Like many other fitness professionals, I have seen a spike in people's Facebook & Twitter feeds, as well as received messages about New Year's Resolutions. The most common new year's resolution is involving fitness. While many people have a resolution to lose "X" number of pounds, some have goals that include activities such as marathons, races, various exercise competitions etc. The corporate fitness industry has realized this a long time ago, and has taken full advantage of the idea of people willing to spend more money around the first of the year on their health. Gym memberships change their rates, exercise clothing costing a certain amount, even personal trainers are getting involved in the hype.
Which leads me to my, what will seem like to some if not many, rant...
BE CAREFUL
I have received a lot of messages lately about people inquiring about my training services. I have also received just as many messages from people about my suggestions on hiring a trainer. It can be very confusing and frustrating when you are new into the fitness world to find that right person. So here is my long and short on the matter. If you don't like it, then why are you reading my page?
Education
The ugly truth is, it doesn't take much to be a personal trainer/fitness coach. In fact, most training certifications simply require a high school education (or equivalent) and to pass a written exam. Even more so, if you fail the exam, you have sometimes up to 5 more attempts to pass (with passing being a 60-70%). Additionally, to give yourself the title of Fitness Anything (coach, consultant, professional, etc), you don't need to present any certification.
On the same note, a fitness certification does not mean that the person always knows what they are talking about. Now, before all of the trainers reading this throw a hissy fit, I am putting myself into this category as well. A few letters behind my name on a business card aren't the reason to consider myself a good fitness coach. Over the course of my fitness career (coming up on 10 years, wow I am getting old), I have acquired 7 different fitness certifications. I am going to be completely honest with you... I studied for 1 (one) of them. And, I'll be very upfront on this... it wasn't my CrossFit Certification. I attended the weekend seminar for CrossFit and took the exam with almost a year between the two. Now, not all of my certifications are relevant to the current fitness profession that I am in, but, nevertheless I still have them. Would look pretty fancy if I had B.S. NASM C.P.T., P.E.S., C.E.S., ISSA C.P.T., ACE, ACSM, NESTA, CSCS, L1, OLY all behind my name, right? No, it's a waste of space. Some certifications can be taken online as well. Remember when you took an online exam in school? And you "swore that you didn't look up any information on the Internet while taking the exam." And I am sure none of us ever had someone take an online exam for us. Who would ever do that in their right mind?
So, in terms of education, what makes someone creditable?
Experience in the field of health & wellness need to be taken into consideration when choosing a trainer. What's their reputation and track record? Are they keeping up to date with the current health and fitness education? Do they continue to educate themselves? Do you know someone who has used them AND succeeded? Additionally, and probably more so, practical application of knowledge is the best way to see if someone knows what they are talking about. I am not saying you should ask your trainer a million questions about Golgi apparatus or muscle spindles (although they should know both by the way). However, you want to make sure that they AT LEAST have a strong educational base of how to help YOU. It doesn't matter if they rushed for 1,000 yards in college (or insert any form or former athletic achievement you want) if you're interested in strengthening your core, losing 10 lbs, gaining more muscle tone, or whatever. They should know You, inside and out.
Which leads me to my next point...
Former Athletes DO NOT = Fitness Professionals
Just because someone was once a talented athlete, that does not give them current credibility in the fitness industry. I am no different in this category as well. I come from an extensive athletic background, one of which I am very proud of and love talking about, but that doesn't mean I know what I am talking about in terms of fitness. While I believe that former athletes understand what it takes to achieve a goal better than some, it does not give them the knowledge needed to call themselves a fitness professional. There are times (and I myself am guilty of this before) that a former athlete will think "Well, I did it this way, and it worked for me. So this must be the only way to do it." Someone who lost 10 lbs in order to move better on the court doesn't mean that someone that wants to lose 10 lbs to not be so winded on the stairs should go through the same program.
While I do not believe that a person must be in the best shape of their life to be educated on health and fitness, if they look like they need a trainer themselves, you may want to consider other options. I do not expect my trainer to be the best at everything they coach me through. But I don't want someone that has trouble climbing the stairs talking to me about cardiorespiratory endurance/efficiency. I don't want someone that can't, or no proven record of, lift weights coaching me on how to properly weight train. And I especially don't want advice on how to eat from someone that looks like they just robbed a Dairy Queen.
And on to...
Nutrition
You trainer and/or fitness coach needs to have a solid background in many different nutritional plans. The statement above of "worked for me" doesn't always cut it. There is no lack of nutritional information available these days. Simply type in the word 'FOOD' in a search engine and you can get lost for days. This diet, that diet, eat this, don't eat that, cut this out, don't eat after this time, GOODNESS!
Often times a trainer or coach will have one or two nutritional plans that they feel work best for the vast majority of people. But you, the client, MUST be upfront with what your goals are. Nutrition is 70% of the work that goes into fitness. Your trainer should know the difference between a diet and a nutritional plan. Too often I see or hear about trainers writing "diets" for their clients and it makes me want to grab them by the neck. You cannot live your life by eating on a 'diet.' Nutrition is not a 3 week fix. Nutrition (and exercise) are a life-long journey. Your trainer should have an understanding of food and how it fuels the body. Also, how fuel can improve things such as immune system, organ function, the central nervous system, and often times take the place of improperly used supplements. Which leads me to the next section...
Supplements
You are going to have a hard time these days trying to find a trainer that isn't connected to some supplement company. Granted, there are a few that completely swear against any and all kinds of supplements, but they are few and far between.
I myself endorse certain supplements and the companies associated with them. You need to do your research first and foremost and figure out what the supplement is that the trainer is recommending to you. Why this supplement? Do I really need to take it? What happens if I don't? And any other question you can think of. Additionally, you need to find out why the trainer is recommending a certain brand (if any). At the end of the day, if a trainer tells you one brand over another, there is a god chance they are paid to do so. This DOES NOT mean that the supplement is bad. I repeat, just because a trainer makes a profit from a certain company, does not mean that it is a poor supplement. I endorse certain supplements because I BELIEVE in what they do. My clients will tell you, I am very upfront about supplements, all of them. I encourage questions about all supplements, endorsed by me or not. There are no lack of companies in the supplement industry, good companies too. On the same token, there are companies that do not put as much time, research, or funds into their product. Ask your trainer why they are recommending a certain brand. Also, ask them if they themselves use the product - that is often a good indicator if the trainer trusts the product. I have had many trainers over the years, and when the topic of supplementation comes up, my first question is "Do/Would you take it?"
Trust
At the end of the day, you need to trust your trainer. It doesn't matter how many people they have helped lose weight, or how much stronger they made someone. If you don't have a trusting relationship with your fitness coach, it won't work. You can build trust with them any way you seem fit. But if you don't, then you just spent a lot of money to be really upset.
If you have any questions about finding a good trainer, please don't hesitate to ask. I have many friends around the country and would be more than happy to help in finding a good, trustworthy trainer. Remember, hiring someone to help you reach your fitness goals is not cheap. Good training (exercise, supplements, nutritional consultation, advice, help) isn't cheap. Cheap training isn't good.
For those who are reading this and consider themselves fitness professionals: If I have upset you, then remind me to not come to you for training advice. You're probably in the above mentioned.
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