PTs are really twisting my melon, man
logg1e
Posts: 1,208 Member
I'm getting more and more attention from PTs but the things they say conflict so much with Stronglifts. E.g. the bench press isn't a compound move and the OHP I think I'm doing is actually a military press. An OHP you actually do lying down, see?
Then you get the advice such as you need to do auxiliary exercises, you should use dumbells, you should do high rep, low load, you should change your programme now...
I just nod and explain that as I'm a beginner it's really important to me that I stick with this beginner's programme for a while. I do appreciate them spotting for me if I ask, and I appreciate the unsolicited compliments about my form. It's the unsolicited advice that's confusing.
Do you recognise this experience?
Then you get the advice such as you need to do auxiliary exercises, you should use dumbells, you should do high rep, low load, you should change your programme now...
I just nod and explain that as I'm a beginner it's really important to me that I stick with this beginner's programme for a while. I do appreciate them spotting for me if I ask, and I appreciate the unsolicited compliments about my form. It's the unsolicited advice that's confusing.
Do you recognise this experience?
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Replies
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OHP stands for overhead press, what they're referring to is the skullcrushers or overhead trciep extensions, I'm afraid (french press?). Anywhozzels, the Military Press is really close to OHP, but the feet position is a tad different. That a PT doesn,t know the difference honestly baffles me. Also, while not AS much of a full body lift as the other 3, the Bench Press is still a coumpound - especially if you set-up properly to use leg drive.
I think these guys need to read a book or 2. Or the intrawebs for a night. SRSLY.
Haven't had those experiences. The people that do speak to me usually compliment my form and tell me I'm doing the right thing training heavy.
The trainers at my gym stick to their clients. I've had a single session with one (among the 4 or 5 free ones I had access to) and never went back. Guy put me on a crappy 12-15 reps of everything dumbbell routine where the leg day was more taxing on my grip than my legs and had me do 3 different ab exercises per session and 20 minutes of treadmill or bike BEFORE lifting... *barf*0 -
It's a good set up at the gym in that there's always one or two PTs on pay to be "present" as opposed to being busy with their with clients.
I was able to explain the difference between a military press and OHP to the PT, but only because I just happened to have re-watched Mehdi's video on it last night
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Your experience with PT's sounds just like mine... OHP is bad because you'll hurt your shoulders, high rep and heavy weight is bad because you won't lose any fat and is only is you want to be a professional body builder, eating 1200 calories per day (regardless of your activity level) and doing 1 gazillion reps with a 5lb dumbbell is how you lose weight, CIRCUIT TRAINING IS ALL YOU'LL EVER NEED TO DO FOR ANYTHING FITNESS RELATED, you should use a Smith machine for squats because it's safer, blah blah blah.
I know they mean well and really do enjoy helping people get fit, but some of the things I've heard come out of the mouths of PT's are a little crazy. :noway:
Though, it's not really their fault. They are just reiterating the things they've learned from the classes they've taken. Not every PT has done progressive load lifting and they aren't nutritionists so they do the best they can with the information they've gotten.0 -
Do you recognise this experience?
i haven't come in too much for it. the trainers that are around in the rec centre branch i use most are too busy hanging with their buddies (aka the Guys Who Grunt) and playing workout hero with them . . . when they're not actually working with clients, that is. i kind of eavesdrop on their actual working sessions now and then and they seem to be pretty good at it, really. but i think they operate like hairdressers who have their own 'chair' in a salon, and they seem far too opportunistic as business people to hand out free advice. i've only seen one of them ever say anything to anyone, once, and it was legitimate info about protecting the shoulder joint during bench press.
if it was being done to me i would hate it though. the dilemma is when on the one hand someone seems to be full of ****, and yet on the other hand, for all you know some of the information they have is legit - and information you need. it's tough when you don't know enough your own self to evaluate the credibility of anyone else.0 -
That last paragraph is spot on Canadian. As a beginner, I listen and listen and listen to go along with all of the watching and reading I do at home. But after a couple of times you start to realise that there's a tonne of contradictions going on.0
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But after a couple of times you start to realise that there's a tonne of contradictions going on.
i know. squats alone. feet out, feet parallel, high bar, low bar, lumbar curve, flat back . . . and then there's the bench and deadlift families. i think what i've picked up is that there are many different sub-flavours of every lift, but people tend to know them only by their general name. so whatever someone's saying might be good if you applied it as a total package, but less great if you're mixing it in with tips for other versions of form for that same lift.0 -
What does it actually take to be a PT? These experiences people have are really disheartening. Any Women here doing PT training? I have always fantasized about being a size-positive, evidence based PT....0
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There's a female PT at my gym, but she's never really around when I am. I've seen her doing individual sessions though.
All of other female staff seem to just do classes. Oh, and one of them does sports massage, I've had one, and it was fab.
They all seem to have their pet philosophies - only drink whole milk, only drink water with lemon, only drink out of glass bottles...0 -
I would stop listening to PTs at the gym... also any unsolicited advice usually gets the ***** face from me.0
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I think I liked it when I was unfamiliar and everyone ignored me. 0
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AFAIK you can become a PT with a 2 week-end course or even through online certification... So it really doesn't mean a lot...
I kinda want to get mine though. It would make for a nice side gig. I love spending time at my gym. People are typically very friendly and the staff is nice and the trainers look like they lift! haha0 -
2 weekends? That's it?! I looked into it a few years ago and the place that my PT friend went to required 5-days a week for 6 months or weekends only for a little over a year, which is why I didn't do it because I have a full-time job already. If it were only 2 weekends almost anyone could get their PT certification! Jeez.0
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I've asked a couple and they seem to have degrees in Sports Science and similar.0
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2 weekends? That's it?! I looked into it a few years ago and the place that my PT friend went to required 5-days a week for 6 months or weekends only for a little over a year, which is why I didn't do it because I have a full-time job already. If it were only 2 weekends almost anyone could get their PT certification! Jeez.
Well the 2 weekend thing might e a bit of an exaggeration, but I've been told by someone who's done that certification (I don,t remember which atm tho), and she said it wasn,t a huge time committment at all. Like a few weekends. Definitely not a whole year. There are probably different levels of certification though.
So this is in french but I've grabbed this from the website I was refered to:Structure de la formation
La formation se donne à Montréal et à Québec. Dû à des conditions logistiques particulières, la durée totale de la formation de Québec est condensée en 3 fins de semaine, mais le contenu enseigné est le même dans les deux régions.
3 week-ends. Yup.0 -
I've thought about getting a trainer but I'm hesitant for the same reasons everyone's brought up here. I've heard so many horror stories and I'm not ready to put up with the potential headache right now. People I know that have trainers compete in figure competitions so not really the same goals at all.
A lot of the sessions with women I've seen going on around me at the gym are the typical machine circuits, light dumbbells, and mat work for abs. It is pretty easy to get certified, too. A friend of a friend was working on hers and it didn't take much effort. We did a trial session with her, saying we wanted to lift but she had us do a tabata workout :-|
I wish there were a power lifting gym near me.0 -
I feel so lucky! I went to my new gym and demanded a trainer who would help me lift and specified the various Stronglifts type exercises. They assigned me a woman (I said I didn't care) who loves lifting and she is teaching me proper form on all of the exercises, plus some good core accessories, and we almost never use machines. She absolutely loves lifting and is excited that I am so enthusiastic about it. I freaking love her. I feel so lucky and I feel so bad that other people are having issues finding a PT
Edit: I just googled my trainer's name and she finished first in her category in some regional bodybuilding championship in 2013. There was a picture of her and she was mega ripped and pretty bulky. She doesn't look bulky anymore in person but that really tells me she knows what is up. She is awesome.0
