Question for Personal Trainers or anyone who has worked with

cuddlegrl

Hi everyone!

I have a question for any personal trainers or anyone who has worked with a personal trainer. Is it ok to tell the trainer what you think the workouts should focus on? Heres why I ask:

I have had a personal trainer for the last year through fitworks. He has focused on strength training. His workouts leave me sore for 4-5 DAYS after. I am so sore after a lower body workout that I cant even walk on the treadmill or go up and down stairs or sit. Last week the workout consisted of all machines for lower body. He has told me that the soreness will go away. Well... that hasnt happened. I joined another gym in Jan. that has a lot more things going on and have found I am a lot more comfortable there. I have been going to the new gym 4x a week and meeting with the trainer once.

Today I told my trainer I did not want to focus on strength training with him anymore. I would do that on my own. I told him I wanted him to create a workout without weights or machines that focused on burning fat. I was thinking jump rope, step ups, sprints, anything that had me moving around and keeping my heart rate up. Being a personal trainer I expected him to come up with something. The plan was to do core with him today and then see what he came up with for next week. If he wasnt able to meet the challenge I would eat the early termination fees and cancel.

The conversation today went really badly. He took it hard that I didnt agree with his way. He told me he was pissed. He said he was going to keep me on the stepper, elliptical and treadmill then if I just wanted fat burning. I told him no because I can do all that on my own. In fact I had already done 80 minutes of cardio this morning. I was looking for him to be a "personal" trainer. I told him I felt like he was training me as if I was a body builder and not a fat person needing to lose weight. In the end I told him we werent going to agree and I was terminating my contract and left.

Did I ask for too much? Should I have continued on his program? Should he have been able to come up with a workout without the use of the machines? I feel bad that it turned out this way.

elfie9863

Hey...I say good for you! Those PT peeps can really get snotty. I am glad you stood up for yourself. Good job!

jb_sweet_99

The more muscle you have the more calories you burn, so you lose weight quicker...also, if you strength train you will be nice and toned as you get smaller and not end up skinny fat. I can see where he is coming from, sorry.

cuddlegrl

Correction: Sorry I didnt mean for it to sound like I didnt want to strength train at all. Just not with him. I told him I would still strength train on my own at the other gym. I wanted him to come up with new fat burning workouts without the machines since I can use the machines on my own.

I do know that strength training is important and I do it on my own just not to the point of being unable to move for days after. He made me feel like if I didnt work that hard then I was doing something wrong and not working hard enough.

miss_melissa_

I have a trainer and I am in the same situation. I hate strength training and we have been doing it for a while. You are paying money so you do have the right to tell him what areas you would like to focus on when with him. Also, remember this is his job and he did get an education to earn his certification. If he could explain why he was focusing on strength training , then I would trust him and bare with the soreness. I truly believe in respecting people and their occupations.

LaurenRoseMD

Hi everyone!

I have a question for any personal trainers or anyone who has worked with a personal trainer. Is it ok to tell the trainer what you think the workouts should focus on? Heres why I ask:

I have had a personal trainer for the last year through fitworks. He has focused on strength training. His workouts leave me sore for 4-5 DAYS after. I am so sore after a lower body workout that I cant even walk on the treadmill or go up and down stairs or sit. Last week the workout consisted of all machines for lower body. He has told me that the soreness will go away. Well... that hasnt happened. I joined another gym in Jan. that has a lot more things going on and have found I am a lot more comfortable there. I have been going to the new gym 4x a week and meeting with the trainer once.

Today I told my trainer I did not want to focus on strength training with him anymore. I would do that on my own. I told him I wanted him to create a workout without weights or machines that focused on burning fat. I was thinking jump rope, step ups, sprints, anything that had me moving around and keeping my heart rate up. Being a personal trainer I expected him to come up with something. The plan was to do core with him today and then see what he came up with for next week. If he wasnt able to meet the challenge I would eat the early termination fees and cancel.

The conversation today went really badly. He took it hard that I didnt agree with his way. He told me he was pissed. He said he was going to keep me on the stepper, elliptical and treadmill then if I just wanted fat burning. I told him no because I can do all that on my own. In fact I had already done 80 minutes of cardio this morning. I was looking for him to be a "personal" trainer. I told him I felt like he was training me as if I was a body builder and not a fat person needing to lose weight. In the end I told him we werent going to agree and I was terminating my contract and left.

Did I ask for too much? Should I have continued on his program? Should he have been able to come up with a workout without the use of the machines? I feel bad that it turned out this way.

Personal "trainers" are generally medically and nutritionally ignorant people who have walked into the job thanks to a "personal success story" which may or may not have been healthy or even real. Many of them tend to advocate fallacious and dangerous nutrition advice and workouts that leave their "victims" in a lot of pain for the simple fact that they're not ready for that kind of workout, nor do they need that kind of workout at that time.

If you kill yourself on Monday with an insane workout, but don't do anything on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday due to pain, what's the point? Consistency is the key to success. Not insanity. Not starvation. Not "no carb, no fat, no calorie DIEts. I have no doubts that you will be successful, but I think it's time for you to find a new trainer. There are SOME trainers out there who are educated. I suggest asking for credentials because there are plenty of places to get a degree in fitness education and nutrition. Your trainers sounds like a moronic jerk. Get rid of him.

You were not asking too much. You should NOT have continued with his program. He SHOULD have been able to form a routine specifically for YOU. Don't feel bad. You did the right thing. Move on. Find a qualified trainer, and reach your health goals! Best of luck to you!!

**Look for a trainer who is American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) or National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) certified. These are the ones who actually tend to know what they are doing most of the time.**

Swilson87

Did I ask for too much? Should I have continued on his program? Should he have been able to come up with a workout without the use of the machines? I feel bad that it turned out this way.

You did not ask too much! NOT AT ALL!!!!!!

I was a trainer for a while, and I also have a degree in exercise and sport science. The job of a trainer, any trainer is to take your body where you want it to go. Where they want it to go is of no concern. Actually their knowledge may come in handy when your progress stalls, or you get bored with a routine. Then they should be able to mix things up and make or keep them exciting.

As far as the strentgth training goes, that was the absolute dumbest thing they could have had you doing. If your goal is to lose weight, and you're doing 80 min cardio bouts, your not going to build very much muscle at all. You can maintain as some of what is there by strength training, but build, no.

I'll let you in on the secret world of personal training. There are a million certifications out there. Many of them are just pay, take a bogus test, and "BAM" certified. The main goal is to create a long client list so there money keeps flowing in. You did the total right thing by walking away. That trainer would not have helped you you in any way.

Talk to your potential trainers first ask them if they can help you. Ask the what their plan of attack will be. In fact if they plan to keep you on machines or free weights, run for the hills. Your HR will never go high enough to burn a significant anount of calories doing resistance work. For now you can actually stick with the cardio 9as long as your working hard), and save the bulk of the strength training until you lose the weight.

cuddlegrl

Zellygurl- I would agree except he doesnt have any certifications. Apparently none are needed to work at fitworks in Ohio and I didnt ask when I signed up. In fact after I signed up I asked how long he had been doing this and he had been there 3 weeks and I was the first paying client. He was right out of college with a degree in business management. By the time I asked the questions the dotted line had been signed.

Lauren- He doesnt even have a success story. He was never overweight a day in his life. He is someone who has always enjoyed the gym and lifting weights.

Swilson- Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

I also want to point out that he wasnt a total loss. When I first walked into fitworks I knew nothing about fitness or where to start. The machines scared the crap out of me and without guidance I would have turned around and walked out. I felt the trainer was the best way to learn what I needed to learn. The fact that he kept me on machines for most of my workouts let me learn about the machines. I am more confident now and I feel like I can devise my own machine workouts. Thats another reason why I wanted him to do something different and focused on my needs.

satxfitbody

Hello,

I am certified and have been training clients for about 15 years now. I own a fitness company and several bootcamps in the San Antonio Texas area. While I do agree with your trainers adherence to the importance of strength training, I TOTALLY disagree with his professionalism!!!! We as fitness coaches, are to provide our clients with the utmost respect and understanding of every situation that arises. While he/she may be aware of the correct manner in which to rid body of the necessary fat in the most healthy manner possible, It was clearly handled inappropriately. This type of behavior is not acceptable and shouldn't go with reporting to proper management of the training location where you were training.

It is a proven fact that muscle burns more calories at rest than fat. Not only will resistance/strength training build fat-burning muscle, but fat is also being burnt as you workout. Your muscle tone will improve, fat will be reduced and the shape of your body will improve. However, you also want to combine some aerobic exercise into your workout routine as well. So, whether you utilize weights, machines AND/OR bodyweight exercises, there are LOTS of different options available to you. The most important thing is to just do it!! I create lots of fitness training programs online for people all across the United States and if I was to tell them that they could only use weight machines for any particular muscle group, they would be ABSOLUTELY lost and ultimately discouraged and wanting to give up. There are lots of options available to you.

As a fitness professional in the health and fitness industry, I apologize for this trainers behavior and hope that you don't EVER have to encounter this behavior again. We are taught to adapt to the clients needs and that's what should've happen in this situation.

Great job on not letting this discourage you!!! I encourage you to keep working on the NEW YOU!!!!

SaMario

charityateet

Wow.

This is just my experience. What worked for me.
When I did a fitness challenge and lost 50 lbs in 3 months, I focused on nutrition (ate CLEAN! and 6 meals a day - no simple carbs at all, no booze, no cheese) worked out 25 minutes in the morning doing cardio worked out 25 minutes in the evening doing cardio 3 days a week, the other 3 days a week were strenght training for an hour each session (usually did about 1/2 hour cardio that day too) I busted my butt and lost a LOT of weight. I would sometimes have to almost crawl out of the gym on our leg days - I have to say, I lost, I lost it fast, I didn't get any excess skin, I gained a crap load of muscle and lost a crap load of fat - I'm sorry you had a bad experience with a trainer.......I hope you find a good path, do what works for you.

sarahshak

You have NO reason to feel bad about telling this trainer you didn't want to work with him. As a personal trainer, I hate to hear trainers like this are allowed to keep working with clients and giving personal trainers a bad rap. This guy was just bad news all the way around and sounds, actually, like he had poor training or, perhaps, no training. While some weight training is indicated for weight loss, it should not be the main focus. A general, overall, program of cardio, strength training and mind/body work is the formula I have found works best for overweight clients.

You didn't say how overweight you are, but I'm assuming that was your main goal--weight loss. Depending on your weight, I may have suggested you get your cardio in water by being in an aquatic aerobic class or personal training in water. Along with that, I may suggest some strength training, but no more that three days per week, alternating upper and lower. Then, there are many, many ways to get cardio work done on land--combining the water work and land work and strength training. I would also suggest some yoga, tai chi or other mind/body work to stress relief and meditation on food issues etc.

Again, your training was a jerk, and you should be the one pissed! I hope you got your money back and never work with someone so single minded and ill trained.

cuddlegrl

You have NO reason to feel bad about telling this trainer you didn't want to work with him. As a personal trainer, I hate to hear trainers like this are allowed to keep working with clients and giving personal trainers a bad rap. This guy was just bad news all the way around and sounds, actually, like he had poor training or, perhaps, no training. While some weight training is indicated for weight loss, it should not be the main focus. A general, overall, program of cardio, strength training and mind/body work is the formula I have found works best for overweight clients.

You didn't say how overweight you are, but I'm assuming that was your main goal--weight loss. Depending on your weight, I may have suggested you get your cardio in water by being in an aquatic aerobic class or personal training in water. Along with that, I may suggest some strength training, but no more that three days per week, alternating upper and lower. Then, there are many, many ways to get cardio work done on land--combining the water work and land work and strength training. I would also suggest some yoga, tai chi or other mind/body work to stress relief and meditation on food issues etc.

Again, your training was a jerk, and you should be the one pissed! I hope you got your money back and never work with someone so single minded and ill trained.

My current weight is 159. I am 4'11''. On 3/3/11 I was 162.8 (at the dieticians) with a BMI of 32.9 and a body fat % of 36.4. In the beginning of the year my body fat % was 38. I am working with a dietician to monitor nutrition and my body fat%.

The gym with the trainer- Fitworks- doesnt have water but my new gym does. They offer classes and I do want to give them a try. I recently tried a cycling class (all I can say about that is OUCH but I kept up!!). Currently I alternate lower and core for strength due to a nasty shoulder injury (that was made worse by the trainer. My physical therapist told me the trainer is no longer allowed to work my upper body). When I do strength on my own I work enough so that I am sore the next day but not for 4 days or so much that I cant walk or bend.

No chance on getting the money back. In fact to cancel the contract I have to pay 50% of whats left with 30 days written notice sent via certified mail.

Next time If I choose to utilize a trainer I will be looking for someone with more experience, training and the desire to help people reach their personal goals.