A day in the life of a Commerical Gym Trainer

[TAMU_2008]

It’s 7a.m. and I have to get up and start my day. “Are you freaking serious, 7 a.m.?” My first stop before I get to work is Starbucks. I must get my nutritious latte in before anyone gets my full attention. As I walk through the doors at work the cold air from the A.C. unit hits me as if I was in the North Pole. As I pass the front desk I give my shout outs to all the front desk workers. YO BOBBY, what’s up.? Bobby is my work out partner. We are going to hit Bi’s and Tri’s hard as hell today. I will get back to that later. Now I’m heading back to the trainer area and I spot my client. He looks pissed off. Maybe it’s because I’m 15 min. late for the second time this week. It’s not like he is paying $80 a session or anything. Anyways, I greet him and tell him to meet me by the leg extension machine. I have to get geared up before I start any session. First I get my bands and put them around my neck. Next I need to get a stability ball, foam roller, and bosu ball. Damn, I only have two freaking hands and all this stuff to carry. How do you expect me to get my clients the results they need. I’m already pissed off because I did not see him wearing his body bug. That’s o.k. because I will just make him do three more hours on the treadmill this week. Finally, I make my way over to the leg extension and he has started without me. ****, I left my latte, let me go and get it. Back to the training session. We are going to start with leg extension and super set that with leg press. I tell my client to make sure he is really squeezing at the top of the lift to feel the muscle fibers burn. Everyone knows if you don’t feel the burn then it is not working. It also helps to hold your breath till your face turns red and let out a loud scream or fart. This will help relieve some pressure. Next is CORE WORK. We have three exercises that we do that build up the core tremendously. First we need some five pound dumbbells. Even though my client has two left feet, I want him to stand single leg on the bosu ball, close his eyes, and do bicep curls with the five pound weights. This CORE exercise will get you stronger in no time. “That’s if you can master the single leg eyes close thing first” This will make him squat perfect as well. The next exercise is, WAIT, Who the hell is that, I have never seen that girl here before. Those things have got to be fake. Let me text Bobby real quick and get him to come back here to check her out. All of a sudden I hear this scream from my client. WTF, he has twisted his ankle on the bosu ball while I was checking out this hottie. Now I’m thinking to myself, what in the hell were you doing. If your CORE was stronger that would not have happened. Damn it, now I can’t go and talk to that girl. This just pisses me off. I have a hurt client, my latte is still not finished, and now I look like an idiot. Everyone is looking at me because my client keeps screaming. Calm down; we are only trying to help. I can’t help but think this is only my first week doing this and they trust me with this guy’s life. I mean seriously, I went through a whole week of training “yes, one whole week” and got the in house certification. That makes me an expert and I got the freaking paper to prove it. What am I going to do now? My fitness manager is on my *** about trying to get this guy to re-sign and he is going to be out for at least a month now. My club manager is now making me take another class to be a better salesman. I thought I was a trainer. Aren’t we supposed to let the training sell itself? Screw all this; I’m going back to waiting tables. I QUIT!!! I make more money doing that and I don’t have to deal my all the B.S. As I leave I’m so pissed off that I tell Bobby to get ready for the workout of his life, his Bi’s and Tri’s don’t stand a chance today.


Found that on the CrossFit-TheWoodlands website..pretty funny:D

[deadly nedly]

As a former trainer at golds.. all I can say is ... this is way too accurate. I quit for a reason.

[scskowron]

Love it haha.

[jdoleac]

I couldn't do that job. Even when I try and help a friend out with a workout,I don't have the patience to deal with them. They all think I'm an animal because of my workout intensity. I just tell them they have no idea.

[bigv123]

Fitness trainers are the used car salesmen of our generation. Having "been-there and done-that" in this arena I have seen more B.S. from completely clueless trainers given to even more clueless clients desperate in their attempt to find a path to a healthy lifestyle. It's sad to me to see these people constantly bilked for every dollar possible from a social network that's simultaneously claiming to "help them". I've seen a lot of unethical professional behavior in every job I've ever had, but nothing that compares to the fitness industry.

Just MHO,
V

[deadly nedly]

I know man, makes me sick to be honest.

[sbd22]

Most of the Trainners I've met are great people. Ive never hired one and actually they never come to talk to me, its more I say whats up when they walk by and we talk a bit. Its probably because I look experienced when working out. I don't really know how the whole fitness trainner process works but I know my only tiff with them is their constant fetish with supplements. Dont get me wrong, I'm not against them, but when they constantly try to suede me to take different supplements, mainly protein shakes, It just makes me frusterated. It happens every time. What I've noticed is that supplements is a fix all solution for trainers. It works for some people but I've never used them and I've seen great results. I will admit some trainners I've stopped to talk to seem to work their butts off

[deadly nedly]

At my gym while the trainer is having his client stand on the bosu (opposable didget inserted in rectum, count to 10) the client watches ME work out. The client asks his trainer questions about what I'm doing. "Oh that's just DN, he's a psycho, anyways, make sure your thumb is nice and deep, we're going for a good burn." That's fine, I like being called a psycho. And as Coach Rip said once... it is not up to you --or me-- to solve the problems of the world.

However, I've had some fantastic, excellent, top shelf training from collegiate-professional level coaches, and they changed my life. So it irks me to see these poor schmoes getting worked over by some douchebag, who doesn't know how to squat, run, jump... NOTHING! Much less snatch or clean.. and every single one of them is an instant expert in whatever the clients' special needs may be. I bet if I walk into a globo gym right now and said... I wanna get a 200kg snatch by december. They'd be like.. lucky for you, Snatch-Master Stan is on the clock. Either that or look at me and go ... "snatch? Bro we got some big ladies in here sometimes, you prolly don't have to wait till december."

At golds... I was sent to sales training after sales training after sales training.... only ONE time... was it athletic training. And I smoked the absolute piss out of everyone there, including the "guru" we were supposed to be learning from. **** them, and **** that.

The only redeeming part about working there was the women.

[jltiger143]

Hilarious...get this - A new Planet Fitness opened up like 5 minutes from my house...I went to check it out, mostly cause it's cheap and I'd never been in one. I didn't make it past the front desk because I was wearing a bandana (I have long hair, and I workout like a beast - I don't perspire, I SWEAT). Sign says, (I kid you not), no bandanas allowed.

I look at the girl at the front desk (no muscletone to speak of...) and say, "are you serious? No bandanas?", she says "Yep". I say, "Have a nice day!"

Come to find out from my trainer (champion kickboxer and Crossfit enthusiast), that they don't allow grunting there either.

ILMAO...still chuckle, when I think about it. I guess they are afraid that lil old me is a gangbanger. ;)

[9007112]

And that's why I didn't take my ISSA personal training exam, the field of work is great, but there are too many idiots around that ruin it.

They want to be babied, they want you to be their "No.1 fan" not someone who gets them in shape through hard work.

[jhawkins]

As a Fitness Director, if any of my trainers pulled that s### they would be gone as soon as they strolled in late. Commercial trainers are either good trainers and bad salesmen or good salesmen and bad trainers. The problem is that gyms keep the salesmen not the quality trainers. My favorite is the trainer who massages his female clients as they "stretch", or the one who "works out" with their clients. If I paid $70 or more for a trainer, they better push the hell out of me, not be my therapist. I used to train at Gold's and there are a rare few good trainers at commercial gyms, so I hate to strereotype all of them but again that is RARE.

[bigv123]

The #1 goal of most PTs you'll find at Gold's, World's, Bally's or any other mega-gym is to get you to buy more appointments with them. That's THEIR motivation. To achieve that goal, they have to do 1 of 2 things (if not both). #1 - make solid progress toward the client's goal that is objectively measurable. #2 - convince the client that he/she is making said progress. Unfortunately, it's been my experience that most clients have either completely unrealistic goals for the time frame, and/or, are not suitably motivated. Good PTs will do a little of both. But, in the end, a client's success or failure is about 98% dependent on themselves.

I do want to address something that sbd22 brought up...supplements. He said:

my only tiff with them is their constant fetish with supplements. Dont get me wrong, I'm not against them, but when they constantly try to suede me to take different supplements, mainly protein shakes, It just makes me frusterated. It happens every time. What I've noticed is that supplements is a fix all solution for trainers.

I think I can explain this for you. Read the first paragraph above please. Your answer lies in both #1 and #2. PTs tend to push supplements for a few different reasons. The primary one being...they work. Now, don't get me wrong, not everyone is going to get the same benefit out of a given supplement. But, take a look at this objectively for a moment. Most gyms offer VERY little in the way of supplements, and even those that do usually don't give any kind of commission to their trainers for client supplement purchases. Some certainly do, and in those cases it's buyer beware. But in the vast majority of cases, it's not like PTs have any kind of vested interest in the sale of supplements. So why do they do it?? Like I said, it's because they work, plain and simple.

Over the years, I've trained a LOT of different people. Men, women, young, old, athletic, obese...you name it, I've seen it. And over the course of 15+ years I think I've only ever had 2 people come to me that actually had their diet locked down. 2. Total fitness is like a 3-legged stool with exercise on one leg, diet another, and motivation on the third. Take any one of those away and the whole thing crashes down. A lot of clients come into the gym and think that 45 minutes 3 times a week will be able to turn around the 10 years of neglect in 3 months time. Others think that they can simply just diet down for the next 3 months and do the same. Both are misguided. PTs know this. And, supplements are an excellent method to help bridge the dietary gap.

All that said, supplements are NOT the "miracle pill" that some advertising would have you believe. And, they're certainly not mandatory by any stretch of the imagination. However, they WILL make your workouts a little bit more efficient and effective. They WILL help you recover a little bit faster. How much is "a little"?? Who can say? Results are a very individualistic thing when it comes to fitness. For some it maybe as little as 2-3%...for others, maybe as much as 25%. However, getting 3 hours of sleep a night and then expecting supplements to help you keep making progress is a recipe for failure. Drinking 8-12oz Mountain Dews a day instead of water and expecting your supplements to make up the difference will likewise be shooting yourself in the foot.

Supplements become effective and beneficial once the primary pathways are not limiting factors. Loading up on supplements despite having glaring holes in your program and then blaming the supplements for not working is what is called a non sequitur in philosophy (Latin for "it does not follow"). Most of the time the effects these supplements take are readily noticeable. Would you really notice a 5 second improvement on your 4 mile time? How about 1 more push-up on your PST? No, of course you wouldn't...at least not until you actually SAW the results. But, while in the act, you probably wouldn't notice any difference at all. And, you most certainly wouldn't notice any change when you're not working out. Here's a real world example of "fitness perception". Weigh yourself first thing in the morning tomorrow. The day after, do it again. Odds are, they're slightly different. But, you probably feel exactly the same. Take me for example, this morning I weighed in 2.6 pounds less than I did yesterday morning...yet, I felt the same. Point is, you will probably not be able to perceive the changes going on at the time. Some you will, most you won't. Supplements work in a similar vein. Look at the objective data over a solid period of time. Use that as your yard stick and you might just be surprised at what you find.

/soapbox
V

[gmt-nyc]

IWell, I was so dumbfounded a few weeks back I took a pic of a trainer and her victim, er, I mean client. I attached the photo... amazing! The trainer is standing right there watching her client do DLs with 95# if memory serves. Look at that DL form! And she just stands there...

[bigv123]

Back Injury...INC! Good stance width, head is up, can't really get a good look at the grip of course. But, the negative curvature of the back is a serious issue. When I was in college, I saw a Marine ROTC guy jack his back up doing deads with 405 for reps with considerably more negative arch than that. Never saw him again after that...

V

[deadly nedly]

Some studs can dead insane amounts of weight with a round back. But I'd never teach it that way to anyone. Same **** over here man.. if you guys could see the stuff that goes on at the gym I go to... They saw me doing KB swings one day and now it's only a matter of time before they throw a client's shoulder or back out. The trainers seriously watch what I do ... with an uneducated eye .... and tell their clients to do it.... without ever doing it themselves. Rounded back is the rule for deadlifts, KB swings, etc. Makes me want to snap them in half. The whole point of including power exercises is to learn how to generate and safely deal with momentum... not develop ****ty habits that are going to end up as herniated intervertebral discs at the very least. Midline stabilization is a completely foreign concept so far as I can tell.

Good thing is .. it's not my problem.. cause if it was.. I'd probably have to teach every trainer I managed myself, considering the amount of bull puckey which comprises the fitness industry.

Which, I suppose, is what Coach Glassman ended up doing.

[deadly nedly]

and re: that picture....


Is deadly nedly ganna have to choke a *****?

[coronadodreamin]

Come to find out from my trainer (champion kickboxer and Crossfit enthusiast), that they don't allow grunting there either.


I never understood that rule... I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do when I'm lifting a really heavy weight? Laugh and smile; sing a song? If grunting is too intimidating (I've heard this argument several times before) then perhaps those individuals should be in a daycare facility with a bib on.

[gmt-nyc]

As Coach Rippetoe says, "Poor form in the gym is caused by insufficient yelling".

[jmidd]

Wow. What a thread. I read it earlier today, and laughed my @$$ off. Now I read it, and it's more serious. I've got to throw in my two cents.

I think I accidently started the rampage here by referring to the fact in an earlier post that I, too, am a trainer. I referred to a trainer at the gym I workout at (different from the gym I work at) as a piece of steroided beef, and her boyfriend too. I do agree with much of the threads that are going on here.

Most of the trainers at this gym know nothing of functional training, but only of body building. They have watched me and Da_runner working out together now for over half a year. I have been threatened by the owner to have my membership, because according to him, I clearly am training while I'm in there. Nevermind that the TWO of us are sweating more than any other individual in that gym, whether or not they are on the cardio (maybe with the exception of the 400lb fat@$$ who had a hard time walking up to the third level just to get on the treadmill).

We work out hard. We train functionally. We are currently doing crossfit. I love the workouts, but I would not say that these workouts are for everyone. I will use a Bosu ball. I will use a stability ball. They work. I think too many people train with them because of the novelty of using some foreign thing to the client, and they think that the client will be impressed. I love listening to the trainers at the workout gym tell of how "hard their abs are" while they stand there and do a lousy bicep curl. That, gentlemen, is not functional training. That is body building on an inflated breast implant (which, by the way, are still not as large as the owner's Barbie wanna-be wife - talk about disproportional). For those who think that using some of these tools is a total joke, try doing thrusters, try doing your overhead squat, try doing some of the other functional moves on something like this. It's a whole new dimension. Not mandatory, but it's a workout.

I work at a hospital owned wellness facility. You will not find a "weekend certification" trainer at our facilityl. 4-year degree mandatory. I train anyone from people in wheelchairs, to cardiac rehab patients, to former olympic athletes, to semi-pro athletes, to average joe fitness guy. For curiosity (and experimentation) I have taken several of my clients through some of the CF workouts. Some handle it, some bonk really fast. I love the workouts. They will always be part of my workouts. Some people, it's just not for them. (and to save the later posts - I'm not having the rehab patients try CF - I'm referring to fairly fit individuals). As much as I love these workouts, I will soon have to cut them back. I have a triathlon about 4-5 weeks out that I have to train for. CF isn't going to have me ready for it. I'll hit these workouts up a few times a week, and then throw in my bricks and all that good crap.

I would agree with most everything that was posted. Some of you, everything you said I would agree with. There is a lot of crap that you have to deal with. The whiney client, the lazy client, the constant no-show or late client. For every one of those (which, by the way, I'm pretty good at running their butts off, or shaping them up so I don't have to deal with the crap), there are those who genuinely try to succeed. No, some are not fun to work with. It is never as fun to train the 60-70 year old lady with all the limitations as it is the young gung-ho athlete, but there is a lot of reward when you help their lives to become more functional. When they come up to you and are ecstatic when they can stand from the chair whithout using their hands, or when they can play the round of golf without being exhausted or pain free, there is reward. It does take patience, it does come with crap. All jobs do. I will bet, though, that most of you don't walk home knowing that you really made a difference in some person's life. Whether that be helping them reach a once unattainable fitness goal, or helping them to get back to life as it should be, or (heaven forbid - it does happen at our facility often) saving someone's life.

Before you knock it, know it. There are some very good trainers out there who don't do CF. Yea, they're missing out on some kick@$$ workouts, but don't write them off quite yet...

[jmidd]

one more thing....

I much prefer the grunting. I try not to sometimes, but they I just smell the joint up. Just ask Da_runner. I can clear some space.

[da_runner]

I have left this thread alone waiting on Joe to get involved.

The gym we workout in provides entertainment to me as everything written here I see.

The gym Joe works in, and I workout in sometimes, is a totally different place. I was a little embarrassed today when I was grunting on pull-ups and grandma almost dislocated her neck in fear to see who that animal was.
Of course last Saturday I had to stop my workout while I was sweating grunting, and keeping time to help a guy lift some weight Yep he knew I was in the middle of a work out. elbow spotter I became :D

I lost time today because some dude did the slowest workout at my pull up station so I had to book it across the gym.

I am comfortable with education and and knowledge of the people who work with Joe, but, it caters to a clientele that doesn't really go balls to the wall.

I kinda like the gym we workout in together, because the comments from the staff is hilarious, yes I am old so Joe does look like he is training me, but in fairness, I've worked hard on my fit fat guy persona.

Joe knows that I could break out at any moment and become the machine again. cough cough bullsh*t. :D:D:D

[deadly nedly]

I never understood that rule... I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do when I'm lifting a really heavy weight?


The dude who holds the deadlift record in TX used to work out at my golds.. he once said "excuse me, I'd like to make a complaint. There are some big men lifting some heavy weights back there, and I'm not sure if that's allowed."

[jltiger143]

You guys are hilarious...I yelled on Saturday as I was 30 minutes into a timed workout and felt my shoulder strain and spasm as I was on my 28th jumping pullup. Every head in the place turned my way...

I was so pissed I couldn't finish my workout, no one had the guts to say anything about my yelling.

:mad: Still hurting...back to finish the last week of the Warning Order though, starting tonight with #1 of the last 5 six mile runs. I'll give the pull ups a rest though.

[jdoleac]

I always get asked by the "trainers" at my gym if I'm training for an event, as if that's the only good reason to be training that hard. I work out at a very unenlightened place.

[jumpingbum]

Tell me about it. I decided I wanted to become an exercise Physiologist in 1986. I spoke with the head of my department and asked him: do your graduates all have jobs? Wayne Sinning, Mr. "Y's Way to Fitness" looked me in the eye, and lied. He said 'yes.'
I guess he figured that working at BURGER KING was considered a legitimate job for a person with a MA or PhD in Exercise Physiology.

The industry is a JOKE. Even Chiropractors have a national certification and have more respect. ANYONE can call themselves an exercise physiologist and get away with it.