The Ugly Truth and Why You Should Care…

Recently, I was asked by a fellow fitness professional what I thought the five most common mistakes people make when it came to training, and nutrition.  I will stick to one common mistake in this blog.

Can you guess what it is?

In my opinion the worst mistake people make is: not asking enough questions.

Here’s why:

Having  been in the fitness industry for a little over 11 years,  I want to say I’ve seen it all.  However, Facebook and social media constantly reminds me that I have not.

Just because someone has made a personal transformation, has lost 100 lbs, and works out regularly does not make them qualified to train anyone.

Just because a gym/studio/fitness center is open for business does not mean that anyone working there is certified and qualified to train people.

Why?

The fitness industry is NOT regulated.

No one is checking.

Does that worry you?

Here’s another truth bomb:

The fitness industry is constantly evolving and changing.  Anyone who is not furthering their knowledge and investing in their certification/diploma is not working in your best interest.

Anyone who earned their certification/degree 20 years, 15 years, 10 years, or even 2 years ago is not up to par, not up to date, and may be doing things that have been studied and proven to be unsafe for the general population or just plain unsafe. period.

Someone who has been training themselves for over 30 years and look amazing, is not necessarily qualified to train you.  If your trainer tells you they have been training themselves for over for 20 years, won a Mr/Mrs Physique award, and experience is their badge of knowledge, run.

What are some of the best question to ask?

-Are you currently certified, and do you belong to a credible organisation?

It is easy to obtain a certification, but the best certifying organisations will require professionals maintain their certification by furthering their education yearly or every two years.  Yep,  Fitness Professionals have to keep studying, learning, and growing to stay current and stay certified in this field.

-What are you certified to teach?

This is huge.  One certification and nothing else, yet they teach everything under the sun?  hmm…

No one knows everything.

There is always something new because fitness is evolving and forever changing.  This is a very good thing.

-What are you doing to stay current in your field?

You would be amazed how many Personal Trainers or Strength and Conditioning coaches are inspired by YouTube videos.

Sorry peeps, but this does not count as being current and educated. There is so much dangerous garbage out there (yes, you can learn to build an outdoor deck, and install a kitchen sink on you tube, but learning about training techniques and bio-mechanics on You Tube you does qualify as continuing education).

We live in a world of quick fixes, and promises of losing 20 lbs in a week with dangerous consequences to our health and well being.

The best programs are run by certified trainers who assess participants, modify programs, and offer assessments regularly.

The best Fitness Professionals invest in and fine tune their craft because they know with knowledge and proven facts, they can help people, not harm people.  

There is no one size fits all when it comes to training.

Are you asking questions?

Why or why not?