The Rant
Pat Dale
So there is nothing like a good rant now and again is there? In this article Pat Dale gets himself worked up, flips out and makes a few strong points about the fitness industry
I’ve been in the fitness industry for over 20 years so I consider myself to be somewhat of an authority on the business of health and fitness. Over the years I’ve seen all the fads and trends come and go and in some cases came back again so, as my coffee machine is broken and my caffeine craving is reaching fever point, I’d like to vent and, like a bad Freddie Mercury impersonator might say, don’t stop me now...
Functional Exercises
This term has been so misused over the last few years that every time I hear it I grit my teeth and look heavenwards seeking divine intervention. It’s not the actual term as much as what it has come to represent for trainers and the industry alike. Think about it – almost every exercise is functional. If I do bicep curls, the function of that exercise is to train my biceps, if I do squats, the function of that exercise is to train my entire lower body but, please tell me, what is functional about standing one-legged on a Bosu ball, holding a dumbbell barely heavy enough to tax a 5 year old and doing 1 arm shoulder presses with your eyes closed. Seriously, how is THAT more functional than a bicep curl? Unless you are training for the blindfolded one legged pink dumbbell pressing Olympics that crap is just complexity for complexity sake. The term functional exercise has been polluted and distorted from its original meaning which was that exercises should carry over to everyday activities and sporting performance. Functional exercises include all free weight and bodyweight exercises and even many machine exercises. If performing an exercise has a positive carry over and enhances your ability to perform a physical task then it is functional. Trainers - it’s not a competition who can come up with the most convoluted exercise no matter how much you wish it was. Most of you can’t do the basics anyway. ‘Nuff said.
Do NOT do this. This is not training
Trainers who don’t practice (or have ever practiced) what they preach.
If you can’t drive, they don’t let you become a driving instructor. If you are bankrupt it’s very unlikely you’ll be employed as a bank manager anytime soon. If you can’t add up, I can’t see you getting very far as a maths teacher, so when did it become okay to be a fat personal trainer? (Or a very skinny one for that matter?) Is the fitness industry the only job where people with no experience or track record can make money by telling others what to do even though they don’t do it themselves? I know, there ARE trainers out there who have spent time in the trenches, train hard, and are great examples of health and fitness but there are far more who aren’t. What right does an overweight trainer have to give dietary advice? How can you empathise with your client if you have never walked in their shoes? How can you push a client through a series of demanding exercises and not know exactly how they are feeling because you don’t actually train yourself??? This is complete and utter hypocrisy. Every trainer should be made to pass a physical assessment and prove they can squat, bench press, power clean, dead lift, do plenty of press ups, run, jump and sprint. And not just on the day of their final exams but every year to show they are practicing what they preach. Paul Chek once said that all trainers should be prepared to be shirtless when they train their clients. Whilst the idea of topless personal trainers may be a bit far-fetched, I like the principle. Lead by example or get the hell out of the gym!!!
Stupid Diets.
Want to know the secret to losing weight? Promise you won’t tell anyone else or steal my idea? I trust you...get closer, make sure no one else is reading over your shoulder. Ready? MOVE MORE, EAT LESS. That’s it. Too many people are making too much money trying to sell complicated diet plans that are so restrictive, unpleasant or unsustainable that they are bound to fail almost anyone who starts them. Did you know that 99% of dieters fail? The 1% that succeed have chemical imbalances in their brains meaning that they never get hungry. What happens when the dieter fails to lose their weight on programme A? They buy programme B. And then that fails they buy programme C and so on. The diet industry succeeds because of failure. Unfortunately, effective diet advice is boring...eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, base meals around lean protein, lay off sugar, avoid refined carbs, drink water instead of high-calorie drinks, eat more veg, always have breakfast, most breakfast cereals are crap except porridge oats, if it’s white (bread, pasta, rice etc) it’s shite. It’s simple but sadly, simple isn’t sexy. Simple requires will power. Simple won’t get you ready for the beach in 2 weeks. Simple doesn’t sell. Eat less, move more, look better, be healthier. Like I said, simple.
Bodybuilding.
I don’t hate bodybuilding or bodybuilders so before someone tries to stave my head in with an EZ Bar please read the rest of this paragraph! Bodybuilding is a sport requiring dedication and consistent effort for years on end and all credit is due to anyone who can dedicate so much time in the pursuit of transforming their body. No, what bothers me is when personal trainers prescribe bodybuilding routines to non-bodybuilders. The next time I see a 40+ female fitness client with weight loss goals doing a chest and triceps workout, I swear I am going to impale their trainer on the end of an Olympic bar - ass first. Fat loss requires significant calorie expenditure which the average bodybuilding workout just doesn’t create. Think about it, which do you think will use more energy, a workout consisting of exercises for a few body parts with 90 seconds rest between sets or a non-stop circuit of complex exercises for the whole body with minimal rest? If you are have to think too hard about the answer to this I’m guessing you give body building split routines to your weight loss clients. Bodybuilding workouts are great for bodybuilders or anyone who wants to gain weight or muscular size for sport but for the other 99% of the exercising population, whole body workouts will be far more effective. Why are split routines popular with most trainers? They are easier to write. Need I say more?
That’ll do for now – I’ve vented and I feel better but I’m sure I’ll feel like ranting again soon enough though...
About the Author
Pat and this magazine were made for each other. Pat writes a blog - NoFrillsFitness, trains his ass off and loves what we call ‘proper fitness’. He is a highly experienced fitness lecturer, running solar-fitness in Cyprus. What a place to go to qualify as a personal trainer! Pat will use this mag to let off a little steam – to talk fitness without the need to hold back or be polite. If you don’t like it….don’t use the squat rack for Bicep Curls! His site Solar-Fitness.com
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