The Value of a Fitness Professional
/I remember having a conversation at a networking event, and he recalled a training session where his personal trainer made him vomit. I chuckled a bit with him and we continued our conversation but was distracted by his story. He seemed to enjoy the idea of being pushed hard enough that vomiting was a positive after effect. At that time I have had 10+ years as a Personal Trainer, and and was thinking that isn’t what our profession is about. Vomiting during a workout is not a normal reaction the body should have. For the record, I have made two clients vomit when I first started and I thought it was kind of cool, but changed my mind quickly and realized it wasn’t the right reaction to expect. The point is, I have come across people who think vomiting, soreness, or exhaustion is normal and expected when working with a trainer. Is this all we are worth? I feel we can do much better than this in our industry. Another trend that I have observed are personal trainers dispensing exercises like squats, kettlebell swings, burpees, push-ups plank poses, etc., in hopes of increasing one’s heart rate, burn calories and give clients the sweat and results they want. While what trainers are doing isn’t exactly unethical or unprofessional, but I see that they apply these exercises to multiple clients in different shapes and sizes with possibly different goals. Is this really personal training?
I feel we should challenge ourselves to be more professional, knowledgeable and humble in what we think we know. Fitness professionals have a common goal of improving one’s health by different methods of strength training. Even when we put our clients on aerobic machines like a treadmill or a bike, it is still a method of strength training. We are responsible for an individual’s body and their health for 30 minutes or more, imposing forces to one’s body and hoping they can resist those forces to improve muscular strength. To me, this is an important deal as it is someone’s life we are affecting. Each exercise we deliver, we should paying attention to their form and technique which I must say, trainers often do. But I see us also counting reps, while it can be of some value, the form and execution overrides the rep count in my opinion. We should attempt and investigate our client’s exercise execution and what they are focusing on. One reason I love this job is that it continues to challenge me on the spot to problem solve, and think things through to make the best decisions in the session. I hope other fitness professionals feel the same way.
What are three qualities you look for in a Fitness Professional?
I would love to read your comments. Thank you!