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Personal Trainers Pretty much Suck on Average?

ghettostudmuffin

ghettostudmuffin

New member
Don't get me wrong, I respect a good personal trainer that has developed a decent physique and/or a solid amount of strength and trains his clients well and gets them results. But every gym I have trained at has had lameass personal trainers. It's a joke. The gym I go to now is one of the best in the area and the PT's look like they barely lift! They are usually young, cocky guys that try to look like Brad Pitt or something and have about as much strength as your old grandpa has if he got real psyched up after a win at a local bingo tournament. They have decent builds, but no SIZE whatsoever. Not unless you consider a 15" muscular arm big on a guy that's been training for years and has several training certifications and acts like he's the shit.

Also, I see them making their clients do the dumbest looking exercises all the time and I wonder, what's the point of that? Like today, as I'm walking out of the bathroom at my gym on my way to my car I see one of the REAL COCKY PT's having his female client do unweighted calf raises against a wall. HMM? Oh ya, he has her leaning on a stability ball that's on the wall pressing on her chest as she's doing her calf raises on the ground with no weight, no block for the stretch, and she's doing them with both legs, not one leg at a time. Try and picture the rediculousness ofthat image in your mind. I think it's safe to say she'd get a better workout walking up a nice size set of stairs in high heels carrying her purse. AS a bonus, at least she wouldn't look stupid, and at least the PT wouldn't be embarassing himself. What a joke!

Last week I saw one of the PT's having his male client do 45 degree leg presses with 50lbs. That's no typo. "50" heavy ass pounds. His client probably weighed 160lbs and even on his first workout could probably handle 180lbs no problem.

Finally, the biggest problem I see is these guys barely seem interested in their clients when they are doing their sets. They always have them use too little weight and not enough intensity. Not once have I seen a single PT at my gym put a client through an even moderately demanding workout.

Anyone have any stories of some lamo PT's you've seen, and some of the stuff they have their clients do that defies all possible logic and reason?

P.S. Good PT's are a great thing and valuable to a good gym. Bad PT's just suck worse than suckass. :smshot:
 
I used to be a pt, sort of

Basically pt's don't need to be knowledgeable, just confident. Most people joining a gym don't know shit about working out, and they just want someone to tell them exactly what to do. Many are willing to pay for this.

It's sad, but to be a successful (loose definition) pt you just have to be a good salesman and seem like you know what you're talking about.

Of course, to be a GOOD pt takes much more.
 
Im sure there are good Pt's somewhere..My gym is exactly the same..for instance this trainer is training a younger kid prolly 20 so friday theyre benching first set is 135 (i guess thats a warmup) then 225 and the trainer strained his back pulling up the weight numerous times!!! then they load 275 on the bar after barely getting 225????so 275 for 2 very heavyy assisted reps..yesterday im in te gym and theyre benching again...this kid is like 150 soaking wet..they just have no clue..Also i dont think you can equate a good physique with someone being a good trainer..it would help as advertisement..but we all have different ideas of what we want to look like..to me someone 200 or less even if theyre ripped i would consider small but thats just me
 
Ill give ya all the low down on the PT scam.....I mean business. To sum it up fast if its a trainer working for a gym all they are paid to do is sell more training,Im tellin you right now as a gym owner myself I would hire a good salesman as a trainer before Id hire a jacked knowlageable person thats just business, and If it is someone that is a serious client and they buy training usually I just train them but thats only happend once. thats why you see trainers useing the a balls and other things, See that way the workout is so complicated that there is no way they could train without you. If you want a real trainer find one that works for themselves and there income depends on you seeing results. Training isnt a service to members in a gym its a PROFIT CENTER bottom line.
 
BIGDHO said:
Ill give ya all the low down on the PT scam.....I mean business. To sum it up fast if its a trainer working for a gym all they are paid to do is sell more training,Im tellin you right now as a gym owner myself I would hire a good salesman as a trainer before Id hire a jacked knowlageable person thats just business, and If it is someone that is a serious client and they buy training usually I just train them but thats only happend once. thats why you see trainers useing the a balls and other things, See that way the workout is so complicated that there is no way they could train without you. If you want a real trainer find one that works for themselves and there income depends on you seeing results. Training isnt a service to members in a gym its a PROFIT CENTER bottom line.
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yeah, i didnt like the pt thing, i wasnt a great salesman
i gave my clients workouts that they could continue on with themselves and get results, then would scheduel a session at like 3-4 weeks to see if anything needed to be tweaked, not huge revinue generator for Balleys
 
they major in macking on chicks but you know what, they almost all suck but they're not there for us.. they're there to get housewives and college kids working out. Sure, we know they're dorks but unless they offer me advice I could give a shit about polo-shirt boy and his 180lb bench.
 
The ones I see always seem to be training women on the leg curls. Hmmmm. Nothing beats a hot chick on a leg curl :p . Except pull throughs, but I don't get to see that.
 
I see the same bullshit described above at most of the gyms Ive been to also. At one Gold's I used to train at, the trainers had thier clients doing some of the most rediculous shit Ive ever seen. One trainer would attach cables to the power rack, usually when I was deadlifting, so Id be sure to drop alot of weight and scream, sometimes in excess of 700lbs on the beast lifts, just let it slam at full force. Once the cables were attached he would have his client throw punches with the cables around his hands. Then some bullshit where he walks forward with the cables, until thier fully stretched. Then some more shit on the rubber ball. It was fucking rediculous. The people who pay them must be fucking stupid or some shit.
 
Good stuff! I knew I wasn't alone in my thoughts! Keep it coming.

Oh ya, here's another observation of mine. I've noticed that the PT's train most of their clients on machines. Especailly the girls. Now I think a few pieces of Hammer Strength equipment and a few pieces of TRU equipment is good, but only as supplement to a few different exercises. These PT's almost always have their clients working on those crap machines that you never heard of that you know SUCK. It's really sad.

As to the guy that's a gym owner, thanks for being honest. It just confirms what I already thought.
 
to the guy that's a gym owner, thanks for being honest. It just confirms what I already thought.[/QUOTE]



Yep its sad but true. Truth be told fitness centers hate guys like us because we use all the weights that are heavy we demand hi quality equipment, we USE our membership not just once or twice a week, and we know better than all the b.s most gyms are pushing on there members ie Apex sups.,p.ting, stablity balls ext. Most everything at most gyms are geared for the middle aged upper middle class people that still think that if you do 100 sit ups a night you will get a six pack..........sad but true.
 
[/quote] ie Apex sups
actually, Apex supplements are quite good. They are made by Phoenix Labs which also makes Pinnacle. Apex doesnt push anything that doesnt have good scientific (valid) backup either.
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ie Apex sups
actually, Apex supplements are quite good. They are made by Phoenix Labs which also makes Pinnacle. Apex doesnt push anything that doesnt have good scientific (valid) backup either.
Click to expand...

I know who makes them and I know they work thats not the problem I have with them. The problem is the price. Its crazy what the charge for a 4 lb tub of rather weak protien and not just to the consumer but to the club . Not to mention that you have to buy into there franchise and pay a retarded amount of money just to sell there product. My main point about them is they are just another profit center that clubs use to milk money from members. Truth be told you could buy sups. that are just as good or better for less than half the money.
 
WalkingBeast said:
I see the same bullshit described above at most of the gyms Ive been to also. At one Gold's I used to train at, the trainers had thier clients doing some of the most rediculous shit Ive ever seen. One trainer would attach cables to the power rack, usually when I was deadlifting, so Id be sure to drop alot of weight and scream, sometimes in excess of 700lbs on the beast lifts, just let it slam at full force. Once the cables were attached he would have his client throw punches with the cables around his hands. Then some bullshit where he walks forward with the cables, until thier fully stretched. Then some more shit on the rubber ball. It was fucking rediculous. The people who pay them must be fucking stupid or some shit.
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LOL!!! Funny shit bro :chomp:
 
Personal trainers do suck on average. They got nothing that I would benefit from. Like someone else said they have their clients do all this geigh stuff with stability balls, pink dumbbells, and isolation machines. I think its based on the idea that "I dont want to get huge, or bulky" which is completely BS. People obviously dont realize what it takes to get huge.

Muscle is muscle, might as well go the most effective route to get there...IE compound lifts, free weights.
 
I agree that most personal trainers suck, but let me at least help you guys understand what PT's deal with

The average client is:
-unmotivated
-apathetic
-very out-of-shape
-severely posturally f-ed up

Yes putting these people on hardcore freeweight programs would probably help them more than crappy machines, but freeweights are likely to scare them and won't keep them motivated.

THey want to feel worked but not destroyed. Like why would you show up for personal training if you knew you were going to take a pounding by doing deads to failure.

Plus people usually have severe muscle imbalances and postural problems. Those need to be corrected through a combination of flexibility and core stability ball work. Otherwise if you throw people directly into a heavy weight program it will make their imbalances worse.

so have some sympathy for pt's, even the good ones probably start out doing shit that appears lame to most gym rats. It's out of necessity, not everybody is going to make iron such an integral part of their life as we have
 
I mostly have disagree with that post casualBB.

I agree that they probably have clients that are unmotivated and that's probably because the damn PT doesn't push them hard enough to see results. Part of a PT's job is to motivate the client.

Very out of shape huh. Ok, but the body adapts very fast. You can start them out light and build up in a rather short period of time.

Not everyone that hires a PT is severely posturally fucked up. And as far as I can tell, most lifters posture isn't that great either on average. I should know, I was in the Navy so I know a little about posture.

Free weights probably do intimidate the newbs, but that's why I feel PT's do a diservice to their clinets by making them believe that machines are just as good as barbells and dumbells, when for the most part, they are not. Which is better, get them accustomed to free weights and good form quickly, or have them wait along time before getting into them. That's like taking a step forward and then a step back which definitely isn't the same as 2 steps forward, 1 back.

I personally never try to feel destroyed after a workout. Thoroughly worked or maybe a little tired, ok. Feeling strong and worked being even better. It's part of the PT's job to figure out what the client can handle as far as intensity, volume and frequency goes. With those little charts they carry it should become obvious very quickly whether or not their client is overdoing it. As for too much intensity, that is pretty easy to circumvent. NO training to failure. It's not even neccesary imo. I might have them do it for the first workout or 2 on a couple exercises so they know what it is, but it's not necessary to go to momentary muscular failure. That's get's rid of most of the too much intensity as long as exercise and set volume is reasonable. Overstraining on sets should be avoided. No need for the whole body to shake and such on a set for the most part. That's overkill. A PT should have the experience to know when to tell a person to end a set. It's not hard to tell when a person is getting close to failure.

Most people in general have muscle imbalances. A simple supervised and structured 10-15 minute full body stretch before each workout will take care of flexibility issues. Postural problems can be addressed by making the client aware of what correct posture is and how it feels. Generally things to avoid that affect posture negatively can be explained rather easily.

Abs should be done either first thing or last depending on your guidelines as a PT. I prefer after, but that's just me. For others I'd probably say before to make sure they do the ab work justice. Strong abs using weighted situps, crunches and leg raises is key to developing a strong mid-section and posture. I never see PT's have their clients do a weighted ab workout. 1000 reps and/or 10 different variations of crunches does not equate to strong abs.

I'm not doggin good PT's. But 99% of the PT's I have seen at different gyms do indeed suck. And I know what exercises are done to correct postural and structural imbalances and I'm pretty good at guessing what an exercise is supposed to do if I've never seen it before do to experience and common sense, 2 things most PT's seem to lack.

And for most PT's, their utter lack of strength and size doesn't help their case.

I repeat, I respect good PT's, but honestly, most SUCK. :worried:
 
OK let's put this in perspective.

Personally I wouldn't waste my coin on a PT either. I've seen the same bullshit going on in my gym too. None of the clients seem to break a sweat, lame ass excersises, etc.

However, if...IF a PT wants to have a client base, what's he gonna do when some fat assed housewife, or desk jockey says I want to look like a magazine model? Is he going to work them like they should (intense, diet-concious, focussed workout regieme) and then have them quit cause they just don't have the commitment level to begin with? Or he could just outline what they REALLY have to do to shed that fat ass and gut, and have them bail before they pay the consult fee?

Or....OOOORRR...

Is he going to get them some general excersise that will definately improve their health and daily well-being and get paid in an ongoing fashoin?

If I was a PT, I'd lose 99% of my clients before the first week was out cause I'd be dropping or replacing calories in thier diet, and have them soaked with sweat after an initial breaking in period. I mean what do these guys do? Put an ad out that says "I'll be your personal trainer but only if your 110% dedicated and not gonna "flake out" on me?

If I ever was to hire a PT, I'd be telling him "O.K. put away your usual round of bullshit and understand I'm here to work my ass off. If I'm not in competitive shape in X months, you're fired AND I'm gonna fuck your wife."

It's a business like anything else. Ever notice when you order food that is advertised as "HOT and SPICY" it barely rates above table pepper? It's toned down to the lowest common denominator just like PTs are doing (albiet some are just plain idiots to begin with).
 
I said it once Ill say it agian...............If its a trainer working for the man ( a fitness center) then everything is based around selling more training not getting results for the client. Trust me Ive been to all the mojor conventions for gym owners where we get together and talk about how to make more money and every time PTing is a mojor topic.........why............because if done right you can sell the average joe over and over agian. Bottom line pting is a profit center for clubs not a service to the members. If you want aa trainer find one that is independant from any club that whay he isnt sales driven but more results driven.
 
i have to laugh, because I havent heard one person who actually trains people criticize other trainers. its always, "i could do it better"... well step up to the plate then!

until you walk a mile in another man's shoes....
 
My favorite is when they start a 300lb guy and a 110lb girl on the same program and same weights. Even though both of them have very different goals they are getting trained exactly the same.

Cheers,
Scotsman
 
They mostly suck, and the reason why is the same reason you the people at the fast food drive through also suck, and the janitors suck, and receptionists suck.

It's because you need a modicrum of ambition to be good at anything, and people with ambition who work hard, study hard, and improve themselves typically do not get stuck with jobs that pay poorly - ala trainers at your local gym.

If I or many of the people on this board were going to try and be personal trainers, we would fail miserably because most people wouldn't appreciate us enough to pay us enough for what we are worth.

That's why you are much better off doing your homework and sharing/gaining knowledge here and being your own personal trainer rather than getting some dork with an ACE cert he got through two evening class at the Learning Annex(TM).
 
When I first started to train I've worked with a few different PT's.

The first guy I worked with seemed to have a solid understanding of training, and a lot of ambition. He could never put it together though, he never had a plan for me, he just sorta came in and made me do whatever he was in the mood for. He was also fond of these dumb exercises that I hated and knew that carried no benefit, but he insisted on them. He also had a few problems outside of work, some days when we were supposed to train together, he wouldn't show up, no phone call, nothing. Overall I was very disatisfied with him, and wasn't the least bit sad when the gym fired him.

The second guy I worked with is Anthony Williams, a five time Canadian Bodybuilding Champion, who actually owns the gym I worked out at. I only did three sessions with him (he charged a lot), but I learned a lot and become more focused and intense with my training. I enjoyed working with him, he was an inspiration. When I wanted to quit he'd get right in my face and demand another rep, he pushed me beyond my comfort zone. I loved every minute of it.

The latest guy I worked with is also very good. He'd come to the gym with a plan, and he did his homework. His workouts were solid and challanging, I was sucking wind in 45 minutes. He also educated me on nutrition and other training related subjects. Great guy, I'll probably work with him again in January.

So I've had 2 good PT's and 1 bad PT, that doesn't seem too bad.
 
I guarantee Bignate that I could STEP UP to the plate and do a FAR better job than any personal trainer at any gym I've ever met or seen do, but, and this is a big BUT, it wouldn't be worth it for me to go out and take one of these guys jobs because like BIGDHO said, I probably wouldn't get hired because I'd get the clients immediate RESULTS and I'm not some cocky salesman. Also, members would either be very happy with the progress they make and stick around and their wouldn't be a high turnover rate of new clietns coming in for me which would probably get me fired, or they'd get pissed at me cuz I actually made them work hard enough to get results.

Either way you look at it, the majority of PT's at gyms are indeed lamo because of the business side of it and because they are lame enough to put people through non result producing wack routines even if they know it sucks.

I respect good PT's. Guys that make a living off of it and have their OWN PT business and get their clients results.

And btw, it seems like everytime I go to the gym people ask for advice on something or another and I offer it freely and I know it will work. Just yesterday a guy was starting to lift weights and he wanted to do squats, but wasn't sure how to, so I showed him what I would consider to be the finer points of good squat technique in a power rack. I went about my back workout and as I finished up a set of dumbell rows I happened to witness perfect squat technique from the same guy I just instructed. So I know I could do it ALOT better than any PT I've encountered that worked for a gym. I walked by to get a drink and told him his technique was very good and he said thanks and I could tell he was gonna keep it up. Sometimes you just "know". That was for free and better than any PT in that gym will ever do.
 
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well personally I have gone through 3 private trainers- the first guy was great untill we got into a fight & couldnt train together (ie dont get personaly involved w/your PT), the second one was a dingbat chick (never again!), the third one competited in bodybuilding inthe 70s & still trains the pros (3 of his guys are competing in the Olympia this yr).

so not all are bad, but men are better than women and older guys that competed are the best :)
 
I agree, not all are bad. Of course your typical gym PT is not a former competitor that trained in the 70's and is training 3 guys that are competing in the Mr. Olympia or a 5 time canadian bodybuilding champion.

All of these guys probably charged for their services rather than got payed some lame salary from a gym. Am I right?

That's a totally different story from what I'm talking about.

I respect guys that charge for their services and have skills, not the scrawny lamos trying to pass as PT's you see in most average gyms.

Big difference.

I have met "some" VERY knowledgeable Pt's that were either physically impressive looking or BIG and strong. I respect guys like that. From what I can tell, they are not the norm. I'd say I've met 4 guys that were good PT's out of the literally dozens I've seen or come in contact with.
 
i have to laugh because many of you think results are the final outcome of training. you believe that YOU will get it for them, and i see this constantly with newbie trainers. then they get frustrated...because they cant do it for them. the majority of the talk is about the skill each of you has, and thats great, and the knowledge you could impart, and thats great too. Most trainers go through burnout just before it dawns on them that they cant do the work, the client has to. going back to the talk of commercial big business gyms, they sell on the want, but 9 out of 10 clients dont have the drive to go for the results. they come for the regularity, accountability, appointment factor (because they wont go without one), social setting, venting, psychological relief, etc.

im glad each of you has had victories helping people with form, or program design, but day in day out, you wont see a complete group of clients with high work ethic. if you did, chances are they wouldnt be training with trainers. at least the general trainers that you see day to day. specialized trainers are another story and people seek them out for refinement and then leave after the purpose is served. we are talking 2 different breeds here.
 
All of your points are good and valid bignate.

I think I'll quit contributing to this thread I started because it's old and crusty right now.

In fact, I'm brushing flakes of this crap off me right now.

My thread went from entertaining to stupid.

It's mostly my fault.

I hereby leave this thread never to return for all of time. :wavey:
 
MsBeverlyHills said:
well personally I have gone through 3 private trainers- the first guy was great untill we got into a fight & couldnt train together (ie dont get personaly involved w/your PT), the second one was a dingbat chick (never again!), the third one competited in bodybuilding inthe 70s & still trains the pros (3 of his guys are competing in the Olympia this yr).

so not all are bad, but men are better than women and older guys that competed are the best :)
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I'm sure MsBeverlyHills could teach us all a thing or two about squats. Even if we didnt learn anything you'd have our full attention. Especially if you wear what the girls in my gym wear :p
 
I have ACE, what's a good cert? I asked around before and most people told me to get ACE, now I hear that it sucks.
 
bignate73 said:
ISSA
NASM
NSCA-CPT or CSCS if you are degreed.
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I just attended a Thomas Plummer convention and NASM was there. Not a bad system. Seems like they really push functional training. Have you seen that new system I think its called body maping?? or something like that. Its supposed to find your weak points and then the cpu spits out a bunch of streaches and movements to improve the weak points of your body. To me its just another way to close a sale on the first visit. It is fun to do though.
 
GhettoStudMuffin said:
Don't get me wrong, I respect a good personal trainer that has developed a decent physique and/or a solid amount of strength and trains his clients well and gets them results. But every gym I have trained at has had lameass personal trainers. It's a joke. The gym I go to now is one of the best in the area and the PT's look like they barely lift! They are usually young, cocky guys that try to look like Brad Pitt or something and have about as much strength as your old grandpa has if he got real psyched up after a win at a local bingo tournament. They have decent builds, but no SIZE whatsoever. Not unless you consider a 15" muscular arm big on a guy that's been training for years and has several training certifications and acts like he's the shit.

Also, I see them making their clients do the dumbest looking exercises all the time and I wonder, what's the point of that? Like today, as I'm walking out of the bathroom at my gym on my way to my car I see one of the REAL COCKY PT's having his female client do unweighted calf raises against a wall. HMM? Oh ya, he has her leaning on a stability ball that's on the wall pressing on her chest as she's doing her calf raises on the ground with no weight, no block for the stretch, and she's doing them with both legs, not one leg at a time. Try and picture the rediculousness ofthat image in your mind. I think it's safe to say she'd get a better workout walking up a nice size set of stairs in high heels carrying her purse. AS a bonus, at least she wouldn't look stupid, and at least the PT wouldn't be embarassing himself. What a joke!

Last week I saw one of the PT's having his male client do 45 degree leg presses with 50lbs. That's no typo. "50" heavy ass pounds. His client probably weighed 160lbs and even on his first workout could probably handle 180lbs no problem.

Finally, the biggest problem I see is these guys barely seem interested in their clients when they are doing their sets. They always have them use too little weight and not enough intensity. Not once have I seen a single PT at my gym put a client through an even moderately demanding workout.

Anyone have any stories of some lamo PT's you've seen, and some of the stuff they have their clients do that defies all possible logic and reason?

P.S. Good PT's are a great thing and valuable to a good gym. Bad PT's just suck worse than suckass. :smshot:
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You know what the problem with telling people to use heavy weights is.
They get scared. You and I both know that there not going to get anywhere with 50lbs on leg press. But the thought process of most of the 40 somethings that come through the gym and end up with one of the young trainers you were talking about is "hes going to train me like im 20 years old, im going to get injured."
Beyond that, they have there preconceptions about what sort of training gets you particular results.
If you give them 180lbs on leg press (4 BIG plates! right off the bat!) there going to think you didnt listen to them when they said they dont want to get huge, just get in better shape.
You would more than likely see alot of good personal trainers if it wasnt for the mentality of the public. What they want is a talking version of "Oxygen", "Shape" or "Mens Health". Because theyve looked into it a little. They have a few of those mag's hanging around. And if you tell them that they wont look like one of those muscle-women by working hard they wont believe you.
If they do what you say anyway and work hard. There going to so afraid that when all there fats gone theyll be a ripped muscular man underneath.

There are so many misconceptions out there, and unless your reputation proceeds you (ie: theyve been reffered to you by a friend, and not just picked you up because you work at that gym) you will probably have to abide by them. Because as anyone in any entry level position, your young and dont have much credibility.

And the worst part is, you get the best clients as you get older. (assuming your moving up and working towards your goals as a PT) The 16-29 year old males who really want to work hard, and improve there preformance, and arent afraid of injury.

But you get the housewives that the gym gives you when your just starting off who think because your young and male you dont understand them.

Bottom line, weather they know what there doing or not as a Young PT you wont have much success making your clients work hard.

Success comes from listening to them intently, and most of the time the customers these PT's Get just want someone to show them the ropes. Rarely will they come to you asking to be pushed hard. It happens, but thats not what they want most of the time.

Just my experience.
 
casualbb said:
I agree that most personal trainers suck, but let me at least help you guys understand what PT's deal with

The average client is:
-unmotivated
-apathetic
-very out-of-shape
-severely posturally f-ed up

Yes putting these people on hardcore freeweight programs would probably help them more than crappy machines, but freeweights are likely to scare them and won't keep them motivated.

THey want to feel worked but not destroyed. Like why would you show up for personal training if you knew you were going to take a pounding by doing deads to failure.

Plus people usually have severe muscle imbalances and postural problems. Those need to be corrected through a combination of flexibility and core stability ball work. Otherwise if you throw people directly into a heavy weight program it will make their imbalances worse.

so have some sympathy for pt's, even the good ones probably start out doing shit that appears lame to most gym rats. It's out of necessity, not everybody is going to make iron such an integral part of their life as we have
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I';m a PT and totally agree, doing deads to failure and squatting huge weights or light weights can be potentially dangerous to clients... even some athletes, and who wants to train with a trainer that got them hurt, the workouts we take our clients through are sissy, bullshit workouts to people like you and me, but to them it is a huge change and commitment, and also platueas do occur, these people are not very dedicated so it is our job to SLOWLY help them make a LIFESTYLE change, by helping them see continuous results to keep them motivated. What may seem simple to you and me can make the HUGEST differences in someone's self esteem and confidence. not everyone is in it to look great, yea that is a plus, but some just want to play with their kids in the yard, or even live long enough to see them graduate, PT is not as big of a joke as you guys make it out to be. Ease up a little
 
GhettoStudMuffin said:
I guarantee Bignate that I could STEP UP to the plate and do a FAR better job than any personal trainer at any gym I've ever met or seen do, but, and this is a big BUT, it wouldn't be worth it for me to go out and take one of these guys jobs because like BIGDHO said, I probably wouldn't get hired because I'd get the clients immediate RESULTS and I'm not some cocky salesman. Also, members would either be very happy with the progress they make and stick around and their wouldn't be a high turnover rate of new clietns coming in for me which would probably get me fired, or they'd get pissed at me cuz I actually made them work hard enough to get results.

Either way you look at it, the majority of PT's at gyms are indeed lamo because of the business side of it and because they are lame enough to put people through non result producing wack routines even if they know it sucks.

I respect good PT's. Guys that make a living off of it and have their OWN PT business and get their clients results.

And btw, it seems like everytime I go to the gym people ask for advice on something or another and I offer it freely and I know it will work. Just yesterday a guy was starting to lift weights and he wanted to do squats, but wasn't sure how to, so I showed him what I would consider to be the finer points of good squat technique in a power rack. I went about my back workout and as I finished up a set of dumbell rows I happened to witness perfect squat technique from the same guy I just instructed. So I know I could do it ALOT better than any PT I've encountered that worked for a gym. I walked by to get a drink and told him his technique was very good and he said thanks and I could tell he was gonna keep it up. Sometimes you just "know". That was for free and better than any PT in that gym will ever do.
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Seriously, you showed a guy how to do a squat with good technique??? great a video can do that. Some PT's do suck u are right, however showing someone how to do a squat does not say you can be a Good PT
 
This is all so familiar to me, i was at a health club and it was full of spiky haired, skinny, polo shirt wearing imaginary mr olympia syndrome suffering faggots.
I spoke to them on many occasions and all the weight training they had was a 3 day!! course, thats 3 days!!!!!!! to learn wat takes a lifetime to master. they would perform barbell rows without about 120lbs the weights swinging about everywhere, back rounded legs str8, it was so comical. Then when we were having discussions about correct form etc they would say shit like "wat do i do, im a personal trainer thats wat so i think i know more than u", too funny. i mean fair enough most of the time there only required to train wasters that just come in for a month after new yr then give up, but occasionaly they do need to train someone that has an idea of wat hes doing, but they dont have the knowledge. im sure people will argue with me on this but i personally dont think someone is qualified to do pt unless they have a good physique to show that wat they know and there theories work!!
 
What about the PT who do not even follow their own guidelines? PT should be some of the fittest and healthiest people. The majority of them are but my gym has the one guy who as a huge belly giving instruction. I could never pay for a service about trying to get myself fit from a PT who is not fit themselves. It makes no sense to me.

I would like to find one but a good one cost alot of money. I have some but not enough to pay for a good one.
 
This thread is retarded.........Ghettostud you need to look at the bigger picture and not your narrow little scope of viewing things. You've obviously never been a trainer or been around a wide variety of gym types other than the muscle heads.

Not everybody is trying to be a pro bodybuilder and has their own goals. A good trainer just has to be fit, have concrete knowledge and a good personality to be a good trainer. the average person is intimidated by a huge BB type anyways. Why? Because that's not an attainable goal for a person that just joined the gym. Some people want to be monsters and some people just want to be healthy and fit. Why prejudge based on size? it's ridiculous. Anyone who thinks a trainer has to be a monster is just viewing things based on their own goals. Coincidently I actually got more clients after i lost alot of weight during a hard time in my life, because i didnt have that intimidating juicehead look anymore...


Granted, most PT's do in fact suck.....why? Because you have to have a certain combination of elements to be a good trainer. It's a business so of course you have to sell, but you have to also be a motivator, able to establish a rappor with your clients and of course work people out effectively so they acheive their results.Most people have one or two of the qualities but only good trainers have all of these above...and those are the ones that excel in the industry. Ever wonder why the turnover rates are so high in gyms? It's because very few possess ALL of those qualities. I

The level of commitment will always vary with your clients but if you can tinker and adapt to your clients they will always at least acheive something.

Most trainers can't break through their clients because they don't realize the reason they're there....It's the fact they're insecure about themselves. Anybody will go a great length to stop insecurity, it's about you creating that image for them and making it feasible.


Most clients are beginners.....if you put them through intense workouts all the time they get discouraged and dont look at working out as fun anymore. Part of the job as a trainer is making the workout fun. That's why after muscle specific training i'll do boxing or some type of other fun stuff with my clients.
A good trianer will have a grace period, work them out hard but not to the point of passing out....and then progressively increase the workload as their commitment increases.
 
Actually I have been a trainer and I know what I'm talking about lol.

And you're right. Most gym pt's do suck.

I know what the big picture is. I've worked with 65 year olds. I've worked with girls. I know everyone's goals are different.

AND, I stll stand by what I said. Most suck. I never said all did now did I?

Btw, I don't look through a narrow little scope on things. If you've read through this whole thread than you should have realized that before spouting that bulloney off. And you have no idea the kinds of people I've been in contact with so keep the assumptions to yourself, K.
 
I disagree. i have been a PT for 10 years. I have many opinions like ya'll do, but they are like assholes, everyone has them. My practices work. Calories burned v calories ingested equal wt loss, if calories ingested are fewer than those burned.

This equals...workout hard, eat fewer calories than needed and loose wt. But everyone cannot be a trainer. It takes committment, education, personality and ability.
 
I haven't read the entire thread admittedly, and yes, there are gobs of shitty-ass PT's with shit "physiques" that are basically ripping ignorant people off while the gym is profitting bigtime.

HOWEVER, as a PT I can tell you that every single one of my clients gets the result that I promise. I dont bullshit and because of this I have earned respect not only because of what I have done with my own physique, but because of the knowledge and motivation that I have imparted to my clients. Hell, my co-workers want me to train them too! (front desk and childcare staff)

What you all are forgetting when talking about MOST gym members is that they are not hardcore strength or bodybuilding wanabees and their goals are very different from your goals.

A hyuge juicehead would not necessarily be a better PT than the cheesy-assed chick who has zero muscle tone.

Most gym members just need a bit of nutritional guidance, a bit of education about the way their bodies work (ie - "Why can't I burn the fat first and then build the muscle?"), orientation as to how to perform numerous movements safely and effectively and get into a GOOD HABIT of coming to the gym for several weeks. Once all of these components are in place you have a very satisfied client who is now a walking billboard for you, not to mention that they will most likely recommend you to their equally clueless (as they were before YOU came into their lives via the vehicle of you offering your services to them) friends and family.
 
GhettoStudMuffin said:
Don't get me wrong, I respect a good personal trainer that has developed a decent physique and/or a solid amount of strength and trains his clients well and gets them results. But every gym I have trained at has had lameass personal trainers. It's a joke. The gym I go to now is one of the best in the area and the PT's look like they barely lift! They are usually young, cocky guys that try to look like Brad Pitt or something and have about as much strength as your old grandpa has if he got real psyched up after a win at a local bingo tournament. They have decent builds, but no SIZE whatsoever. Not unless you consider a 15" muscular arm big on a guy that's been training for years and has several training certifications and acts like he's the shit.

Also, I see them making their clients do the dumbest looking exercises all the time and I wonder, what's the point of that? Like today, as I'm walking out of the bathroom at my gym on my way to my car I see one of the REAL COCKY PT's having his female client do unweighted calf raises against a wall. HMM? Oh ya, he has her leaning on a stability ball that's on the wall pressing on her chest as she's doing her calf raises on the ground with no weight, no block for the stretch, and she's doing them with both legs, not one leg at a time. Try and picture the rediculousness ofthat image in your mind. I think it's safe to say she'd get a better workout walking up a nice size set of stairs in high heels carrying her purse. AS a bonus, at least she wouldn't look stupid, and at least the PT wouldn't be embarassing himself. What a joke!

Last week I saw one of the PT's having his male client do 45 degree leg presses with 50lbs. That's no typo. "50" heavy ass pounds. His client probably weighed 160lbs and even on his first workout could probably handle 180lbs no problem.

Finally, the biggest problem I see is these guys barely seem interested in their clients when they are doing their sets. They always have them use too little weight and not enough intensity. Not once have I seen a single PT at my gym put a client through an even moderately demanding workout.

Anyone have any stories of some lamo PT's you've seen, and some of the stuff they have their clients do that defies all possible logic and reason?

P.S. Good PT's are a great thing and valuable to a good gym. Bad PT's just suck worse than suckass. :smshot:
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You shouldn’t judge the work out unless you know the customers full medical history. Maybe it’s the persons first time doing the exercise and the PT is focusing mainly on proper form. Or maybe the customer has certain medical issues that restrict him from lifting heavy weights. Everybody’s needs are different.
 
flowerz said:
You shouldn’t judge the work out unless you know the customers full medical history. Maybe it’s the persons first time doing the exercise and the PT is focusing mainly on proper form. Or maybe the customer has certain medical issues that restrict him from lifting heavy weights. Everybody’s needs are different.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Not only that but you have to realize that not everyone in a gym wants to look like Arnold or Corey Everson... that is even if they COULD. What good would it do to totally turn someone off to physical activity altogether by pounding their asses into the ground within the first few days of them entering a gym, many after an entire lifetime of being basically sedentary?

I have only one client that is bigtime hooked on bodybuilding. She is 43 y/o female, one teenage son let herself go BIGTIME last couple years. Granted she has a lot of weight to lose, but since she has been training with me she has lost a total of 49"... in THREE MONTHS!... bout 10 pounds so she is definitely building muscle and shedding fat.

She has had many trainers in the past but has hardly has any results, nevermind the results she has gotten with me. She is strong as a freaking horse and loving every second of the pounding I give her in the gym... But most of my other clients only want to she some fat and feel better in general, no ass-pounding needed. Just some general guidance in movements and form and general nutrition.

Now the free PT sessions... those are a horse of a different color. I figure, if it is on me - then dammit----- it am gonna HURT! :chomp:
 
I used the PT sessions at my gym, basically because the first 3 were free with membership. Nice girl, but I knew way more than she did, and I don't even know as much as I should. She was the one that sold me the membership, so I guess she wanted to do the sessions herself. After the first one, I kind of wanted her to go away.
 
Synpax said:
They mostly suck, and the reason why is the same reason you the people at the fast food drive through also suck, and the janitors suck, and receptionists suck.

It's because you need a modicrum of ambition to be good at anything, and people with ambition who work hard, study hard, and improve themselves typically do not get stuck with jobs that pay poorly - ala trainers at your local gym.

If I or many of the people on this board were going to try and be personal trainers, we would fail miserably because most people wouldn't appreciate us enough to pay us enough for what we are worth.

That's why you are much better off doing your homework and sharing/gaining knowledge here and being your own personal trainer rather than getting some dork with an ACE cert he got through two evening class at the Learning Annex(TM).
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good stuff
 
In most gyms i've seen pt's getting the people on the right machines and exercises, but they do about 30 different exercises with 1 set each of 10 reps and they really hog up all the damn machines and get in he way. And when they don't know what to do they ask you and some of the bullshit trainers won't give much detail and put them on exercises I don't know!
There is my 2 cents on that.
 
Yea I like it when you see these chicks that are PT and they have fat asses and tree stump legs. And its real bad when you see some dude that weighs 200 + using the 100 pound female trainer to train him. I have a few of those going now at my gym!
My wife's friend just paid $2000 for some 5'4 230# plus Male PT thats at our gym to train her so she could lose weight! Focking hilarious!
 
I never understood why some PT's never really introduced weights to their customers. I train at Bally's and I see so much BS going on that I wanna puke. I can understand the theories behind exercise balls and resistance band training but why DON'T PT's introduce more weights into their training? Sometimes it looks like the trainers just introduce ideas to the customers and don't really dive into the material. I mean not everyone can be Charles Glass but shouldn't there be some kind of code or respect for the gym if you are representing it?
 
Physical Fitness according to the US army:

- Agility
- Balance
- Coordination
- Speed
- Power
- Reaction time
- Cardiorespiratory endurance
- Muscular endurance
- Muscular strength
- Body composition
- Flexibility

Yet some of you people think you can judge someone just by his/her size? Try running 10 km when you look like Ronnie Coleman (and I mean running, not walking). Try boxing someone who's lean and muscular instead of just big. Try climbing a mountain.

You only practise 1 or maybe 2 aspects of physical fitness. A good PT would make his client FIT instead of BIG.
 
RDJ said:
Physical Fitness according to the US army:
You only practise 1 or maybe 2 aspects of physical fitness. A good PT would make his client FIT instead of BIG.
Click to expand...


A good trainer helps people reach there goals.

If Im training a guy who wants to be a pro bodybuilder and could give two shits about cardio or running ability Im not going to spend his money or time having him run 10 miles up a hill.
 
I am 20 years old and I love doing my job as a PT at Golds. And yes it sucks that the gyms care more about sales than the people but thats how most business works. To be a good PT you have to have not just knowledge of exercise but personal experience with all types of exercise. I will never give clients exercises that I havent done myself. because if i don't/haven't done them they probably dont work.
 
Well, I read every single one of the posts.
And that's saying alot since I'm sitting here at an internet cafe.


Perhaps a more suitable title for this thread would have been:

People who become Personal Trainers for all the wrong reasons and who are incapable of interacting with people at a level of 'teacher', definitely suck.

If you decide to use the services of a Personal Trainer and not a salesman then the most important thing you need to remember is that the 'trainer' works for YOU.

If the trainer does not do the following:
  • asks you what your realistic goals are
  • listens to you
  • speaks with you
  • understands your capabilities and/or limitations
  • motivates you
  • works with you
  • creates a unique nutirtional/workout routine to help you achieve your goal in a safe and healthy manner
  • explains all relative aspects of your routine in a manner you understand
  • answers all your questions
  • modifies your routine when necessary

.... then look for a new trainer.

Also, make sure you inform him/her why you are looking for the services of a new trainer. The majority of posts here have all contained valid points and concerns. But how many of you have actually expressed these concerns to the individual? Unless you make your concerns known, these standards of practice within the fitness industry are going to continue. Stand up for yourself. Express your concerns. Afterall, you are paying for this service or lack thereof. Just make sure that your concerns are valid. It is pointless yelling at a trainer because you were still overweight for your class reunion when you spent 5 of the last 7 days eating pizza and ice cream. Be realistic in what you expect to achieve and what you expect from the Personal Trainer.

As to the trainer's level of certification ... that can almost seem irrelevent. I know guys who have more letters in their certification than they do in their name but they are incapable of conversing with a client on a level which the client understands. The end result is frustration, wasted time, and missed goals. Conversely, there are guys on EF without any certification whatsoever who could take a person from point 'A' to achieving their goal with complete satisfaction.

So a true Trainer not only has to be knowledable on the subject, but he/she has to be able to converse at a level which the client understands so that they can achieve their goal. Information is only useful when it is shared.

A Personal Trainer is not a necessity to achieving your goal but finding a good one can almost be considered a 'rarity'.

______________________

KP -- Fitness Basics
 
I train at Lifestyles...groan...but I am in my own world when I workout and they have allot of good equipment, only a few big guys workout there. The PT's THERE are a joke...although the people they train really aren't motivated. When I joined they told me that I get three free workouts with a PT, I told em no thanx and they just kept trying to push one on me till I almost started shouting at em.

They also told me that the people working there are at the top 15% for physical fitness in the country....BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAAA! I sw the guy who signed me up struggling with 185 on the bench and doing half reps...WTF?

The shit they have people do is hilarious, 'specially with that stoopid friggin blown up giant rubber ball. One of the PT's was "training" someone with it and it was in the way of one of the big guys in the gym, he was pretty psyched up, and he kicked it so hard it bounced all over the gym.

I agree that it is a business though and they make good money on their PT's.
 
Edmund said:
I train at Lifestyles...groan...but I am in my own world when I workout and they have allot of good equipment, only a few big guys workout there. The PT's THERE are a joke...although the people they train really aren't motivated. When I joined they told me that I get three free workouts with a PT, I told em no thanx and they just kept trying to push one on me till I almost started shouting at em.

They also told me that the people working there are at the top 15% for physical fitness in the country....BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAAA! I sw the guy who signed me up struggling with 185 on the bench and doing half reps...WTF?

The shit they have people do is hilarious, 'specially with that stoopid friggin blown up giant rubber ball. One of the PT's was "training" someone with it and it was in the way of one of the big guys in the gym, he was pretty psyched up, and he kicked it so hard it bounced all over the gym.

I agree that it is a business though and they make good money on their PT's.
Click to expand...

The ball isn't stupid to the people who can benefit from it. People with balance problems, older clients, etc. Just because they won't get big from using it doesn't make it worthless. Not everyone is there for cosmetic appeal. Some people just want to be healthier. If I was training someone and using the ball and some dick head came up and kicked it out of the way i'd have some problems with the dude. Just because someone doesn't agree with something doesn't make it wrong. I don't use the ball myself, but alot of my clients love the damn thing. So we use it.
 
Didn't mean to be a smart ass...was just funny at the time. And I sure wasn't gonna mess with that guy. Even the PT guy laughed. I am sure someone can benefit from "the ball" but they sure do seem to pull some exercises outta thin air.
 
I agree i dont use the ball myself either but it really helps my older clients with support and balance work.
 
Edmund said:
Didn't mean to be a smart ass...was just funny at the time. And I sure wasn't gonna mess with that guy. Even the PT guy laughed. I am sure someone can benefit from "the ball" but they sure do seem to pull some exercises outta thin air.
Click to expand...

Yeah, i have people do some odd things on there. The main reason for some people is just adherence. People always want to do new, cutting edge stuff, so to keep them interested, motivated, paying my bills, etc. I use the ball with them. Didn't think you were being a smart ass, i just thought the guy who kicked the ball seemed like a dick. But if it was all in good fun, then i'm with it. WS
 
When I started at the gym I am at now the PT ran the same old sales pitch by me. What program are you doing now? What is your diet? I bet he wasn't expecting the real answers I gave him because most people probably say "nothing really". A couple of weeks later he was actually working out in the free weight area and was watching me do my 5x5 routine. He asked me, like I had slapped his mother or something, "You work chest and back on the same day?" When I mentioned dual factor training to him, I could tell he didn't have a clue. :rolleyes:
 
BIGDHO said:
A good trainer helps people reach there goals.

If Im training a guy who wants to be a pro bodybuilder and could give two shits about cardio or running ability Im not going to spend his money or time having him run 10 miles up a hill.
Click to expand...

Well you are ofcourse 100% correct, I overreacted somewhat. I replied to some person that claimed a PT wasn't worth anything if he aint massive. So I thought there's more to fitness than being big, but ofcourse you are right. If you want to be big and nothing else, a good PT will give you size and nothing else.

But still you cannot judge someone because he's not as big as you want to be.
 
I have read this whole thread and I have two bones to pick-

Stop underestimating the BALL! Not only is this a great tool for seniors, but there are also highly advanced core moves that some of you muscle guys could never even attempt because you have lost all your flexibility in your quest for bulging biceps and legs.

Not all female trainers are chunky and uninformed! I am the PT Director at an all-womens fitness center. All of our trainers have a degree in EP or Physical Therapy and a national cert. They all work out regularly. We encourage our staff to participate in three different 5k's for charity. I have competed in figure, and our aerobics director has competed in fitness.

When you sign up at crappy chain gyms like Bally's-you get wannabe trainers. If you are looking for a gym with reputable trainers-contact ASCM or Cooper Institute to find out where their certified trainers are working.
 
Jeanine:

Give it a rest. swiss ball training can be beneficial and not all BB are inflexible. I use swiss ball training with my clients 8 times a month and gains are made. I doubt you are a highly trained pro or you wouldn't debate this topic. I hold CSCS, PILATES AND ACE cert: Plus I am a certified nutritionist
 
wtlftr said:
Jeanine:

Give it a rest. swiss ball training can be beneficial and not all BB are inflexible. I use swiss ball training with my clients 8 times a month and gains are made. I doubt you are a highly trained pro or you wouldn't debate this topic. I hold CSCS, PILATES AND ACE cert: Plus I am a certified nutritionist
Click to expand...

I said "don't underestimate the ball"-meaning it can be beneficial? I dont get what you are debating? I don't think ALL bb's are inflexible-just MOST. I don't really care if you doubt I'm a pro-atleast I can read:)
 
it doesnt matter what we do...PTs jus follow 3 simple rules

Make the client happy
Make the company happy
Make more Money.... :qt:

suckers will pay just about anything when u hook them.

you seems pretty obessed with weights...well a little advice here..its not the weight that matter..its the quality of the technique when doing the exercise that matter most.

Size doesn't matter...a professional muay thai kick boxer can break your 20++" arm with 1 roundhouse kick...and they weigh a mere 120pounds of lean muscle mass.

<Edit>
oh ya last but not least...don't under estimate the power of a swiss ball...
try doing a squat on one 75" ball..they require huge amount of core stability strength to do so. even better still jus do a 60 second swiss ball lunge or isometric squat ... even the biggest and meanest guy will shit in his pants.
I had ever train a 200" pound professional bodybuilder here in my gym and i can easily kill him off with a green dyna band(i wack his RC :p)
 
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