I Used the words "Poo Poo" in an Article and You Didn't!

Really….  How are you to blame?

All you did was pay a membership fee, initiation fees, then sit down with the obscenely money-oriented “fitness tester” so you could be made subject to his harsh criticisms by way of exercises the inventor of exercise himself would have problems doing.

Can’t perform the one-legged unilateral dumbbell 3-quarter BOSU split squat? That’s it. You need training sessions.

You sign up.  You figure everyone who works at a gym should have at least a similar base level of knowledge in order to keep unwitting clients like you safe and satisfied. . . .

But now that you’re injured from a muscle imbalance that was never brought to the fore, coupled with a crappy lifting technique, should you really be blaming your “Certified Personal Trainer”?

… Well, yes.

But, that doesn’t mean that nothing could have been avoided from your end. Let’s start things off with a reality check.  

THE TRUTH HURTS… Literally.

It’s sad to say it, but it’s true - the majority of half-wits clambering through local gyms received the authentication to deal with human bodies in a shorter time period than it takes most to earn two paycheques.  As defamatory as it is to the industry, this still continues and causes for misconceptions that I’ve noticed in dealings with clients who don’t (and really shouldn’t) know any differently. For example, they’ll commonly think:

a)      All trainers receive the same theoretical and practical schooling to get their knowledge base

b)      Because of the above, trainers can be interchangeable with no repercussions

General ignorance to the industry is partially to blame – most people will assume that since they’re hiring a “professional”, they will be dealt with professionally and thus be kept safe, free from injury, and see results they desire.  Sad to say, just like any other industry, there are good and bad members. In the world of law, it’s one thing to know the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but it’s another thing to apply it properly to your clients’ cases. What I’m trying to say is, there’s a reason why some trainers are at the top of the industry, and some trainers aren’t. It’s not just about “who you know”.  I’m going to take the time to attempt to make you a bit better informed. There are a few factors.

The Good Marketer

HUGE distinction to make.  Since Joe Suave has posters, pictures up on the net, is in a commercial and models on the front page of the monthly fitness magazine, he must be a good trainer too right?

Wrong.

The only thing trainers like the above are doing differently are marketing. They know how to make money, and they’re getting their face out there for everyone to see. Commercializing the training game is a decision each trainer has to cognitively make. If they’re in it just to get paid well, It’ll come to the fore sooner rather than later.

Look, every trainer may have a certain “style”. But the ones who actually know what they’re talking about will still agree on the basic methodologies that exist within training that can’t be argued. For example – the most efficient way to weight train to burn body fat. We hear about new technique after new technique, but the fact is, nothing beats the old school, compound movement, metabolic boosting, anaerobic effort exercises.

I could rant about all this stuff until tomorrow, but I’m here to help you too.  I decided to brainstorm a list of 4 major “Red Flags” that may tell you that your trainer (and I use that term loosely) might not be giving you your money’s worth.  

I’m not going to get into touchy subjects like customer service; that’s a can of worms I’m not prepared to open. Rather, I’m simply going to put emphasis towards simple training principles and methods.  The things I’m about to bring up are things all top strength coaches in the game will agree are important.  Go ahead and ask ‘em.

Red Flag 1:  The Only Time you Step on Solid Ground is When You Leave

So Joe Suave gets you to start with squats on the BOSU ball, followed by push ups with hands on the BOSU ball, followed by a lunge – curl combo with one foot on the BOSU.  This is what I have to say:

The BOSU ball is a balance trainer.

It simply makes me want to vomit each time I see out of shape (and even in-shape) clients being put on the ball while doing standing biceps curls, squats, presses, and other exercises of the like. The common rationale is “if you can do it on an unstable surface like this, then you’ll be able to do MORE on a flat surface”.  Another rationale is “you’ll be firing more stabilizing muscles, so you’re going to be burning more calories”.  Or, “you’re working your core strength to keep steady on the ball”.

(Lee Boyce roars in fury).

For some reason, these myths have made their way into common thought. What exercise on a ball really helps train is proprioceptive capacity -The ability to do one thing, while doing something different at the same time.  No tangible amounts of core strength, no stabilizer muscle activity worth mention, and definitely no strength training.  The reason we all suck at standing on a BOSU ball the first time we try it, is simply because it’s the first time we are trying it. Good proprioception is also what is allowing me to type this article without looking down at my keyboard.

Now, I’m not saying that the BOSU or Swiss ball shouldn’t be used at all with any clients ever, and that the thought of its invention was a waste to all things fitness.  What I am saying is that the FAD of these pieces of equipment has outweighed the APPLICATION of it.  Unstable surface training can be an effective tool for things like injury rehab (think sprained ankles and wrists), and many in-game situations for sports athletes (think kayakers, rowers, hockey players, and other ice and water sports athletes).  What it usually doesn’t help is a non-athlete, healthy client who’s after typical goals of strength, fat loss, and increased lean tissue. To sum up, here’s an important rule to take away from this:

YOU CANNOT PRODUCE A MAXIMAL FORCE AGAINST AN UNSTABLE SURFACE.

Knowing this important piece of info really answers any questions surrounding whether unstable surface training is the come-all and be-all of exercise.  Think about it. If you can’t create a max effort, you can’t properly train your strength to improve.  You also can’t fully recruit muscle fibres, so goodbye optimal fat loss.  I could go on… but you get the picture. If your coach has you doing instability work through the voodoo, then that’s poopoo.

Red Flag 2: You Seem to be the Golden Child - Prodigy, and an Anomaly of Anomalies

What do I mean by this?

The “perfectly balanced” individual doesn’t exist. If you go to your first session and for some reason you’re doing a full workout, let the alarms sound. People often gauge how “good” their trainer is by how “tough” the workouts are, or by how tired they feel by the end of a session. But you’re smarter than that.  If you’re constantly being praised for how well you’re performing compound movements on the first day, something’s wrong.

Every trainer, and I mean every trainer, should perform some method – any method – of testing clients’ abilities before beginning with actual training sessions.  This can come by way of structural balance testing, muscle testing, and other methods to ascertain ranges of motion, strength ratios, and skeletal alignment. Sadly, most weekend certifications don’t focus on that.  It really separates the good from the not-so-good by taking the vital time to perform a screen of diagnostic tests.  From my experience, I’d say 90% of clients (recreational trainees) will have some or all of the following:

• Postural issue/anterior head tilt/shoulders in poor position due to weakness of postural muscles
• Inhibitions in lower body musculature
• Weak links in lower body musculature
• Posterior chain dysfunction
• Core dysfunction
• Fascial issues (coupled with facial issues. I had to.)

In addition to these, I could get into skeletal misalignments and electrical signals to muscles, but I’m just looking at the bare minimums. Long story short, it’s simply playing with fire to train without knowing what may help or harm your body in particular. Add that to the quivering BOSU ball, and you’re exacerbating muscle imbalances you never knew you had, and soon you’ll be paying for your practitioner’s new Yacht in no time.  

Red Flag 3: Core Training Gone Awry

There are a few angles I can take on this one. Let’s break it down into two main ones.

• Core training for poor function
• Core training for aesthetics

In addition to falsehoods like the BOSU for core strengthening, many popcorn trainers will not knowingly instil incorrect functions and patterns into core training. Sit ups, crunch variations, leg raises and other methods of creating motion dominate many core training programs, when in reality, the muscles of the core should be primarily trained to do quite the opposite – resist unwanted motion. Again, it’s the overkill that makes this one a bad thing. In very select situations, sit ups and leg raises are OK exercises to employ.  But when they’re taking over for exercises like plank variations, and anti-rotational core movements and holds, we’ve got a problem.

Think of it this way. Strongmen are athletes that probably need some of the most core strength in all of sports. Considering the demands of the events in which they compete, a weak midsection will result in injury, much less lackluster performance. If the myths were true, then in training, wouldn’t we see them doing BOSU ball exercises and sit-ups, instead of deadlifts, paloff presses and loaded carries?

For my second point I’ll be as succinct as possible. If your trainer puts you through “core” sessions explaining that it will improve the look of your abs, get out.  Any fool knows that your abs being more prominent and visible is a result of doing exercises and keeping your diet clean enough to strip away any excess body fat surrounding the midsection.  We’re not competitive bodybuilders here, and 9 out of 10 people’s goal is NOT to hypertrophy their abdominals. That said, concentrated weighted abdominal movements with the intent of making them more muscular need not apply. Clients need function. Remember, a good looking body will come as a by-product of being a disciplined trainee.  It happens every time.

Red Flag 4: You’re Doing Sets of 40 with 3lb Dumbbells Because You Have a Uterus.

This one is a shout out to all the ladies in the house.  I saved this for last because It’s probably the biggest misconception in the world of fitness, and it’s carried on much more heavily than it’s refuted.

The common view is that from an overall perspective, women training for a lean, toned body should be training differently than the men who have the same goals.  Beats me as to why, but supposedly barbells, and lifting any considerable loads are the devil where training for women is concerned.   Time after time have I seen women being trained by their “trainers” and doing goblet squats with ten pounds. I had to do some background research to determine that they even made kettlebells that light!

 Here are the facts:  size gain (which I understand is what women are fearful of resulting from lifting considerable weight) is dependent mainly on a combination of two things.

1. Volume of exercise
2. Intensity of exercise

These two factors must BOTH be present in order for a muscle to increase in size. In English, it means if you did 14 sets of work with 10lbs for squats, you won’t grow; although the volume is there, the weight is just too light.  Likewise, if you did 2 sets of work with 200 lbs for squats, you STILL won’t grow, since you haven’t done enough total sets and reps of work using that load.  That said, girls, have no fear where barbells and big weights are concerned. In addition to your hormonal disadvantages regarding testosterone and growth hormone production, it’ll take you a hell of a lot of work to actually make your muscles grow.

Also, as we discussed above, we’ve learned that the “big bang” movements are staples for strength, fat loss and a lean body.  When I tell my female clients this, I often like to reason with them. Clearly the reason they’ve entered the gym in the first place was to improve their overall fitness and become more athletic, both inside and out. I ask them to think of what kind of bodies they want as an end result; just which athletes they admire the most for their amazing bodies. Some women will name a volleyball or tennis star. Others name a soccer player or ice sports athlete.  Some have even mentioned that they want the coveted “track body” they see sprinters possess on TV!  Regardless of the sport, I then ask them what they think is involved with those athletes’ training programs – large, barbell movements, some unilateral training, and a few Olympic lifts? Or 3lb dumbbell row-kickback combos with one hand on the Swiss ball?

Oh, and be honest, ladies. If you’re legitimately struggling to lift 10lb dumbbells in virtually any given movement, you may just NEED to build muscle. Yes, the very inkling does exist.

Play Your Cards Right

 Don’t hate the player, hate the game. There are quacks in every industry, and unfortunately, Fitness Coaching is one of those industries. It’s up to you to be able to differentiate the bad ones from the good ones.  Happily, there are some bright lights who have great minds in the industry today. Make sure to learn from them all so that you can make well informed decisions towards your training. Here are a few websites of a few of my favourite and uber-smart coaches to read more great articles. These guys are simply the TRUTH dot com. Not only do they know their stuff inside out, but they also practice what they preach. All are also internationally recognized, and the proof's in the pudding. 

www.tonygentilcore.com - Tony Gentilcore - World Renowned strength coach and co owner of Cressey Performance. 

www.charlespoliquin.com - Charles Poliquin - Need I say More?

www.thenategreenexperience.com - Nate Green - Fitness Writer, Author of Built for Show, Strength Trainer, and a bloody hero.

www.romanfitnesssystems.com - John Romaniello - Fitness journal mogul and self-proclaimed pretty boy. 

www.nicktumminello.com - Nick Tumminello -  Owner of Performance University in Maryland, and contributor to Men's Health, Musclemag, and other major magazines.

www.jcdfitness.com - JC Deen - Fitness writer, badass trainer. Ain't nothing better than playing games in the Dirty South. 

www.ericcressey.com - Eric Cressey - Owner of Cressey Performance, Author of Assess and Correct, and Strength Coach to numerous Major League baseball players.

www.benbruno.com - Ben Bruno - Contributing Author to TNation, and schooled by the great Mike Boyle. 

www.bretcontreras.com - Bret Contreras - The Glute Guy, contributing author to TNation, wannabebig, Musclemag

www.leeboycetraining.com - Lee Boyce - oh right, that’s me…. (awkward silence)...The uh, the best looking of the bunch. 

Ahem. Anyways. . . Happy reading .

• Date 09/18/2011
• comments 17
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