What's with all the circus training?

[Mr.ILL]

I'm absorbing a lot of clients from two trainers that just got fired and going through the files its all this bosu ball stability ball single leg squat circus training. Yes, I know stability work has it place and I prescribe it from time to time but why do some trainers prescribe so much of it? Today one of my clients I was absorbing wanted to add mass and improve strength. He was doing a bunch of stability ball, bosu ball etc... circuit training. I put him on a 4 day split with Horizontal push/pull and Vertical push/pull.

Anyone else see this going on?

[Ahal84]

I'm absorbing a lot of clients from two trainers that just got fired and going through the files its all this bosu ball stability ball single leg squat circus training. Yes, I know stability work has it place and I prescribe it from time to time but why do some trainers prescribe so much of it? Today one of my clients I was absorbing wanted to add mass and improve strength. He was doing a bunch of stability ball, bosu ball etc... circuit training. I put him on a 4 day split with Horizontal push/pull and Vertical push/pull.

Anyone else see this going on?

Completely out of point. But recently I am seeing personal trainers use some flashy unnecessary exercises, that have no effect on the client whatsoever. Before people do not understand me and start flaming me. Yes there are some good flashy exercises that you can do, (cant seem to find the ones i'm on about on google). Sorry rant and sorry for deviating.

[Billy_Gunn]

Completely out of point. But recently I am seeing personal trainers use some flashy unnecessary exercises, that have no effect on the client whatsoever. Before people do not understand me and start flaming me. Yes there are some good flashy exercises that you can do, (cant seem to find the ones i'm on about on google). Sorry rant and sorry for deviating.

good flashy exercises like......
overhead squats
or dead lift twists

[KyleAaron]

Today one of my clients I was absorbing wanted to add mass and improve strength. He was doing a bunch of stability ball, bosu ball etc... circuit training. I put him on a 4 day split with Horizontal push/pull and Vertical push/pull.

Anyone else see this going on?

Yes, I see a lot of circus training happening, and also a lot of split routines assigned to beginners. Is your guy a beginner? Can he yet squat 1.5 times his bodyweight, deadlift 1.75 times it, bench his bodyweight, all for reps?

See, whatever training you give, someone has a criticism of it which, even if you don't think it's valid, is at least not entirely crazy.

The circus training comes from the trainer wanting to entertain the client, to avoid the criticism that "a personal trainer is just a glorified spotter." Of course a good trainer will do better than that, but some don't have the wits or, frankly, the Care Factor. You'll see them texting people on their mobiles while clients do a set, or chatting to their bros. If you don't care you have to distract.

The split training comes from the trainer not being able to put themselves in the shoes of the client, and imagining that everyone is an intermediate-level bodybuilder, as well as being afraid that after a few sessions of a simple legs-pull-push routine, the client will get those exercises right and not need or want a trainer anymore. Which of course need not be so, but...

[PinchTheBear]

I'm absorbing a lot of clients from two trainers that just got fired and going through the files its all this bosu ball stability ball single leg squat circus training. Yes, I know stability work has it place and I prescribe it from time to time but why do some trainers prescribe so much of it? Today one of my clients I was absorbing wanted to add mass and improve strength. He was doing a bunch of stability ball, bosu ball etc... circuit training. I put him on a 4 day split with Horizontal push/pull and Vertical push/pull.

Anyone else see this going on?

It's good to see some sanity coming from a personal trainer... my gym at home recently hired a ring leader with some serious agility BOSU push-up (???) dedication. His clients look like they're interested in putting on some mass, too. Push-ups are great and all but they could just buy an issue of cosmo for the same workouts.

[BSCSCS]

Yes, I see a lot of circus training happening, and also a lot of split routines assigned to beginners. Is your guy a beginner? Can he yet squat 1.5 times his bodyweight, deadlift 1.75 times it, bench his bodyweight, all for reps?

See, whatever training you give, someone has a criticism of it which, even if you don't think it's valid, is at least not entirely crazy.

The circus training comes from the trainer wanting to entertain the client, to avoid the criticism that "a personal trainer is just a glorified spotter." Of course a good trainer will do better than that, but some don't have the wits or, frankly, the Care Factor. You'll see them texting people on their mobiles while clients do a set, or chatting to their bros. If you don't care you have to distract.

The split training comes from the trainer not being able to put themselves in the shoes of the client, and imagining that everyone is an intermediate-level bodybuilder, as well as being afraid that after a few sessions of a simple legs-pull-push routine, the client will get those exercises right and not need or want a trainer anymore. Which of course need not be so, but...

Great post!

[extremenergy3]

I kinda like bosu ball pushups and put it at the end of my chest workouts for that extra umph I kinda like bosu ball squats too. So much stability!!!

But there is a lot of unnecessary balance work that is going on in the gym Most are not useful.

[Mr.ILL]

Yes, I see a lot of circus training happening, and also a lot of split routines assigned to beginners. Is your guy a beginner? Can he yet squat 1.5 times his bodyweight, deadlift 1.75 times it, bench his bodyweight, all for reps?

See, whatever training you give, someone has a criticism of it which, even if you don't think it's valid, is at least not entirely crazy.

The circus training comes from the trainer wanting to entertain the client, to avoid the criticism that "a personal trainer is just a glorified spotter." Of course a good trainer will do better than that, but some don't have the wits or, frankly, the Care Factor. You'll see them texting people on their mobiles while clients do a set, or chatting to their bros. If you don't care you have to distract.

The split training comes from the trainer not being able to put themselves in the shoes of the client, and imagining that everyone is an intermediate-level bodybuilder, as well as being afraid that after a few sessions of a simple legs-pull-push routine, the client will get those exercises right and not need or want a trainer anymore. Which of course need not be so, but...

No he's not a flat out beginner. He is not advanced by any mean though. It's not like I threw him under a barbell and told him to do some heavy squats. Today we mostly did body weight squats and squats with an empty bar. The kids been training with this old trainer for month's he was more than ready for a Split.

[KyleAaron]

No he's not a flat out beginner. He is not advanced by any mean though. It's not like I threw him under a barbell and told him to do some heavy squats. Today we mostly did body weight squats and squats with an empty bar.

I would say that if a person is only just at the level of using bodyweight or an empty bar, they are not ready for a split.

Splits are there because a person trains with such intensity that they need more than 48 hours' rest for that bodypart. So either we do a full-body routine once a week, or we work different parts on different days, so that while one part is recovering another is being worked.

The usual benchmarks used around here are doing reps of,
squat, 150% bodyweight
row, 100%
deadlift, 175%
bench, 100%
overhead press, 75%

If a person can manage that, then it may very well be they need more than 48 hours' rest between body parts being exercised. Doesn't have to be bang on in every exercise, but somewhere around there overall. Until then, the person is a beginner, and needs a full-body workout 2-4 times a week.

Someone just doing bodyweight or empty bar work, no. They are obviously at the stage of learning correct movement. That's not the stage of working with intensity.

Of course, a beginner will make progress on any routine, whether it be circus stuff, splits, machines, even, god help us, bicep curls. Why? It's more than they were doing before, so their body adapts.

So the question is not whether your guy will make progress on circus training or a 4 day split, but whether he'll make his best possible progress, and how this all sets him up for the future.

The best workout is the one you stick to, so we as trainers ought to design workouts people are likely to stick to. I say that having the fewest exercises possible does this. For example, one person I trained recently, her last workout had been a two-way split with two different workouts per split, and eight different exercises for each - 32 different exercises in all.

It was hard for her to see progress in each of these 32 different exercises. Positive change was effected in her body, no doubt - but she wasn't feeling stronger, or feeling that she was getting anywhere.

Whereas working with me and only 3-6 exercises, she progressed from one workout to the other. This progress motivated her, made her exercise hard in other than our weekly sessions, and made her keep at it all.

Because the exercises are few, she can perform them reasonably well without me there to supervise. This makes her feel empowered and competent, and again helps with motivation. 32 exercises made her feel useless, she couldn't remember them all, and she'd frequently drop 3 or 4 of them out of her workout for that day.

On the other hand, that mixed-up workout actually did get her body moving. It was more than she was doing before, so her body adapted. But it was not ideally suited to her abilities and goals, nor to her long-term good.

The kids been training with this old trainer for month's he was more than ready for a Split.

So you're saying the circus training did actually do him some good?

[Mr.ILL]

I would say that if a person is only just at the level of using bodyweight or an empty bar, they are not ready for a split.

Splits are there because a person trains with such intensity that they need more than 48 hours' rest for that bodypart. So either we do a full-body routine once a week, or we work different parts on different days, so that while one part is recovering another is being worked.

The usual benchmarks used around here are doing reps of,
squat, 150% bodyweight
row, 100%
deadlift, 175%
bench, 100%
overhead press, 75%

If a person can manage that, then it may very well be they need more than 48 hours' rest between body parts being exercised. Doesn't have to be bang on in every exercise, but somewhere around there overall. Until then, the person is a beginner, and needs a full-body workout 2-4 times a week.

Someone just doing bodyweight or empty bar work, no. They are obviously at the stage of learning correct movement. That's not the stage of working with intensity.

Of course, a beginner will make progress on any routine, whether it be circus stuff, splits, machines, even, god help us, bicep curls. Why? It's more than they were doing before, so their body adapts.

So the question is not whether your guy will make progress on circus training or a 4 day split, but whether he'll make his best possible progress, and how this all sets him up for the future.

The best workout is the one you stick to, so we as trainers ought to design workouts people are likely to stick to. I say that having the fewest exercises possible does this. For example, one person I trained recently, her last workout had been a two-way split with two different workouts per split, and eight different exercises for each - 32 different exercises in all.

It was hard for her to see progress in each of these 32 different exercises. Positive change was effected in her body, no doubt - but she wasn't feeling stronger, or feeling that she was getting anywhere.

Whereas working with me and only 3-6 exercises, she progressed from one workout to the other. This progress motivated her, made her exercise hard in other than our weekly sessions, and made her keep at it all.

Because the exercises are few, she can perform them reasonably well without me there to supervise. This makes her feel empowered and competent, and again helps with motivation. 32 exercises made her feel useless, she couldn't remember them all, and she'd frequently drop 3 or 4 of them out of her workout for that day.

On the other hand, that mixed-up workout actually did get her body moving. It was more than she was doing before, so her body adapted. But it was not ideally suited to her abilities and goals, nor to her long-term good.

So you're saying the circus training did actually do him some good?

Where did you get those percentages from? I don't agree with them at all way to many factors come in to play. Just because I had him doing bar work is not because he is so poorly conditioned he is getting an intense workout from 45lbs. With an exercise that is dangerous when done improper I am going to make sure his form is down precisely. Before we add any weight. Liability issue...

Just because its a split doesn't mean its advanced.

Here is today for example

Quads:

* Full squats Form work
* Leg press 2x12-20

Hamstrings:

* Leg curls 2 sets of 12-20

Biceps:

* Ez-bar curls 3x5
* Hammer curls 2x8-12

An able bodied 18 year old male who has been physically active for years and plays sports surely isn't ready for this far too advanced....

[KyleAaron]

Where did you get those percentages from?

They are general benchmarks agreed upon within the Australian fitness industry. You'll find that when you look at strength standards, for example those in Rippetoe's Starting Strength (at least the older editions), you get similar figures. People might quibble with a percentage here or there, make adjustments for individual frame size and the like, but you get something roughly like that as the consensus of experienced trainers. It's not something I made up, I'm following others in this.

Just because I had him doing bar work is not because he is so poorly conditioned he is getting an intense workout from 45lbs. With an exercise that is dangerous when done improper I am going to make sure his form is down precisely. Before we add any weight.

I agree, that is the right thing to do. Start light, move up the weight. The benchmarks I offered were goals, not the first workout. Goals which will take 6-24 months to achieve, depending on effort, diet, initial condition and so on - but many people never achieve them... because they're busy with circus or split workouts.

I don't know of anyone who spent their first 24 months doing a circus or split routine who managed to deadlift 175% their bodyweight in that time. I know of many people who did full-body routines who exceeded that lift. The same goes for the other benchmarks; they might manage one or even two of them (especially bench in males), but rarely three and never all five.

Just because its a split doesn't mean its advanced.

No, it could be intermediate. It is at least not a beginner programme.

An able bodied 18 year old male who has been physically active for years and plays sports surely isn't ready for this far too advanced....

You seem uncertain of his condition. Above you tell us he is "poorly conditioned", here you say he is "able bodied... physically active for years... plays sports." Which is it? Whichever you say it is, I'll believe, I'll trust your judgment. But you have to decide which. On the continuum of "younger, fitter, more bodily aware" away up to "older, less fit, less bodily aware", which side is he closer to?

But let's assume he's in great shape. I didn't say he wasn't ready for it. I said that it had benefits which he would not be able to acquire, he can't yet work out with the necessary intensity to need a split. He would do better with a full-body routine. He should be quite capable of doing a squat, chin, overhead press or deadlift, row, bench, or similar in every session, three times a week.

Shall we discuss the supercompensation cycle, and how you are wasting his supercomensatory capacity? By the time he works out some bodypart he's on the down phase of the supercompensation. Wasted potential. His legs recover from the workout, get stronger, then get weaker again by the time you have him work them again. Wasted.

[Dwalcott]

The circus training comes from the trainer wanting to entertain the client, to avoid the criticism that "a personal trainer is just a glorified spotter." Of course a good trainer will do better than that, but some don't have the wits or, frankly, the Care Factor. You'll see them texting people on their mobiles while clients do a set, or chatting to their bros. If you don't care you have to distract.

Yes, The circus training is a lot more common then you think. With the word "functional" training floating around. These are the same trainers that change the exercises at every session. They've never heard of the term, continuity!!

[Keltron]

Yes, The circus training is a lot more common then you think. With the word "functional" training floating around. These are the same trainers that change the exercises at every session. They've never heard of the term, continuity!!

I hate when they equate "functional" with "on one leg w/one eye closed on a springboard matress"

You want a functional, core workout? How about a turkish get up? How about overhead squats?

You're client can't even do a bodyweight squat properly but you've got him doing a single arm bent over row on one leg.. WTF? Go use your cert for campfire kindling.. then go read a damn book on basic biomechanics.

My old boss used to try to get too creative w/all of that crap. And yes, NO continuity. When he left I took over one of his clients and on our second session she said, "Hey.. this is the same work out as last time!"
No shxt! Until you can do at least 10 OFF of the knees, you're not doing any other kind of horizontal pushing.

[Dwalcott]

I hate when they equate "functional" with "on one leg w/one eye closed on a springboard matress"

hahahahaha

[tovlakas]

Yes, The circus training is a lot more common then you think. With the word "functional" training floating around. These are the same trainers that change the exercises at every session. They've never heard of the term, continuity!!

But brah, that's cuz u gots to always switch it up fool if you want to get the jacked biceps and chest for the bitches

[askthetrainer]

I'm absorbing a lot of clients from two trainers that just got fired and going through the files its all this bosu ball stability ball single leg squat circus training. Yes, I know stability work has it place and I prescribe it from time to time but why do some trainers prescribe so much of it? Today one of my clients I was absorbing wanted to add mass and improve strength. He was doing a bunch of stability ball, bosu ball etc... circuit training. I put him on a 4 day split with Horizontal push/pull and Vertical push/pull.

Anyone else see this going on?

Sometimes this is just plain bad trainers with poor or little education

But most of the time I see it as business meets science....

What I mean is yeah, clients can get results by sticking to deads, squats, bench, pull-ups, etc but who the **** is gonna pay a trainer to do the same ****ing **** every ****ing workout?

In order for a trainer to retain clients (even more important than getting results) the trainer must create a need for his/her service.... as much as I hate it, it's true.... even if a client gets results from doing the same exercises over and over again, they will get it in their head that they can do it on their own w/out spending money with a trainer and the trainer will lose their client.

[tovlakas]

Sometimes this is just plain bad trainers with poor or little education

But most of the time I see it as business meets science....

What I mean is yeah, clients can get results by sticking to deads, squats, bench, pull-ups, etc but who the **** is gonna pay a trainer to do the same ****ing **** every ****ing workout?

In order for a trainer to retain clients (even more important than getting results) the trainer must create a need for his/her service.... as much as I hate it, it's true.... even if a client gets results from doing the same exercises over and over again, they will get it in their head that they can do it on their own w/out spending money with a trainer and the trainer will lose their client.

True, but that's why it's important to include active nutrition/exercise progression reporting and education in the service. Most people feel they barely have the time to work out in the first place, much less constantly monitor their progress, diet, etc. I don't think you need to sacrifice functional lifts for weird circus acts though. It just takes some creative thinking and making the experience more FUN than it would be without you... not just more difficult to accomplish.

[KyleAaron]

even if a client gets results from doing the same exercises over and over again, they will get it in their head that they can do it on their own w/out spending money with a trainer and the trainer will lose their client.

That sometimes happens, but this is where a good trainer will be giving constant feedback, correcting movement and pushing the person to lift more and with less rest.

It's rare that a person has an utterly perfect squat, deadlift etc on every single rep. If nothing else they fall apart towards the end of their last set. So a good trainer steps in reminding them of the correct movement. The person can't do that on their own. It doesn't have to be a paid trainer, it can be an experienced training partner - but they need someone there.

As part of encouraging the person, the trainer can also say, "well done, that is more than you did last time," and if they have some decent lifts, can point out, "lots of people work on their own for years and never manage those lifts." At some point in every several sessions a client will say, "I can't lift that," and I say, "Yes, you can, don't worry I am here to back you up, anyway I have level 2 first aid." And then they make a lift they thought they could never manage, and feel good - they feel good because of my encouragement.

That correction and motivation is part of what the person pays for. If you're just standing there counting reps, of course they'll think they can do without you. I don't think we need fancy workouts to entertain the client, we just need to teach correct movement and work them fcking hard.

I try to emphasise that it's all a process, talking about their ultimate goals, telling them just what's happening during that particular lift, educating them. Some other trainers have described my style as "verbose", that's because I'm trying to educate them, when they know what's going on they do it better and they feel empowered. And anyway I drop it back for those uninterested - but more are interested than is commonly thought. People are usually interested in their own bodies.

For example, if during a squat the person's knees come in, I stop them and explain,

"Your knees are coming in. You need to keep your knees out when you squat, to work your muscles better.

"What's happening is this. There are three basic muscles involved in the squat - the glutes, hamstrings and quads," I point to each in turn, "now the body doesn't know muscles, it only knows movement, so if you tell it to move it makes that movement happen any way it can. If one of the muscles involved is weak and another strong, the body tries to bring in the strong one and not use the weak one.

"In your case, your quads are stronger than your glutes or hams. Right now, put your feet together and do a squat - feel the quads working? Now put your feet wide... wider... now do a squat - feel it more in your hips? By bringing your knees together, you bring in the quads more, you use your stronger muscle, and can forget the weaker muscles, the hams and glutes. But we want the opposite, we want to work the weaker muscles. So keep your knees out when you squat."

Then during the squat, I'll put the back of my hand near one knee, "press against my hand as you go up and down."

Another trainer will just say, "knees out!" and that is good. But my more educative style, while it's not for everyone, that gives the people I train a reason to think they can't do without me. It's "added value" if you want to put it in marketing terms. I'd rather just say that I'm treating them as intelligent adults who are actually interested in their own bodies.

People are willing to pay for that. No circus needed.

[flexapeal]

Dang you type a lot. You can throw a lot of those numbers out the window because not everyone is not the same. You need to work the clients to their needs and strength levels, not what some book told you.

[KyleAaron]

Dang you type a lot.

I talk a lot, too. As I've said before, I am verbose, but the people I train never have to come onto forums to ask questions. Not saying your clients do, but judging from the "my PT said... what do you guys think?" threads we get, it happens a lot that PTs don't educate their clients.

You can throw a lot of those numbers out the window because not everyone is not the same. You need to work the clients to their needs and strength levels, not what some book told you.

Sure. As I said, they're just benchmarks, everyone will have their own strengths and weaknesses.

I cannot say with certainty that Jane who can only squat her bodyweight for reps is not ready for splits, nor that Jim who can squat twice his bodyweight definitely is. But I can say with certainty that Jen who can only squat the bar is not ready for a split.

Guidelines, mate, guidelines. It's like target heart rate. Generally it's said that 140bpm is what we're after for CV improvements. Does that mean someone at 130 gets nothing, and someone at 150 will injure themselves? Of course not. But someone at 80bpm is definitely not going to improve, and someone at 180bpm is going to be struggling and won't be able to keep it up for half an hour. 140bpm is the guideline. It's not engraved in stone, it's just where we're aiming at.

As I said, I have never seen nor heard of anyone who did a split routine from the first time they picked up the weight to present, and who inside two years achieved those lifts, however much effort they put in (by "effort" I mean: increasing weight when they hit target reps). Whereas everyone who stuck to a fullbody thrice weekly routine with good effort did achieve those lifts within two years.

Split routines with 10-18 different exercises per workout are commonly prescribed to beginners in gyms by gym staff. And 75% of new gym members quit in the first month, 90% in the first three months. The most common reason given as they quit is, "I wasn't getting results." It's common for those in the industry to blame it all on the trainee, but... let's be honest with ourselves, it's got to be our fault at least some of the time.

People quit. What are we doing wrong? I say it's the split routine and the huge number of exercises - too complicated and doesn't get them results. If you disagree, let us know what else it is we're doing wrong, I'm interested to hear.

[caseykaldal]

Focus on the basics. Don't try and be everything to every one. If the client can't handle basic lifts with great form, tell them the circus tricks come later.

Cheers,

Casey Kaldal


www.AdviceForPersonalTrainers.com | www.RockStarFitnessJobs.com
Online resource dedicated to the success of fitness professionals. Topics ranging from health and nutrition to fitness marketing, courses, salaries and job opportunities.

[Manc33]

Its like anyone in any trade... they have to keep on re-inventing/re-packaging stuff that already exists to keep on looking like a professional at something.

This is why most workout programs have you doing 45 or even 60 "different" exercises in a week, when you only have about 6 muscle groups.

Talk about overtraining.

[EdgarAllanPoe]

one of the best I've seen is a guy had a housewife with her feet on the tallest plyo box performing a pushup plank on a stability ball. So her body is like 3 feet off the ground.

[oryx2500]

Sorry I didn't read all the comments but this makes me absolutely rage inside.

The trainers at my gym have these 40+ year old lady's doing some stupid **** like arm curls on a balance plank thing with one leg in the air. Drives me nuts, how about start with the fcuking basics with everything on level ground until they develop a good base and proper form. Then throw in a few "stability" exercises.

The way I see it, they will keep Upgoin to the gym for a month or so doing they're crazy stability workouts and then quit bc they're sick of it and not seeing the results they wish.

Don't put a beginner on program that's not for beginners.

[PeteratCastle]

I love the "entertrainers". Always have a giggle when I used to see them in the gym even thinking about them now makes me laugh.

And they were the inspiration for my blog today, gwhich was great as I didn't know what to write about till yesterday

[Endevorforever]

I'm absorbing a lot of clients from two trainers that just got fired and going through the files its all this bosu ball stability ball single leg squat circus training. Yes, I know stability work has it place and I prescribe it from time to time but why do some trainers prescribe so much of it? Today one of my clients I was absorbing wanted to add mass and improve strength. He was doing a bunch of stability ball, bosu ball etc... circuit training. I put him on a 4 day split with Horizontal push/pull and Vertical push/pull.

Anyone else see this going on?

Well I assume the gym is not adequately equipped for strength building workouts, that or the gym is more focused on a sales and not fitness. I would also assume the that is why the trainer's had clients, but were fired. Maybe the client switches from week to week on what they want. Gym trainers are usually bad because they are forced to focus on making money rather than training. Don't hate the players hate the game.....

[Teethatyourfeet]

Was at the gym an hour ago... Watched someone stand on an exercise ball, a fairly large one, and proceed to throw a 4 pound medicine ball at the ground. Obviously balancing on an exercise ball is tough, but throwing something is just a bad idea... he took a pretty brutal spill.

Can't stand that sort of "exercise"... just seems pointless.

[Wolf200]

Old thread, but quick question for Kyle - do you always put beginners on full body workouts? Obviously dependent on their goals, but just curious (trying to educate myself some more not get at you)

[WoofieNugget]

Push
Pull
Squat
Lunge
Bend (or hip hinge)
Twist
Brace (if needed)

Of course there are hundreds of variants and factors to consider on each of these but the fundamentals remain the same. It doesn't matter how many reps you can do if all of them suck.

[The_Metal]

I would say that if a person is only just at the level of using bodyweight or an empty bar, they are not ready for a split.

Splits are there because a person trains with such intensity that they need more than 48 hours' rest for that bodypart. So either we do a full-body routine once a week, or we work different parts on different days, so that while one part is recovering another is being worked.

The usual benchmarks used around here are doing reps of,
squat, 150% bodyweight
row, 100%
deadlift, 175%
bench, 100%
overhead press, 75%

If a person can manage that, then it may very well be they need more than 48 hours' rest between body parts being exercised. Doesn't have to be bang on in every exercise, but somewhere around there overall. Until then, the person is a beginner, and needs a full-body workout 2-4 times a week.

Someone just doing bodyweight or empty bar work, no. They are obviously at the stage of learning correct movement. That's not the stage of working with intensity.

Of course, a beginner will make progress on any routine, whether it be circus stuff, splits, machines, even, god help us, bicep curls. Why? It's more than they were doing before, so their body adapts.

So the question is not whether your guy will make progress on circus training or a 4 day split, but whether he'll make his best possible progress, and how this all sets him up for the future.

The best workout is the one you stick to, so we as trainers ought to design workouts people are likely to stick to. I say that having the fewest exercises possible does this. For example, one person I trained recently, her last workout had been a two-way split with two different workouts per split, and eight different exercises for each - 32 different exercises in all.

It was hard for her to see progress in each of these 32 different exercises. Positive change was effected in her body, no doubt - but she wasn't feeling stronger, or feeling that she was getting anywhere.

Whereas working with me and only 3-6 exercises, she progressed from one workout to the other. This progress motivated her, made her exercise hard in other than our weekly sessions, and made her keep at it all.

Because the exercises are few, she can perform them reasonably well without me there to supervise. This makes her feel empowered and competent, and again helps with motivation. 32 exercises made her feel useless, she couldn't remember them all, and she'd frequently drop 3 or 4 of them out of her workout for that day.

On the other hand, that mixed-up workout actually did get her body moving. It was more than she was doing before, so her body adapted. But it was not ideally suited to her abilities and goals, nor to her long-term good.

So you're saying the circus training did actually do him some good?

I do not agree with those percentages. That is some serious weight and Most clients will not be able do that unless they are dedicated trainees/athletes. That's also considering all your clients are male which is far from the truth.

Edit: ...stop bumping old threads. Didn't see how old it was.