Personal Trainer pushing me to do machines
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get a new trainer. just because someone is a trainer at the gym doesn't mean they are comfortable with free weights, he's probably just trying to get you to do what he knows.
i've had to show trainers (who were interested when they saw me doing it and stopped me in the gym when no other potential customers around how to do cleans and turkish get ups). i dont blame them because trainers make their money through their clients and the average gym goer isn't going to be interested in the non-sexy compound lifts .
what you can do is specify that you are looking for a trainer with powerlifting or competitive weight lifting experience or someone who has trained athletes. these are the people who you can be sure know compounfd free weight lifts at a commercial gym0 -
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
YES!! This is exactly it!! And years of experience to boot!! We ALL can become personal trainers if we take the courses, doesn't mean we know all there is to know. The girl I had before was a 24 year old who lost weight, went to some training class and got certified. The guy I have now was just crowned Mr. Buffalo 2014, has been competitive since he was 13, has many years experience with training under his belt, I think he said almost 25 years (I am not sure exactly there's not much chatting when he's pushing me...) LOL I brag because I see so many results on me that I didn't last year...that's all!! Really happy with the trainer have now! And that's where you should be at too, happy!! If you're doing something you don't want to do, it discourages and makes you regress...just saying from my own experience. Sorry didn't mean to blow up the feed...LOL0 -
^^^ this. :-) find a trainer who will work with your goals.
You are the boss. Turn to your trainer say, "You don't even lift, brah." Then move on to another one.
Good job with the free weights! Machines don't allow for a natural movement and can often lead to injury by overdeveloping specific muscle groups and now allowing stabilizers or tendons to grow with it. The only machines that are fine I suppose are the lat pull downs and cable machines.0 -
Alice dark was right on target. You are paying customer They should look at what you want to learn and your goals. If they have a reason and it seems fair to stop and shift for awhile fine. NEVER let PT bully yo into something you don't want or feel comfortable with you know your body. Trust is one of the most important things with a PT0
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Alice dark was right on target. You are paying customer They should look at what you want to learn and your goals. If they have a reason and it seems fair to stop and shift for awhile fine. NEVER let PT bully yo into something you don't want or feel comfortable with you know your body. Trust is one of the most important things with a PT
what if the trainer legitimately doesnt know? i know the right thing for them to do would be to say 'sorry i'm not the right pt for you" but i doubt all of them would be willing to turn down money.
case in point, yesterday i saw one of the crappy trainers (actually that's not fair he might be perfectly OK PT with machines) teach someone to do squats and overlooked them doing half squats with bad form. not only did he overlook it, but he also added more weight between sets!!
i can only imagine that giving a PT an ultimatum to show me what I want or else would just be inviting that type of shenanigans that i saw0 -
If you're paying him he should be showing you what you want to do. Don't worry, we've all been there.....'your sure you don't want to do 2x15 reps at 5lb on all the machines?!'
He's either sexist or doesn't know the proper form - sack him!0 -
Okay everyone thank you! I'm going to keep insisting free weights. I will say I'll do his machines but he has to go over form each time with me.0
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He is a very big obese guy but he says he power lifts and has lost 200 lbs. I don't know what to think. He seems honest and maybe my form is really that bad?
I just really figured the best way to fix was to practice.
If your form is really that bad, do the moves without weigh or go back to an empty bad. Frankly, you will not learn how to squat or deadlift on a machine, You can work through the moves with just bodyweight, then move to an empty bar. Frankly, if I was training someone who wanted to do stronglifts who had really bad form I would start with the actual exercise using just their bodyweight to see where the problem is, then work on it rather than messing them up with machines.0 -
Don't pressure your trainer.
Fire him0 -
If a person is injured or has severe mobility issues then machines may be appropriate. Otherwise, I would try and stick to free weights for the majority. Machines certainly have their place though, especially with the super uncoordinated people. Could take them 6 months to learn how to squat properly when they could have been spending that time on the leg press actually gaining some strength.
By the sounds of your situation though, I would be looking for a more appropriate trainer. If he is a powerlifter then he should have no issue demonstrating and teaching good form on the big 3. Fark, we spend probably 80% of our gym time doing them :laugh:0 -
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?
I've read this post and thought for awhile, as well as reading the other comments in the thread. There are some red flags here, but that doesn't prove he is wrong.
I can't judge 100% whether his recommendations are correct or incorrect.
The biggest questions I do have concern the apparent lack of communication. It sounds like there is not nearly enough discussion between the two of you.
Just because you WANT to concentrate on free weights doesn't mean it is the best choice for you at this time. However, the fact that you have specifically requested that you be instructed in these exercises means that the trainer has an obligation to fully explain his alternate reasoning. Just saying your form isn't good enough is insufficient. He needs to be able to outline exactly how doing the machines will enable you to become more proficient in your free weights.
Heck, my clients sometimes ask me questions just to try to get me going on a detailed answer so they can get an extended break ;-) (Doesn't work)0 -
He says the fact that I've been progressing my squat up to 100lb is because I'm strengthening my joints or small muscles and not using the right ones. He says the machines will help me unlearn my bad form. I don't know it's all a bit confusing. I'm a little sad because I was so impressed with my squats and benches lolSo 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?
I've read this post and thought for awhile, as well as reading the other comments in the thread. There are some red flags here, but that doesn't prove he is wrong.
I can't judge 100% whether his recommendations are correct or incorrect.
The biggest questions I do have concern the apparent lack of communication. It sounds like there is not nearly enough discussion between the two of you.
Just because you WANT to concentrate on free weights doesn't mean it is the best choice for you at this time. However, the fact that you have specifically requested that you be instructed in these exercises means that the trainer has an obligation to fully explain his alternate reasoning. Just saying your form isn't good enough is insufficient. He needs to be able to outline exactly how doing the machines will enable you to become more proficient in your free weights.
Heck, my clients sometimes ask me questions just to try to get me going on a detailed answer so they can get an extended break ;-) (Doesn't work)0 -
^^^^ I have never seen one person who squats or benches on a smith machine come to my strength class (free weights) who has good form. Most especially suck at squatting. Smith machines teaches nothing about balance and stability as it takes it all away. You will learn how to squat well on a smith machine. (if there is such a thing).
off topic but if you want to squat on a smith machine you should just use the leg press. Much safer IMO.0 -
i just.....don't know how someone is supposed to learn proper form on one thing....by doing a whole nother thing. i can see breaking you down and putting you back on really light weights while he corrects bad habits, but how do you learn to "use the right muscles" if you're not using the right equipment?0
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Do what you are told, fitness trainers have a lot of experience, and know what you can handle, and the right way to do it, to keep you from injuring yourself.0
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Do what you are told, fitness trainers have a lot of experience, and know what you can handle, and the right way to do it, to keep you from injuring yourself.
LOL that is not necessarily true. You are ASSUMING that this person has years of experience. There are a number of trainers at my gym that have been a trainer less than 3 years. I am certain some received it in the last six months.
OP, I watched lots of form videos and I practiced my form at home without a bar. The other day I was at the gym when one of the trainers approached me and ask me if I was recovering because of low weights. I said I am new. He said that my form was excellent and he thought I had been lifting for years. On the staff, I know 3 guys who do free weights and when I need help I will go to them.
I would fire your current trainer, watch videos, and next time you go to the gym. Look for trainers in the free weights area that are training women. Then after they finish, ask for their information.0 -
Just my opinion .. but anyone can do machines.
They have their place .. and are ok for some people. But I think that we all know that free weights are a better option if you can do it.
I think your PT is being a slacker.0 -
Sounds like you and this trainer aren't a good fit for each other....
The fastest way to get better at doing a lift is to do the lift. Even if you have a few skill-work sessions with just the bar (or even pvc pipe, or a broomstick, or whatever), you'll get better a lot faster than being forced into the wrong movement pattern by a machine.
That's not a "machine's are bad" comment, it's just a "machines are different" comment.0
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