Questioning Personal Trainer

[wiggywiegand]

Hey! I'm a former Marine and pretty decent where motivation, calisthenics, and running are concerned. I'm 27 Female 5'7" 155 lbs 23% bf.

I've gotten pretty out of shape and am pretty ignorant as far as nutrition and weights are concerned. I've researched so much stuff that it seems overwhelming so I figured I'd just hire a personal trainer and just do what I'm told.

I got a free consult and was told I could get to 19% bf in about 12 wks and would probably gain around 3 lbs. I don't really care about my weight, just my bf and appearance.

My personal trainer put me on a 1400 cal diet with 80g carb. She didn't really specify protein carb fat ratio so I assume I'm just suppose to figure it out. I told my trainer I needed her mainly to get me up to speed on weights i.e. form, reps, amt of weight etc. She has me doing a circuit course with dumb bells that I can do at home. Also, with only 80 g carbs she wants me to do 1 hr high intensity cardio 5x week AFTER doing this circuit that feels more like cardio than weight training. I'm doing all sorts of hopping around and jumping and crap with dumb bells, I really feel like a hopping freak show.

Here's my questions

1) How am I suppose to build lean mass doing 1 hr cardio after every workout?
2) Should I be working total body every workout? The only thing that ever hurts is my arms, nothing else.
3) Is 80g carbs enough to do all this stuff? It seems really low to me, I don't want to be anorexic, I want to build a nice physique and fill out with lean mass, not be stick thin. When I'm done at the gym all I want to do is sleep, I barely have the energy through the day to shower let alone keep up this routine.

Any info would be helpful. I'm so frustrated right now, I didn't go to school for this stuff, but something doesn't seem right with this trainer. Is it me? I pay this chick like $173 bucks per month for 1 half hour session a week.

[TripleTrouble]

Your trainer's a fraud, im gonna tell you that right now because most of them are. Its rare that you see a good personal trainer. Dont waste your money. There's plenty of information and help available here, better than most trainers your ever gonna meet. Make a thread in the nutrition section and workout section etc. There's many helpful and experienced people on this forum that will give you the information and advice you need to succeed.

Btw, yes the cardio your trainers making you do is ridiculous, and 80g carbs a day? She has no knowledge of diet and nutrition whatsoever. She deserves a slap lol.

[wiggywiegand]

Whew! That sucks, but at least I know it's not just me trying to get something for nothing. I really felt like something wasn't right. I'm not a genius, but based on what I've researched so far, everything she says and has me do goes against even the most basic nutrition/fitness routine.

Thank you!

[freebirdmac]

I think calling the trainer a fraud is pretty harsh. It really depends on what you told your trainer your goals were and what the trainer heard. If you said you wanted to lose body fat and gain muscle, then this plan will drop your body fat. You will not gain much if any muscle, but it's only part one. A lot of trainers will have clients drop body fat first then work on muscle gains as the body really prefers to do one or the other. Most clients will be pretty unhappy if they don't see fat loss regardless of what they tell their trainers so it's a much happier situation to focus on it.

If you want to do both at the same time, you'll need to talk to your trainer and emphasize this. And that you understand that fat loss will come at a much slower rate. Then I'd be looking for a 3 or 4 day split and no funky/weirdo exercises.

The trainer should have fleshed out the diet better so that you'd be getting enough protein and good fats. The carb level is ok as long as there are some refeeds allowed. I do disagree about 12 weeks. At that level of diet and exercise you should be there in half that time.

[Thuirwyne]

I've been training clients since the 90's and she doesn't sound very good.

What is her background? How many years has she been training, what type of education, experience, certification, etc. does she have? Can she provide you with legit testimonials from former/current clients?

Does she look like she's in great shape? Where does her nutritional advice come from? Is she qualified to give you that info? (doesn't look like it).

[dunkonu9]

I think your trainer is probably focusing on dropping fat first. Well that is results you can see and that will keep you motivated to keep coming back.

I also agree that you do not need a trainer there is plenty of info here. If your motivated and want to do it well you can gain all the knowledge yourself and do it here. If not and you want someone to walk you through and teach you then go for a trainer.

Come on Marine adapt and overcome. OORAH

[_VL]

I think you should take your original post, word for word (edit out anything of an insulting nature) to the trainer, discuss, and THEN come back here for insights/thoughts into the resulting conversation.

You are paying her, so NEVER be shy about questioning anything. As with any human, simply be respectful in how you do it. This conversation with her will provide you with more specific info and, hence, more effective thoughts/ideas from us.... not trying to frustrate you; I simply think that to take a stab at "guessing" about her abilities or training plan now (before you have that conversation), wouldn't be fair to you ...

[mavrick77]

Originally Posted by wiggywiegand

Hey! I'm a former Marine and pretty decent where motivation, calisthenics, and running are concerned. I'm 27 Female 5'7" 155 lbs 23% bf.

I've gotten pretty out of shape and am pretty ignorant as far as nutrition and weights are concerned. I've researched so much stuff that it seems overwhelming so I figured I'd just hire a personal trainer and just do what I'm told.

I got a free consult and was told I could get to 19% bf in about 12 wks and would probably gain around 3 lbs. I don't really care about my weight, just my bf and appearance.

My personal trainer put me on a 1400 cal diet with 80g carb. She didn't really specify protein carb fat ratio so I assume I'm just suppose to figure it out. I told my trainer I needed her mainly to get me up to speed on weights i.e. form, reps, amt of weight etc. She has me doing a circuit course with dumb bells that I can do at home. Also, with only 80 g carbs she wants me to do 1 hr high intensity cardio 5x week AFTER doing this circuit that feels more like cardio than weight training. I'm doing all sorts of hopping around and jumping and crap with dumb bells, I really feel like a hopping freak show.

Here's my questions

1) How am I suppose to build lean mass doing 1 hr cardio after every workout?
2) Should I be working total body every workout? The only thing that ever hurts is my arms, nothing else.
3) Is 80g carbs enough to do all this stuff? It seems really low to me, I don't want to be anorexic, I want to build a nice physique and fill out with lean mass, not be stick thin. When I'm done at the gym all I want to do is sleep, I barely have the energy through the day to shower let alone keep up this routine.

Any info would be helpful. I'm so frustrated right now, I didn't go to school for this stuff, but something doesn't seem right with this trainer. Is it me? I pay this chick like $173 bucks per month for 1 half hour session a week.

let me guess...this is a trainer the gym supplied? thats the problem now adays, most gyms dont let private trainers in, and you have to use one of there's... by the way on average they make bout 8 bucks per session to train you, so what quality do you think your getting? how do I know how much they make? I was a training director for a local gym chain around here, and know exactly what all my trainers were making, and I couldnt find any good ones, because of the pay rate. They are paid on average 16/hr..however they only get paid, WHILE they are training someone. and the gym is probably charing you, about 40-45 per session...its really a bad deal.

now for the trainer, they are probably fairly new, or just out of school....can you drop bodyfat and gain muscle, yes and no. As a newbie to the gym you could, howeer if you have much experience in the gym, it probably isnt going to happen on a calorie deficit., sorry.

[Outdoor Girl]

Unfortunately I see and hear about of a lot of bad personal trainers. There are good ones out there but not always easy to find.

Your post indicates you "could get to 19% bf in about 12 wks and would probably gain around 3 lbs." Is your trainer's focus loss of bodyfat? Have you communicated your desire to put on muscle?

The numbers are curious. If you are going to gain 3lbs and end up at 158lbs, to be at 19% bodyfat my calculations indicate you'll have to put on roughly 9lbs of lean body mass in 12 weeks. That seems like a lot, and if that is the case I don't see how cardio or aerobic resistance training is going to get you there.

If you are just starting out you have a good opportunity to drop both bodyfat and put on muscle at the same time (doing both at the same time is usually pretty hard to do). I was able to drop bodyfat with resistance training alone, but it would have gone faster if I had incorporated some cardio into my routine. I would never personally make resistance training my cardio because my goals are bodyshaping and adding lean body mass.

Having spent lots of time talking to different people and learning things on my own, my advice to myself when starting out, for what it's worth would have been to go with someone who was personally successful with goals similar to mine (putting on lean body mass, such as someone who has competed naturally), who was adept at working with clients with varying goals (sports specific, injury recovery, fat loss, bulking, etc.), and who could show me proper exercises and form right out of the gate so I could start off properly. I feel I wasted a lot of time doing my exercises improperly. I think you can also get a sense from a trainer if they are more interested in themselves than you. I hate seeing trainers train slews of clients exactly the same way, no variation. Everyone is different and everyone has different goals, and the paths to those goals are naturally going to vary.

I have the best trainer now than I could ever ask for and it makes a huge difference.

Best of luck to you in your goals. Look forward to seeing you here on the forums with your progress!

[kimm4]

Those calories are too low and progress will stall for sure! You need to be around 1800 for fat loss. 45p/30c/25f would be a good macro breakdown to use.

You need to find a workout that you enjoy. Full body, split workots...everyone is different, but I would advise hitting the weights heavy 6-10 rep ranges work well.

Ditch the hour of cardio. With a solid eating plan and good lifting routine...you don't need to spend all that time doing cardio.

Eating plan, heavy weight training and some cardio in this order!

[twinnett]

Problem is that personal trainers are not nutritionists, but some seem to think they are...I work w/ a trainer sometimes who is awesome, but is very old school about dieting..told me to do 2 hrs of cardio a day....eat like 1200 calories..you know

[sweet.sarah]

I did the same! Only with a nutritionist. I thought that the best thing to have the perfect diet was to get a nutritionist... what a big mistake.
They give everyone the same old copied 1200kcal-per-day diet. She even used the same copied document on me, me being a vegetarian. She just crossed out some things and that was that.

That's when I decided that I should do this myself to get the results I want. Only I know what I eat, how, when, and the goals I want to get to. So with the help of many great women here I'm getting to my goals.

Also, on a side note, the trainers at my gym are very old-style. I always say that I feel THIS is the REAL deal. With propper information you can get wherever you want. Besides it's even better because you have the tools to make your way.

[fes31129]

I went to nutritionist at 255lbs. She put me on a 1200 calorie diet and wanted me to do an hour of cardio a day plus weights. I did not have the energy to do half that as i basically had cut my caloric intake by 2/3rd at least. I lost about 4lbs that first month and never went back. Not to say 4lbs in a month is bad but I did some simple research on here for diet needs and lost 12lbs in 3 weeks. Sometimes "professional" help seems to be nothing more then throwing money down a well. That being said I have started seeing a personal trainer and couldnt be happier with him.

[GoutDeMiel]

I am no personal trainer or hard body who can speak from experience, but if what you say is true, your trainer is steering you in the wrong direction.

Flip through the articles on the main site and read the forums. I've been hooked on this site since August of this year and I think I know ten times more than any "personal trainer" at my gym. Don't waste your money when you can get these peoples' advice for free!

[wiggywiegand]

Originally Posted by wiggywiegand

Hey! I'm a former Marine and pretty decent where motivation, calisthenics, and running are concerned. I'm 27 Female 5'7" 155 lbs 23% bf.

I've gotten pretty out of shape and am pretty ignorant as far as nutrition and weights are concerned. I've researched so much stuff that it seems overwhelming so I figured I'd just hire a personal trainer and just do what I'm told.

I got a free consult and was told I could get to 19% bf in about 12 wks and would probably gain around 3 lbs. I don't really care about my weight, just my bf and appearance.

My personal trainer put me on a 1400 cal diet with 80g carb. She didn't really specify protein carb fat ratio so I assume I'm just suppose to figure it out. I told my trainer I needed her mainly to get me up to speed on weights i.e. form, reps, amt of weight etc. She has me doing a circuit course with dumb bells that I can do at home. Also, with only 80 g carbs she wants me to do 1 hr high intensity cardio 5x week AFTER doing this circuit that feels more like cardio than weight training. I'm doing all sorts of hopping around and jumping and crap with dumb bells, I really feel like a hopping freak show.

Here's my questions

1) How am I suppose to build lean mass doing 1 hr cardio after every workout?
2) Should I be working total body every workout? The only thing that ever hurts is my arms, nothing else.
3) Is 80g carbs enough to do all this stuff? It seems really low to me, I don't want to be anorexic, I want to build a nice physique and fill out with lean mass, not be stick thin. When I'm done at the gym all I want to do is sleep, I barely have the energy through the day to shower let alone keep up this routine.

Any info would be helpful. I'm so frustrated right now, I didn't go to school for this stuff, but something doesn't seem right with this trainer. Is it me? I pay this chick like $173 bucks per month for 1 half hour session a week.

Thank you to all who have replied. I've since spoken to my personal trainer and explained my issues. I guess with my initial interview when I told her I didn't know anything about weight training and weights, she assumed I wanted to stay away from them. In all actuality I hired her so that she could TEACH ME how to utilize them, not keep me from them. She's a cardio queen and really thin, not the physique I'm looking for at all.

I ditched her nutrition plan and compiled enough information via replies and information found in the site to do my own nutrition. I'm just going to utilize her for the weight training i.e. good form, amt of weight, and what exercises for what muscles etc.

I lost 3 lbs last week and 1.5% body fat! Wooo whoo! I'm doing 1300 cal per day. I've just focused on getting as much protein in as possible. The whole counting macro nutrients is a pain, but I'm starting to get the hang of it I think.

Thanks again!

[TripleTrouble]

Originally Posted by wiggywiegand

Thank you to all who have replied. I've since spoken to my personal trainer and explained my issues. I guess with my initial interview when I told her I didn't know anything about weight training and weights, she assumed I wanted to stay away from them. In all actuality I hired her so that she could TEACH ME how to utilize them, not keep me from them. She's a cardio queen and really thin, not the physique I'm looking for at all.

I ditched her nutrition plan and compiled enough information via replies and information found in the site to do my own nutrition. I'm just going to utilize her for the weight training i.e. good form, amt of weight, and what exercises for what muscles etc.

I lost 3 lbs last week and 1.5% body fat! Wooo whoo! I'm doing 1300 cal per day. I've just focused on getting as much protein in as possible. The whole counting macro nutrients is a pain, but I'm starting to get the hang of it I think.

Thanks again!

Thats good to hear. Now make friends with other members at your gym and hopefully they'll give you some tips on lifting, and save you $173 a month .

[Heatherrina]

Hi, I am currently in school to be a "fitness specialist," and I am half way through the program. I also completed the AFAA personal fitness trainer program. One thing I learned about personal trainers, while studying to become one, is that just about anyone can do it. You can even take online tests to get certified. Even the AFAA program, which is one of the most credible, still lacks a lot.

You say that you are out of shape and that you lost 3 lbs and 1.5% bodyfat. First of all, if you have not been exercising and then you start, you will probably lose weight and body fat the first week, no matter how ridiculous the plan. Second of all, 1.5% of 155 lbs. is 2.3 lbs. This means you lost .7 lbs of lean mass. Maybe that does not seem like a lot to you, but in a month a loss of .7 lbs of lean mass a week will add up to almost 3 lbs. In 12 weeks, this will be a loss of nearly 9 lbs of lean mass!!! This is unacceptable! And that is just at the rate of .7 lbs/ week. Most likely, your body will start to burn up even more muscle as it depletes it's glycogen stores, which will happen pretty rapidly if you are only eating 80g of carbs and doing an hour of cardio each day.

1 lb of muscle burns an extra 35 to 50 calories a day. (A pound of fat burns basically no extra calories, unless you count the extra calories you expend carrying that weight around, which is minimal.) This means that after 12 weeks, you will need to eat 315 to 450 calories LESS than you do now, just to MAINTAIN your weight and size.

Also, your trainer seems a little nuts for recommending that you eat only 1400 calories. Eat more! I eat AT LEAST 1500 calories a day when I am dropping body fat and I am 5'2" and 112 lbs. Don't cut carbs, your body needs them to fuel your workouts. Instead, focus on getting enough protein-more specifically, 20 to 30 grams of protein 6 times a day (about 3 hours apart). In fact, what your personal trainer should have done if she was going to advise you on nutrition at all, is asked you not to change your diet whatsoever, and to keep a food log which she can review in order to assist you in making healthier (and possibly lower calorie) food choices.

Finally, what is the hurry to lose the weight so fast? My guess is that it took you a hell of a lot longer than 12 weeks to put it on. And is this plan she put you on something you can keep up for the rest of your life? A year? Even 12 weeks? If you lose the weight more slowly, you will lose less muscle, maybe even simultaneously gain muscle. Which will put you at an advantage for maintaining the positive changes you make to your body.

Even though you decided just to utilize your trainer for instruction on proper form, you are still paying for a personal trainer and should be getting your money's worth. Maybe shop around for a new personal trainer than can really do the job and will put you on a plan that makes sense, not just one that makes you drop a lot of weight really fast.

[greyhair]

Originally Posted by wiggywiegand

.... clip..
I'm 27 Female 5'7" 155 lbs 23% bf.
...clip...
...
I could get to 19% bf in about 12 wks and would probably gain around 3 lbs. I don't really care about my weight, just my bf and appearance.

Well lets see,

Go from 77% lean body mass to 81% and gain 3#
155*.77 = 119.35
158*.81= 127.98

Net gain in lean body mass: 8.63 lbs in 12 weeks.
Cough, Cough, Bull sh*t.
I've seen something like this happen in 20 yo men with favorable genetics.
I've never seen this in a women at any age.