Is anybody else's body put together wrong or is it just me?!

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24

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  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    LittleJem01 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the responses folks. I did wonder whether he was just picking up on minor things to frighten me into forking out the £s, but I'm such a novice at all this that I wasn't 100% sure. He did offer a cheaper alternative which was basically online coaching with no face-to-face contact but I don't really see the point of that; if I'm as wonky as he says then my form will need a lot of correction and he can't exactly fix that by email!
    rybo wrote: »
    Sounds like he's trying to scam you. However, the things he pointed out can be legit physiological items. Now whether that puts you at risk for injury is debatable. Its very common to develop hip/pelvic tilt, an many people's knees are built different. Are you in any pain currently?
    I suffer a bit with my lower back and have had sciatica in the past, also my knee joints do hurt when I squat with weight but that's about it.

    The doctor/physio/chiropractor suggestions are good; given that the consensus seems to be that he's a shark, though, I'll maybe see how I get on in the gym before I go down that road.
    LoraF83 wrote: »
    Physiognomy is "the assessment of a person's character or personality from his or her outer appearance, especially the face."

    Apparently, he assessed your personality and thought you'd be an easy scam. Find a new trainer.
    That made me laugh!! I can't remember the word he used in the summary, physiognomy sounded right in my head but clearly isn't it.......or maybe it was haha.

    If you've got lower back pain, see a doctor. If your knees hurt when you squat, see a trainer who can help you correct your form.
    Don't go back to this guy. No trainer should advertise the ability to "fix" your body.
  • LittleJem01
    LittleJem01 Posts: 51 Member
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    kristinegift wrote: »
    So I'm not put together 100%, but there are ways to strengthen those weak areas and continue on with running, lifting, whatever you want to do. A little misalignment here and there just makes us unique :)
    emdeesea wrote: »
    If you really are concerned, see an orthopedist or a physical medicine MD, but if you're not in pain or your movement is not limited, you're fine. (I'm an RN by the way).
    Thanks, both of you, that's reassuring :)


  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    Hold on guys, this might not be as much of a scam as you think. We haven’t seen LittleJem01’s movement patterns. The point the trainer may be making is that you have some muscle imbalances (we all do) and some mobility issues (we all do). There are exercises you can do to address these. But you don’t need a personal trainer to find them. There are plenty of resources online. I’d start with MobilityWOD.com.

    Past that, really focus on form when you lift. Take videos from the front and side of each lift and evaluate it afterward. Never add weight if your form isn’t good. You may also want to take advantage of some of the stabilization balls and tools at your gym to ensure you’re building a more stable, balanced musculature to support the other exercise programs you want to do.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    I'm fairly certain you don't need to go to any doctor, but you definitely need to drop the "trainer"
  • sgthaggard
    sgthaggard Posts: 581 Member
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    LittleJem01 wrote: »
    He did say that he can give me excercises to do that will help to mitigate some of these issues, but that's not part of the free assessment and there's no way I can pay £200/month for a personal trainer.
    Of course he can give you exercises to fix what's not wrong with you for an exorbitant amount of money. :s

  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    He wants your money. Get a new trainer.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited March 2015
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    None of us can say whether or not there's any merit to what he's saying. Everyone's body is a little goofy in that we all have odd things to deal with and work around... imbalances, proportions, flexibility, blah blah blah.

    IMO, if you need help with something, see someone well trained in that something. Back issues? See a chiro or physio. Need help learning a lift or how to use the equipment? See a trainer or gym staff. Need your house painted? Call a painter. etc.

    Ultimately though, you'll have to make the decision based on how you feel as to whether or not anything is "wrong".
  • freqzinbigd
    freqzinbigd Posts: 56 Member
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    Wow. No. You're not 'put together wrong'

    Most likely you're out of whack a bit, which is common, but it's nothing that can't be corrected pretty quickly with some mobility work and a dogged focus on form.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    A trainer did the exact same BS to me at 24hr Fitness, telling me all that you mentioned was out of whack. It's part of their spiel to get clients to sign. "Only I have something you want (exercises to fix glaring physical errors which can hurt you) so pay me a lot of money and I'll give them to you, and you should thank me". Don't listen to them. Most 24 Hr type coaches are full of crap.
  • LittleJem01
    LittleJem01 Posts: 51 Member
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    Thanks guys. A few of you have mentioned mobility exercises - would that be the likes of yoga or stretching? Sorry to sound thick but I'm a complete noob when it comes to all this and would be grateful for any pointers!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Mobility work comes in lots of forms, but ultimately it's about doing things that stretch muscles an improve joint movement. Yoga can be great. Stretching is good, too. Foam rolling can be beneficial.

    I'm a fan of the Limber 11
    https://www.defrancostraining.com/ask-joe/44-flexibilitymobility/302-joe-ds-qlimber-11q-flexibility-routine.html
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Mobility work comes in lots of forms, but ultimately it's about doing things that stretch muscles an improve joint movement. Yoga can be great. Stretching is good, too. Foam rolling can be beneficial.

    I'm a fan of the Limber 11
    https://www.defrancostraining.com/ask-joe/44-flexibilitymobility/302-joe-ds-qlimber-11q-flexibility-routine.html

    http://www.allthingsgym.com/mobility101/ as well
  • Drewlssix
    Drewlssix Posts: 272 Member
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    FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »
    deoliveiraf wrote: »
    See a chiropractor. He will be able to diagnose whether these 'issues' do exist, and work on getting your body back into alignment if they do actually exist.

    OP: Do not see a chiropractor. They can do more harm than good.

    If you are concerned, see an orthopedic physician or physical therapist.

    Who can also do more harm than good, chiros have worked for me in the past but I wouldn't recommend one in this case.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    What's all the hate on chiro's? Mine has done wonders for me.

    OP,
    Mobility is more than just stretching. Some good links posted, some additional search can provide more.
  • lili61
    lili61 Posts: 231 Member
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    AllanMisner wrote: »
    Hold on guys, this might not be as much of a scam as you think. We haven’t seen LittleJem01’s movement patterns. The point the trainer may be making is that you have some muscle imbalances (we all do) and some mobility issues (we all do). There are exercises you can do to address these. But you don’t need a personal trainer to find them. There are plenty of resources online. I’d start with MobilityWOD.com.

    Past that, really focus on form when you lift. Take videos from the front and side of each lift and evaluate it afterward. Never add weight if your form isn’t good. You may also want to take advantage of some of the stabilization balls and tools at your gym to ensure you’re building a more stable, balanced musculature to support the other exercise programs you want to do.

    This. When I started back at the gym, I had so many imbalances and mobility issues that have taken a long time to correct. Some I'm still working on. Of course the trainer wants to make money off of you--that's his livelihood, but I don't necessarily think he had horrible intentions. He's probably banking on you using his advice to correct these imbalances, but I think you can research and correct a lot on your own.

  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    rybo wrote: »
    What's all the hate on chiro's? Mine has done wonders for me.

    OP,
    Mobility is more than just stretching. Some good links posted, some additional search can provide more.

    A lot of chiros tend to hawk cleanses and awful nutritional advice. At least recently.

    I saw one when I was younger for scoliosis and she was great. But the one I saw briefly, recently, I wouldn't give money to.
  • justcat206
    justcat206 Posts: 716 Member
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    I have similar problems. I have scoliosis which makes one leg longer than the other and I'm also knock-kneed. I also get super tight hip flexors which can drastically affect posture and thusly lifting (I've thrown out my back a bunch while squatting). I did fork out for custom orthotics which helped a ton with my leg length difference, and correcting my flat arches and over-pronation took a lot of the pressure off my ankles and knees. I always make sure to stretch my hips really well before lifting. And if you google "knock knee squat" there are a lot of videos that show you exercizes to help strengthen the right muscles and correct forms for squatting so you're less likely to hurt your knees. If you're worried about it, definitely have someone give you a look over and then you can go from there :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,565 Member
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    Lol. So being a personal trainer, I find some of the assessments done by PT's laughable. Sure some people's symmetry can be off...............that's normal. The way people's head tilts, toes turn in out/in, etc. has been a habitual movement that's felt normal to the person for years. Now that's not to say it can't be improved upon, but to make claims that they can be corrected by exercise?
    Many of the new PT's today are so annoying since the last few I've met at gyms (before my one where you need a degree), are so much more smoke and mirrors rather than providing some good factual information. The broscience passed on in many fitness gyms is still prevalent and hopefully some will get some good info here that they should "shop" for a good PT rather than just get one handed to them.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • justcat206
    justcat206 Posts: 716 Member
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    Also, my chiropractor has been awesome about helping me with lifting. I've been seeing him for over a decade and he's been able to tell me which lifts I need to be extra cautious about based on my particular spinal needs, and he gives me lots of stretches and exercizes to help strengthen the places I'm weak so that I don't hurt myself on compound lifts. Some chiros are better than others, for sure, but I wouldn't toss the whole lot of them - some actually know what they're doing (bonus points if they're younger and more recently out of school -- my very old chiro told me not to lift heavy because, as a woman, I didn't need to 'bulk up' -- my significantly younger chiro helped me put together my lifting routine).

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