Categoriescoaching personal training

Where Fitness Professionals Go Wrong When Training Women

Anyone’s who read TonyGentilcore.com for any length of time knows I’m passionate about a number of things:

1. Deadlifts

2. Beef Jerky (or any dead animal flesh really. Except eel. Or octopus. Or snail. Basically it needs to have legs if I’m going to eat it).

3. Star Wars1

4. My Cat

5. Helping to reverse the toxic trend predicated by the mainstream media that women shouldn’t (or worse, can’t) strength train and/or lift appreciable weight.

I’ve tried my best to do my due diligence to fight the good fight and to take on the role as an ambassador who advocates for women to lift heavy things, and to shed light on the absurdity that they should refrain from it.

Posts like THIS (where I pwn Vogue Magazine), THIS (where I speak to the main stream media’s message towards women), THIS (where I highlight a few of my favorite “go to” women’s sources), and THIS (which is hands down the most popular post ever in this history of this site) help to elucidate my thoughts on the topic.

Of course, I’d be remiss not to mention the overall “tone” conveyed by the media in recent years has relented and has gotten a bit less vomit in my mouthish – in no small part to the popularity of CrossFit and sites like Girls Gone Strong.

To speak to that point, recently I let it be known that I left Cressey Sports Performance to pursue other opportunities and that I’m now training people at a small studio space in Boston.

NOTE: I will be updating my services page soon, but if you’re interested in getting more information – where the studio is located, the basic format, what the cost is, as well as the secret handshake involved to get in – shoot me an email (via the contact page).

As such, I’ve had numerous people reach out to discuss working with me, some of which have been those from out of town with future travel plans to Boston.

Today I wanted to share an interaction I’ve had with a woman who lives near the NYC area.

From her first email:

“I’m in desperate need of a trainer. Since July I have tried two different local trainers (Nyack, NY) and I am really not happy – lots of light weights, no emphasis on compound movements (and when I insist we squat, deadlift or bench they never even discuss form/technique with me and just let me do whatever I want).

They tell me things like a body part – even glutes – can only be trained once a week, I should be eating only tilapia, broccoli, and six almonds, and I want to just run screaming out of the gym.”

I wrote back saying how sorry I was she had been having such bad experiences working other trainers and that I hoped I could try to break the trend.

After a few more emails back and forth she sent this gem:

“I still have several sessions with my current trainer which is driving me nuts because he says things like “people – and especially women – can’t build muscle after the age of 40” and I’m 50, building muscle, and really don’t like to hear I can’t do something especially when he has no evidence to back this up.”

I wrote back:

“What’s up with this guy? He’s pretty outdated in his train of thought. Is he living in 1919? Does he expect you to make him a sandwich? No, wait, he still thinks women can’t vote, right?”

Alas, sadly, this is the type of information (and message) that’s being relayed to women from fitness professionals – not all of them – who should know better.

The exchange got me thinking on where many (again, not all) fitness and health professionals go wrong when it comes to women and fitness.

1. Catering the Toxicity In the First Place

You see the messages all the time on magazine covers when you walk through a checkout line at a grocery store, and can’t help but feel saturated by WTF’ness of it all:

“Lose 1o lbs Fast. Without Dieting!”

“Get a Lean and Sexy Figure With These 4 Moves.”

“How To Get Toned for Summer.”

“The New Low-Carb, Guilt Free Diet Food: Sawdust!”

I understand marketing and know full-well that words like “strength, squats, muscle,” and “it’s going to take more than a month of dedicated, consistent, hard work to get the results you want” won’t sell women’s fitness magazines.

But come on: as a fitness professional you should know better than to pander to the BS.

And it’s not only fitness professionals – personal trainers and strength coaches – who are to blame. I’ve heard stories of FEMALE high-school athletic directors and coaches dismissing strength training for their FEMALE athletes because, to quote one of them:

“There isn’t any female-friendly equipment for them to use anyways.”

What the what??????

Mind you this was in reference to a very well equipped high-school weight room that had 6-8 full power racks and platforms.

The “female friendly” equipment she was referring to were treadmills, ellipticals, and pink colored frisbees for all I know.

That’s a hell of a crappy message to be conveying to an entire demographic of impressionable teenagers. The guys can use the squat racks; you ladies should be over there on the cardio equipment.

Chop, chop…off you go!

I for one like to educate my young female athletes and adult woman clients on why strength training is a good thing, and how it can empower them to accomplish many things outside of sports.

Although, admittedly, I prefer to get every woman I train to “buy” into more performance based goals rather than focusing on losing 10 lbs or trying to emulate an unrealistic, photoshopped societal expectation on the cover of a magazine.

It’s amazing how much of a confidence boost and overall sense of accomplishment that arises when a woman I work with finally hits a bodyweight deadlift (for reps), destroys her previous best on push-ups, or can do something as baller as this:

 

Rather than continuing to pick the scab and telling a female athlete or client what they can’t or shouldn’t be doing based off archaic, out-dated, and overall damaging information regurgitated by a complacent media, why not instead help them to explore the amazing opportunities, autonomy, and empowerment strength training provides?

I dare you.

2. Thinking Women Need To Train Differently In the First Place

Men have boy down there parts.

Women have girl down there parts.

It’s a big difference, but it doesn’t mean that because you have one instead of the other you need to train differently.

Actually, scratch that.

I don’t mean that entirely.

Need and should are two different things.

I don’t feel women need to train differently than men. I mean, the human body is the human body. The female body reacts to progressive overload in much the same way the male body does.  And, quite frankly, as a fitness professional, I don’t want to set the expectation that women should train “x” way while men should train in stark contrast to that.

I very much treat the women I train like the guys, and I think most – whether they realize I do this or not – appreciate it.

However, I do feel women should train differently.

What the what???

To put it another way: women should train differently compared to men, at times.

As an example, hormones do play a major role here. When a woman his having her period I can’t hold her to the same (performance) standard compared to other times outside that window. She’s going to feel like garbage (<– for lack of a better term) during this time, and I’ll almost always reduce her training volume to coincide.

Moreover, a lot of research (and anecdotal experience) backs up the notion that women don’t get sore as easily, are less quick to fatigue, can handle more training volume compared to men (maybe due to less overall muscle mass?), and that they can train closer to their 1RM more periodically comparatively speaking as well.

As we like to say in Boston, “how you like dem apples?“2

NOTE: for more information and insight you can check out THIS webinar I recorded last year on the topic.

3. Trying To “Win”

“But I don’t want to get big-and-bulky.”

Whenever I heard a woman say this to me in the past whenever I broached the words squat or deadlift I used to always try to “win” the argument.

Well, first I’d roll my eyes and then jump into a live volcano. And then I’d try to win the argument by countering with something like this:

 

Mind you, I still LOVE the above commentary, but I have since rescinded this approach to a large degree.

Why?

In large part because it doesn’t work and does nothing to build a meaningful, initial rapport with a prospective (female) client.

Don’t get me wrong: I still play devil’s advocate at times and relay to some that, contrary to popular belief, you won’t grow an Adam’s Apple overnight because you happen to lift something heavier than 50 lbs.

Likewise, I let it be known that saying you’re going to get big and bulky from strength training is like me saying I’m going to win the gold medal in the Olympics because I went out and did some sprints yesterday.

But I digress.

Instead of going on and on about women’s limited testosterone levels and how they’ll never attain the results of elite female bodybuilders, yada yada yada…I steal a page from local Boston-based trainer Lauren Perrault, dig deeper, and ask more questions.

“Why do you feel strength training will make you big and bulky?”

“Is this something that happened in the past?

“What exercise(s) in particular do you feel cause this?”

Maybe their train of thought projects that of a trainer they worked with previously. Maybe they never took the time to learn nor where they shown proper technique. Or, I don’t know, maybe they have a hard time letting go of certain myths and think the Abominable Snowman exists.

Either way…

Sometimes it’s more helpful to take some time to peel back the onion and to ascertain someone’s root cause for thinking they way they do, rather than chastise them out of the gate for the sole purpose of proving them wrong.

Categoriespersonal training rant

Gym Etiquette 201

A friend of mine and amazing writer, James Fell, wrote a clever piece recently titled Gym Etiquette 101 highligting some of the not-so-etiquette-like shenanigans many gym goers are violators of.

Give it a read. It’s hilarious.

After reading it myself I was inspired to shell out my own list of Gym Etiquette rules.

Admittedly I sort of live in a gym etiquette bubble at Cressey Sports Performance. We have the luxury of setting the standard, frowning upon, and “policing” many of the things that would otherwise be par-for-the-course at your typical commercial gym.

Case in point: here’s the sign that greeted all of our athletes and (non-athlete) clients when they passed through our doors circa 2008-2010.

We’ve since rescinding from making the sign public – we felt it didn’t bode well giving off a good first impression with parents – but the “rule” still exists.

Whenever I see a young athlete stopping a session to walk over to check his phone I’ll follow suite and say something to the effect of “unless you’re texting with Emma Watson about your plans for dinner tonight, get back over to the squat rack.”

Likewise you won’t see anyone at CSP get all huffy about sharing a piece of equipment. Yelling or grunting during a set is encouraged. If you’re not using chalk (and wearing lifting gloves instead) you’re a tool. And you can’t load up the leg press machine and then leave all your weights because we don’t have a leg press machine to begin with.

Nah-na-na-na-nah.

Similarly there are a handful of implied “un-written” rules as well. Like:

  1. Thurdays are generally reserved for Tony’s Techno Thurdays.3
  2. Eric will inevitably throw his hands in the air, say something along the lines of “this music is making my ears bleed,” and then put on Linkin Park radio.
  3. No direct arm work until you’re able to perform one strict, bodyweight chin-up (women) or five chin-ups (men).
  4. Tony has to coach with his shirt on. Which is BS.
  5. Don’t feed Tank! He’s like a Gremlin.

Pretty simple, right?

However, all of this isn’t to say I never have the opportunity to venture outside my little bubble and train at a commercial gym. I like visiting different gyms now and again, if for nothing else to have a change of scenery (and for the entertainment value).

When this happens I’m always amused as to some of the things that transpire and some of the etiquette rules that are broken.

It’s as if people’s social filter is somehow blocked when they’re surrounded by barbells and dumbbells. Or maybe it’s the plume of Axe Body Spray rendering people inert from giving a shit.

Either way here are some of my own thoughts.

Gym Etiquette 201

1. I can’t reiterate enough how annoying it is when people offer unsolicited advice. I’ve never done it personally, but have been approached by random people in the past who asked me a question or two. That’s different. If someone goes out of their way to ask you your advice or opinion on something, have at it.

If someone is minding their own business (especially if they’re wearing headphones) – and even if the exercise they’re doing resembles more of a mating dance than an actual exercise – keep your yapper shut. Move along with your life. No one cares.

2. However, for many new personal trainers who have to log “floor hours”4 at the start of their employment, offering unsolicited advice is kinda what you have to do to “recruit” potential clients.

Tread lightly.

Don’t he the guy or girl who approaches everyone within a two-mile radius to correct their technique. It’s one thing to offer some words of insight or encouragement to someone who’s obviously struggling or runs the risk of injuring themselves. It’s another thing to interrupt the guy deadlifting 400+ lbs (for reps) that he may be lacking some left hip internal rotation which may be affecting his Zone of Apposition.

“Here’s my card, we should talk.”

Have some “feel” and know when to pick your battles.

When I worked in commercial gyms I always found success showing people new exercises or a slight tweak to one they’re already doing, and then moved on. I didn’t linger like a creepoid and proceed to the awkward, “soooo, are you looking for a personal trainer” conversation.

They way I saw it: if I offered a quick ah-HA moment to a few people per day – which was no biggie since I was being paid for my time anyways – and didn’t make things awkward, at some point the law averages would dictate someone would bite and seek me out for my services.

I also offered “free” 15-30 minute tutorials where I broke down technique on a specific movement (squat, KB swing) or maybe gave a quick-n-dirty core training class and introduced people to deadbugs, Pallof Presses, or not sit-ups.

3. Another thing to consider – if you are an uppity douche and always insisting on giving people unsolicited advice – is to know what you’re talking about. This is especially true if you’re a personal trainer.

I once had a trainer come up to me at a commercial gym to inform me I wasn’t going down low enough on my squats and that I was leaning too far forward.

I had just completed a set of good mornings.

 

4. Hey guy who can’t walk past a mirror without doing one of those fake I-have-sweat-on-my-forehead-and-need-to-wipe-it-off-with-my-shirt-but-what-I’m-really-doing-is-checking-out-my-abs moves.

Once or twice you get a mulligan.

After that, stop it. You’re abs didn’t disappear. They’re still there.

5. I actually don’t care if someone makes noise when training. It’s a gym not a library. In a commercial gym, though, it can get a little controversial because some people take it a little too far.

I won’t name the actor, but I remember a few years ago I was training at a reputable high-end gym when, after a set of deadlifts, I heard the most audacious roaring coming from around the corner.

I had to go take a peek.

I was expecting to see some ginormous human being lifting a bulldozer. What I found instead was said actor finishing a set of DB presses with 50 lbs.

YEAH! You’re the man.

6. Like everyone else I Earth, I have a particular affinity towards water. And, I think it’s awesome you’re someone who takes their hydration so seriously that you carry around a gallon jug to ensure you’re hydrated to the best of your ability.

But do you have to fill up the entire jug at the gym when five other people are waiting in line at the water fountain?

7. I’m all for pumping yourself up prior to a big lift. But spare everyone the HEY EVERYONE LOOK AT ME WWE worthy entrance before every set.

Trust me: you’re not the Ultimate Warrior. And a 225 lb quarter squat isn’t impressing anyone.

 

8. Guys: just because a woman is in the free-weight area doesn’t mean she needs you to come “rescue” her and offer a spot with every single lift. She’s good.

9. Everyone (men and women): just because a woman is squatting or deadlifting doesn’t mean she’s automatically an athlete or is training for some sort of competition.

My wife has the best response whenever someone asks her “Whoa. You’re really getting after it. What are you training for?”

“Life. I’m training for life.”

10. We all have our biases and what we like to do. Meatheads like to lift. Yogis like to yoga. Pilates people like to pilaticize. Runners like to run. CrossFitters like to to perform scoliosis for AMRAP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T74Xek-pDLM

 

Just kidding CrossFit. Kinda….;o)

It’s all good. Whatever makes people happy and gets them moving is a win. Lets stop being so judgmental towards one another, attempting to prove one way is inferior to YOUR way, and trying to “one-up” everyone else.

It’s one thing if someone is paying you for your advise and expertise and have hired you to help them achieve a specific goal. If that’s the case you use whatever modality is the best fit for them, their goals, their ability level, and what you’re comfortable coaching.

Outside of that, mind your own business.

CategoriesMotivational

13 Words That May Help Change Your Life

NOTE: if nothing else, if you decide not to read this entire article (don’t worry I won’t cry. Too much), scroll all the way down and read the last quote. It’ll knock your socks off.

13 Words That May Help Change Your Life

Like a lot of  people I don’t like to venture too far outside my own comfort zone.

Of course this begs the question of what each person’s comfort zone actually is? Cause, you know…different people are different.

For some people they’re perfectly “comfortable” jumping out of an airplane at 25,000 feet, climbing a mountain, or hanging out in a shark cage for the fun of it.

I’ll take a pass on all of those, thank you very much.

However, not all examples of comfort zones have to revolve around life or death situations. For some, stepping outside their zone could be something as vanilla and innocuous as saying hello to a complete stranger or just learning how to say “no” to someone, or something.

“No, I don’t want the extended warranty.”

“No, I don’t want dessert.”

“No, I won’t make out with you Jennifer Lopez. Please, stop asking.”

But that’s the thing: what’s vanilla and innocuous to YOU – and no big deal – could be the equivalent of being stuck up on stage talking in front of a bunch of people in your underwear.5

In short: A nightmare scenario for most.

Regardless of the varying degrees of comfortableness from person to person, the important lesson to learn as it relates to continued personal (as well as career) growth is that everyone, at one point or another, should strive to venture outside their zone.

My Comfort Zone(s)

I’m not immune to this message either.

If you would have asked me back in 2002-2003 – when I was working as a personal trainer in Syracuse, NY – if I’d be game to pack up all my things and move to Connecticut to live with and work with some guy I had met on the internet I would have laughed.

First off I would have given you a face like THIS, and then I would have laughed.

Knowing I was feeling complacent with my circumstances and knowing that if I (really) wanted to progress my career I’d have to get the hell out of dodge…that’s exactly what I did.

I packed my belongings6 and moved to Connecticut.

Now, giving full disclosure, the guy I met on the internet was Eric Cressey (not some creeper from Craigslist), and he and I had known each other for a few years via various fitness websites and forums.

He was hired as a trainer at a gym in Ridgefield, CT, had mentioned to me in passing they were looking to hire someone else, and he helped convince me to take the leap.

It wasn’t an easy choice to make, and it was easily the first time I had taken a GIANT step outside my comfort zone. Even more than that one time I took an ex-girlfriend to go see The Notebook.

I could wax poetic on all the other factors that came into play and the ups and down involved.

In the end, though, things worked out.

I could use any number of other examples from my past, too.

It wasn’t an easy thing for me to pursue writing.

I was never an avid writer growing up, and I’m 100% confident my high-school English teacher would shit a copy of For Whom the Bell Tolls if she knew I was a published author today.

However, at the time, I was five years into my career and I knew writing would be an excellent way to get more exposure and to get my name out there. Plus, I felt I had a lot to say and that I could help many more people through writing than I could by only training people one-on-one.

What made things more scary was the idea of putting myself out there. Opening myself up to criticism and internet trolls. It sucked (it still sucks), but comes with territory.

So I started a random blog that four people read.

I’m sure if someone decided to dig they could find it somewhere. Then I started submitting articles to random fitness websites…for free. And that led to getting a break with T-Nation, which obviously opened up some more doors with other reputable publications.

Writing still doesn’t come easy for me. I don’t really consider myself a writer writer. I’m a strength coach who happens to be competent with forming coherent sentences that can break down complex topics…sprinkled with pop-cultural references.

Infotainment if you will.

I have worked hard at it. When I first started dating my wife back in 2009 she’d be the first to tell you I’d bitch and whine about writing a blog post. 500 words seemed like a chore. A insurmountable feat.

1700 blog posts and countless articles later, 500 words is much less daunting.

One of my favorite authors, Steven Pressfield, wrote a book titled Turning Pro that I feel everyone should read. In one passage he describes the point in which he “turned pro,” and it had everything to do with sitting down and doing the work.

To stop bullshitting and to sit down and actually write.

I could (and still can) relate. That’s what stepping outside your comfort zone is all about.

Another anecdote would be public speaking and presenting in general. Again, if you would have told me as a teenager (or when I first started out in this industry) that I’d be traveling the world as Jason Bourne to talk about scapulohumeral rhythm and squat assessment I wouldn’t have believed it.

When I moved to Boston and we eventually opened up Cressey Sports Performance, and things started speeding up for me from a professional standpoint, I saw presenting as yet another way to grow.

At first, it was all I could do to manage my sphincter. As I can recall I was thiiiiiiiis close to backing out of my first speaking gig in Boston the morning of.

I woke up in a panic sick to my stomach. Again, giving credit where it’s due, my wife (Lisa) helped talk me through everything and I did it. It wasn’t pretty, but I did it.

She knew that if I backed out and didn’t go through with it, it would have caused more harm to my psyche than good. I probably never would have pursued it again. Ever.

She’s a psychologist, she’s smart like that.

Do I feel I’m a good public speaker? Hell no. Adequate, maybe. I’m no Dan John or Barack Obama. But people seem to stay engaged and not fall asleep when I do it. I’m also able to spread more of my message and help many more people and fitness professionals along the way.

I stepped outside my comfort zone and am all the better for it.

So What’s My Point?

I’ve been getting a steady stream of emails from young and upcoming fitness professionals asking me advice on their careers of late. Some are queries on how they can go about getting more clients or how they can differentiate themselves from other trainers.

Some are simply to ask how do they get better?

Some are “scared” to work in a commercial gym setting because they feel like a number, or worse, they feel it’s beneath them.7

Well, sorry. You’re not going to work with professional athletes and celebrities on day one.

Besides, it’s not all rainbows and butterfly kisses as many seem to think it is. Don’t get me wrong: it’s awesome working and hanging out with pro athletes. But it’s territory that comes with its own set of pitfalls and frustrations.

I think every new trainer should spend at least 1-2 years working in a commercial gym setting8. That’s the only way you’re going to expose yourself to as many different varieties of people and personalities as possible. It’s the only way you can guarantee you’ll get better. Assuming you actually WANT to get better.

You’ll be forced to step outside your comfort zone, repeatedly.

Others ask me about changing careers altogether. As in, “I work in sales and am a day or two shy from beating my boss senseless with a stapler. Fitness is my real passion, I love helping people. Am I crazy to think I can switch careers this late in the game?”

This is the point where stepping outside one’s comfort zone is going to manifest itself. A perfect opportunity. A daunting as fuck one, but an opportunity nonetheless.

Now, I’m not suggesting someone throw caution to the wind, quit their job tomorrow, go on a hookers and cocaine binge this weekend, and apply for a job at their local commercial gym on Monday.

That may be stretching the comfort zone too far….;o)

But who’s to say they couldn’t seek out a mentorship or “observational internship” on the side to see if this is something they really want to do? To ooch or wet their palette so-to-speak.

Or maybe this is a scenario where they say “screw it” and take a chance.

As my good friend (and strength coach), Todd Bumgardner, recently stated to me:

“Scare the shit out of yourself. It’s the only way to do it.”

Those are 13 words that really resonated with me, and wish I would have heard ten years ago.

What about you?

Categoriesrant

The 5 Worst Types of Trainers

I’ve been on a bit of a “ranty” mission lately with some of my blog posts and it seems it’s spilled over to my article writing as well.

With my latest article on T-Nation.com I discuss some of the attributes and characteristics I feel make for the worst type of trainer(s).9

Granted, anyone could write a similar article geared towards any profession10 …but it seems the fitness industry has an affinity for attracting some of the worst of the worst.

I had fun writing this one. I hope you enjoy it.

—> CLICK ME <—

Categoriespersonal training

The Trainer-Client Relationship

Q: Hey TG- I’ll keep this short and sweet.

So I’ve got a couple clients that have asked the awkward question “will I ever be able to do a pullup?” I really don’t like telling people what they can’t do. They come to me for solutions, ya know? Anyways, how do you approach the question and a)maintain their respect and b)let them know it’s not likely they’ll be able to anytime soon for valid reasons (or if at all) without damaging their psyche.

Thanks brotha! Donovan.

A: That’s an excellent question, and something I elected to answer here on the website (rather than email) as it’s something I feel a lot of personal trainers and coaches struggle with:

The Client/Athlete-Coach Relationship

I’ve always said that being a great fitness professional comes down to 50% great coaching and 50% not being an a-hole.

Lets break it down like this.

1. It’s implied that having book smarts – understanding anatomy, program design, assessment, nutrition, biomechanics, physiology, etc – is the foundation for any level of success as a fitness professional.

The other layer that many tend to gloss over, though, is the practical application of said book smarts.

Yelling isn’t coaching

In short: despite popular belief, you can’t just read about “stuff” and expect to be an expert or an authority on any given topic.

You actually have to have the ability to learn and absorb what you read, and then possess the ability to apply it into real-life situations.

This is why internet warriors are a dime a dozen. [Note: I’m not referring to you, Donovan].

Many can brag about all the books they’ve read, DVDs they’ve watched, and how many gold stars are next to their name – or, if we’re referring to the upper echelon of nerdom, weapons their Avatar has collected over the years – because they’ve accumulated 20,000 posts in some random fitness forum.11

Yet, most would fail miserably when plopped onto a gym floor and asked to coach someone through their first squat or deadlift session.

2. The other part is not being an a-hole. I think Mike Boyle was the first to crack the whip on this component of coaching – and he’s 100% spot on.

You can be the second coming of Mel Siff and sleep with a copy of SuperTraining underneath your pillow (which is weird), but if you speak down to people, make them feel stupid or inferior, and just act like a jerk all the time…no one is going to want to train with you.

Much less pay you money to do so.

Well, there’s that and some people just have no feel or are socially awkward. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, I’ve been known to choreograph at least 17 lightsaber battles per day at work; and yes, there was that one time I showed up with no pants on. But it was just once. Okay, twice.12 No biggie.

Being quirky or silly or different from time to time is one thing. That’s part of what makes different people different, and sometimes charming.

Quoting Wes Anderson movies = quirky, charming, and totally not socially awkward.

Quoting Wes Anderson movies (to a room of your invisible friends) = we need to talk.

I’ve been around some trainers and coaches who, when a 15-year old athlete does something wrong on his or her’s squat, will go off on some biomechanical diatribe on knee-valgus, Q-angle, external rotation torque, etc, and then look at the athlete afterwards as if to say “DUH, didn’t you know that?”

That’s one approach – which isn’t wrong per se. Or you could just say something like “push your knees out.”

That’s what I’m referring to when I say “having a lack of feel.”

And that’s what happens, often, when (some) trainers and coaches rely on their book smarts.

 

So this is a perfect scenario where both sides of the coin collide. You need to be a coach, but also a good “people person” as well.

So Here’s My Actual Answer to the Question

They hired you to be their coach, not their best friend.

This is NOT to insinuate you have to play the evil, diabolical, I have no feelings, and I-take-myself-way-too-seriously strength coach card. That’s just silly.

As you and I both know, we often develop meaningful, long-lasting relationships with many of our clients, some of which end up becoming close friends.

However, I’m not sure that “sugar-coating” things is the best approach here. Saying something along the lines of “there, there, we’ll get there soon,” won’t really accomplish anything in the long run.

It’s what I like to call this Expectation Management. 

A perfect example?

I’d like to drive a tank to work everyday, but that’s probably not going to happen.

Will your clients be able to perform a pull-up today, next week, a month from now? Probably not. And I think it behooves you to tell them that. Be honest. Take the time to explain to them why. If it’s because of a handful of postural issues, tell them. If it’s due to a past injury, tell them. If it’s because they’re just too weak and they’re just not quite at that level (yet!), tell them.

But as their coach you can re-assure them that, while you can’t promise anything, you’re going to work to the best of your ability to help them achieve their goal. And that if they follow your lead, listen to what you have to say, recognize that it’s going to require work, and stay consistent along the way, they’ll be proud of themselves no matter what the result is.

[And, most likely, they will succeed].

This way some of (if not the majority of) the onus is on them. Hopefully they’ll adopt a degree of accountability on their end and take ownership of their own actions.

In Summary

1. You’re the man (or girl). They hired YOU.

2. Don’t be an a-hole.

3. Tanks are awesome.

4. Be honest.

CategoriesMotivational

Fitness Industry “Pros.” Are You One (Or an Amateur)?

Before I get into the meat and potatoes of today’s post (it’s going to be a quick one because I’m t-minus ONE day before I leave Boston and fly down to Florida to get married. Of course, I have yet to pack. And I have every intention of spending my last day in Boston as a single man living life dangerously: writing in a coffee shop), I wanted to fill everyone in on some speaking dates.

Dean Somerset and I have started penciling in dates for this year’s version of “Dean and Tony Talk About Stuff.”

We’ve already confirmed the following dates:

– Edmonton, Alberta (< – that’s in Canada) at SVPT Fitness & Athletics on August 22nd and 23rd.

– St. Louis, MO at Blue Ocean Fitness the weekend of September 26th-27th.

– Chicago, IL at Rebell Strength and Conditioning the weekend of October 17th-18th.

And we’re in the process of confirming dates and locations in both Austin, TX (Nov) and the LA/Anaheim area (Dec), respectively.

 

We’re pretty much giving every boy band a run for their money in terms our travel schedule this Fall. Except with no tour bus, 5-star accommodations, media hype, or groupies.

Nonetheless, we’re really excited and looking forward to unveiling our new Complete Hip & Shoulder Workshop to the masses.

For more information regarding itinerary and sign-ups go HERE.

Note: you’ll need to scroll down and click on each respective location to sign-up.

Turning Pro

When I was in NYC a few weekends ago a friend of mine recommended I pick up Steven Pressfield’s book, Turning Pro.

Having previously read The War of Art, and loving every freakin page of it (and recommending it to numerous friends and colleagues), it’s not as if I needed heavy convincing to give Turning Pro a go.

The book is all about what it takes to “turn pro,” what it means, and how to get out of your own way and create your life’s work.

Pressfield describes what he calls “shadow careers,” or careers which many people default towards either due to an overwhelming sense of fear of stepping outside their comfort zone or because they lack the courage (most often, work ethic) to pursue their true passion.

We all know someone (or have heard the stories) of Jack from accounting who, rather than take risks, spent his entire adult life in a cubicle hating life and playing solitaire rather than filling out his TPS reports.

He got really good at solitaire. And before he knew it, he was 55, with a passionless job (and often a passionless life).

This isn’t to say there aren’t accountants or desk jockeys out there who don’t thoroughly enjoy what they do and view that as their life calling. But, it’s a gleaming example of a far too common reality: People parlaying into a “shadow career” when they’d rather be a writer, dentist, entrepreneur, fashion designer, mechanic, or, I don’t know, someone who trains bomb-sniffing dolphins.

Pressfield himself relayed stories of being a truck driver and cab driver before he “turned pro.” He had written countless novels and screenplays – all of which admittedly sucked (his words, not mine) – before he “turned pro.”The book, in not so many words, is all about putting on your big boy (or girl) pants, growing up, and understanding that it’s going to take a lot of hard, arduous, work and effort (and innumerable failures) to create your life’s work.

It’s all about fighting the urge to stay an amateur, and the obstacles we have to overcome to curtail or better yet, conquer, that massive hump.

It’s resisting the urge to settle.

The book is rife with quotable quotes. I’d argue Pressfield rivals Dan John in that department. But I wanted to share one quote which struck a chord with me, because I feel it has a lot of overlap with what I see is a common practice in the fitness industry.

The Amateur is Easily Distracted

“The amateur has a long list of fears. Near the top are two:

Solitude and silence.

The amateur fears solitude and silence because she needs to avoid, at all costs, the voice inside her head that would point her toward her calling and her destiny. So she seeks distraction.

The amateur prizes shallowness and shuns depth. The culture of Twitter and Facebook is paradise for the amateur.”

I can’t even begin to tell you how many stars and asterisks I scribbled onto that page.

Lesson to be Learned (Listen Up)

If the health and fitness industry is truly your calling……..

……….You’re not (really) as important as you think you are.

Just because you wrote an article with a lot of “Likes” and you’ve accumulated a lot of “friends” on social media, doesn’t mean you’ve made it.

Likewise, just because you write about health and fitness and have a voice and audience (which IS an accomplishment, I’m not denying that), it doesn’t mean you’re a pro.

Bragging about Twitter followers and placing far too much precedence on “marketing” yourself on Facebook, most specifically when you’re new to the industry, is pointless.

All you’re doing is hiding and not really doing anything.

Likewise, and maybe this is my own biased, old-school opinion, unless you’re actually coaching people – like, in real life – don’t write an article titled “How to Get More Clients” or  “X Mistakes Someone Makes Doing X Exercise.”

How would you even know?

The difference between a “pro” and an “amateur” in this context – in the fitness world at least, – is that a pro actually get results.

They don’t just write about it.

CategoriesMotivational

Fitness Professionals: Find Your Why

While I wouldn’t place myself in the echelon of “voracious reader,” I do read a lot. Fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies, Entertainment Weekly, it’s all fair game.

Like many of my colleagues, I make a special point to read books on personal development and business. For some of my favs check out my list HERE.

One book that’s rocking my world at the moment is Start With Why by Simon Sinek.

At the center of the book is what’s referred to as The Golden Circle. I know it sounds nefarious – or at the very least a long-lost Narnia sequel – but I assure you it’s harmless.

It goes like this (and for the more visual learners in the crowd you can peep the chart above):

Many people and/or businesses and organizations know what they do and they know how they do it.

Rarely, though, do they know WHY.

WHY do they do what they do?

One “go to” example often used in the book is Apple. There are any number of companies that make computers, laptops, Mp3 players, and what not. Some of which are technologically better than Apple.

So what makes Apple so special?

Why are they able to maintain such a stronghold, be the most profitable, and retain such a loyal following despite only penetrating 6-7% of the market?

What do they do differently and where are others missing the mark?

And since I’m on a roll right now and ending every sentence with an open-ended question, is this not the funniest video ever?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VuMdLm0ccU

 

To quote the book, here’s a marketing message from Apple, if they were like everyone else:

“We make great computers. They’re beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. Wanna buy one?”

Here’s the same message written in a way that Apple actually communicates. This time emphasizing the WHY:

“Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly.

And we happen to make great computers. Wanna buy one?”

What’s My Point?

I see this same phenomenon in the fitness industry (and frankly, you can insert any industry or occupation here), and the same message mirrors why many fitness professionals fail.

While I generally avoid using gross generalizations, I’d garner a guess that most personal trainers and coaches know what they do.

“I get people jacked, shredded, bigger, faster, stronger, or increase their level of sexification, yo!”

To that same point, many know how to do it.

[Lets assume we live in a perfect bubble and every trainer takes their clients through a thorough assessment and designs a well thought out, organized, efficient, and non-bat-shit-crazy program based off the findings of said assessment.

1. HAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAA.

2. But seriously, lets assume it.]

But WHY do you do what you do?

“To help people achieve their goals,” most might say.

Okay, noble answer.

But that doesn’t really say anything, differentiate you from the masses, or speak to the fact 99.99% of fitness professionals aren’t in it to not help people achieve their goals.

In short: lame answer, and it’s what everyone else says.

Much like Apple, we don’t need to over-think things and come up with some Tolstoy’esq sized Mission Statement.

Lets run with the canned response “I want to help people achieve their goals.”

It it were me, I’d saying something along the lines of:

“There are any number of trainers and coaches out there you could hire. And like most of them, I too want to help you achieve your goals – whether it’s to get a little stronger, improve performance in your respective sport, shed some extra body fat, or help with a nagging injury.

I choose to do so with integrity and honesty, in addition to using equal parts evidence-based research and anecdotal “real-world” experience.”

I want to help you achieve your goals, but I also want to help you not have to rely on me long-term. I want to teach you, educate you, coach you. It’s my goal to make you your own best ally, asset, and advocate.”

I encourage you to find your WHY.

CategoriesMotivational personal training

A Tale of Two Clients

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…..

Even for those who aren’t avid readers, the words above are fairly recognizable. At some point in everyone’s life they’ve (probably) heard the phrase absent of whether or not they know the origin:

Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities.

Yeah, I haven’t read it either.

But the book reference serves as a nice introduction to today’s post as click bait. Because, you know, everyone goes bat-shit crazy over Dickens quotes.

I was asked two questions recently (from two different people) that I felt would be best served answering here as I know a lot of personal trainers and coaches read this site.

Question #1:

I’m curious what’s the longest amount of time you had the same non-athlete client and I’d love to see more articles on what makes a good lifting trainee/student!

Question #2:

Not sure if you have touched on this in a previous blog post but would love to hear your thoughts on how you go about motivating your general fitness clients vs. your baseball players. I imagine they come in with different experiences, expectations, etc. and I imagine they both pose unique challenges in getting them to engage and buy into the process.

Two different questions, albeit not altogether too dissimilar.

Before co-founding Cressey Sports Performance in 2007 I worked as a personal trainer in both the corporate setting and commercial setting….for five years. That’s five years of early mornings, late nights, working on weekends, working on Holidays, and working with every permutation of human being you can possibly think of save for a one-legged pirate and an Astronaut.

Repeating the borrowed prose from above, my life literally was “the best of times, and the worst of times.”

It was the best of times because I was doing something I loved. Right out of the gate I was making a living wearing sweatpants to work and hanging out in a gym helping people get stronger, lose fat, address an injury, and making people of the opposite sex want to hang out with them.

That didn’t suck.

Too, it was a point in my life where I was a sponge for knowledge ( I still am). Upon graduating from school I thought I knew what I was doing – I graduated Magna Cum Laude, I played four years of college baseball, I had been lifting weights since I was 13, I had six-pack, I got this! But once my first client was handed to me I experienced a hefty reality check.

I didn’t really know as much as I thought I did.

Luckily my first client survived, I didn’t set the gym on fire or anything, things were going to be okay.

It was that time where I found sites like T-Nation.com and other reputable publications that helped me peel back the onion and understand that what I learned in school wasn’t exactly how things are in the real world. I made it a point to read, and read a lot. And I got better.

It was the worst of times because life as a personal trainer isn’t shall we say……all that glamorous.

As mentioned above you work when others don’t, there’s a bit of “politics” involved – pressure to hit quotas and numbers at the expense of quality programming and coaching, and you learn quickly that life as a trainer is just as much about becoming a good “people person” as it is a coach.

Put another way: some (and I’d say most) clients are amazing, wonderful people; while others are life sucking, Debbie Downer/Johnny Raincloud, soul crushers that would give Godzilla a run for this money.

Given all that, however, I wouldn’t change anything from my past as a fitness professional. The one piece of advice I give all incoming personal trainers – especially to the entitled ones who think they’re going to train professional athletes their first day on the job13 – is that you should work in a commercial gym setting.

For 1-2 years.

You need to grind it out, work shitty hours, and learn to work with as wide of a variety of clientele as possible. You do this, and I GUARANTEE you’ll get better and learn to appreciate which niche – if any – you’d like to pursue to further your career.

In my 13 years as a personal trainer and coach I’ve had the opportunity and honor to work with so many different people. Everything from young athletes to professional athletes to CEOs, doctors, fat loss clients, powerlifters, post rehab, and anything you can think of in between. Still waiting for that Astronaut, though.

I’ve had clients who have worked with me for 5+ years – both in person and in a distance based format. Most often when I’ve been working with someone that long they’re someone I’d train for free. I’d be lying if I said you never build a rapport past the trainer-client dichotomy with some people. You absolutely do.

I’ve had clients become really good friends, and I even have one who’s going to be an attendant in my wedding this May.

I wouldn’t say this is normal or happens all the time.

But given that circumstance is more of an outlier scenario, here are some quick bullet point traits I find make for a good client(s).

1. They pay. You have bills, right? It sounds tacky and trite, I know, but if you have a client who pays, pays on time, and is willing to do it for months, and if you’re lucky, years on end….that’s grounds for a solid start.

2. They respect you as a professional. Admittedly, there are a number of examples across the country of inept personal trainers and coaches who give the industry a bad reputation. All you have to do is peruse YouTube for 30 minutes and a small portion of your soul dies.

So part of me understands why the industry as a whole is looked down upon by many people.

But nothing grinds my gears more than when someone hires me for whatever reason – fat loss, performance, dealing with an injury – and then proceed to question/bitch/whine every…single….thing I ask them to do.

When this happens I do this:

Me: “Say Al, what is it that you do for a living?

Al: “Well, Tony, as it happens, I’m an Astronaut.”

Me: “What the what. Finally! Can we be BFFs?

Al: “Only if we can practice karate in the garage.”

Me: “Obviously.”

“Also, you know, Al, I wouldn’t have the faintest idea what the ideal ambient torsional velocity should be when ascertaining the longitudinal axis of a rocket during space docking.”

Al: “I would think not.”

Me: “Soooooo, shut up and do your freakin deadlifts.”

The point is: I’m willing to bet they wouldn’t question an accountant about their taxes or their lawyer about their lawyering. While being inquisitive is one thing (and should be expected), they shouldn’t constantly question your expertise with regards to differentiating flexion intolerant back pain from extension intolerant back pain.

Mind you, you should have a rationale and be able to explain everything written in a program. Conversely it’s not too much to ask that your client trust you. That is what they’re paying you for, right?

3. They show up on time. They schedule on time. They wear deodorant.

4. They do the work. Both in AND outside of the gym. I often give my clients homework. This may be something like asking them to keep a 3-day food diary, or maybe doing an extra active-recovery circuit on one of their “off” days from working with me. Are they compliant? The ideal one’s make an effort to be.

I’m sure I can easily keep going, and maybe I will at some point down the road. I’d encourage you to look up some of Alwyn Cosgrove’s stuff on the topic. He’s written several things on how to build an ideal client roster and how to fire clients if need be.

Meet Eddie

Eddie is a professional athlete (baseball). He works his ass off. I’d make a case that he’s one of the hardest working athletes I’ve ever coached.

Lets be honest: any professional athlete who chooses to spend his off-season in Massachusetts – we’re currently under 2+ feet of snow with more on the way – probably doesn’t need much motivation to train.

The thing about Eddie is sometimes he’s TOO motivated.

As much as it is for us coaches – as a team – to write effective, efficient, and safe programming, a large portion of our job is also to pull the reigns or pump the breaks when needed.

It’s not uncommon for me to tell Eddie to chill out and that it’s okay if he didn’t break his PR for the 16th consecutive week.

While Eddie is also an outlier, we’re very lucky to have so many hard-working and dedicated athletes (and not just baseball players) walk through our doors at Cressey Sports Performance.

Motivation, generally, isn’t too much of an issue when them. They’ll either put in the work or get released. Their choice.

Meet Robin

Robin is not an athlete. In fact, she’s a working professional who started training with us three months ago. She came to us with a vague background in strength training, but was also dealing with a few nagging injuries.

One of the advantages I have is that most people who seek out my services KNOW what they’re getting into. They read my stuff, they read Eric’s (Cressey) stuff, they read Greg Robins, Tony Bonevechio, Miguel Aragoncillo, and the rest the CSP’s staff material.

People know they’re not going to be doing Zumba. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

So, in a way, most of the people I work with at CSP don’t need a whole lot of motivation to train. The brand sort of sells itself. What many of them do need – and especially in the case of Robin – is someone to help them gain their confidence back.

Some have been so “broken” for so long, and have worked with any number of other trainers, that it’s sometimes difficult to buy into what it is I have to say.

Showing them success is paramount.

They’re motivation is literally, training.

What can I do as their coach to get them to train pain free, or to do things that they thought they couldn’t do? It isn’t my objective to have everyone conventional deadlift on day one. Some people aren’t ready for that because it’s too aggressive or above their ability level. But I can have them perform some light glute bridges or some pull-throughs to get them to feel what turning on their glutes feels like in addition to grooving a hip hinge.

And then I can progress them from there.

If a female client can’t do a push-up, I’m NOT going to have her do “girl push-ups.” That’s lame and provides an initial connotation I’d prefer to avoid. Instead, she’s going to do push-ups – elevated on pins.

I’m going to show her success so that she gains some confidence. THAT’s oftentimes all the motivation anyone ever needs, and how I approach things with the bulk of my general fitness clients.

Prove to them that they CAN do “stuff.”  Once that happens it’s pretty much a domino effect in terms of progress and compliance with their programs. It’s not a sexy answer, but it works.

Categoriespersonal training

Your Career in Fitness: A Guide to Professional Success

I get asked all the time from new and incoming trainers and coaches what they can do to better position themselves for (long-term) success in the fitness industry.

Statistics show that most trainers burn out within a year and a half to two years. Granted there are many, many trainers who have long, prosperous, and fruitful careers teeming with PRs, inches melted away, pounds lost, boundless interpersonal relationships, and client success stories. And maybe, just maybe a 401K or SEP IRA you can brag about.

In the fitness industry, however, that tends to be the exception and not the rule.

I don’t feel many people enter this industry under the impression they’ll make a ton of money and that they’ll end up living an MTV Cribs lifestyle. I’m sure they’re out there, but it’s rare.

Rather, most dive in because 1) pretty much anyone can become a personal trainer, so why not? 2) they’ve always been passionate about health and fitness and have a genuine interest in helping others OR 3) they’ve always been passionate about health and fitness and have a genuine interest in helping others. Oh, and they hate their current job and are thiiiiiiis close to grabbing a brick and knocking their boss’s teeth out.

To Point #1:  It is what it is. For better or worse the barrier to entry into the fitness industry is low.  You don’t need a four-year degree to train someone, and you could make the argument that taking the time to do so does nothing but teach one to get really good at memorizing answers and not preparing him/her for any application of “real-world” skills like movement assessment, coaching, and writing a competent training program that makes sense and doesn’t require a drunk pirate to decipher.

There’s that and the whole thousands of dollars of debt thing.

This isn’t to say I don’t advocate one get a degree, but in this day and age it’s definitely a discussion worth having and weighing one’s options.

To Points #2 & 3: I’m lucky in that I know dozens – if not hundreds – of top notch trainers and coaches who are really good at what they do, and have been doing it for a long time. Likewise, I’m also friends with a know of several people who started off in one career only to perform a 180, take a real risk, and enter fitness.

My good friend Roger Lawson (Rog Law) comes to mind first. He was living in Michigan back in 2008-2009 and graduated school with an English degree, only to realize that that wasn’t what he wanted to do.

Instead he took a chance and applied for an internship at Cressey Sports Performance. Admittedly we were skeptical, but he was persistent (even making the trip from Michigan to Massachusetts just to introduce himself), and we accepted.

The rest, as they say, is history. To this day he’s still considered one of our most popular interns/coaches we’ve ever had.  And, to top it all off, he’s amassed his own cult-following and successful fitness career since leaving.

He didn’t take the traditional route, but he’s done a litany of things right which has allowed him to become successful.

Look, anyone with biceps, a cute smile, a casual interest in fitness, or six-pack abzzz (<— 3 z’s for emphasis) can sign up for a weekend personal training course and become certified.

That’s all fine and dandy, but unless you arm yourself with the tools necessary to separate yourself from the masses – a competent understanding of anatomy, nutrition, business, and even psychology (how to deal with and motivate people to change) – like I said, statistics prove most trainers burn out within a year and a half to two years.

At best, taking the time to implement the steps necessary to actually have a fitness career – and a successful one at that – is hard, takes effort, and isn’t for everyone.

At worse, you take the easy route, embrace your overwhelming sense of entitlement, putter out like I said you would, and end up living in your parent’s basement managing all your different Fantasy Football teams while working at Applebee’s.

So What Can You Do?

I don’t do this often. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever done it – link to a singular article. But if any of what I said above strikes a chord with anyone reading, I’d HIGHLY encourage you to read the article below written by Nate Green for Precision Nutrition.

I read it this morning and felt compelled to showcase it on my site today because I think the information provided is priceless.

There are no gimmicks. You don’t need to sign up for anything. It’s just an article. A really good one that provides a ton of direction and resources. Enjoy!

Your Career in Fitness: A Guide to Professional Success

CategoriesMotivational personal training

What Every Personal Trainer Should Know

Like many of you I’m a member of a few Facebook groups. Some private, and some not so much. There’s a family page, a Cressey Performance page, a page that’s dedicated to my old JUCO baseball team, another one that I frequent which is for movie nerds, and another that may or may not be nothing more than a ode to………..you guessed it…..bacon.

What can I say? I love the stuff.

Another group I’m a member of is one that I was invited into recently – there’s a secret handshake and everything! – run by a group of young fitness professionals on the up and up.

They’re a group of young men and women whom I know and have a personal, if not a more than an informal relationship with, who asked myself and several other colleagues of mine if we’d be willing to participate and to serve as “mentors” so-to-speak.  Nothing fancy or time consuming, but rather just a place where they can ask questions, seek advice or just talk shop.

I said yes, but only under the stipulation that whenever I’m addressed directly they’d have to do this first:

It’s been great so far, and I’ve enjoyed the open dialogue and discourse.

One question in particular caught my attention the other day:

What are subject matters you think every personal trainer must know? And what are some subjects matters personal trainers should know, depending on what kind of niche they want to work with?

It’s a loaded question for sure, right on par with your girlfriend asking “do I look fat in this?” or “wanna talk about our feelings?”

But I felt it was a question that deserved some attention and something I’d attempt to tackle in today’s post.

Upon graduating from school back in 2002, when I first started out as a personal trainer I felt I knew everything.

I had been lifting weights since I was 13, played four years of college baseball, had a six-pack, and had graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Health Education. How hard could it possibly be to train Jim from accounting?

Come on dude…I got this.

Needless to say, out of the gate, it was a rude awakening for me.

It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t a cakewalk. I quickly realized I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. And, to be honest, I considered it a success/borderline miracle if my client happened to finish his or her session with all ten fingers and toes still attached.

Of course the panic button was pushed less often the more experience I got.  After a few weeks I started hyperventilating less and less into a brown paper bag.  After a few months I started hitting my stride and getting more confident in my abilities.  And after a year or two I was basically a personal training Jedi.

Okay not really, but I was far cry from the rookie trainer who was green around the gills not long beforehand.

I can only speak from my own experience, but below are a few candid thoughts which I feel every personal trainer should consider:

1.  Career vs. Hobby

What’s your goal?  Are you doing this “personal training thing” because you see it as a viable, rewarding, long-term career, or something that, because you like to lift weights and stuff, will help you pass time until something better comes along?

Collecting baseball cards is a hobby. World of WarCraft is a hobby.

Taking people’s health and well-being into your hands is NOT a hobby.  At least it shouldn’t be.

I know I could sit here and wax poetic about how the barrier to entry in the personal training field is spotty at best.  At this point it is what it is.  There’s nothing I can do to stop people from getting certified on the internet by paying a random site $79.99.

That said, I truly feel that those trainers who approach this as a CAREER – and not just something to do – are the ones who are going to last the longest and do well for themselves.

2.  Know Anatomy

This seems like an obvious point, but you’d be amazed as to how many seniors in college on the cusp of entering the work force can’t even name all four rotator cuff muscles, let alone each’s function.

Let me ask you this:  shoulder bone connecting to the arm bone jokes aside, how do you expect to train someone’s body if you don’t even know what it is or how it works?

Now, I’m not saying you have to be an anatomy savant like Eric Cressey, Bill Hartman, Mike Robertson, or Bret Contreras – all of whom are on another level if you ask me.

But you should have a basic understanding of how the human body works, and I’m not just referring to insertion points and actions of the muscle.  You need to know FUNCTIONAL anatomy.

Take the glutes for example.  Read any anatomy book and you’ll learn that the glute max extends and abducts the hip, as well as externally rotates.  Cool, we’re all on the same page there.

But it also decelerates hip internal rotation and adduction, as well as pronation of the foot.  All of which are kind of important with regards to non-contact ACL injuries.

Knowing this will undoubtedly help a trainer (hopefully) choose appropriate exercises and movements that train the glutes (and posterior chain) in a more “functional” manner.

That’s a very rudimentary example, but it helps showcase my point.

Check out my Resources Page for recommendations for books, DVDS, and the like.  There are a lot of them.  Then again, I know a lot of smart people.

3.  Know Program Design

This goes hand in hand with anatomy, and is just as much of a learned skill as anything else. I love the analogy that Mike Boyle has routinely used in the past on program design and how it’s like following a recipe.

Some people need are cooks and NEED to follow the recipe as it’s written.

Some people are chefs that can write new recipes.

You can read more HERE (<—- please read it).

Along the same lines, trainers should write programs and NOT workouts.  Programs are planned, well-thought out, structured training plans with a goal or purpose in mind (fat loss, training around an injury, preparing for a competitive season, etc).  Workouts are nothing more than a trainer babysitting.

You’re not a babysitter.

4.  Know Technique

Whenever I train at a commercial gym I can’t help but observe my surroundings. Yes I always see some eye wash like a guy deadlifting with a rounded back or a woman who’s 40 lbs overweight performing DB curls on a BOSU ball.

Part of me wants to walk over, shake the shit out of them, and point them in the right direction. But it’s not my place.  And, to be honest, they don’t know any better.  At least they’re doing something, right?

What really sets me off is when I watch a trainer doing dumb shit with a client. Worse is when I watch the trainer allow poor technique and do nothing to correct it.  That to me is UNACCEPTABLE.

The problem, most of the time, is that the trainer doesn’t know what good technique is.  Well guess what???  It’s your JOB to know what good technique is!!!!!

A little humility goes a long way if you ask me.

If you don’t know how to coach something, don’t put it into a client’s program! Simple as that.

I’m often asked why I never include any of the Olympic lifts into my programming. My answer: I don’t have a lot of experience with them!  Not to mention they’re not a great fit for the population I work with.

Regardless, as a trainer or coach it’s imperative you hold yourself to a standard.  Use the window test.

If you were an outsider looking through a window watching your athletes or clients train, would you be proud of what you see?  Are they squatting to good depth?  Are their knees caving in on each rep? Do their backs round every time they do a 1-arm DB row?  Do their hips sag and elbows flare out when they perform pushups?

If so, why aren’t you fixing it?  Why aren’t you regressing the exercises?

You’re a coach, so coach!

5.  Get Into People’s Heads

One of the comments left in the original discussion was this (which I’m stealing):

For me, client compliance and communication with general pop. If you can’t convey your message and set up systems that your client can find success with then you’re basically a walking overpriced textbook that no none can read.

I read a lot of books on behavioral economics by authors like Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Ariely, the Freakonomics guys, Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner, as well as others like Robert Cialdini and Chip & Dan Heath.

The reason being, because of the statement above.  It’s important to learn how to communicate with people.  If you’re an uppity a-hole who talks over people’s heads all the time, how do you expect them to follow through with your advice?

Conversely if you’re someone who “just shows up,” counts reps, and does nothing to set people up for success other than charge their credit card each month…..then you’re not doing much.

To understand why people do what they do, and why they think what they think can be an invaluable asset to you as a trainer and coach.

No one is insinuating that you have to sit people on a couch and become a psychologist, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a better understanding of what goes on in their head and how you can better motivate them to not hit up McDonald’s on the way home or take their freakin fish oil……..GOSH!!!!!!!