What do you think of trainer's advice?

[Ang123]

I was given some advice, ok more like lectured by a trainer and the manager over the trainers at my gym and I thought their viewpoint was really off, even outdated info. Mind you I didn't ask for the advice I was given supposedly a free hour of training then taken to manager's office and saw then it was their way of trying to convince me to sign up for $60 a hour training sessions. Well I was told I was lifting "too heavy for a female" and that my goals were off. They said a woman should never get below 32% BF...and I thought women should be below 20%. The trainer guy said women below 20% are on the verge of dying??!?

The more I think about it the more I realize they are thinking I should conform to their version of what they think is an attractive woman whereas I'm not trying to attract anyone. I'm doing this for ME, to lose weight for health reasons, to fit easier into cute clothes and to have people quite calling me fattie, gain strength after several injuries and hopefully I can return to martial arts which I was very seriously into in my 20's. I've already lost 41 lbs on my own without the trainers help yet they tell me I am not accomplishing anything? I can only think the BF comment is number 1 because of the boobs issue and I don't care if maybe the trainer likes boobs I hate mine would be happy with an A cup because they get in the way. Boobs were a nuisance in taekwondo and judo! Oh and another thing none of the trainers at my gym look that great. They are either overweight or the females anorexic thin with no muscle definition. How can I be lifting too heavy if I am able to lift comfortably? What do you ladies think?

[thehobbes]

Well I was told I was lifting "too heavy for a female" and that my goals were off. They said a woman should never get below 32% BF...and I thought women should be below 20%. The trainer guy said women below 20% are on the verge of dying??!?

They said you shouldn't drop below 32% and under 20% is on the verge of death?? What? They can't be serious about this. As for the lifting too heavy thing, as long as you can keep good form then you're fine. If you have horrible form with everything then yes, you're going too heavy, but that goes for anybody - male or female.

Losing 40+ lbs is great, sounds like you're doing just fine on your own. Find a new gym ASAP! Good luck getting back to martial arts, that always looked like fun to me.

[carolcg]

They said you shouldn't drop below 32% and under 20% is on the verge of death?? What? They can't be serious about this. As for the lifting too heavy thing, as long as you can keep good form then you're fine. If you have horrible form with everything then yes, you're going too heavy, but that goes for anybody - male or female.

Losing 40+ lbs is great, sounds like you're doing just fine on your own. Find a new gym ASAP! Good luck getting back to martial arts, that always looked like fun to me.

ITA with Hobbs...find a new gym asap. This is terrible advice.

[Mo0ch]

Wow...ignore everything those "trainers" say.

As for body fat, as long as you have enough essential fat, you're fine. That's the fat needed for your body to function properly. This is around 9-13% in women (depends on the person). 20% is definitely NOT on the "verge of death".

[kudostojen]

Their statements are laughable. Srs, i loled. You should ask them where they got this information because i would love to know.

[juliacheh]

I think everything they said is bollocks.
I'm so glad that I learned everything myself and never had any of these "trainers" or "nutritionists".

[thepowerwithin]

Oh, man. Serious ignorance. GTFO, if you can.

Or, better yet......play devil's advocate.....stay, put your earbuds in, crank up the music, work your ass off using the information you know to be correct and it will show in your physique and show them a thing or two.

BTW, a not-so-highly-trained trainer at my gym told me I was (get this) 9% BF (she used calipers) and under no circumstances was I to do good mornings, LOL. For a while, I would do the GM's whenever she was around just for kicks. The novelty finally wore off .

[juliacheh]

BTW, a not-so-highly-trained trainer at my gym told me I was (get this) 9% BF (she used calipers) and under no circumstances was I to do good mornings, LOL. For a while, I would do the GM's whenever she was around just for kicks. The novelty finally wore off .

9% body fat...LMAO
Reading stories like this makes me think that I could be a trainer

[Ang123]

Thanks for all the replies! I feel better about my goals and my workout program now. Whew! I saw one of the female pro bodybuilders in our gym yesterday so I went up and asked her. She laughed! She said she was in her off season and 14% and obviously she wasn't near death. There's another pro in our gym that stays cut year round and she said she believed that lady stayed at 7% and she looks awesome and very healthy (as opposed to weak and near death). She also complimented me on my accomplishments and that every time she sees me in there I look better. So think I will just keep doing my thing.

As for leaving gym I can't-- two reasons #1 I am under contract for two years and #2 there are only two gyms in my area and mine is the cheaper gym. Oddly enough the more expensive gym which is $70 more a month is the snob gym where all the rich people go to run the indoor track, get a tan and sit in sauna. They have separate male-female areas and the women are designated to the barbie weights room and women are stared down for entering the man cave of real free weights at the snob gym- except they don't even have as heavy weights in the male area as our gym does. When I first moved here I got a trial membership to the snob gym and that's how I have experience there because I worked out there a lot and also had a month trial at the gym I am currently at too. I live in small town rural America and as it is I have to drive over 20 miles each way to gym. Otherwise my own little town has only Curves or else Zumba/Bodyworks classes at the local Baptist church as the ONLY exercise locations in town. I like a number of people at my gym besides...its just the stupid trainers I dislike.

I've gotten some tips now on how to elude the trainers. Oddly enough the more weight a person loses and the more they stay in free weights the less likely the trainers will bother them I have been told. Sorta intimidates the trainers as honestly all but one look like crap. We have 4 pro bodybuilder women in our gym alone (3 took first place in their divisions in last competition) and these are all great ladies to talk to for advice as well as being friendly people, so I think I should stick with there. Just need to say thanks but no thanks to the offers of free training sessions in the future.

[rachelobremski]

Wow... just wow... Below 20% BF and women are dying? I don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for them. I also didn't know there was a maximum weight limit for women to lift.. I would have walked out after their sales pitch. In my opinion, if the trainers aren't in shape themselves, then I wouldn't want them to train me. Just like the saying, "never trust a skinny chef"

I was given some advice, ok more like lectured by a trainer and the manager over the trainers at my gym and I thought their viewpoint was really off, even outdated info. Mind you I didn't ask for the advice I was given supposedly a free hour of training then taken to manager's office and saw then it was their way of trying to convince me to sign up for $60 a hour training sessions. Well I was told I was lifting "too heavy for a female" and that my goals were off. They said a woman should never get below 32% BF...and I thought women should be below 20%. The trainer guy said women below 20% are on the verge of dying??!?

The more I think about it the more I realize they are thinking I should conform to their version of what they think is an attractive woman whereas I'm not trying to attract anyone. I'm doing this for ME, to lose weight for health reasons, to fit easier into cute clothes and to have people quite calling me fattie, gain strength after several injuries and hopefully I can return to martial arts which I was very seriously into in my 20's. I've already lost 41 lbs on my own without the trainers help yet they tell me I am not accomplishing anything? I can only think the BF comment is number 1 because of the boobs issue and I don't care if maybe the trainer likes boobs I hate mine would be happy with an A cup because they get in the way. Boobs were a nuisance in taekwondo and judo! Oh and another thing none of the trainers at my gym look that great. They are either overweight or the females anorexic thin with no muscle definition. How can I be lifting too heavy if I am able to lift comfortably? What do you ladies think?

[Ang123]

Wow... just wow... Below 20% BF and women are dying? I don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for them. I also didn't know there was a maximum weight limit for women to lift.. I would have walked out after their sales pitch. In my opinion, if the trainers aren't in shape themselves, then I wouldn't want them to train me. Just like the saying, "never trust a skinny chef"

Yesterday I heard a report on tv about diabetes... they stated over 30% BF is considered obese...well that trainer told me women should never go below 32%! So that would mean a woman should stay obese if you follow his advice??? Also noticed same trainer was chugging one of the gainer type protein drinks the ones meant for smaller people trying to bulk yet this guy told me he used to be over 300 and had lost a lot of weight. Thing is he's not lean enough yet to warrant chugging the high carb drinks. Then someone told me a different trainer advised her to eat a nutella sandwich not casein before bedtime. Ummm ...yeah! Its undeniable now they should not be dishing out advice. Its really sad too because you see really obese people with a trainer several times a week so you know they are shelling out thousand$ and after a year none of those I've seen have lost any noticeable amount of weight. There should be a law that requires trainers to have a degree.