The Truth About 80% Of "Certified Personal Trainers"
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- čas přidán 4. 09. 2023
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Hi Sean, i understand what you mean. But its getting difficult to know who does it correctly by doing it and saying it. Who can we trust? Almost everybody is saying the other is talking bs. Sorry my English is not good , hope you understand my point
I agree totally it's very hard to navigate. thank you Shawn for sharing!
@@HaveAniceDay2450 someone with an actual 4 years degree in Atheletic Therapy, Kinesology or Clinical Exercise Physiology who then decided to do body building.
Or in other words a designated Physiotherapist who like to do body building. Since they are still in touch with science side of things, know the human anatomy fairly well, work on injuries and also build muscle, they could be a good candidate for personal trainers.
These people are hard to find but fortunately I found one by luck.
I always LIKE your videos the information you share is viable and stright to the point
You should specify "80%, in the "US"
Sometimes I can’t tell who the trainer is when they’re with a client.
Lmao!
It can be difficult to spot them. But if you watch closely, you will notice one confused individual running around a dozen senior citizen, telling them to take notes on their big a** block of A4, on how to perform leg extensions on the overhead press Hammerstrength machine.
Are you kidding? They usually have a shirt that says clearly “Personal Trainer” on the back and… and that’s pretty much it, really.
Uniform helps a lot lol
Maybe you should learn how to read then
At this point you don't even need a personal trainer when channels like this exist
Insert "Personal trainers are for old people who can't use the Internet" meme. That aside, the only time really I see it coming in useful to have someone there in person is when starting out to check your form through the movement as cameras can only capture one angle at a time and camera in gyms is another big can of worms thanks to gymtockers trying to bait "creeps" or just mocking people for social media clout.
Most people need someone to ride their ass or they’re not working at their best. Especially when starting out for the first time.
So true
I really disagree. I've had a PT for years, one who is actually highly skilled and invests a lot in continuing education. A good PT will know way more than 99% of people. As with any profession, you don't have the time to actually learn everything like detailed biomechanics, kinesiology, biology, etc. Not to mention that to progress in a tailored way and get good supportive, personal exercises, expert advice is invaluable.
Top athletes have trainers and coaches for a reason. You have someone who is a coaching expert and someone who is the performance expert.
But most PTs just aren't very good 🤐
True but not true. You’ll always have weaknesses in your blind spots. Plus, having an effective coach would’ve dramatically cut down the amount of injuries and wasted time for me.
Pro athletes have coaches for a reason.
I once overheard a trainer tell his client that the reason his stomach gets upset after drinking protein shake is the body's way of getting rid of fat 🙃
SciEnCe!
Wat da fuuuuuuqqqqqqqq
Wait whats the reason for this? Asking for a friend 😳
@@carbonide1290 im no expert on this but my theory is it has something to do with lactose intolerance. don't quote me on that though 😅
@@carbonide1290 Protein shakes don't have any Fiber or Fats so they get digested quickly, which apparently causes minor issues with your digestive system that leads to bloating, nausea, etc.
80% is being generous.
Couple of things here about the topic at hand and Sean himself…
As a degree qualified PT with years of experience running a successful coaching business who’s had over a decade of lifting experience prior to being one and has had powerlifting competitive experience, I can confidently say “I know my shit”.
1. I agree with this, for the most part. It really isn’t hard to stand out as a PT since the majority of PTs are pretty bad.
2. To defend my fellow PTs and to throw it back to Sean… I’ve been watching his videos for years. As great as his stuff is on bodybuilding, his information is severely limited. His knowledge on things like max strength training (powerlifting, to be specific), sport-specific strength and conditioning, endurance training (anaerobic, glycolytic and aerobic training), rehab and prehab management, flexibility and mobility training and many other training modalities isn’t very deep. He is one-dimensional as f**k. I wouldn’t call out other PTs if I were him.
@@pchiethegreat1to be fair, his main audience is people who want to get in better shape/build a better body and when it comes to that he does his job well. What you you seem to be describing are strength and conditioning coaches and sport coaches. He’s target isn’t athletes or powerlifters so of course even if you say is true, he wouldn’t need extensive knowledge to those niches because that’s not his audience. In conclusion his point is valid and yours is irrelevant.
@@Dqrthmalgus nope. False. You need a basic understanding of the big 3 barbell lifts, as well as other modalities like mobility, endurance and even explosiveness if you were to train normal people with basic health goals and train them to be multifaceted, WHILE still being able to build muscle and lose fat… Unless you want to be a robotic bodybuilder with not much else, which seems to be Seans target audience.
@@pchiethegreat1 my friend, all of us, including you, are here because we want to learn how to look better or are recreational “bodybuilders” so you proved my point. I am fairly he has at least some basic knowledge about those other stuff but that’s not what we are here for.
@@Dqrthmalgus how are you so sure he does, though? You’d think he’d post anything like that by now to further his reach as a content creator.
Show me one video hes done on building cardiovascular endurance for runners or a back squat tutorial for people with limited ankle mobility. ANYTHING like that.
I’ll be waiting….
I'm a personal trainer at a big box gym and I complety agree.
Couldn’t agree more with you Sean. As a beginner in the gym, I thought personal trainers are very useful (but I couldn’t afford one back then). Now, after years of lifting, I see how “useful” they and their exercises truly are ;P
I’ve met one that is actually good and I’m friends with. I trust what he says and he watches Jeff Nippard I think, so has a source of good info. Most PTs I don’t think are that good though and I’ve spoken to one who I think had some of the wrong advice. They said I didn’t need to train abs & that squats and deadlifts were enough or good (I can’t remember exactly). But they I think were saying that you don’t need to do like crunches and stuff.
That PT who I said was good, he said something a bit different and more accurate.
@@bobdarrick2628 well technically you dont need to unless you want them to be strong since they usually show
@@bobdarrick2628Actually that's accurate as far as I know. When you do multiarticular movements such as deadlifts or squats you need to use your core to stabilize the movement, so It get a lot of work. Still, people may benefit training them at least twice a week. But they don't need insane amount of work in they abs specially if they're doing multiarticular movements
@@bobdarrick2628Plus, crunches are highly overrated, It's better to train them with an ab wheel or with a cable while you try to not lose the position
@@bobdarrick2628 what he was saying is that most people get enough activation of their core from exercises like the squat and deadlift., Which is correct. Most people do not need to single out their abs for training. The first trainer was right unless you have specific goals to work towards that involve the abs
8 Personal trainers downvoted this
How do you know?
@@thelonewolf70x7 there's a plugin to reveal the downvotes. They're not gone, CZcams just hid them in a real lazy manner.
Couple of things here about the topic at hand and Sean himself…
As a degree qualified PT with years of experience running a successful coaching business who’s had over a decade of lifting experience prior to being one and has had powerlifting competitive experience, I can confidently say “I know my shit”.
1. I agree with this, for the most part. It really isn’t hard to stand out as a PT since the majority of PTs are pretty bad.
2. To defend my fellow PTs and to throw it back to Sean… I’ve been watching his videos for years. As great as his stuff is on bodybuilding, his information is severely limited. His knowledge on things like max strength training (powerlifting, to be specific), sport-specific strength and conditioning, endurance training (anaerobic, glycolytic and aerobic training), rehab and prehab management, flexibility and mobility training and many other training modalities isn’t very deep. All he knows is muscle hypertrophy and fat loss. Nothing more. Fitness encompasses so much more than that. He is one-dimensional as f**k. I wouldn’t call out other PTs if I were him.
@@pchiethegreat1 I don't take advice from people smaller than me, sorry buddy.
I miss comments like these
That applies to most professions, not just trainers. Also passing exams decades ago doesn't make you good at whatever you do.
The health care industry is one good example
exactly this, plenty of people with years of school still dont know what they are doing training people.
True most doctors have no idea what they're doing. Anyone can pass Med School honestly 😂
@@Charles-kc2vtbro, what kinda crack are you on?
@@hoohoo431getting into med school is the easy part. Graduating is what’s difficult. The reason so few fail in the west is because it’s so damn hard to get in.
I don’t got money for a personal trainer I just learned this shit
this is so true. I'm not even certified, but I know for a fact that I could train people better than the trainers at my gym
Train me
@@fusiontoa18i betchu u wanna get trained
@@gonzalo4658 😳
Litterally I've seen so many trainers saying keep pumping the muscle whole having there clients doing the same weight months and months. The only people I've seen remotely get bigger and stronger are the ones doing there own thing. I'm nearly squatting more than these "science based trainers" doing the basics of squat bench deadlift
I would say the main parts of being a personal trainer: 1. make sure your clients are hitting every compound lift and muscle group pertaining to their frequency in the gym per week 2. track and utilize progressive overload as anybody should 3. make nutritional comments when approached about them, some places you are risking your certification when you try to consult your clients on nutritional advice
I’m a personal trainer myself and I have to say that most clients come in because they are worried about form and structuring their workouts effectively, a goal should always be that down the line the client will be comfortable working without a personal trainer
What if the client doesn't want to hit "every compound lift". You just have to make a program that they enjoy and wanna keep doing. If they wanna jump through burning hoops I'm all up for it. Most people just need to train and stay active and don't want "the best program out there"
Couple of things here about the topic at hand and Sean himself…
As a degree qualified PT with years of experience running a successful coaching business who’s had over a decade of lifting experience prior to being one and has had powerlifting competitive experience, I can confidently say “I know my shit”.
1. I agree with this, for the most part. It really isn’t hard to stand out as a PT since the majority of PTs are pretty bad.
2. To defend my fellow PTs and to throw it back to Sean… I’ve been watching his videos for years. As great as his stuff is on bodybuilding, his information is severely limited. His knowledge on things like max strength training (powerlifting, to be specific), sport-specific strength and conditioning, endurance training (anaerobic, glycolytic and aerobic training), rehab and prehab management, flexibility and mobility training and many other training modalities isn’t very deep. All he knows is muscle hypertrophy and fat loss. Nothing more. Fitness encompasses so much more than that. He is one-dimensional as f**k. I wouldn’t call out other PTs if I were him.
@pchiethegreat1 While that may be true he doesn't tend to talk about those things so I don't see that as an issue.
@@XXLRebelExactly! That is a very short sighted approach.
@@pchiethegreat1Has he ever proported to be knowledgable about any of those topics? I haven't seen a ton of his vidoes, but in those i have seen he seems to pretty much limit himself to the topics he knows about, unless i'm wrong i don't see the issue here.
As a personal trainer who got a lot of clients from the start, I can tell you I had no idea what I was doing because training someone Vs training yourself are two different things. Fortunately, half of the job is being a likable person and proving a good experience. You learn as you go and if you care about your job you’ll continue to do research and give your clients the best.
Absolutely agree. Most do not pay attention to their clients.
In one of the commercial gym I used to work in the trainers would just get bullshit diets from Pinterest or cookie cutting shitty diets and would hand them over to their clients.
They don’t pay attention or listen.
Some don’t even try to understand how male and female bodies differ.
@@KFontLab ohh yeah that's a big thing
I learned a long time ago that personal trainers were often shysters when I went to check out a free personal training session at a gym that I joined and I told him I was interested in strength training. We spent half the session doing a bunch of cardio on the treadmill and the other half doing a random crossfit circuit. I was asking whether this was a good strength routine and he said it was. At the end of the session, he told me he charges $150 an hour. Luckily, I knew something about strength training from high school and from that point forward, I ignored him and everything he said and I've never approached a personal trainer ever since.
150 an hour WTF?
As a NASM certified PT, who almost never used his certificate, what I would say is personal training is more about motivation and technique guidance. Most people can comprehend weightlifting is good and cardio is good and how to do cardio, and how to do basic weightlifting. But what they want are technical answers: what’s optimal, what forms to use, how can I use exercise for my specific goal, rep ranges, etc
Thank God I have a really good trainer. He didn't even ask me to lift weights. He is focusing on my posture, weak muscles and movement training first and once I have mastered this then only move to weight training. But I remember my last trainer who was just pushing his personal suppliments to the client.
There's zero reason to not use weights when you're starting. It's fine that you want to train calisthenics but if there isn't a specific reason you're not allowed to train with weights than you either have a trainer that's trying to prolong the process (aka trying to make more money out of you) or he doesn't know what he's doing. You can pick up heavy things in real life so why wouldn't you be capable of doing that in training?
Just for your information I've trained elderly people that are immediately capable of training with weights😐
@@XXLRebelThat really depends on the client. I trained a hypermobile person with scapular instability, muscle imbalance due to scoliosis, as well as unstable hip/shoulder joints (shallow sockets combined with weak tendons means they dislocated frequently or even at will). To start off, he did not use weight as it was MOST important that he learned his own body first before adding additional weight. He of course progressed to using weight and now lifts normally and no longer needs a trainer. These specific issues aside, some people have such limited mind-muscle connection that they really struggle getting anywhere during weight lifting because they don't have that foundation to lift safely.
Sounds like you got one of the 80% lmao
I was about to give this a like and then I got to the last sentence and worked out that it wasn't a sarcastic joke...
I think Rebel nailed it. Most likely he's either taking you for as many BS sessions as possible or he's completely clueless.
"Posture" is a trigger word for a lot of beginners, similar to "abs". There's obviously something about it that makes beginners take note. If you want good posture (if that even matters), just lift weights to strengthen your muscles to stand/sit you upright.
P.S. How exactly is he focusing on "weak muscles", without having you lift? lol what?
@@overratedfool6900 A real trainer is going to teach their client what muscles to use during a lift before actually just throwing them into the fire and saying "now lift this weight". Maybe you guys haven't trained with a lot of legitimate beginners whose only exposure to the idea of safe lifting was a work meeting once where they reminded everyone to get a partner to help you lift anything over 50 lbs. When fitness is a normal part of your life, it may be hard to fathom not understanding stuff that may seem like common sense to you. But a good trainer considers that, as well as any physical factors that may limit initial capabilities to lift safely. Don't judge where someone is beginning. Applaud them for the fact that they are in fact, beginning.
In Australia you need to study an entire year to be certified including work placement, and there's considerable amount of practical and theory work to complete. So necessarily here, most personal trainers know what they are doing.
Yes, this. Here in the UK I am actually surprised by how *over* qualified many of the trainers are. And in China, my gym wasn't _that_ fancy, and yet the trainers were people who had competed at sports or bodybuilding at at least the province-level.
Hopefully in a long-form video he'd constrain the rant to just the US.
@@MijinLawI mean he’s not from china so how would he possibly know this information?
@@chugcanthoop First of all, I wasn't criticizing him. I said in a short he doesn't have time to address it.
And secondly, no, I'm not saying he should give a country-by-country breakdown in a long form video, merely state where he's made his observation: "In America..."
@@MijinLawHe's American...and so are the majority of his followers. He's speaking from HIS experience. Which, again, would be in America. I'm certainly not against him making the clarification, but I feel like it's petty to comment on it, and it kinda goes without saying.
@@MizzouRah78 again, I didn't say he needed to make the comment in a short, I explicitly said the opposite.
But yeah, if he was making a long form video, and was making a blanket statement about personal trainers then yeah, he probably should say what experience he's basing that on (it's not necessarily the case that someone would base it purely on personal experience)
Honestly is heartbreaking to see so many people in my gym being mislead by their personal trainer. The clients are just wasting their money and not getting any results
Hearing most gym trainers is like reading a bodybuilding magazine from the 90s - it has a warm nostalgia feel to it.
I’m trying to become a NASM certified personal trainer and some of the stuff they teach in the text book they force you to learn is just wrong. But most gyms look for that certification to get hired.
Im getting nasm certified too and some of it does not make sense, alot of the non training stuff is very good info but like who i going to do a medicine ball overhead press😂
As a former trainer I approve this message
This is so true. I see these “trainers” training people and they’re more interested in flirting with clients than actually training them. And they never fix they’re technique or give them a proper training regimen.
💀💀💀 how do the clients respond to the flirting
Lol I have seen this soooo many times.
Extremely annoying
"Uhh... No. You can't train for mass and strength in the same workout plan, you need to pick one of the two goals"
True story.
Honestly I wouldn’t even consider myself very well informed when it comes to lifting but I probably know more than 80% of trainers at any gym I’ve ever trained. So I’d say your estimate is very generous.
ya sure bub you are so knowledgeable
Have you trained other people then? Or you just think you can do everything?
I've watched the "trainers" at my Y do their own workouts, and it's pretty pathetic, and this is their own body!
Being a certified trainer for 21 years I completely agree with this. When the bar is so low that all it takes is one to two months of study to pass a certification exam, you are not going to have the best trained and qualified people. But I'm also sure that large fitness club chains prefer it that way because the trainers remain devalued and can be removed and replaced very easily. I've seen so many trainers herded around like cattle by gyms. That's not exactly being treated like a professional.
Then again you don't even need to have a cert. or a degree and you can start a fitness business. So there's that. I mean does this channel have a cert. or a degree?
If you want to know how much BS is out there among "personal trainers", just go to a gym and ask the trainer what to do to get a 6 pack. The answers will be hilariously colorful.
HAHAHAHAHAHA what are some of the answers you've gotten?
As a former certified personal trainer who got their initial cert from a Cracker Jack company before doubling back and going through ISSA, I can absolutely confirm this
I didn’t know SHIT when I completed that first certification, whereas ISSA was extremely comprehensive and incentivized continuing education to stay relevant and up-to-date (as well as sell more courses, but y’know, 50/50 there)
Being a certified fitness professional I agree with every word of his statement.
I really want to get into PT as I know I'd enjoy it. My one true fear is not being knowledgeable enough. Can't imagine people giving me money and me not giving them the best.
yeah, i know a few stuff just to give my friends a few pointers, but they suggested i do some PT as a side hustle and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. i wouldn't know what to say if someone has a knee injury, for example.
the fact you have that fear means you will do fine. keep studying. im a newer trainer and a lot of my work rn is just research and reading. if you get a client that you dont know how to train, spend a day looking at different quality sources and implement the information how you see fit. good luck on your journey!
@@prointernetuserWhy would you need to know what to say when someone has a knee injury? That's a physical therapist's job, not yours. I get asked those questions hundreds of times. Everytime I tell them I wouldn't know because I am not trained or qualified identify what's wrong with your knee
You only become a good coach by coaching people. If you don't know something, tell them you're not sure but you'll do research and give them a definitive answer. Nobody cares. For christ sake there are doctors that don't know what the hell your condition is and have to do research first to give you a definitive answer about your condition. You don't need to know all the answers because there's literally nobody out there with all the answers
yeah, every one with a bad knee just goes to a physical therapist, duh! @@XXLRebel
I'm only in my first professional personal training environment and your absolutely right. I wish it was easier to convey to the average person the quality of care they receive.
As a certified trainer myself, you're right. Me and some of my colleagues have no idea what we're doing, but I appreciate that at least at my gym we're very committed to learning and keeping up to date with exercise and nutritional science. Also, members don't pay us directly, the personal training sessions are a free part of their membership, so I feel like it's a little more forgivable than if we were to charge like 60-100€ per session
when i started lifting thay gave me a trainingsplan with no chest exercises, no shoulders, no arms, no hamstrings, but 3 back exercises, leg press and an ab machine. so i 100% agree. they dont know what they are doing. even today i suffer from underdeveloped shoulders and chest muscles. it sucks.
Bro they did u dirty wtf 💀💀
As a personal trainer I can confirm this, but also understand the difference between a coach and a PT. A PT is an all rounder, has basic knowledge of everything. A coach is a specialist usually in a certain sub-culture within the fitness community
I might sound overly critical but an “all rounder” is just a nice way to not have your clients make any progress ever other than losing a few lbs after months of work. It seems that all they do is get your heart rate up and teach suboptimal form for all the compound lifts.
In the end though the problem isn’t what they sell, it’s hard much they charge for such mediocre service.
@@justamustachewithoutaguy9370 I agree 100%
So true. Soooooo true. There was a trainer telling me to stop core training unless I am a professional hockey player...
I thanked him the advice, reminded him that opinion is like a fart. Better if it kept inside, because it does no good for anyone, and reminded him to read up science and studies, and at least add it to his personal opinion.
Then I've said sorry and used my earpods.
As a trainer I completely agree with this 100%, one thing I knew early on is that most of the information in the textbooks were gonna be outdated. And really when it comes to clientele, you’d have to personalize it to their conditions, goals, experiences, etc. and really make sure that the plan you’re giving them isn’t effing them up when it should be benefiting them. With this you’re going to need YEARS of your own lifting experience, and pairing that experience along with simple and effective knowledge to help deliver the best results. A client isn’t a workout buddy, you’re there to help them to become better, stronger and healthier people, and yeah ofc to build camaraderie along the way
We had a free trainer for a day for signing up to LA fitness and he told me that I can’t do the same exercise in a month and that the muscles need to be confused 😅
“You have to shOck tha musel”
They just tryna sell you their plan 😂😂💀😭 that's horrible man
He’s not wrong……
Every 4 weeks it’s suggested to switch up an exercise to hit the same muscle
So yeah I don’t think ur the smart one here
@@xoniye3573 hippie dippy pseudoscience
@@xoniye3573 just because you read information off Google doesn't mean is 100% accurate my boy. You see if that was true you wouldn't see ppl doing the same main compound lifts such Squat, deadlifts, Bench And Rows. But not even just that, if you switch your routine too constantly how do you think you're going to progress? You have to stick to the lifts you enjoy, and keep pushing through until you master those lifts and then you can start switching your routines. One can switch them when they start seeing plateaus on their progress or when they just get bored and want something new. No matter what you will still see progress and the body will never get used to it because you have to keep adding more and more weight overtime. If the hypothesis was true powerlifters wouldn't even be as strong or even as big as they are since they literally do the same lifts over and over and over again just keep adding more weight. Not all the information is accurate when quickly searching something up on Google. If you want accurate information you have to watch documentaries, science videos about anatomy, Reading PUBMED science research, and even go with personal experiences.
Bro😭😂 I am getting a PT qualification just because I want to help people & myself get better . But yes I DO AGREE most of them just don't want to be there & they are doing it for the sake of it
your last sentence applies to all fields everywhere, in any place in time, or universe.
Couldn’t agree more. As someone who more recently went through the entire program to get PT certification, I can tell you it’s purely bookwork, with no actual experience added, know people who are trainers without any certification that are more knowledgeable than those with 1, simply for having more hands on experience and even they can’t pass the test without studying the guide because everything on the test comes from the book.
I think a PT is always good for someone who’s brand new and needs some guidance, especially when it comes to safety, but otherwise fitness is so personalized it’s best to just learn it on your own with trial and error.
PT ≠ personal trainer
Real.
There’s no need for a personal trainer these days. There’s so much valuable information online
He's right tho, i wasn't certified and I got into training clients but picked it up quickly, but I try to keep up to date with the new data and I'm not afraid to be wrong but it is very important to have a good plan for each client, it's not just working someone out bc everyone can do that, it's actually more complex than, as a trainer you need to really try your best, cz clients are counting on you
Absolutely. I passed my certification course with perfect marks, no one should be able to pass a course with perfect marks that speaks to the quality of the education more than it does me. And my entire class and nearly all of the lecturers couldn't understand that a longer 3rd class lever would have a harder time exerting force not an easier time... More than half the class had to re-sit most of their assessments. 4 people thought they were always right because they were bigger than everyone else, those same 4 got into personal training because they took a lot of steroids, got huge and snapped various tendons on their body, Achilles, bicep x2 and supraspinatus.
Honestly I wouldn't trust any personal trainers but that's just me.
Lol exactly 😭 studying for CSCS vs CPT is a wayyy different ballgame.
LMFAOOOOOOO THE COMMENTS ABOUT THE ROIDHEADS SNAPPING THEIR TENDONS HAS ME DEAD 💀💀💀
You NEED a degree + muscle to be credible. Most only have 1 of the 2
For me anyway I find it hard to break up with a personal trainer and pick a different one. I went for the “I’m too broke” approach, and just started doing it myself. I wish I put more thought behind it to begin with.
As a trainer in a commercial gym, I've seen a lot of other trainers who are gifted genetically but have no idea how the workouts they do affect the body and how to program them. The other employees were shocked when I was writing down the targeted muscles for a workout and said that I'm "trying too hard"... It really felt like I was over qualified but now I'm learning that the others were just under qualified 😅
80% that number is crazy. Also be weary of the ones that come up to you and try to coach you on form or give advice then suggest you try a session with him/her
If they give you good advice and you could use help why do you have to be weary of them? They're just trying to sell their services and trying to make a living. What's wrong with that? Only thing you should be weary about is bad advice
I worked at a big box gym for a short bit, and yes you had to approach people or you didn’t make a living. Part of the problem I had was just the fact you really didn’t have to know what you were doing at all (coaching, cueing, nutrition advice, idk basic exercise science - biomechanics, physiology, anatomy 💀💀). The entry level is fairly low, but it just wasn’t what I was looking for.
The trainers in my gym once told me that he really doesn't care what people are doing. He just won't bother to correct all the people working there because it's tiring
This is so true. I’ve worked as a coach/PT for just over 5 years and most of my colleagues couldn’t tell you the difference and purpose between something as simple as methods and purpose of training.
Here's my thoughts. There's usually more than one way to achieve a result. And just because a trainer isn't doing something that you would do doesn't mean they are a bad trainer, it means they're using a different method to achieve the result, also depends what result the client wants to achieve from the trainer. That being said I 100% believe there are probably some bad trainers out there but keep in mind just because someone isn't doing something the way you would do it doesn't mean they are doing it wrong and it doesn't mean they aren't going to achieve the result that is their goal
Would be nice to see a full video, in addition to this short, which elaborates on this and actually helps people find a good trainer.
At my old gym, most of the trainers were bigger and more out of shape than I was.
I asked for the one body builder they had as a trainer and I actually did learn a lot about form and how to set up new workouts.
I'm a certified personal trainer and I work at a planet fitness and I couldn't agree more. Getting certified I felt was too easy and there could be more on the certification program for people to learn. I think to be an actual good personal trainer you have to continue to educate yourself for as long as your training other people. With that being able to be open to being wrong, admit when you dont know somethings and work with people where they are at and not push your own fitness biases onto them.
You Are The Man....Kudos for telling Truth and spilling the beans...keep up the Great work 👍
Here in the UK, I've completed the parts 2 & 3 of the PT course. A big issue now is the lack of passion for health and fitness required to qualify as a PT. Most PTs at my gym aren't in great shape, especially the women. Many clients seem to use sessions more for venting than training. I've never seen anyone make real progress under a PT's supervision at my gym. I believe motivation has to come from within.
He speaks the truth. I used to work with someone who was a trainer (and well knowledgeable and certified) out at the one “big box gym” in our town and he actually mentioned the guy who owns it just hires his friends as trainers even with no certification on it or anything, wild.
😂😂😂
You just feel it when someones works at the gym or when someone lives the gym. I‘m also a personal trainer and mostly i will tell my clients to do the same as i do, bc i know what i do brings success (of course not with same volume and intensity for beginners or older people and not every complicated cable exercise variation). As someone who loves and lives working out you always want your clients to have success und you‘re very proud when they make progress towards their goals. But as i said in beginning, the problem is, for many it‘s just a (mini) job..
Experience and filtering information sources are the most important things. I have an a license und also studied sport science, but for lifting none of both really had the same impact like making own experiences and reading science articles or follow intelligent influencers.
80% is an underestimation
You don't need a personal trainer. CZcams tells you everything you need to know. I'd be damned if I wasted money on one when I first started lifting
Once again, Sean is Spot On! I was working out in a large well appointed, Gym. Most of the resistance training machines had the letters "VR", along with the name of the company that produced these well constructed workout machines. There were 3 Gym employed Instructors on the premise, and 2 Personal Trainers. Separately,
I asked every one of them to explain to me what the letter, "VR" on most of the machines, meant. And, not one of them knew! Then, latter I told them that I found out that the "VR" letters stood for, "Variable Resistance". I told them that the Nautilus Company was the first to equip it's exercise machines with the "Various Resistance" component. Then, I asked them to explain to me the "Variable Resistance" concept. Again, not one of them could clearly explain exactly why, and how, Variable Resistance worked! I was honestly surprised by all this. Here are certified Personal Trainers, and Gym staff not being able to tell me an integral part of the work out machines they spend all day actually helping trainees use
So, Kudos to Sean for sharing his exceptional knowledge with the rest of us. BRAVO!
This is SO TRUE. I am personal trainer. I left the big box for this very. Now I'm independent and loving it
Completely agree. Think I saw one guy who actually had a decent idea and gave good instructions, plans, and feedback. And wouldn't ya know, he was one of the few that took his own training seriously as well.
Brooo this is exactly what I'm worried about!
I feel like I'm doing all this research in the pursuit of my fitness, and I doubt the trainer would do the same.
I only trust my brother who went from horrendously overweight to jacked and my trainer who has had a lot of the same issues I had when he was starting out.
As a personal trainer I couldn’t agree more. I took a longer route to get to being a PT, college first and then a few a years as just an FI. But I have meant so many PTs who just did a short course and some even online. It’s downright dangerous. I have only learnt more on the job then I ever did in my courses, if it wasn’t for my college experience I don’t think I would have made it very far. They really need to make the bar much higher as well as spending longer training someone before they are a trainer.
Please don’t call a personal trainer a PT. That acronym stands for Physical Therapist. Trust me, the personal trainer at your gym is definitely NOT a PT.
One of my colleagues had a terrible experience recently.
Her PT:
- Usually late with no notice, apology or concession.
- Told her sessions were an hour but then changed that to 30 mins.
- Would check out women in the gym whilst training her.
- Would criticise the form of other gym goers to her and then in the next breath tell her no-one in the gym was watching her.
- Would drop last-minute schedule changes.
- Would make pronouncements about her weight and diet loudly in the gym, making her really embarrassed and self-conscious.
- Would show her a few things during the session and then tell her to go off and do them.
She left that gym and never went back to it or any other.
When I started at my gym, they offered 2 free PT sessions. He gave me exercises and showed me how to go to failure. I was good from there on tbh
Thats awesome, bless them
So true. I have seen the same in the numerous gyms I have been too. Many trainers have illogical body building techniques.
Agreed, another thing I’m noticing too is that trainers aren’t engaged with their clients. Pretty sad to see, clients training while the trainer is off to the side on their phone or talking to other people or just looking uninterested. Which then leaves room for “fitness gurus” to swoop in and take advantage of the client as well. Sad times indeed.
The problem is most clients wanna or should I say really need to lose weight, and most trainers are not nutritionists, and that's really what those people need, only power lifters and bodybuilders need the real advanced lifting advice and specialized programs and those people usually aren't using big box gym trainers, everyone else just needs to become active and learn how to eat right.
I whole heartedly agree with this presenter. Occasionally when I wanted to improve parts of my physics and asked for a trainer at the gym, they often hook me up with young people with a certification received few months before from a local community college attending several weeks of certification class. They often don’t know what I’m asking them to show me. I can actually train them instead.
This is soo true. I do my research online and compare and contrast info's to get the right one. Much better that way
The knowledge I gather about training comes from a few chosen profesionals like you and I'm happy about my results. But you're right, I see many people doing really bad forms in the gym and the trainers are out there walking around without saying a word.
I've watched Brian's videos for years and can tell that you really did your homework for this podcast, was great to watch!
I used to live next to a certified personal trainer. She thought colds came from rainy weather, though every time she was sick it was really just one of those week long allergy attacks with a fever.
I've heard a trainer tell his client that fat loss could be targeted. Trainers are good for motivation for people that need that sort of stimulus. That's about the extent of their usefulness.
That applies to just about any profession where there isn’t continuous learning and improvement taking place not just trainers. Shit even applies to content creators making videos about what a trainer knows or doesn’t know.
The only reason for the existence of personal trainers is just to show new lifters what's proper form and to create "personalized" programs for people that just started
Ngl I’m a trainer and because of that fact it gives me imposter syndrome af lol. I know what I’m doing I’ve been into fitness for well over 15 years but I decided to get certified this past year to help people. The perfectionist in me makes me feel like I don’t know what I’m doing until I’m actually talking to clients and realize my hundreds of hours doing research on exercises, splits, periodization and perfecting form over the years isn’t something to disregard. I’ve helped people all the time, but getting paid to do so makes me feel like a fraud 😅
@helenwebsterfitness I’m literally reading and studying material right now lol. It helps ease my reservations, I plan to get a couple more certifications on top of just adding to my overall knowledge on not just fitness and nutrition but being a better trainer overall. I think imposter syndrome can be a good thing in a way, it’ll drive us to be better trainers and not become complacent.
Also I’m glad I’m not alone with that feeling 😂
In Australia it's two courses totalling about 18 months and to maintain certification you have to earn what's known as CEC points through additional learning annually.
As a Personal Trainer and Sports Massage Therapist I agree with Sean. I gained all my experience first and took me roughly 7 years to master my craft. I studied and watched other trainers and 90% don't know sh&$@t. I specialize in Functional training and each person is a project for me, they all love their routines and mainly see results. 😊😊😊Thanks Sean❤
I got a free session at la fitness when I started 4 months ago. The guy was high on stimulants and destroyed me with 10 different leg exercises with barely any rest between them. He also had me do 20 mins of cardio instead of warm-up exercises that I suggested even though my cardio was very poor meaning I had to really push through the exercises after.
I had not been in the gym for about 5 years and had lost a lot of muscle from being sedentary so I knew it was too much but finished it anyway since I thought he should know what he was doing. I could barely move around for 3 days.
I was super unmotivated after that but decided to keep going in doing full body at least 3x a week with consistent progress basketball in between. Now at 26 I feel like Im 18 again, Its amazing! Sometimes you gotta just train yourself because some people are just their for the paycheck and do not understand how to truly help others in their journey.
As someone who completed my person training course recently in the UK. A lot of the content is old and from the 90s and early 2000s. A lot of new research and studies which completely contradict the old beliefs about training and nutrition are not in the course. I’ve been lifting for 5+ years and half the stuff on the course I didn’t agree with as I’ve done the opposite in my own training.
PTs at the big chain gyms are just another way to gouge more money from you, and pressure you to stay longer. PTs at smaller gyms are more likely to be legit.
I once saw 3 personal trainers training like clowns. One was benching with tiptoes on the floor (unstable feet), bent wrists and lifting straps, and 2 of his mates were pulling on the bar to help him get it up. Afterwards he acted like he was all strong.
I also saw a lady deadlift with a rounded back and slight hitching on the knees and this chick training her goes "perfect."
Both instances of a "trainer" not knowing what they're talking about at all.
100 percent agree, ive trained plenty of friends throughout the years and recently i trained a friend of mine. She has a personal trainer and that day we worked out legs, did some stretching and warm up and she tells me her trainer never made her do that. 😮 like wtf stretching and warm up is not done by a trainer? When we finished doing legs she said she felt so sore and could barely walk. She said it was the best work out she's ever done. Mind you we only did like less than 1 hour and half of it i was explaining to her how to properly do it, so it was just a warm up for me. But she said she wanted to quit the trainer she has and train with me. It baffles me that these personal trainers dont ever show them important basic things like how to perform a proper squat, deadlift, pull up etc. You dont need all these fancy stupid exercises, they need to teach them proper form. And every time i go to the gym and see a personal trainer i always see them using some random equipment like medicine balls, kettle bells, bands etc.
At the same time I would say that 90% of gym goers don’t know what they are doing and while yes there are some bad personal trainers out there you don’t need to be an expert by any means to be able to provide value to someone entirely new to the gym. There are certainly people in my gym more jacked than me and I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable training someone at a higher level than me since I could not guarantee results but I’m confident in my ability to help novice and intermediate level trainees. As long as you work within ur means then it’s fine.
Also big reason people need a trainer is accountability and motivation. Sure some people seek out a trainer for primarily training advice but the people that really go long term are those that can’t commit to a stable program on their own.
Trainers in gyms and physiotherapists in clinics.
Thanks for your perspective from your holy pedestal. We just needed you to save us from the under par personal trainers
Sean ain’t wrong. I’ve noticed this for about 20 years now.
I think this is totally true, I've had a hell of a time finding someone who knows what they are doing after an excellent trainer I worked with for years retired.
Fortunately, there are important benefits that I can get from just about anyone. As someone with physique goals, but who absolutely hates going into the gym, the most important things to me are having an accountability partner, and someone to take the burden of planning and tracking my workouts and progression off my shoulders, so there's less of a barrier between me and the gym when I'm busy and tired. As long as the trainer is willing to listen and adapt my workouts to my preference, I can still see progress.
Though I'm still hoping I can find someone who respects evidence-based training soon... Sorry, but I don't think that rubbing my belly and patting my head with 5-lb kettlebells is gonna do much for me when I want to squat heavy.
This is even more true of online Fitness gurus. Sean is one of the only ones who seems to understand how science works haha
I would say ANY SKILLED PROFESSIONAL including doctors etc. who doesn’t keep up with research will be outed by their clients especially with stuff like chatgpt being used by insurance companies etc.
Agree going back into heavy lifting and wanting instruction on technique and weight no one would take me on as a client lol I asked for credentials and experiences and I heard only crickets 🦗
Pts provide more then just their knowledge. For me, the consistency that they enforce and not having to create a work out plan, I have found very helpful.
Yeah I realized how true this was when a girl who started her fitness journey around the same time as me is now a trainer at our gym . We both started out training with trainers at our gym two years ago. I still consider myself a newbie regardless of the progress I’ve made , so it’s wild seeing her train other people now. 😅. I’m not doubting her training methods but yeah some trainers do not have a lot of experience .
As a level 3 qualified personal trainer, I'd agree even though I have my qualification I still wouldn't feel comfortable taking on a client without some more training, I'd take on friends and family in a informal setting but not work with the public in a gym just yet
my trainer is a competing powerlifter so i trust him :)