Getbig.com: American Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure
Getbig Main Boards => Gossip & Opinions => Topic started by: the trainer on February 17, 2012, 07:01:47 AM
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Now I do not care how long you have being working out or how much you think you know, look at any sports mma fighters, pro boxers, football, basketball they all have trainers in bodybuilding look at dennis james he hired a personal trainer to help him train for the olympia, fact is a trainer can motivate you and watch your form to see what you are doing wrong.
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Now I do not care how long you have being working out or how much you think you know, look at any sports mma fighters, pro boxers, football, basketball they all have trainers in bodybuilding look at dennis james he hired a personal trainer to help him train for the olympia, fact is a trainer can motivate you and watch your form to see what you are doing wrong.
Thanks, you can kill yourself now.
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I would def like to have a personl trainer. Someone to spot me someone to push me harder. Even a workout partner makes you train a lot harder.
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Thanks, you can kill yourself now.
lolz Meso ;D
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Don`t eat crap, run, lift weights, do pushups, do chinups. I accept paypal and cash.
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Now I do not care how long you have being working out or how much you think you know, look at any sports mma fighters, pro boxers, football, basketball they all have trainers in bodybuilding look at dennis james he hired a personal trainer to help him train for the olympia, fact is a trainer can motivate you and watch your form to see what you are doing wrong.
let me guess youre a trainer ::) maybe you can teach me how to do db presses on a big ball.
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cram it up your cram hole!!! >:( >:( >:(
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yea i need a twink trainer that doesnt look like he works out and shaves all the hair on his body becasue it "gets in the way of excersizing"
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Now I do not care how long you have being working out or how much you think you know, look at any sports mma fighters, pro boxers, football, basketball they all have trainers in bodybuilding look at dennis james he hired a personal trainer to help him train for the olympia, fact is a trainer can motivate you and watch your form to see what you are doing wrong.
topic should be which getbiggers need a pr.
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Fucking hilarious.
x2
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If I were a professional athlete and my livelihood depended on physique and physical performance then I would have a trainer. Otherwise no.
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90% of trainers are retard...
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We don't need someone who counts our reps, we need our budget for legit hormonas.
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90% of trainers are retard...
True, and they look like 50 lbs of shit stuffed into a 10 lb bag.
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I am a personal trainer and own studio/small gym. And I want to kill99.9% of all personal trainers.
1. The rubber band guys
2. The everything done on the inflatable ball/discs/bosu
3. TRX nerds
4. Cross fit people straining overtraining and not changing shit aout their body but joint injuries
5. P90x assholes
6. chit chatters with their personal drama
7. The core training enthusiasts, excessive wood choppers, bends on hyper bench holding plate,...
8. Jealous trainers who talk shit behind others back.
9. Fat trainers who put down people/ other trainers for being in shape by saying, "all steroids"
10. Trainers who don't give a shit and don't help their clients. You don have to be Charles glass to help beginners. Like housewives and older dudes and young guys. If they are coming to you for help you have to teach them. Don't just look at yourself in the mirror and tell them about how you almost went pro at whatever until you hurt your whatever. Lies anyway.
Just to name a few
Good post,I hate them all too.
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I am a personal trainer and own studio/small gym. And I want to kill99.9% of all personal trainers.
1. The rubber band guys
2. The everything done on the inflatable ball/discs/bosu
3. TRX nerds
4. Cross fit people straining overtraining and not changing shit aout their body but joint injuries
5. P90x assholes
6. chit chatters with their personal drama
7. The core training enthusiasts, excessive wood choppers, bends on hyper bench holding plate,...
8. Jealous trainers who talk shit behthisind others back.
9. Fat trainers who put down people/ other trainers for being in shape by saying, "all steroids"
10. Trainers who don't give a shit and don't help their clients. You don have to be Charles glass to help beginners. Like housewives and older dudes and young guys. If they are coming to you for help you have to teach them. Don't just look at yourself in the mirror and tell them about how you almost went pro at whatever until you hurt your whatever. Lies anyway.
Just to name a few
This is why we not only hire with degrees and teach OUR system of training.
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Personal trainer = $500 dollars for a two week internet certificate. Now they are the authority on everything concerning training.
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Like to have one just to put my weights away :)
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i think what you meant is that "everyone should have a spotter" and i agree, it helps immensely
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Like to have one just to put my weights away :)
That's a schmoe. ;)
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ive seen training certificates for 100 bucks and a 100 qustion onine test u can easily cheat on
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What I ment by saying I like to have one just to put my weights away is because to me thats what their certificate means to me, NOTHING!!
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What I ment by saying I like to have one just to put my weights away is because to me thats what their certificate means to me, NOTHING!!
Depends on how knowledgeable the trainer is. I can't think of a trade that doesn't offer CEU's for continuing education, Doctors especially. We pay our trainers up to $90hr.
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True a college degree or university degree in sports sciences yes, but these guys who get their certificate on the web for 100 bucks no!
Depends on how knowledgeable the trainer is. I can't think of a trade that doesn't offer CEU's for continuing education, Doctors especially. We pay our trainers up to $90hr.
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True a college degree or university degree in sports sciences yes, but these guys who get their certificate on the web for 100 bucks no!
I won't hire anyone without a legit cert. You're right though, people are out there creating certs just for the sake of making $$. It's a crock of shit. If the employer doesn't recognize the cert he/she needs to do a little background search on how legit this cert is and who in the industry recognizes it.
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Now I do not care how long you have being working out or how much you think you know, look at any sports mma fighters, pro boxers, football, basketball they all have trainers in bodybuilding look at dennis james he hired a personal trainer to help him train for the olympia, fact is a trainer can motivate you and watch your form to see what you are doing wrong.
I'm afraid you are too expensive for me.... :'(
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I'm afraid you are too expensive for me.... :'(
Bring me a visit, and I will count your reps for free ;D
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Bring me a visit, and I will count your reps for free ;D
I can't remember the last time I "counted reps". Good trainers shouldn't be paid to "count reps". The are paid to create effective programs.
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Years ago I trained in a large "fitness center" once with a buddy. There were these certified personals trainers, don't know what they called them. One of them made a remark about some lifting style. I was in a lame mood (not unusual for me) so I started to ask him these broscience semi-smart questions about lifting and muscle and diet. He didn't know shit of course, but after the talk I thanked him for the valuable info he had provided me with. He felt good, I felt good.....buddy and me really had to make an effort not to start laughing to soon....
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I can't remember the last time I "counted reps". Good trainers shouldn't be paid to "count reps". The are paid to create effective programs.
Fully agree with that one, but in my gym (well, fortunately I'm not the owner) the "trainers" only have social & cleaning worker skills :-\
As a result, my gym is full of bro-scientist gym rats.
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Years ago I trained in a large "fitness center" once with a buddy. There were these certified personals trainers, don't know what they called them. One of them made a remark about some lifting style. I was in a lame mood (not unusual for me) so I started to ask him these broscience semi-smart questions about lifting and muscle and diet. He didn't know shit of course, but after the talk I thanked him for the valuable info he had provided me with. He felt good, I felt good.....buddy and me really had to make an effort not to start laughing to soon....
LOL @the bold remark
Here in the Netherlands, most certified trainers, working for a centre, have a Fitvak Fitnesstrainer A cert. I also have one, but not from Fitvak, but from a small training institute with 2 knowledgeable guys with a CIOS background. I remember the low social/knowledge skills from most other trainees very well, the type of "girls & sons", who work in the supermarket :-\
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I am a personal trainer and own studio/small gym. And I want to kill99.9% of all personal trainers.
1. The rubber band guys
2. The everything done on the inflatable ball/discs/bosu
3. TRX nerds
4. Cross fit people straining overtraining and not changing shit aout their body but joint injuries
5. P90x assholes
6. chit chatters with their personal drama
7. The core training enthusiasts, excessive wood choppers, bends on hyper bench holding plate,...
8. Jealous trainers who talk shit behind others back.
9. Fat trainers who put down people/ other trainers for being in shape by saying, "all steroids"
10. Trainers who don't give a shit and don't help their clients. You don have to be Charles glass to help beginners. Like housewives and older dudes and young guys. If they are coming to you for help you have to teach them. Don't just look at yourself in the mirror and tell them about how you almost went pro at whatever until you hurt your whatever. Lies anyway.
Just to name a few
It depends on the client some people do not like free weights or hard training so I have to make up some funky training crack jokes and call it fun training to keep them interested so they do not get bored i have kept a lot of clients this way
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It depends on the client some people do not like free weights or hard training so I have to make up some funky training crack jokes and call it fun training to keep them interested so they do not get bored i have kept a lot of clients this way
If a client does not want to work hard, respectively send them on their way. It makes you and them look bad.
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in fact id rather be all by myself in the gym, no music, nobody, no nothing but me my thoughts and the weights. preferably in my own gym, at my own house.
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If a client does not want to work hard, respectively send them on their way. It makes you and them look bad.
I am running a business there is no way i am turning down money, I have clients who have gotten in shape since training with me and some who have not lost any but if they want to waste their money so be it.
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I am a personal trainer and own studio/small gym. And I want to kill99.9% of all personal trainers.
1. The rubber band guys
2. The everything done on the inflatable ball/discs/bosu
3. TRX nerds
4. Cross fit people straining overtraining and not changing shit aout their body but joint injuries
5. P90x assholes
6. chit chatters with their personal drama
7. The core training enthusiasts, excessive wood choppers, bends on hyper bench holding plate,...
8. Jealous trainers who talk shit behind others back.
9. Fat trainers who put down people/ other trainers for being in shape by saying, "all steroids"
10. Trainers who don't give a shit and don't help their clients. You don have to be Charles glass to help beginners. Like housewives and older dudes and young guys. If they are coming to you for help you have to teach them. Don't just look at yourself in the mirror and tell them about how you almost went pro at whatever until you hurt your whatever. Lies anyway.
Just to name a few
Ditto...
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Thanks Wes. Much respect.
I`m right with you bro............been saying the same thing for many years now. ;)
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I am running a business there is no way i am turning down money, I have clients who have gotten in shape since training with me and some who have not lost any but if they want to waste their money so be it.
Then you're just doing it for the money and nothing else. There has to be integrity to business, any business. We actually have commitment contracts, not for money but for commitment to the program. If we don't see progress within a certain amount of time knowing they are not following the program, we dismiss them. Same with our HS athletes, they MUST maintain a 3.0 GPA or they cannot train until it's back up.
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Good for you. You and your extreme bullshit can suck my fat dick. Commitment contract? Why are you worried about someone's gpa? Totalitarian asshole. Take your extreme shit and shove it up your ass! You're a joke! Not everyone what's to be at a place like yours. Don criticize the other guy for running a business, you ass face fuck. I agree with him to a certain degree. Also stop judging people! In it for the money...and nothing else? Why add the nothing else? What the fuck do you know about this guy, me, or the clients who don't wanna live up to your fucking stupid ass commitmen bullshit. People can go at their own pace. If they wanna be respectful and pay my fee I will train them. To a goddamn point. If somebody is a total pain in the ass drain on me, I wll try a few things. Just dismissing someone...you're a douuuuuuuuuuchebag! In for the money and nothing else! Ha! What the he'll do you know, you fucking stupid judgmental delusional asswipe piece of shit cocksucjer homo. And yes meltdown. And you can Gloria my fucking cock asswipe!
:-\
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Then you're just doing it for the money and nothing else. There has to be integrity to business, any business. We actually have commitment contracts, not for money but for commitment to the program. If we don't see progress within a certain amount of time knowing they are not following the program, we dismiss them. Same with our HS athletes, they MUST maintain a 3.0 GPA or they cannot train until it's back up.
that's pretty cool
I guess it works for you who has already a big base of client
but for some new trainers out there, turning down clients maybe means not having enough money to pay the bills tho
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If I got extra cash to spend she's going to the sweet nectars of growth hormone
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Depends on how knowledgeable the trainer is. I can't think of a trade that doesn't offer CEU's for continuing education, Doctors especially. We pay our trainers up to $90hr.
No trainer is worth $90 an hour with their University of Phoenix certificates for $500 a piece.
There's nothing that hard word and experience can NOT teach one.
What trainers are great for is handing the weights to their clients and taking it from them and putting it down. See this all the time.
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That shit pissed me off. Don't care. Bunch of people trying to criticize a guy for tryin to run an honest business. Bullcrap in my opinion.
i agree with you but you need to chill out on the judgement and negativity yourself there dude ;D
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Good for you. You and your extreme bullshit can suck my fat dick. Commitment contract? Why are you worried about someone's gpa? Totalitarian asshole. Take your extreme shit and shove it up your ass! You're a joke! Not everyone what's to be at a place like yours. Don criticize the other guy for running a business, you ass face fuck. I agree with him to a certain degree. Also stop judging people! In it for the money...and nothing else? Why add the nothing else? What the fuck do you know about this guy, me, or the clients who don't wanna live up to your fucking stupid ass commitmen bullshit. People can go at their own pace. If they wanna be respectful and pay my fee I will train them. To a goddamn point. If somebody is a total pain in the ass drain on me, I wll try a few things. Just dismissing someone...you're a douuuuuuuuuuchebag! In for the money and nothing else! Ha! What the he'll do you know, you fucking stupid judgmental delusional asswipe piece of shit cocksucjer homo. And yes meltdown. And you can Gloria my fucking cock asswipe!
Nice. Are you finished now? Now you're the one being judgmental not me. You can run your business your way, He can run his business his way I will run it my way. Now let me explain.
When I tell athletes they need to maintain a 3.0 or above GPA to be in our program, the one's who CAN for the most part, shows they can commit to work to reach their goals. It also shows, for the most part, they have the discipline to maintain a work ethic, work with others and help mentor to the younger athletes. Because we run our athletes in a small group setting (4-6) showing an above average GPA usually means they will not disrupt the chemistry of the group. Why 3.0? Because athletics in schools you ONLY need to maintain a 2.0 GPA, IMO thats criminal. If they get the sense they only need to maintain a 2.0 means no matter how talented they are they won't make to college athletics let alone get looked at.
We do have exceptions. If they athlete is below a 3.0 but are sincerely having a hard time and is REALLY trying and might have a learning disability, having a hard time in a class thats keeping that grade down, we offer tutoring in the subjects he's having a hard time in at no charge, my wife has her teaching credentials. Our goal is to see our athletes succeed not only in athletics but more importantly in academics. This year alone we had one to USC, two to UCLA and one to Holy Cross, one on both a football and academic scholarship. We're proud of that.
With our general population. I'm not into stealing people's money. We have good trainers and a GREAT program for rehab, weight loss, strength, etc. Their success IS A REFLECTION ON OUR PROGRAMS. They are with us two to three days PER WEEK plus we give them homework, nutrition, etc. all of the tools to succeed when they are not with us. Sorry if you don't agree, but if you do not weed people out you get clients that just go through the motion.
I understand what you're saying. But with my demographic (athletes) and this is what I've been saying for ever.....this is the difference between a "personal trainer" and a strength coach and the reason why 'PERSONAL TRAINERS" are called "rep counters" and get a bad rap. If you don't give a shit about your clients and helping people then whats the point? Think about that!!!!
I'll wait patiently for your response.
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that's pretty cool
I guess it works for you who has already a big base of client
but for some new trainers out there, turning down clients maybe means not having enough money to pay the bills tho
I agree, if you're new but sincere about making you're business work don't turn away people.
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No trainer is worth $90 an hour with their University of Phoenix certificates for $500 a piece.
There's nothing that hard word and experience can NOT teach one.
What trainers are great for is handing the weights to their clients and taking it from them and putting it down. See this all the time.
Again, our trainers are educated and have degrees or in the process of getting their degree. If they work with our teams we pay for their CSCS.
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Obviously, I had a meltdown. I'm gonna pull back on that shit a bit. Out of line... A little. I'll take a shitty comment or two. I probably deserve it. Fuck it. It's uncensored, so that's what you get. I can be major asshole sometimes. I'm gonna apologize for that comment to the coach. It wasn't that cool. But not cause you fucks say so. Cause feel like a dick. Got majorly defensive, noob move. Just ate. Feel better now. Fuck you guys. And actually coach, that system don't sound bad, I was just trashing your shit. My bad. I'm gonna apologize to that dude. Not that he cares, or even should. Good luck to all guys businesses in here.
No problem.
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No trainer is worth $90 an hour with their University of Phoenix certificates for $500 a piece.
There's nothing that hard word and experience can NOT teach one.
What trainers are great for is handing the weights to their clients and taking it from them and putting it down. See this all the time.
If I have a trainer that runs a group we don't pay by the hour no matter what the group size is but rather we pay by the session PER PERSON. Just as a hypothetical...if there are 6 in the group and he/she is making $12 per session per person that trainer just made $72.00 for that hour. They usually run 2-3 groups per day. If a trainer has 3 groups of 4-6 that's 144.00-216.00 per day. Make sense?
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You're right I was judging your shit and apologized. If your havin success with that fine. The thin that pissed me off about your comment was the in it for money and that's it. And now this one contained the comment stealing people's money. If you are implying that if someone doesn't follow the methods you agree with they are stealing money, than you are wrong. You cant dismiss someone as about money only or stealing money if their client isn't as focused. That is just simply gonna happen with some people, and you can't turn people away if you wanna run a business. You have to figure something out, which is what the original guy said. So, fine, man, you do your thing that is athlete based and all this stuff. But I'm telling you that I have trained all kinds of people and sometimes I have a person train kind of crappy for awhile and then all of a sudden something clicks and they get motivated and soak up knowledge. Most middle aged people I train are just streaky. I have to adjust I can't just throw them out or chastise them for not maintaining commitment. So, there is a place for this other type of trainer in the business. Your dismissal of it as stealing money or greedy is off base and what I found off putting. I don't want to train just athletes. I enjoy the challenge of a beginner or an older person. Or maybe an obese person who has never worked out who knows absolutely nothing of diet. These people are a challenge. It isn't stealing if you have patience with them and find a way for them to get the Job done. It is actually noble. I commend the trainer guy for helpin people. And finding a way to help people work out in unconventional ways. I can respect your training philosophy and tha you are running your own business and respect that you have your own ideas. I actually like that. But man, when I think of those stealing comments I wanna say fuck you, cause they are offensive to me. Just my opinion. And yes my first outburst was out of line. I am passionate about my business and feel insulted by your comment. Said my peace. Have a good day
C'mon, you know as well as I do and other trainers have said it on here. They are in it just for the money, to make an extra buck, "its not a real job", etc, etc. Unless you do this for a living it's hard to find passionate trainers who actually care about their clients. Those are the people that won't do the research, take pride in business and continue their education. It sucks. Read this and tell me weather you agree or not.....
The Business
By Alwyn Cosgrove and Jason Ferruggia
This article was written in response to a trend that both Jay and I experienced. We were getting approached by trainers asking us for business advice and how to “jump the ladder, get out of the trenches and avoid training clients for a long time”.
We are all for helping motivated individuals fast-track their career, but the fact that a trainer is asking how to avoid training people, didn’t sit well with us. We all get started in this industry through our desire to help people. If you don’t want to be in the “trenches” helping people – maybe this industry is not for you. You know who you are.
In short – our advice to “fast tracking” your success as a trainer starts with being really good AS a trainer. Unfortunately this is the step most people seem to want to skip.
Over the past year, we have both received tons of emails and phone calls that go something like this: “I have listened to you for a while now and have purchased several products from you. I’ve watched you and your reputation grow.”
Or like this: “What was the one thing you did or the one step you made that took you from being a ‘personal trainer’ to a more accomplished fitness expert? Basically, what got the ball rolling for you and got you that first break? How did you leap frog the competition? What advice would you give someone aspiring to do the same?”
Normally, we have no problem answering these questions, and we have helped many trainers with their businesses. Recently, however, there has been an alarming trend that we’ve both noticed. People seem to think that the “in the trenches” experience is a step they can skip.
AC: Prior to anyone in the field having “heard” of me through products, websites, or magazine articles, I had been financially successful as a trainer full-time for over 10-12 years. I had opened my own fully equipped gym with four full-time staff and saw close to 300 members 2-3 times per week. While I do make money from writing articles, etc., the bulk of my income comes from my gym. The current line of thinking seems to be that training people and getting results is unimportant and not really required to become a well-known trainer. However, it’s the only thing that IS required.
JF: I didn’t leap frog any competition, and I am far from an overnight success. People see my column in Men’s Fitness or see me on the staff at EliteFTS.com, and they wonder what I did to get there and how they can do the same. The people asking me this question have usually trained three people and have been in this field for about a year.
Do you want to know how I became successful, got in the magazines, and got people to pay big money for my advice and buy my products? Do you want the simple formula for becoming a big success in this industry? Ok, I’ll give it to you. Start training people when you are 19-years-old and going to college. Continue to do so until you’re done with school. Read a book a week for the next 13 years, go to countless seminars, and do internships. Pay anyone you can find for advice; some of it will be good and some of it will be bad. Use every possible method and system of training you can find or invent one for yourself first and your clients second. Train literally hundreds and hundreds of clients for 6-12 hours per day for ten years. Get great results in your own training and with your clients CONSISTENTLY. When you have done that, you will have achieved your “overnight success.” That’s when you should start writing articles. Alwyn and I were both in the trenches for at least ten years before we ever wrote an article. We both believed that we had no business trying to spread our word to the masses until we had paid our dues and earned that right. For some reason, this is the only field where people don’t seem to follow that same line of thinking. How long do you think Paul Tuttle of Orange County Choppers worked on bikes until he got a TV show? A year or two? Come on now, we all know better than that. How long do you think Chris Garver was tattooing before Miami Ink debuted on TV? Chris was recently quoted as saying, “It seems like anyone can become a tattoo artist these days, but it takes a very long time to become a good one.” I agree 100 percent. I’ll add that it seems like anyone can become a trainer, strength coach, or internet guru these days, but it takes a very long time to become a good one. In the shop where Chris Garver works, there is an apprentice named Yoshi. Before they will allow Yoshi to tattoo anyone, he must learn from the masters and pay his dues. This is how it should be in our industry. You shouldn’t be able to get in the magazines or on the websites if you haven’t paid your dues. It’s that simple. If you’re going to trust someone with your body, who do you want putting your tattoo on you–Chris Garver or some art school graduate who can talk a great game and even has a whole portfolio of Marvel Comics characters he drew to show you? By the same token, if you trust someone with your body in a different way (i.e. getting training advice from them), who are you going to listen to–someone who has spent the last 15 years in the gym and has amassed over 10,000 hours of working time with clients or the guy who just got into this field a year ago, has received 28 certifications in that time, and can quote everything Mel Siff ever wrote word for word? It’s not the fact that we think you spend “years in the trenches” – we just think that you shouldn’t want to skip that step – you should develop your skills to a high level. —- Now don’t get us wrong. We are all for helping everyone that we can. There are plenty of up and comers in this industry who will tell you that we’re always willing to answer their questions and do whatever we can to be of assistance. We don’t blame anyone for trying to make a living, and we love to see people succeed. It’s just that if you’re going to write about training people, you actually have to TRAIN PEOPLE!! And not just for a few years. That does not make an expert.
Get a successful training business up and running, put in the time and effort, and then you may be ready to speak to the masses. The problem is that we both came up the hard way, the old-fashioned way I guess. We spent thousands of hours in the trenches and experienced many ups and downs and hard times on our way to the top. It was never easy, and we struggled to make it many times. But, we persevered and earned our spots. The thing that pisses us off sometimes is the fact that nobody wants to do that anymore. People expect to come straight out of college, get in the magazines, write a few books, charge $400 an hour, and become a superstar. It’s a little disrespectful to guys like CJ Murphy, who has busted his ass in the gym for close to 20 years working, learning, and getting unbeatable results. He is so busy that he barely has the time to even turn on the computer, never mind becoming an internet guru. Murph will never starve because he is doing things the right way and always has. If the magazines decide not to pay him anymore for his very limited time, he’ll be fine. The guru’s who have based their whole career in this industry on writing and selling products but haven’t done time in the trenches will one day be exposed and left with no choice but to find a new career path. Like Ice Cube once said, “You better check yourself before you wreck yourself.” So, more articles and more products do not necessarily equal more success. Just keep that in mind. Don’t confuse “publicity” with being good at what you do. There are several well-known “trainers” out there. We were making good money actually training people FIRST. THEN, magazines started asking us about training and people asked about products. The articles and products came as a result of our reputation. They didn’t help us get clients, or get good at our craft.
Good trainer first, marketing second.
AC: I mentioned this once to a “business adviser” in the fitness industry. I had commented that Trainer X literally had no clients. Not one. Yet, he was positioning himself as some sort of expert in the field, working harder to get magazine articles published and products released than he was getting clients and actually doing what he talked about. I thought it was a valuable point, but the “business adviser” disagreed. He said, “I think it’s great. He has skipped all the bullshit and is making some money and a real name for himself.”
But it’s NOT great. It’s deceitful.
What these people really do is journalism, not training. This is fine, but they’re claiming more than just writing skills. The best journalists and magazine editors we know have never said they were trainers. If training people and mastering your craft is “bullshit,” then I don’t know what this industry will become. There seem to be several guys out there who are excited at having “skipped all the bullshit” (their words). They are now writing articles and selling products without having spent any time “in the trenches.” Why are they proud of this? They should be ashamed of it.
How can you “skip” the “in the trenches” experience? That’s not an option. It’s also a key indicator or CLUE of their real intentions. We all got into this for the same reasons–because we have a huge passion and want to help people get better. The best way to do this is face to face, and it’s also the best way to make a difference. If you skip this step, then what difference are you really trying to make? Why are you in the coaching business anyway? We know guys who have little to no real world experience training people, yet pride themselves on how many articles they have had published. And of course they list that on their website.
Are you kidding me? These guys with no experience are some of the biggest names in the field. You’d recognize their names if we published them. If you just won the lottery and needed to invest your money, would you go to a kid that is green in the business with zero money of his own? Or would you more likely trust the guy with a few million in the bank who has been helping clients for years? If you knew this, would your decision be based on experience or publicity? What if the new guy had all kinds of nice looking ads in the paper with a daily column? Would this influence your decision? Or would you go with your gut and seek the guy with the money and experience? It’s almost as nuts as a guy who has never trained any tennis players or no more than a few high school kids EVER writing an article about training tennis players. Crazy, huh? Oh wait…that one was on the web last month. Honestly, we have more respect for some of the personal trainers who are working long hours at 24-hour fitness facilities and are actually getting people in shape. They are putting food on the table for their families based on their ability to get results, not just their marketing.
Now, we want to be clear that we don’t think “paying your dues” means taking a shit job, or making shit money. But recently it seems that guys think putting your time in, actually getting good, and spending time on developing your skills in the real world is a step that can be missed. Unfortunately, becoming a high profile trainer has recently been marketed as if it were a separate issue from just being really good.
It’s the equivalent of starting karate and saying, “I need to skip all the bullshit between yellow and blue belt and just tell people that I’m a black belt. If I skip all that, write some articles, and make some products, I’ll be making black belt money!”
The problem is that you can buy the black belt, make a certificate, and “act as if” all you want. But when push comes to shove–and eventually it will–you’re going to be exposed as a white belt.
In other words, you’re a liar.
Before you even focus on trying to expand your business, or your profile, make sure that you’re technically really good at what you do. Everyone thinks that they need business development, and this is true, but most of the trainers I’ve met need to get better at training first! You can’t skip this step. Being really skilled at what you do is the only guaranteed way to improve your business. Marketing and business practices are very important but will only take you so far.
Great marketing and a great image will be exposed if you can’t back it up by producing real results with real people. If you’re just a good personal trainer, start educating yourself rapidly. The more you learn, the more you can earn. It’s that simple. And it’s important to understand your limitations. We all have limitations when it comes to experience. For example, we’re not powerlifters. We don’t train powerlifters, and as a result, you will never see us posting in the Q&A on EliteFTS.com in any areas we do not feel comfortable. We’re not the strength experts. That’s why we ended up seeking out Louie Simmons and Dave Tate and their educational material. It’s ok to find someone to help you. We’re not the diet, supplement, or drug experts either. We might not even know as much as you do. But, we definitely know someone who knows more than you, and all we have to do is call him.
We DO have years of experiencing training athletes and regular people. This is what we do, and what we love to do. This is what we know. If this step is something that people are looking to skip, then they are in the wrong field. So what do you do? Up until now, this has been little more than a rant. Well, that’s not us. Here is our plan of attack to take your career up a notch. 1. Set benchmarks of success that you want to hit. If you work in a club, maybe you want to become the head trainer or the busiest trainer? Perhaps you just want to have a full client load or charge more money?
Maybe you want to go out on your own or open your own place? (Keep in mind that although it seems like a goal, opening your own place or even working for yourself is maybe not the way you want to go. There are some GREAT trainers who have made a name for themselves working for someone else. Martin Rooney and Stephen Holt come to mind.)
If you’re just starting out, seek out a mentor to help you. Offer to assist them for free or even pay them for their time. It will put your experience and education on the fast track to a level far beyond any financial investment you may make.
2. Establish a level of excellence in everything that you do. How’s your exercise technique? How’s your client’s exercise technique? What if you’re not there? Your client’s exercise form, without your supervision, is a window into your abilities. If you took a vacation and Dave Tate was supervising your AVERAGE clients’ squat workout (not your star client!), would you be proud of their form, or would you have the excuses lined up?
3. Create a replicable system of program design. There has been a backlash against formal program design recently. The attitude has been “I don’t know what I’m doing exactly until I get to the gym.” This is acceptable when it comes from an experienced trainee, but in business, systems are everything. We should be able to write a program exactly as you do, without your input, by merely following your directions. This is the first step into hiring staff or increasing your business.
4. What are the results of your TYPICAL client? We all have the superstars that we can hold up and say “this is our work!” Well, guess what. ALL your clients are your work, even the “athletically challenged.” It’s easy to show us a picture of a pro athlete who you work with or a Men’s Health cover model and take all the credit (even though these guys were pro athletes or models before they even met you). Your reputation is built on improving the average client, getting Johnny off the bench and into the game, getting 30 lbs of fat off of Suzy. Raise the standards of your results across the board.
5. Think about the type of clients you want. You may want to train baseball players exclusively but right now only 10 percent of your clients come from that niche. How can you target more in that market? Maybe it means offering your services to some local kids for free to build your reputation? And what kind of clients do you have? If you were to classify them as A, B, C, or D, with A being a highly motivated client in your target market, who trains hard, never cancels, is a great ad for your business, and refers other clients, and D being “you need the work to pay your bills,” how would you classify them? (You can use any system of classification that you want but hopefully you get the picture.) Every three months, you should be able to “trim the & fat” and get rid of the bottom tier of clients. If this isn’t the case, then it’s doubtful that your skills are where they need to be. 6. Start studying the ancillaries of your profession. For example, if strength is your forte, then make sure you have a basic understanding of nutrition, mobility, energy system work, flexibility, and injury revention/rehabilitation. The goal is NOT to become an expert in all of these areas, but to build a basic level of competence so that you can communicate on the topic and establish who the experts are in these areas. You want to look for THE expert and also the LOCAL expert. This helps build a network for you to consult. It has basically been the impetus behind the Elite Fitness advisory team. To be quite honest, until you are good at what you do, no one cares about your ability to write about it or wants to view your new DVD on it!
7. Now it’s time to study business. Magazine writing and product development all hinge on your abilities as a trainer. Getting good is not a step you should want to skip. If you want to get away from training and coaching, then maybe this field is not for you. Coaching is why we all do this. Don’t be in a hurry to get past that stage.
8. If you want to write, STUDY writing. Some of the top journalists in this field, such as Sean Hyson, Adam Campbell, and Lou Schuler, have spoken to more top trainers than anyone else. These guys know a great deal but NEVER pass themselves off as trainers. Don’t be disrespectful to these guys and think you know how to write. Learn your craft.
9. Business book number one has to be The E Myth by Michael Gerber. Your goal should be to read this book ASAP. A good goal is to read a business book a week, alongside studying training. The second book to read is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It has about 15 chapters. Keep reading this book. Read a chapter a day every day so that you basically read it twice a month.
10. While we’re on the subject of reading, a competent trainer should be reading Entrepreneur magazine, Fortune Small Business, Inc, Fast Company, etc. You should also be reading all the fitness magazines and websites. You can make fun of the fitness magazines all you want, but it’s what your clients are reading and you should know what’s out there. And face it, there’s not a single trainer out there who wouldn’t love to have a column or article in a national magazine.
Read the magazines.
(I once read some criticism on an internet forum that said, “Do you think Alwyn Cosgrove will hurt his reputation with his recent book deal and Men’s Fitness column?” Yeah, right. Every trainer on the planet would hate a mainstream book deal and a column in a national magazine because it might hurt their reputation on a forum.)
11. Attend any and all seminars in your area. You’re not that good that you can afford not to attend. We’ve never got dumber from attending any educational event. In fact, the networking alone is worth more than the seminar fee. And don’t limit yourself to only training events. You want your butt in all the business seminars in your area also. So overall, getting to the next level takes time. There aren’t any steps you can skip or moves you can make to leapfrog the competition. You just need to have a methodical plan to improve your skills and therefore your business, and do everything in your power to execute that plan. Alwyn Cosgrove is a Tae kwon do international champion. He has utilized his personal experience as an athlete and combined it with the advanced theories of European sports science and the principles of modern strength and conditioning systems.
Alwyn Cosgrove has worked with a wide range of clientele including several Olympic and national level athletes and five world champions. He has also worked with professionals in a multitude of sports such as boxing, martial arts, soccer, ice skating, football, fencing, triathlon, rugby, bodybuilding, dance, and fitness competition. www.AlwynCosgrove.com.
Jason Ferruggia is a nationally recognized, highly sought after performance enhancement specialist. The owner of his private athletic training company, Renegade Strength & Conditioning, Jason has worked with hundreds of athletes from over twenty different sports over the last ten years. Jason is renowned for his ability to rapidly increase speed, strength, and size in all of his clients. www.J1Strength.com
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Here are a few things that came to mind after reading this thread:
- A trainer is not "needed" by everyone... let's get that out there right away.
- Certifications mean little. I have a NASM certification and I wouldn't credit it for much outside of a resume booster. Years of training, research, and actual hands on experience working with clients is more important if you ask me. Anyone can read a book and take a test.
- What kind of shape is your "trainer" in? This to me is also important. If you're preaching then you better be practicing. You may be over 40 y/o and have the knowledge, but you better be in good shape for a 40+ year old if you really want people to listen and respect what your saying. Unless of course Michael Jordan is teaching you basketball or Jim Brown football (you get the picture).
- $$$ plays a role for everyone. Your training business can have integrity and a reputation to maintain, but if money isn't being paid then the service isn't being given. SO although every trainer may not be "all about the money," they are all "partially about the money."
- Academics are important for the average high chool - college athlete, but not for the elite's of those classes. When I was in HS, I worked hard academically until midway through my junior year. After that I basically did nothing (better put, I made sure I passed, but even that wasn't the case in some classes). I knew I had the SAT score and GPA and demand as athlete that I would go SOMEWHERE and play regardless of how I did that last year and a half of school. I'm not saying this is the right thing to do, but I have never been a fan of school and our academic system is majorly flawed. Now, for elite athletes, these things do not matter. Anyone who thinks it was wrong for Kobe Bryant or Lebron James to forego college for the NBA is simply dumb. Remember, I could bury myself in debt going through 10 years of schooling after HS to become a doctor and never touch the amount of money these guys make. (Hint: Education does not = financial success).
- If you are going to be a personal trainer, you should care about your clients. If you like what you do, work hard at it, then you will probably be good at it and make some solid money too. Being a trainer (JUST A TRAINER) (or strength coach, whatever) is a farily financially limiting job. However, if you enjoy it then this is what you should do. I stopped training people because I don't really love it. I love training as an individual, but not directing the focus at others.
Just remember to enjoy what you do and work hard at it. If you can find a way to make a living from that then even better.
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WTF! Is this the battle of the longest post thread? Get-big rule #1, never admit to a meltdown, it never ends well ;)
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Check this "Hollywood PT", esp his bench press explanation :-\
I nominate him for a Hollywood walk of shame star
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No thanks
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Not everbody who hires a trainer wants to look like a gymrat some just want to lose a few pounds and keep working out so they do not gain back those pounds and then they are happy, they still want to eat pizza and have a beer and live a life that they consider normal, try to turn a client like this into a gym rat and he is gone because that is not who he is and he will never be that person.
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Coach, I promise to read your long post, but not today..... :-X
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Not everbody who hires a trainer wants to look like a gymrat some just want to lose a few pounds and keep working out so they do not gain back those pounds and then they are happy, they still want to eat pizza and have a beer and live a life that they consider normal, try to turn a client like this into a gym rat and he is gone because that is not who he is and he will never be that person.
Nothing wrong with that, but at least teach them how to train safe and effective.
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Not everbody who hires a trainer wants to look like a gymrat some just want to lose a few pounds and keep working out so they do not gain back those pounds and then they are happy, they still want to eat pizza and have a beer and live a life that they consider normal, try to turn a client like this into a gym rat and he is gone because that is not who he is and he will never be that person.
Do you also personally wipe asses ?
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Do you also personally wipe asses ?
Ask ur mom to do that, Greg
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Ask ur mom to do that, Greg
Greg only manages it with his XXXXL towels...
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True a college degree or university degree in sports sciences yes, but these guys who get their certificate on the web for 100 bucks no!
LOL as if learning oxidative glycolosys helps with jack shit when doing program design. ::)
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Do you also personally wipe asses ?
Did you dream about wiping my ass last night, man you need to get out of the house and get some help.
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Thanks, you can kill yourself now.
Fantastic to say the least
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LOL as if learning oxidative glycolosys helps with jack shit when doing program design. ::)
^^^
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Here are a few things that came to mind after reading this thread:
- A trainer is not "needed" by everyone... let's get that out there right away.
- Certifications mean little. I have a NASM certification and I wouldn't credit it for much outside of a resume booster. Years of training, research, and actual hands on experience working with clients is more important if you ask me. Anyone can read a book and take a test.
- What kind of shape is your "trainer" in? This to me is also important. If you're preaching then you better be practicing. You may be over 40 y/o and have the knowledge, but you better be in good shape for a 40+ year old if you really want people to listen and respect what your saying. Unless of course Michael Jordan is teaching you basketball or Jim Brown football (you get the picture).
- $$$ plays a role for everyone. Your training business can have integrity and a reputation to maintain, but if money isn't being paid then the service isn't being given. SO although every trainer may not be "all about the money," they are all "partially about the money."
- Academics are important for the average high chool - college athlete, but not for the elite's of those classes. When I was in HS, I worked hard academically until midway through my junior year. After that I basically did nothing (better put, I made sure I passed, but even that wasn't the case in some classes). I knew I had the SAT score and GPA and demand as athlete that I would go SOMEWHERE and play regardless of how I did that last year and a half of school. I'm not saying this is the right thing to do, but I have never been a fan of school and our academic system is majorly flawed. Now, for elite athletes, these things do not matter. Anyone who thinks it was wrong for Kobe Bryant or Lebron James to forego college for the NBA is simply dumb. Remember, I could bury myself in debt going through 10 years of schooling after HS to become a doctor and never touch the amount of money these guys make. (Hint: Education does not = financial success).
- If you are going to be a personal trainer, you should care about your clients. If you like what you do, work hard at it, then you will probably be good at it and make some solid money too. Being a trainer (JUST A TRAINER) (or strength coach, whatever) is a farily financially limiting job. However, if you enjoy it then this is what you should do. I stopped training people because I don't really love it. I love training as an individual, but not directing the focus at others.
Just remember to enjoy what you do and work hard at it. If you can find a way to make a living from that then even better.
I agree with this and want to point out that Coach embodies all the good parts of what you typed. Anyone who thinks he's not at the top of his game and loves what he does doesn't have a fucking clue about what they're talking about.
I was suffering from stagnation in the gym - just going in and working out, not really making gains anymore, so I PM'd Coach and asked him about a program I drew up and what he thought about it.
He took the time to tweak it, then gave me a program to follow. No charge, no obligation, just because he's a good dude and loves doing this.
In 8 weeks my 5x5 on the bench went up 45lbs, so my max would have been a lot more, but I didn't test it because my shoulder has been separated twice and was telling me to pull back. 3 rep deadlift went up around 100, box squat, the same. Supporting lifts increased too, but not to that magnitude.
Anyone who rags on him about any aspect of training is not worth responding to. If I lived on the West Coast, I'd pay to train at his gym. It would be worth it's weight in gold.
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it's simple, a bodybuilder will never need a "trainer". it's all drugs
an athlete does need it IMO, whatever the sport is
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I have often found myself caring more about a clients progress than they do. :(
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Now I do not care how long you have being working out or how much you think you know, look at any sports mma fighters, pro boxers, football, basketball they all have trainers in bodybuilding look at dennis james he hired a personal trainer to help him train for the olympia, fact is a trainer can motivate you and watch your form to see what you are doing wrong.
only one male trainer at my gym looks like he works out
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I have often found myself caring more about a clients progress than they do. :(
that's why when someone ask me any kind of tips nowadays, I just reply: "don't have time for that man.."
-"but i will pay you !!!"
-"really don't have the time man.."
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Hi coach's mom
Funny, but no.