Rant: unfit personal trainers

[esdoornblad]

This is basically a rant post. What is the deal here? I'm in my 50s with a desk job, and believe that I may be more fit than a 20-something personal trainer that I come across regularly. In addition to a bodyfat issue, I have never seen this trainer do any sort of HIIT (or even light cardio) with clients, only off-normal stuff like absurd Bosu ball movements. Yet, I feel that because obesity is so common, young people see nothing wrong with the picture. Ugh.

 

[Dilan Cummingsworth]

I met a pt with a similar situation. It seems like if you have a piece of paper that says you're "qualified" then you can call yourself a personal trainer regardless of your own physical fitness. Imo if my goal is to drop body fat and get down to around 15% then the person who's giving me advice should have been there or lower at least once in there life and have pictures to prove it. Just because you theoretically know what it takes to lose body fat doesn't mean you should be telling people how do it. Same goes for any type of fitness goal. Take soccer for example, if you've never played at an international level then there's no way that you should be coaching a team at the world cup

 

[deadshot138]

I met a pt with a similar situation. It seems like if you have a piece of paper that says you're "qualified" then you can call yourself a personal trainer regardless of your own physical fitness. Imo if my goal is to drop body fat and get down to around 15% then the person who's giving me advice should have been there or lower at least once in there life and have pictures to prove it. Just because you theoretically know what it takes to lose body fat doesn't mean you should be telling people how do it. Same goes for any type of fitness goal. Take soccer for example, if you've never played at an international level then there's no way that you should be coaching a team at the world cup

How many of the NFL coaches have played in the playoffs? Oh.

 

[Dilan Cummingsworth]

How many of the NFL coaches have played in the playoffs? Oh.

Don't really know too much about NFL tbh. But in regards to personal trainers, if I want to hire one to get shredded then they better be in really good shape as well. If they're not then that would be like taking advice on competing in mma from a sherdogger

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

This is basically a rant post. What is the deal here? I'm in my 50s with a desk job, and believe that I may be more fit than a 20-something personal trainer that I come across regularly. In addition to a bodyfat issue, I have never seen this trainer do any sort of HIIT (or even light cardio) with clients, only off-normal stuff like absurd Bosu ball movements. Yet, I feel that because obesity is so common, young people see nothing wrong with the picture. Ugh.

Why do I get the feeling that we've been at the same gym before...?

 

[Thorpedo28]

When I went to get a PT as wanted to learn a bit more around technique and planning (Goals are different to pure strength)

The PT i went with squatted in excess 220kg , cleans 175kg and that was one of the reasons I felt he could help me, and he did.

 

[dannysmith]

Have you seen Boris Sheiko?

 

[Cid]

LOL @ thinking PT has anything to do with training. You're just there to talk to them in between sets.

 

[Thorpedo28]

LOL @ thinking PT has anything to do with training. You're just there to talk to them in between sets.

Feedback on technique, helping you learn new movments/lifts safely?

 

[esdoornblad]

I met a pt with a similar situation. It seems like if you have a piece of paper that says you're "qualified" then you can call yourself a personal trainer regardless of your own physical fitness. Imo if my goal is to drop body fat and get down to around 15% then the person who's giving me advice should have been there or lower at least once in there life and have pictures to prove it. Just because you theoretically know what it takes to lose body fat doesn't mean you should be telling people how do it. Same goes for any type of fitness goal. Take soccer for example, if you've never played at an international level then there's no way that you should be coaching a team at the world cup

Yes, there is definitely the general aspect to this situation that makes a PT with low performance numbers (like bodyfat or max bench or whatever) suspect. But my feeling is more like fundamental disappointment at living in the "new millennium" where even PTs are overweight and nobody notices, or even considers them overweight.

 

[dannysmith]

Feedback on technique, helping you learn new movments/lifts safely?

Being a PT is mostly about selling gym memberships.

 

[Dream Evil]

I agree that a PT needs to look the part. I've never had one, but I would find it difficult to take him/her seriously otherwise.

 

[heavyarms21]

This is basically a rant post. What is the deal here? I'm in my 50s with a desk job, and believe that I may be more fit than a 20-something personal trainer that I come across regularly. In addition to a bodyfat issue, I have never seen this trainer do any sort of HIIT (or even light cardio) with clients, only off-normal stuff like absurd Bosu ball movements. Yet, I feel that because obesity is so common, young people see nothing wrong with the picture. Ugh.

We are the generation that has the most obesity and I feel like it's getting worse.

It's having a trickle down effect to the military. Some of the recruits that go to Marine Boot camp were so substandard that more , the athletic trainers started to design PT sessions to teach kids how to run and jump properly. They call it "Bases" because it's meant to improve their athletic base.

 

[DoomPatrol]

Have you seen Boris Sheiko?

I think it's fair to say that you get a pass when you get something like 40 world medals out of your training program. His background details are a little fuzzy, but I would imagine that at some point he was pretty strong himself. I don't think he ever competed as he started coaching out of school, but I have to imagine when he was younger he was getting it too.

 

[dannysmith]

I think it's fair to say that you get a pass when you get something like 40 world medals out of your training program. His background details are a little fuzzy, but I would imagine that at some point he was pretty strong himself. I don't think he ever competed as he started coaching out of school, but I have to imagine when he was younger he was getting it too.

I cant argue he wasnt strong at one point but nobody has any insight on that but him at this point.

But same for a personal trainer. OP says hes fat and doesnt do HIIT. Nothing else. He could be a great trainer despite that.

 

[DoomPatrol]

I cant argue he wasnt strong at one point but nobody has any insight on that but him at this point.

But same for a personal trainer. OP says hes fat and doesnt do HIIT. Nothing else. He could be a great trainer despite that.

I would be fine with a fat personal trainer if he wrote a dozen books on aesthetics fitness and had a few dozen winners in bodybuilding/strength contests above his desk. Otherwise I'd probably take a hard pass.

 

[dannysmith]

I would be fine with a fat personal trainer if he wrote a dozen books on aesthetics fitness and had a few dozen winners in bodybuilding/strength contests above his desk. Otherwise I'd probably take a hard pass.

I didnt say he shouldnt take a hard pass. I mentioned a man who looks like none of the above who was successful.

The trainer OP is talking about COULD be a legend in his field some day and his own body composition will have little to do with it.

I also said most PTs jobs is really just to sell memberships.

 

[TheSlothMan]

Don't really know too much about NFL tbh. But in regards to personal trainers, if I want to hire one to get shredded then they better be in really good shape as well. If they're not then that would be like taking advice on competing in mma from a sherdogger

Eh, you should probably have more standards aside from them 'being shredded' if you were theoretical going to hire a trainer. I've seen several 'shredded' trainers give absolutely retarded advice to clients.

 

[mmajunkie12]

lol have you seen the majority of olympic coaches? how bout sports coaches? knowledge makes you a great trainer, not doing pushups along side your clients.

 

[thugpoet]

"Do as I say not as I do"

I don't care what someone looks like as long as they know more than me and can help me get better.