Personal Trainer pushing me to do machines

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chel325
chel325 Posts: 199 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I've been doing the Stronglifts 5x5 for a few months now and got my weights up significantly. I just felt like my form was terrible so I wanted some help with that.

So I hire a PT to help me out and now he's put me on machines! I really enjoyed the free weights, should I pressure him to let me do free weights or should I just shut up and do as told?
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Replies

  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
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    NOOOOOO! Tell him that YOU are the client and that you want to learn good form for the weight lifting you have been doing. If he/she is not capable of doing this, then you want a new person to train you. Tell him/her to quit it!
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    When you hire a personal trainer treat it like a job interview, if you don't like the PT or he doesn't want to work with your goals then find another one, even if that means speaking with management.

    I'm a very big fan of Strong lifts and you can definitely get your results there.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    1. Tell him or her that you'd like to focus on learning good form with free weights.

    2. Ask him or her why they're encouraging you to use machines.

    3. Depending on the answer you get from #2, decide whether or not you want to keep working with them.

    It could be that the trainer didn't fully understand that your goal is #1 and would be happy to change how they train you. Or, it could be that they noticed a serious problem with your form and want to use a machine to help correct that problem before you hurt yourself. You won't know unless you ask.
  • chel325
    chel325 Posts: 199 Member
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    Okay yeah, I really expressed how I wanted to stay with free weights and on the days I wasn't with him I'd be doing it. He's claiming the machines will help my form but somehow it won't really? Doesn't practice make perfect?
  • fasyle
    fasyle Posts: 11
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    1. Tell him or her that you'd like to focus on learning good form with free weights.

    2. Ask him or her why they're encouraging you to use machines.

    3. Depending on the answer you get from #2, decide whether or not you want to keep working with them.

    It could be that the trainer didn't fully understand that your goal is #1 and would be happy to change how they train you. Or, it could be that they noticed a serious problem with your form and want to use a machine to help correct that problem before you hurt yourself. You won't know unless you ask.

    This.

    The personal trainer is there for you! BUT they're educated in their field and generally knows what's best. Perhaps he does have a really good reason and he just needs you to explain again that you prefer to use free weights and work on your form with free weights. If he is unwilling to listen then get a new PT that follows a similar set of ideals as you do. I've met a bazzillion different personal trainers and I disagreed with some of their methods and agreed with others... Some I agreed with all, some none. You get it. Find someone that you are comfortable with and will listen and adhere to your goals very precisely.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Okay yeah, I really expressed how I wanted to stay with free weights and on the days I wasn't with him I'd be doing it. He's claiming the machines will help my form but somehow it won't really? Doesn't practice make perfect?
    Well, if the machines are reinforcing good form, they will help. If you've practiced incorrect form, you'll need to un-learn that and re-learn something new. Fixed machines force you into a certain plane of motion, which can be good or bad depending on your body. If you need to re-learn a different form, and they'll force you to practice good form, that's infinitely better in the long term than continuing to practice something that could injure you.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    Trainer may not (probably doesn't) know how to use barbells.
  • peacheswi
    peacheswi Posts: 91 Member
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    Possibly the trainer wants you to learn correct form with the machines, then get you back in free weights.
    Just ask him/her why you are being told to use the machines, when you really want to focus on the free weights.

    If the answer is not what YOU want in the end (using free weights), get another trainer.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    If your trainer won't support your desire for working with free weights, find one that will.

    My trainer knows my distrust of machines, so we hit those free weights until I puke. PUKE EVERYWHERE.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    Possibly the trainer wants you to learn correct form with the machines, then get you back in free weights.
    Just ask him/her why you are being told to use the machines, when you really want to focus on the free weights.

    If the answer is not what YOU want in the end (using free weights), get another trainer.

    You learn correct form by having correct form, and performing the movements correctly. Machines won't teach form.
  • noKTdidnt
    noKTdidnt Posts: 61 Member
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    I'd agree with jwdieter - It sounds like the trainer you're using is not comfortable enough with barbells to work with them properly.

    My overall feeling is that your trainer is try to get by putting you on their basic programming rather than doing any work to help you with your goals. I've had similar experiences with trainers and I dropped them very quickly when I realized they were not helping me achieve my goals.

    I'd either ask around for a trainer at your gym that's more aware of how to work the barbells or look around at other gyms that specialize in powerlifting for even just one session to get you going.

    Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions! :)
  • rachelrb85
    rachelrb85 Posts: 579 Member
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    If he's not willing to work with you on free weights then get a new trainer.
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,296 Member
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    If you don't belong to the 5x5 group on here, I suggest you join. You can take form check videos of your unsure exercises and post them in the form check thread. I too am doing 5x5 and had the same thing happen when I signed up for the gym. Everything I've read on here basically points out that freeweights are better than fixed machines and I have also experienced that to be true. I just watched a lot of videos and took a lot of myself to check form.

    You say he 'put you on the machines', but there's not a reason in the world you can't express that's not your desire and go back to your course. Seriously with the form check vids though. You can see exactly what you're doing and how it compares with a proper form.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,157 Member
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    A machine will not improve your form. If there is a specific weakness in a supporting muscle group they can be used for accessory work as they tend to isolate muscle groups. They will not in themselves help you squat, deadlift, bench, OHP or bent over row better. That will come from doing the actual exercise. If your trainer does not give a very good reason why he has you one machines and does not do any work to improve your form on the actual exercises you are doing, get a different trainer.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,662 Member
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    a trainer is a waste of money if all he is going to do is put you on machines.
  • 212019156
    212019156 Posts: 341 Member
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    Find a trainer with a background in powerlifting and/or Olympic lifting. Most trainers suck for teach the basic compound movements. Just because they are certified doesn't mean much either.

    As an example at my gym there are 4 trainers. All 4 are "certified". All four have college degrees related to fitness. Only 1 knows proper form for dead lift, squat and bench. The other 3 are like your trainer.

    Jeff
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    Okay yeah, I really expressed how I wanted to stay with free weights and on the days I wasn't with him I'd be doing it. He's claiming the machines will help my form but somehow it won't really? Doesn't practice make perfect?

    For a complete noob, the machines can help form by building the main muscles used in an exercise. I would recommend to anyone brand-new to lifting to start on some machines to build some strength before moving to free weights. The machine locks you into a particular motion or range, and can be used to develop good form.

    HOWEVER...After lifting free weights for a while, I had a trainer warn me against going back to machines. Once you have done free weights, where there is no machine to ensure that the bar is even or that you are following a nice track on the exercise, you have built up the smaller stabilizer and support muscles. Going back to the machines, you can lose a little of that.

    Think if it this way ... When bench pressing you're not just working the major muscle groups. You are working small muscles in your forearms and shoulders to keep the bar in the right motion area, level and even. On a chest press machine .. you just push with your major muscles and dont have to worry about grip, stabilization, etc ...

    ETA: Practice doesn't necessarily make perfect. If you practice bad form you will reinforce bad form. Only perfect practice makes perfect.
  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
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    Yes, yes and yes. So much good advice here.

    The only way to get good at Olympic lifts is to practice doing them, not doing machines.

    Get a new trainer.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    For a complete noob, the machines can help form by building the main muscles used in an exercise. I would recommend to anyone brand-new to lifting to start on some machines to build some strength before moving to free weights. The machine locks you into a particular motion or range, and can be used to develop good form.

    Not really. It teaches movement along a single plane, and isolates muscles activated. I would recommend to anyone brand-new to lifting to use low weights and do the actual lifts, since a machine can't duplicate the XYZ planes of movement, and the need to work accessories.
  • willrun4bagels
    willrun4bagels Posts: 838 Member
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    Fire them and hire someone else. Seriously.

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