Chau's Top 5 — Trainers You Should Avoid

Now that you know how to get the best interaction with your Personal Trainer, let’s look a little into selecting a trainer. Selecting the right trainer is very important if you want to achieve the greatest success. Sometimes, their knowledge and teaching ability is great, but their personality just does not mesh with yours. Sometimes they are very personable but they don’t seem to be that knowledgeable. There are many reasons that a trainer can be right for you, but let’s examine some of the things you should avoid.
1st Lt. Bobbie-Jean Johnson, 919th Special Operations Wing, practices posing in a head-to-toe mirror at the back of the fitness center on Duke Field, Fla. In November, the Airman won all the divisions she entered at the Northwest Florida Flex Fest in Pensa5) The Showoff — Have you ever been to the gym with a trainer and he is wearing his tightest top and pants, or her perfect tummy is showing and she has on the brightest tights? Absolutely nothing is wrong with that. It is normal for a trainer to want to show the results of working with him/her. The problem is when you have to call his/her attention away from his/her adoring fans. Some trainers are more concerned with how they look than how you look/feel, and they want everyone in the gym to notice, at the expense of your workout.
4) Always On The Phone — There are some clients who are so proficient at various exercises that a trainer can give an exercise and walk away, knowing that the client will do the task properly. Not all clients are like that and, as such, a trainer needs to always keep an eye on his/her clients. However, WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram sometimes seem more important than the client’s workout. This could lead to, at best, poorly done exercises and low gains to, at worst, injury.
3) The SalespersonNutrition is an important part of your fitness journey and every trainer should understand this and not be afraid to talk about nutrition, including supplementation, with clients. However, alarms should be going off in your head if your trainer is constantly trying to directly sell you a specific product. It’s one thing to endorse a product because a trainer believes in it. It’s another thing to attempt to make gain off of you through that product. The product may not actually be right for you, but the trainer may not be concerned about that and may only be thinking about his/her pocket.

Pure Inspiration
unless you’re in the military…

2) Do It At All Costs! — A trainer is supposed to push you. Never feel that the hard trainer is mean or just angry. However, it is important to let your trainer know when you can’t go anymore and it is even more important for the trainer to listen. Muscle injuries, joint injuries, connective tissue injuries and rhabdomyolysis are all issues that can occur due to “going too hard” in a workout session. If a trainer ignores you and tries to push you to the point of injury, that’s a sure sign that he/she is not the one for you (or for anybody).

bad_touch
definitely not good

1) Mr/Ms Inappropriate — I once saw a trainer stretching his client. She was lying down, his hand was pressing one leg down, his shoulder under the other leg, pushing it up and back. This is a pretty basic assisted stretching technique — except that his crotch was ridiculously close to hers. This should never happen. A trainer should not make inappropriate comments, take pictures of your body without your consent (especially when focusing on certain body parts), touch you inappropriately (or at all without your consent), send you inappropriate pictures or hit on you. Anything that a trainer does that makes you uncomfortable should be brought to his/her attention immediately. You can give him/her a second chance if you wish, but this is not necessary. However, if he/she does not listen to your complaint and take it seriously, you should definitely leave. This is one of the highest violations a trainer can commit.
As you noticed, three out of these five issues deal with neglect. Numbers 5 and 4 are more passive in nature and number 2 can be considered malicious neglect. The others deal with how a trainer interacts with you actively. Basically, interaction (amount and type) is the main thing that you should pay attention to when working with a trainer. Anyone can be knowledgeable, but your comfort, progress and safety are the three most important things that a trainer should focus on. I hope this helps you moving forward with your trainer.

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