What’s up, guys?
Sean Nalewanyj here; www.SeanNal.com-www.BodyTransformationTruth.com.
And in this video here I want to talk about one of my biggest pet peeves in the fitness
industry.
I have a lot of different ones, but this is definitely right up there and that pet peeve
is the average run of the mill personal trainer at your typical big box gym.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of good personal trainers out there who are
physically fit and who know what they’re talking about who do provide good service
to their clients, so I’m obviously not talking about everyone here.
But I do feel pretty comfortable in saying that far more personal trainers than not are
going to be a waste of time and a waste of money for the average beginner trying to get
into shape.
They probably have good intentions but most typical personal trainers are just not very
knowledgeable when it comes to training and nutrition, and they end up stirring their
clients down the wrong path and they do it while charging upwards of $50 or more per
hour, which is not cheap and which does add up a lot over the long term.
The average beginner probably doesn’t realize this but getting a personal training license
really doesn’t require much and it should be a lot more difficult than it is.
The terms certified personal trainer might sound fancy to someone who’s just starting
out.
You know, they got the uniform and the name tag, and it all looks nice and professional
but the truth is that all it really takes is memorizing some very basic information
over a few weekend courses.
A lot of which is probably outdated information anyway, and anyone out there can very easily
become a certified trainer regardless of their actual knowledge or their experience level.
You could honestly spend few days or a week conducting your own research on Google and
YouTube, and as long as follow the right sources you could easily learn everything that the
average personal trainer knows and more all on your own.
I’ve spent endless hours in a ton of different gyms throughout my life and you just see the
same basic things over and over again no matter what gym you go to.
And I personally find it really frustrating because you have a fitness beginner who is
obviously serious enough about wanting to get into shape to actually go out and hire
a trainer for it, or maybe they just felt pressure into doing it by the sales people
at the gym but they don’t realize that the actual guidance they’re being given probably
ranges from bad to really bad in most cases.
You know, you’ll see a trainer standing there counting reps while their clients does
squats or dead lifts using terrible form, you’ll see a woman who is 150 pounds overweight
being take through an arm isolation workout, you’ll hear a completely outdated nutrition
advice with trainers telling their clients to avoid carbs or that they have to eat six
clean meals every two to three hours, you’ll see skinny guys who’re trying to gain muscle
being put through light circuit training style workouts, just everything imaginable that
is so far less than optimal.
And I know this all might sound a little harsh or over the top, but it’s honestly the way
it is.
And for those watching who do have decent fitness knowledge and experience then you
know exactly what I’m talking about.
So please go ahead and comment if you know what I’m talking about to back me up here.
But yeah, this is exactly why you’ll notice that a very high percentage of the clients
that you see coming back to the gym week after week after week, never really seem to change
all that much even though they are putting the effort in at the gym.
And it’s also why a large percentage of trainers themselves aren’t even in really
good shape.
I mean, really, if you take a look around at the average gym it’s actually fairly
rare to see a personal trainer who’s actually in legitimately impressive shape.
And I recognize that being in shape doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re knowledgeable
in the subject and vice versa, but I think if you’re going to be paid to teach people
how to build muscle and how to lose fat then you should lead by example.
At the very least if you’re a trainer who isn’t currently in the best shape then you
should at least be someone who is made considerable progress from where you started.
I’m not saying you need to be shredded by any means, but you shouldn’t blatantly be
overweight or out shape which many trainers are.
So, if you’re a beginner and you’re looking to hire a trainer to start you off on the
right foot or just to have someone to be accountable to, at the very least you should do some research
first to make sure you’re working with someone who really does know what they’re doing,
and who’s going to be worth the money for you.
If, they’re promising you any sort of over the top results then you’ll immediately
want to stay in the clear.
Most beginners are not going to gain any more than about half a pound of muscle per week
in their first year of training in the best case scenario.
And losing any more than around two pounds of fat per week consistently, if cutting is
your goal, that’s not going to happen over any lengthy span of time unless you’re significantly
over weight in which case it might be possible.
But for most people around 1 to 2 pounds per week is a reliable guide lines.
So, ask what sort of results you can expect to achieve and if the numbers fall any where
far outside of those ranges then that trainer either doesn’t know what they’re talking
about or they’re deliberately overpromising just to get your business.
You also ask them what type of workout plan they put you on.
If it’s not a basic routine that centers around heavy compound exercises at a relatively
high intensity with the focus on progressive overload, hitting each muscle at least twice
per week because if you’re a beginner, assuming you probably are if you’re looking for a
trainer then you’ll want to target each muscle at least that often.
Again, if the training guidelines fall very far outside of that, then you’re not going
to end up with an optimal plan.
If, as a beginner, they have you on some crazy workout plans and using things like super-sets
and drop-sets, a ton of isolation exercises or some sort of weight training cardio-hybrid,
again, you’re going to be wasting your time and money there.
They also shouldn’t be over-emphasizing cardio either.
Weight training should always form the basis of your workout routine with only moderate
amount of extra cardio added in.
but most definitely not the four or five days plus per week that a lot of trainers will,
just sort of, aimlessly recommend.
On the nutrition end, if they’re giving you outdated advice saying you have to eat
perfectly clean seven days a week, you can never eat any sort of cheat foods, you can
never drink alcohol, you have to eat every two to three hours or that you need to follow
some sort of restricted eating plan like low carb, or paleo, or gluten free, again, that
trainer really doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
They should be able to explain the basics of calorie and macro nutrient intake to you
in relation to your goals, they should understand the concept of flexible dieting and they should
have you on a well-balanced plan where you’re eating the right quantity of nutrient dense
whole foods a good percentage at a time, but that also incorporates some flexibility so
that you can fit in your favorite foods in moderation as well.
And don’t forget to asks about supplements too, because if they’re anything but a supplement
minimalist, especially given that you’re probably a beginner, again they’re stirring
you down the wrong path and you’re just going to end up wasting even more money in
addition to what you already spending for the training services; a basic whey protein
powder, creatine, fish oil, multivitamin, maybe a basic pre-workout, anything much beyond
that is not going to be necessary.
So if they start mentioning things like fat burners or glutamine or BCAAs or testosterone
boosters, especially if they’re being sold through the gym and that’s going to be another
massive red flag for you.
So again, I know that there are a lot of great personal trainers out there, people who know
more than I do and who are in better shape than I am, so if you’re someone out there
who is providing legit training service then I give all the credit and this isn’t directed
at you.
And you know exactly what I’m talking about in this video anyway.
However, the simple truth is that the average run of the mill personal trainer is hugely
over charging you for what would be at best a far less than ideal program and at worst
possibly even a counter-productive program.
So if you’re a beginner who wants to work out with a trainer, don’t just assume certified
personal trainer is all you need to look for, and you should be doing extensive research
first before you decide to work with someone because you’re going be putting the time,
you’re going to be putting in the effort and your result will basically be in their
hands.
So thanks for watching, guys.
The official website is www.SeanNal.com.
You can follow me here on social media if you aren’t already the link is in the description
box.
If you want to skip the personal training step altogether and just get all the no B.S.,
science-based tools you need to lose fat and gain muscle as effectively as possible including
step-by-step workouts, meal plans, supplement guides and one-on-one e-mail coaching then
you can download my Body Transformation Blueprint by clicking here or by heading over to www.BodyTransformationTruth.com
using the link in the description box.
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Thanks for watching, guys.
I’ll talk to you again soon.