So I’ve been a trainer for almost 6 years now and in that time, I’ve changed many lives. I can genuinely say that I love what I do, but the cost of this is that people may put you on a pedestal. The reality is, however, we’re human, just like you. We have flaws, albeit beneath layers of muscle and positivity. We have problems, issues, challenges and just about any other thing that you face. So here are some truths about your favourite personal trainers.

5) We don’t all have perfectly sculpted abs – Yes, it’s true. Many trainers wear t-shirts that are just tight enough to show off an impressive chest (pecs or otherwise), but just loose enough to hide what may or may not be that little inkling of fat that keeps our abs just a touch before perfect. I’ve seen many trainers bareback and, let’s just be real, we’re not all fitness models. What we excel at are two things; being fit (strength, endurance, etc) and passing on the knowledge of being fit. If we wanted to make the extra effort for the abs, we know how, but often don’t see it as necessary.

4) We don’t all have superb diets – We like cake, ice cream, sweet bread, fudge, milk chocolate and just about any other delectable sin that there is on the face of the earth. Where we differ from the average Joe is our ability to control (or even replace) our cravings. You won’t find us eating a slice of cheesecake every day (although it is perfectly fine for our one cheat-day for the week). Extremes of diet are usually reserved for elite athletes, which we, by choice, tend not to be.

3) We drink – Beer, Vodka, Rum, Scotch or any of a number of other alcohol choices, have (and will again) passed through our lips. This is just another part of our diet, though. This means that you will not see us drinking every day and hardly ever (if ever) see us drunk and passed out on the sidewalk outside of some party. We know the positive and negative effects of alcohol on our bodies and therefore choose to limit our alcohol intake to a bare minimum. For some, it means a couple of drinks a week, for some it means set drinking times throughout the year (birthdays and new years are two examples) and for some, the extreme is done (no alcohol whatsoever), but they are in the minority.

2) We have sex drives – So don’t feel weird when you see your trainer giving the sultry “come hither” look to a man/woman during conversation (and don’t get jealous either). Because your trainer may have never interacted that way with you (something I will touch on in the next point), doesn’t mean we are not capable of this. Not hitting on clients is a matter of professionalism, not asexualism (I know it’s not a word, but it sounds cool though). I have even had clients give me a look of surprise any time I use the word “wife” or “son” in relation to my own life.

1) We are not all consummate professionals – Most of us stick to a strict code of ethics. This encompasses whether, where and how we touch clients, whether or not we hit on clients, how we act in public (especially when clients are around), the language we use, etc. However, there are those who break one (or all) of the rules. I once heard of a guy who borrowed money from his clients and know that there are many trainers out there who have relationships (sexual and/or romantic) with clients. I have even seen a trainer stretching his client in what looked more like a butterfly position (look it up on Google). I was, quite frankly, appalled that he thought that this behaviour was okay, but more so that it didn’t seem to raise any alarms for the client. My advice is to stay away from trainers who breach this code of ethics (no matter how hot he/she is) because it usually leads to problems, either in your training programme or in life in general.

There are many more things I can say here (e.g. trainers have relationship problems, money problems and even bad hair days), but I think this sums up the biggest issues. Now I hope we seem a little bit more human. 🙂