PERSONAL TRAINER THAT'S NOT SO PERSONAL

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Replies

  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,630 Member
    I am sorry to hear you had to go through that OP. Find another trainer, one that wants to help you and is professional rather than one that is trying to be like one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser programmes.

    Secondly, soreness and lactic acid buildup is one thing, but if part of you really is in pain and it is a sharp sort of pain, get that sorted, you may have hurt yourself.
  • Mrs_Bones
    Mrs_Bones Posts: 195 Member
    You pay money for someone to help you get to where you need to be; not belittle you or hurt you. If I were you, I would fire her and find someone with someone else. You do not want to go through everyday with her having it be like that. FInd someone else. :)

    Agreed! You are paying for her to HELP you, not yell at you and make you feel stupid. Good for you for showing up to your workout even though you're sore, that shows dedication! She should have nutured that drive and seen it as a teaching opportunity for healing techniques.
  • jody664
    jody664 Posts: 397 Member
    First, fire her. Second go to club manager. Muscle soreness is fine for a few days. If you are in this much pain you may have hurt yourself. Did you see a doctor? Be your own advocate here and tell the trainer to go pound sand. She sucks.
    ^^ This. Definitely make sure you talk to the club manager. Make a stink. Tell the manager you are very disappointed in the PT. The club manager doesn't always know how a PT is treating clients and needs to know. Demand that you be refunded the amount you paid this PT and that they assign a new one to you promptly.
  • laughingdani
    laughingdani Posts: 2,275 Member
    Clearly she has lost the "professional" part in your professional relationship.
    She obviously has some issues in her life that she's taking out on you. And probably
    others, since they are cancelling sessions.

    Find someone else. You deserve to have someone push you to be your best; not BULLY you.
    That's what she's doing.
  • elleloch
    elleloch Posts: 739 Member
    Yep - it is a professional relationship, you WILL be sore after a really good workout with a trainer but it's perfectly clear that your personalities are not working well together. If the work was too much for you, she needed to be able to listen to your concerns and work with you on making it right. Find a new trainer.
  • SkinnyMsFitness
    SkinnyMsFitness Posts: 389 Member
    Sorry that you're dealing with this trainer... My response would be, yes, it IS a professional relationship - maybe you should start acting more professional. Although you were not in the wrong to show up without canceling (where's the logic in that anyways?), but she should have never demeaned you like that...esp in front of others.

    I agree with other commenters - find a new trainer! Good luck and don't let her put you down. Don't let anyone in life put you down.

    About the soreness, there may be no shame in taking it easy for another week. Is your whole body sore? Can you work out other problem areas that aren't affected right now? Just remember, you will rip your muscles, but they need time to heal too.

    Good luck!
  • kcrxgirl
    kcrxgirl Posts: 114 Member
    She's correct, it's a professional relationship. You are not satisfied with the job performance that you're paying for, so she should be fired.
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
    I've always been a slow to recover person (a good leg workout can have me sore and walking funny for a week). So, don't get too wrapped up in that. The trainer should have been open to listen to your concerns and help you assess whether you need to lower the intensity of sessions or mix in more active rest between sessions. I've found that eating more spinach, kale and berries and taking multivitamins helps reduce my recovery time.

    Since you're not her only client, I would have a talk to with the club management. Tell them you don't think the PT you have is a good match and you'd like their help finding another one. This allows the club management to get in the middle and they should support you in getting transitioned to a new trainer (and getting back any prepaid sessions).
  • Sactown900
    Sactown900 Posts: 162 Member
    I have been lifting for 47 years. I never found it necessary to get an attitude on anyone I taught how to lift weights. Find a PT with better communication skills.

    To quote a trainer I had on an 8 Man Crew team, "If I wanted to get yelled at again, I would call my parents for free."
  • JodieP13
    JodieP13 Posts: 94 Member
    Fire that hooker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • PrettyPearl88
    PrettyPearl88 Posts: 368 Member
    OK, so, I hired a personal trainer. I'm about 60 pounds from my goal weight. I want to do this right this time! Anyway, I TOTALLY get the "kick my *kitten* Jillian Michaels" concept. I actually need that sometimes, we all do. But, my question is, my personal trainer seems to be intentionally trying to make it harder on me than it should be. I mean, I've checked with a few people, one of whom has actually run in the Boston Marathon and is a FREAK of a health nut, and she said that there is no way I should be hurting to the point of tears after over a week since my session. Then, I went to my last session, in pain and hardly able to move, hoping that she would help me with exercises that would help me work through the pain, stretching, yoga, etc. Anything to give me guidance. Well, she went off on me because I hadn't called her earlier to cancel my session, which I WASN'T there to cancel my session anyway, I was there to workout. She went into this tirade telling me that another person had cancelled their session for later that evening and that she doesn't understand my mindset that I would show up to workout hurting!!! People in the gym were staring at us! Then she says, "this is a professional relationship. I don't know WHAT is in your mind!" What should I do? I am still working out, running, etc. I'm STILL in pain OVER a week later...Where did I go wrong?

    First of all, she doesn't sound like a very good trainer. A trainer is supposed to be on your side. A trainer should encourage you, should recommend aiming for OVERALL health (weight loss/gain, body fat %, endurance, strength, eating good food, and drinking lots of water) not solely kicking your butt in the gym, and should push you, but not to the point of a possible injury. You trainer doesn't sound like she's doing a good job at those things. She also just doesn't seem like a nice person. I wouldn't want to pay to work with someone like that. Always remember, YOU'RE PAYING for her services!

    Second, there's a difference between soreness and pain. After your first session with your trainer, were you just really, really sore? Or was it actual pain from pulling or straining a muscle or something like that? Soreness is normal and good actually! It means you got a good workout for some muscles that don't normally get much use. But pain is not good. Your trainer should NOT be pushing you to the point of an injury.

    All of this is REALLY making me appreciate my trainer all the more! :laugh:
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    What the hell did she have you do to be hurting a week later?
  • lesrhall
    lesrhall Posts: 1
    I train with a trainer a couple of times a week. I have NEVER had my trainer speak to me that way. You pay this person to help you reach your fitness goals. Everyone has to start somewhere and the trainer needs to adjust to make sure not to cause you injury. I would complain to management and look for another trainer. There are so many good trainers out there that are in it to see you reach your level of success, there is no point in paying to be miserable. Good luck!!! You will get that 60 lbs :) just remember to concentrate on overall health and not just moving that scale.:smile:
  • PlayerHatinDogooder
    PlayerHatinDogooder Posts: 1,018 Member
    "this is a professional relationship. I don't know WHAT is in your mind!"

    Is this the part where you two kiss?
  • punch her in the throat and find another trainer.
    This would be my first instinct. Unfortunately the law frowns on throat punching except in clear cases of self-defense. So do the second part (fire the trainer) and get someone who helps you achieve your goals in a professional way. Without causing you physical pain that lasts a week (see your doctor to make sure you're not injured).

    Last year I took a fitness boot camp that met in the hills of Griffith Park at 6am 3x/week. I didn't go everyday (getting up early is really tough for me), but I went at least once a week. Our trainer kicked my *kitten*, but was completely supportive doing so, saying how much improvement he had seen in me, even though I didn't go every day. And, though my *kitten* was kicked each time I went, my soreness only lasted a couple of days at most. And I am not a super fit person.

    If a fitness boot camp didn't leave me in pain for a week, a personal training session shouldn't leave you on the verge of tears a week later.
  • sunrise611
    sunrise611 Posts: 1,848 Member
    I agree with those that chimed in to fire her and find another trainer. You do NOT want to be treated this way.

    Not all trainers are equal. Some have experience (more than others) and others are just starting out.

    What are her credentials? How long has she been a trainer?

    Even if she is has been doing it a long time, she might not be any good, so that is not always an indication of her professionalism and expertise but is a good guide.

    Before I joined MFP, I went to a trainer for a "free trial" to see what it would be like. I was very out of shape and overweight at that point and hadn't exercised in a while. She had me doing very difficult things for nearly half an hour that strained me. I had no doubt that she would have killed me if I hired her. Okay, maybe that's extreme but I realized that she was a newbie in the field and very green and avoided that potential train wreck.

    Fortunately, I discovered MFP and lost weight on my own - thanks to the assistance of MFP - and didn't need a trainer after all.
  • petstorekitty
    petstorekitty Posts: 592 Member
    What the hell did she have you do to be hurting a week later?


    Most personal trainers at he gym don't know what they're doing. SAorry to be so general butthe things I see trainers making people do is nuts.

    I saw one having a mid 40's rather out of shape woman use one of thoe half ball things to to burpies.

    years ago when I first joined a gym I got one 'free training session' and had seriously never worked out in my life.
    Dude had me jumping on steps and didn't explain a damn thing.

    Trainers are supposed to TRAIN you. If a trainer can't even see what each different person needs they are a crap trainer.

    It's like hair stylists. Every one's hair is different. SO is every one's fitless knowledge level.

    Grrrr I hate stylists that don't know how to cut my hair too! Insta-fired.
  • tonyrocks922
    tonyrocks922 Posts: 172 Member
    punch her in the throat and find another trainer.

    Come on this is a gym, not a street in the ghetto.

    Hit her with a 45lb plate instead.
  • frood
    frood Posts: 295 Member
    punch her in the throat and find another trainer.
    Come on this is a gym, not a street in the ghetto.

    Hit her with a 45lb plate instead.
    :laugh: +1
  • hannahpistolas
    hannahpistolas Posts: 290 Member
    She is so fired.
    On to the next.

    :drinker: