personal trainer pissed off!
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In.0
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I am a band director and it sort of works that way in our field as well. Come to think of it how many hire doctors to help them feel better but don't follow their advice?0
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I had a few hour long sessions with a personal trainer and I did EVERYTHING he said to do. Even when his plan had my legs so sore I had problems going up or down stairs for a week. At the beginning he told me that if I did everything he said he'd give me a free session. After the last session I reminded him of that, and he said he'd give me a free session if I bought three more. So it's not always the client's fault. Some PTs don't know what they are doing- because I don't think being sore for a week after a session is normal- and don't follow through with their promises. BTW he also said he'd look at my food tracker to make sure I was eating the correct things, and he never did that either.0
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I've had a PT and I know I frustrated him with how much I pushed myself at the gym, but then failed in my diet. I know where the blame was, on me. I wish I could still afford to work with him, as he understands that not everyone is the same, everyone is different and has different goals, and not one method works on all his clients. I still see him everyday at the gym and he still checks in on me and encourages me, I know if I have issues I can go to him for help there. That to me is what a good personal trainer is, someone who cares and is willing to continue to help you no matter what.0
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Yeah she's great eh and not taking this personally at all!
Some of us 'lame' people don't need PT's and can do it ourselves.
have you ever been in professional services/customer service type jobs? it's hard.
People treat you like **** and especially fitness- it's last on their to do list.
I had a client scheduled for THANKSGIVING MORNING. One of my few days off from my regular job- and a day where it magically overlapped with my bf- so we could have spent it together- but I drug myself out of bed and off to the gym to train- and the pair of them not only didn't show up- they didn't call or text me to tell me they weren't coming.
People are rude- constantly. they are late- they complain- they don't call. They treat you like a doormat- because "we are paying them- they can wait- whatever"
really? We are people who do other stuff to- and I have had people ruin my whole weekend by not putting in a simple phone call to tell me they were cancelling- I take pride in being there for my clients and I jump through hoops to be there when I'm supposed to be.
Trust me- it's hard to take it on a constant basis- unless you've done it- you have no idea. Yeah- this isn't extremely professional- but the reality is it hurts and it sucks as a professional. People do this because they love it- and want to help people- and instead of helping people they wind up hating their passion because most of the people don't care enough to try.
The good ones- they are what keep you coming back- and they keep your soul in your body- but the rest of them- they make it hard to love what you do- they can make you jaded and bitter.
I suggest walking a mile in the shoes before you start judging.
I'm a nurse. You think dealing with healthy people as a certified trainer is difficult? Try dealing with them when they're sick and in pain. Not only are you on the patient's $h!t list when you tell him no he can't have another pain pill, the doctor wrote one every six hours and it's only been two, but you are also attacked by families, pharmacists, other nurses (oh, yes, the phrase "nursing eats its young" is completely true), housekeepers, chaplains, social workers, the state and JCAHO inspectors, don't forget those that are lawsuit happy, etc., etc. Patient and family attitudes are difficult to take but understandable. The rest less so.
Oh, yeah, don't forget the non-adherent patients. Those that decide they don't need to take their medication, can't afford it because cigarettes, booze or meth is more important, or have found a "natural" (read: useless) concoction given to them by some guy that their cousin's brother-in-law knows who sells the, at best useless, at worst deadly, crap from a lawn chair on a street corner.
I've worked every Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's for the last five years. All day.
I'm not posting this to whine , although admittedly I did more than a little of that, I am posting this to remind the OP and the above ^^ they are not the only ones whose jobs require dealing with difficult personalities. Whining on chat rooms is unprofessional and gives the impression that trainers are drags on society - I'm sure most aren't.0 -
I make my clientele list easy.............................................I choose who to work out with. I consult, assess and work with them for a couple of weeks. If I feel they can continue to improve or aren't going to be a big pain in the *kitten*, then I continue with them. If not, I let them know that I'm probably not the best fit for them. And I've turned away quite a few people who went on with other trainers and either succeeded or not. Whatever the outcome, it worked out for both myself and them.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Ding ding ding.... and this, I believe, would be called professionalism! I would be much more likely to commend someone who honestly thought we would not be a good coaching match than someone who coached me and talked about me later.
I would love to hire a PT ... even just to show me the proper techniques of lifting. I am very obese, but I get my fat *kitten* to the gym every single day and I NEVER quit. I started out being able to barely walk a mile, now I am running miles. I lift heavy weights, I bike. I give it my all EVERY day.
The only reason that I don't have a PT is because my gym stopped offering it, as they didn't have a large enough client base for it to be worth the trainers' time. Which is okay ... because I am proving to myself that I have the determination to get my butt in the gym, eat healthy, and take care of myself.
Although, I would relish every moment of being screamed at in a few PT sessions with Jillian Michaels
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Yeah she's great eh and not taking this personally at all!
Some of us 'lame' people don't need PT's and can do it ourselves.
have you ever been in professional services/customer service type jobs? it's hard.
People treat you like **** and especially fitness- it's last on their to do list.
I had a client scheduled for THANKSGIVING MORNING. One of my few days off from my regular job- and a day where it magically overlapped with my bf- so we could have spent it together- but I drug myself out of bed and off to the gym to train- and the pair of them not only didn't show up- they didn't call or text me to tell me they weren't coming.
People are rude- constantly. they are late- they complain- they don't call. They treat you like a doormat- because "we are paying them- they can wait- whatever"
really? We are people who do other stuff to- and I have had people ruin my whole weekend by not putting in a simple phone call to tell me they were cancelling- I take pride in being there for my clients and I jump through hoops to be there when I'm supposed to be.
Trust me- it's hard to take it on a constant basis- unless you've done it- you have no idea. Yeah- this isn't extremely professional- but the reality is it hurts and it sucks as a professional. People do this because they love it- and want to help people- and instead of helping people they wind up hating their passion because most of the people don't care enough to try.
The good ones- they are what keep you coming back- and they keep your soul in your body- but the rest of them- they make it hard to love what you do- they can make you jaded and bitter.
I suggest walking a mile in the shoes before you start judging.
I'm a nurse. You think dealing with healthy people as a certified trainer is difficult? Try dealing with them when they're sick and in pain. Not only are you on the patient's $h!t list when you tell him no he can't have another pain pill, the doctor wrote one every six hours and it's only been two, but you are also attacked by families, pharmacists, other nurses (oh, yes, the phrase "nursing eats its young" is completely true), housekeepers, chaplains, social workers, the state and JCAHO inspectors, don't forget those that are lawsuit happy, etc., etc. Patient and family attitudes are difficult to take but understandable. The rest less so.
Oh, yeah, don't forget the non-adherent patients. Those that decide they don't need to take their medication, can't afford it because cigarettes, booze or meth is more important, or have found a "natural" (read: useless) concoction given to them by some guy that their cousin's brother-in-law knows who sells the, at best useless, at worst deadly, crap from a lawn chair on a street corner.
I've worked every Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's for the last five years. All day.
I'm not posting this to whine , although admittedly I did more than a little of that, I am posting this to remind the OP and the above ^^ they are not the only ones whose jobs require dealing with difficult personalities. Whining on chat rooms is unprofessional and gives the impression that trainers are drags on society - I'm sure most aren't.
You forgot dealing with emotional baggage of losing patients. I have 2 friends who are nurses, 1 in a pediatric wing and the things she's had to deal with makes me think she's got nerves of steal as i couldn't handle it. Actually it's not just the human medical field, Vets get the same flack as doctors and nurses from irate pet owners. I don't think any of them would vent on an open forum though that's for sure.0 -
Here's a thought: Since they PAY YOU not the other way around, why don't you come up with a different plan that works best for YOUR client? Being condescending and rude doesn't help matters. I'd be pissed if I was paying you and found out you came on a site airing dirty laundry and acting a fool. You would be fired. Just sayin
There isn't a plan on earth that's going to help someone who won't follow a plan.0 -
Edit because it's just not worth it...0
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Which is why I don't stress myself out or feel as if I'm not accomplishing anything. Some people will disagree with my training philosophy and if they do, then they probably shouldn't seek me out as their trainer.
I think if you don't wanna suck it up and take the money of people who aren't following plans right the above is definitely a better way of going about things than posting a massive online rant that at least one of your clients has now seen lolI make my clientele list easy.............................................I choose who to work out with. I consult, assess and work with them for a couple of weeks. If I feel they can continue to improve or aren't going to be a big pain in the *kitten*, then I continue with them. If not, I let them know that I'm probably not the best fit for them. And I've turned away quite a few people who went on with other trainers and either succeeded or not. Whatever the outcome, it worked out for both myself and them.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Try being in medicine, where people who dont follow instructions and are non compliant do crazy things like die.
I can't think of a more frustrating profession than medical doctor in terms of your own education and experience versus who you have to interact with on a daily basis.0 -
thanks Barb, yeah I'm not there to slap a hand every time a client I'm working with makes a mistake.
I'm there to motivate, educate, and make sure a client understands exactly how to safely perform an exercise as well as achieve goals for nutrition and fitness. Its not that hard to change your physique, but it sure as hell hard to change lazy, and as in advance certified personal trainer there's no way I could ever change that.
I don't want to be mean, I'm absolutely not that kind trainer. But those clients who expect me to constantly text message them, post on their Facebook pages, and call them up to make sure that they're following the plan they said they could follow, I can only work with those for about a month. especially when they complain within 2 weeks of how is just not working. Let's be real here, I have to tell them no you are not working.
so this is a wake up call to all of you people out there who hire a personal trainer. There are trainers like me out there who refuse to do your job. If you cannot follow the paid plan that you purchased, no amount of miracle working is going to occur. Yes it is extremely difficult to diet and to be disciplined enough to exercise. In some cases changing the exercise mindset that you have is the worst and most excruciatingly painful thing you will ever perform in your entire life. But when I advocate my clients in the exercise science and nutrition of why they must change, the logic is there yet they still backslide. it is not the trainers responsibility to work a miracle everytime you backslide.
For all you lame people out there too refuse to follow logic and exercise science, please do us a favor and just go to the local YMCA and don't ever hire a personal trainer. Cuz you just give personal trainers a tough time and a bad name.
and yes, if you can't follow a six week plan at 100 percent I guess I'm a very condescending personal trainer. but I sure do give awesome results for those who can follow my plan which is so easy to do....
People hire personal trainer because they think it's a short cut. There is no short cut to this. It's eat right and work hard. We (I'm a personal trainer too), are educated and trained. Do what we say and get the results you want. That's all there is to it.
I push my clients and follow their nutrition because it both sides of the coin that works. You can't have one with out the other.
Personally I'm on your side.0 -
Do you need a tissue0
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I had a personal trainer once and I asked her to help me work on my cardio so my lungs would feel better when I train at kickboxing. I went to every single appointment and she only made me do the same weight routine they had for goodlife the fit fix thing they show you at orentation. If I'm paying extortion prices for something and they are not producing I should not just listen and do what they say because they have a fancy diploma. I understand if I wasn't putting an effort into it but I did and I kept asking for her to help me with my cardio and she would say "next appointment" then rush me through the fit fix workout again.
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I get your frustration... I really do. I worked at a grocery deli counter for years and got treated as worthless or without intelligence plenty. I'm now a 'professional' and I have clients who are awesome but change their minds a lot
That being said, it is a tad arrogant to assume that everyone who doesn't progress as expected doesn't follow the plan - because bodies are evil and you just never know.
Also, I have been working with a pt specifically because I am 'fat and lazy'. The reality is that I always find 50 things that are more urgent than working out at home. So I pay her because that makes me show up and because she comes up with my program. She knows I don't do additional workouts at home (though I do take additional classes). The road to hell is paved with good intentions - some of your clients just suck at managing at time or motivating themselves to exercise because they don't actually like it. It probably isn't just that they suck in general
P.s. When my pt gave me a suggested nutrition guideline, I told her straight up it wouldn't work for me. I know I have blood sugar issues and I have done a crap ton of my own research and I knew her plan was not sustainable for me. She had the wisdom to recognize that it wasn't an insult and to realize that I had managed to lose 40 lbs or so and might not need fixing in that dept0 -
Yeah...I get this. Try being an Elementary School teacher though...those little turds rarely do what you want them to!
Wow, I hope you never teach my child. It would break my heart to know that a teacher called my child a "little turd". Maybe you are in the wrong vocation.
Let's be honest, all kids are little turds. I was a little turd, you were a little turd, even the teacher was a little turd at one point too.
If a teacher said that all of her/his students were angels, i'd call total BS! They're dealing with pure chaos all the time!0 -
Yeah...I get this. Try being an Elementary School teacher though...those little turds rarely do what you want them to!
Wow, I hope you never teach my child. It would break my heart to know that a teacher called my child a "little turd". Maybe you are in the wrong vocation.
Probably. Mine own kids are turds though...what can I say?
It's a bit dangerous to have your picture up on a post where you call your students names. This is the Internet and you don't know if anyone from your admin or parents of students are on MFP. Unprofessional to the max.0 -
Yes, everyone does get frustrated at times, but it's not necessary to call children turds.Yeah...I get this. Try being an Elementary School teacher though...those little turds rarely do what you want them to!
Wow, I hope you never teach my child. It would break my heart to know that a teacher called my child a "little turd". Maybe you are in the wrong vocation.
I was thinking the exact same thing. And I am an elementary teacher.
I was actually trying to illustrate that EVERYONE feels frustrated with their jobs at time, b/c it often happens that people "don't listen to you" whether it be clients, students, co-workers, subordinates, etc. etc. etc. Since when did this get turned around on me? Maybe you people should take your frustration with me out at the gym...with a personal trainer maybe.0 -
What about people that are fat *and* work their *kitten* off and aren't trying to change their physique? What about people with performance goals? I just hope I'm not a terrible disappointment to my trainer, because he's an awesome motivator and great at coaching my lifts and designing my programming.0
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Do you need a tissue
lol0 -
I'm an advanced certified personal trainer and can make anyone have the physique they want, if they follow my plan. I spend so much time laying out instructions, customizing and educating that client. Occasionally I get a lame client who doesn't do exactly what the plan is.
not going to kill lame *kitten* client who is not doing what he has been instructed to do.... not going to kill lame *kitten* client.....
AND
going to train with another trainer who contradicts everything I tell you to do, then you complain to me about you are not improving =
Will you people who pay CPTs please make our life and your lives easier? DO WHAT YOUR TRAINER TELLS YOU TO DO.
Trainers like you are the reason why I'd never pay anyone to be my personal trainer.0 -
I just hired a personal trainer. I listen and do pretty much everything he says. However, sometimes the client knows their body better than you as a trainer. Example, last week, he had me do some seriously intense drills and I felt light headed. No matter what he said, I couldn't finish, and I'm not going to kill myself. Second, he's trying to restrict my calories to 1200 a day and limit carbs (I only eat around 100g a day, how I should restrict that more, I have no idea)..I've successfully lost 12 lbs in just over 2 weeks of training eating about 2300 calories a day. As a diabetic, and as someone who's actually fairly active now, And who's over 300 lbs and 6 feet tall, 1200 calories a day won't cut it. Just because I do my own thing on certain things doesn't mean I'm disregarding what my trainer says. I work damn hard and I will continue to do so. A trainer should be adaptable and not use a one size fits all approach.
Just putting a different perspective on the situation0 -
I have an awesome trainer who truly has become vested in my successes and pushes me to my fullest potential. With his help I've lost 108 lbs in 10 months and am now training for my first 1/2 marathon. I listen to his diet advice and have done every workout to my best ability.
But I have tons of questions regarding what I can and can't eat and where I should go with my program or what exercises I should do or how to do them, etc.
For the CPT's out there, do you consider clients who do what they are told but frequently ask questions a pain? Or would you rather the clients ask you the questions instead of doing their own thing?0 -
I think venting can be a healthy activity. Knowing where and when to vent is also important! I counseled substance abusing clients for years. This is a group that doesn't always follow advice and rules! I learned to measure success in smaller bites and came to realize that every client learns something in the time you spend with them. Maybe they won't reach their goals this time around, but something you teach them today may help them tomorrow! Keep on training and vent with your peers instead of on public forums. For the teacher: My son was smart and fun but also energetic and talkative. I'll bet turd wasn't the only thing that ever went through a teachers mind!0
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I'm a nurse. You think dealing with healthy people as a certified trainer is difficult? Try dealing with them when they're sick and in pain. Not only are you on the patient's $h!t list when you tell him no he can't have another pain pill, the doctor wrote one every six hours and it's only been two, but you are also attacked by families, pharmacists, other nurses (oh, yes, the phrase "nursing eats its young" is completely true), housekeepers, chaplains, social workers, the state and JCAHO inspectors, don't forget those that are lawsuit happy, etc., etc. Patient and family attitudes are difficult to take but understandable. The rest less so.
Oh, yeah, don't forget the non-adherent patients. Those that decide they don't need to take their medication, can't afford it because cigarettes, booze or meth is more important, or have found a "natural" (read: useless) concoction given to them by some guy that their cousin's brother-in-law knows who sells the, at best useless, at worst deadly, crap from a lawn chair on a street corner.
I've worked every Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's for the last five years. All day.
I'm not posting this to whine , although admittedly I did more than a little of that, I am posting this to remind the OP and the above ^^ they are not the only ones whose jobs require dealing with difficult personalities. Whining on chat rooms is unprofessional and gives the impression that trainers are drags on society - I'm sure most aren't.
I wasn't whining- just pointing out that people treat you like crap- I never suggested or would think to imply this is one of the most intense and thankless jobs ever in existence or that PT's are special snowflakes who risk life and limb for clients. Please come on now- I never once insinuated that.
my point still stands that it's a customer service job- and people walk on you like doormates- and that's true for a LOT of professions.0 -
Yeah...I get this. Try being an Elementary School teacher though...those little turds rarely do what you want them to!
Wow, I hope you never teach my child. It would break my heart to know that a teacher called my child a "little turd". Maybe you are in the wrong vocation.
That's funny! My friend calls her son her "little turd." And to be sure, the new baby is NOT "Mama's little turd." Her son will make that clear that only he is "Mama's little turd."
Maybe you need a sense of humor. :laugh:0 -
Yeah...I get this. Try being an Elementary School teacher though...those little turds rarely do what you want them to!
Wow, I hope you never teach my child. It would break my heart to know that a teacher called my child a "little turd". Maybe you are in the wrong vocation.
Probably. Mine own kids are turds though...what can I say?
It's a bit dangerous to have your picture up on a post where you call your students names. This is the Internet and you don't know if anyone from your admin or parents of students are on MFP. Unprofessional to the max.
Gag me with a spoon!
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u r so right!0
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