainer is going to act like he/she was a mechanic and your body was the engine. Your trainer should be assessing your body composition and check your asymmetries, weaknesses and strengths. This will give the trainer a good idea of what your current fitness level is. It will lead to a solid fitness plan for you to follow that is individualized to your needs. This should be reevaluated every 4 to 8 weeks and any necessary changes made to make sure your body and your workout are running smoothly with maximum benefits.
#4 Your Trainer Talks Too Much
A friendly trainer is good, because it will help you to feel more comfortable. But keep in mind your trainer has been hired to provide you with an effective workout that is safe, not to talk about Cyrus twerking or Bieber acting out. A trainer that is too chatty can actually interfere with your workout and the benefits. Studies have proven that when your mind is concentrating on other things other than your workout it doesn’t send the right messages to muscles. Your workout will suffer and you’ll be wasting your money.
Too much talking is always bad for a workout. Just show me the technique and make any adjustments that need to be made, then leave me alone and let me work out. My personal trainer is always writing things down and when I see him write a lot. I know some changes are coming for my next workout.
I see a lot of bad trainers in the gym and they fit this description very well. They are usually the loud mouthed guys walking around like peacocks!
I have to find a new trainer because my old one fits all of these “don’ts”! I just thought that was how they all are, I even caught him posing for these girls during my training session! I pay good money for a trainer and this guy is now out!
Nothing bugs me more than a bad trainer. I’ve never had someone really push me to my limits. I just want to really be engaged with activity. I just don’t think anyone can keep me on task. I’m such a busybody.
Bad trainers are EVIL. I can’t stand someone who doesn’t know how to maximize their workout and I can’t stand a trainer who isn’t excited to help someone out. Give me a good challenge anyday.