Interview (mock training session) with future boss

[zj95maxx]

So in two days I have to go in and do a mock training session with my boss, he will be a "50 year old male who wants to lose 20-25 lbs, has been 2 years since in the gym, and has slight right shoulder pain"

wants me to run him through a warmup, squat, overhead press, chest fly, core exercise that also works the abdominals, and a deadlift exercise.

then (not being the 50 year old) 4 non-strength specific exercises of my choice.

I was thinking, in reference to the shoulder pain, to just acknowledge the pain is there and to let him know if he feels any discomfort at all and then we can change the exercise, ROM, etc...

as for core exercise for the 50 year old, I was thinking of maybe wood chops on the pully machine?

then for the 4 non strength specific exercises that dont need to be for the 50 year old, was thinking of.

weighted step ups
box jumps
seated oblique medicine ball twists
burpees

what do you guys think?

thanks a lot

[WoofieNugget]

So in two days I have to go in and do a mock training session with my boss, he will be a "50 year old male who wants to lose 20-25 lbs, has been 2 years since in the gym, and has slight right shoulder pain"

wants me to run him through a warmup, squat, overhead press, chest fly, core exercise that also works the abdominals, and a deadlift exercise.

then (not being the 50 year old) 4 non-strength specific exercises of my choice.

I was thinking, in reference to the shoulder pain, to just acknowledge the pain is there and to let him know if he feels any discomfort at all and then we can change the exercise, ROM, etc...

as for core exercise for the 50 year old, I was thinking of maybe wood chops on the pully machine?

then for the 4 non strength specific exercises that dont need to be for the 50 year old, was thinking of.

weighted step ups
box jumps
seated oblique medicine ball twists
burpees

what do you guys think?

thanks a lot

My first question would be if he has a shoulder issue why is he doing an overhead press and a fly. If he's new, why not just have him do a simple plank for a "core" exercise? A wood chop is hard to coach and harder for clients to actually do properly. As for the other exercises, since it doesn't really matter make sure they are all things you know how to coach cold and can cue someone through quite easily.

[zj95maxx]

My first question would be if he has a shoulder issue why is he doing an overhead press and a fly. If he's new, why not just have him do a simple plank for a "core" exercise? A wood chop is hard to coach and harder for clients to actually do properly. As for the other exercises, since it doesn't really matter make sure they are all things you know how to coach cold and can cue someone through quite easily.

I like the plank idea.

I dunno my boss said that these are the exercises he wants me to coach the "person" through. and then I could pick 4 other ones that didnt relate to someone with that age.

[Keltron]

Chest flyes are pretty gay unless your sole purpose of working out is to win a bb comp. It could be that your future boss is testing you... or he could just be clueless. I'd like to give more advice but since the goal is to get you to pass the interview, i'm just going to keep my mouth shut because it seems like I totally disagree w/this manager's approach to training.

[zj95maxx]

Chest flyes are pretty gay unless your sole purpose of working out is to win a bb comp. It could be that your future boss is testing you... or he could just be clueless. I'd like to give more advice but since the goal is to get you to pass the interview, i'm just going to keep my mouth shut because it seems like I totally disagree w/this manager's approach to training.

I dunno, I think he just wants to see if I can quickly and accurately both show a demonstration and verbally aid in assisting.

[zj95maxx]

was also going to suggest doing some super sets with minimal rest to "burn more fat" since the "client's" goals are to lose weight

[Simmo0508]

An overhead press whilst this mock client has shoulder issues? Perhaps that's an automatic test in itself. Mention the contraindications before demo'ing, then see if he winks or gives you a nod, and only then coach the movement itself.

No idea why he'd need a fly, as opposed a press. Generally you get weight loss clients and "new" people to do basic compound presses, imo.

Deadlifting is a touchy one. It's an awesome movement and everyone should do some form of it, but if someone's JUST back in the gym and is 50 or so, it's a tough one. You generally ease people into that stuff once they've proven their posture isn't too bad to start with, and their hips/glutes have some form of flexibility to work with.

What type of squat does he want you to demo? A standard barbell squat might be tough for this mock client to set up, as his right shoulder pain might limit him holding the bar in a back squat position. If he doesn't say, then use a basic bodyweight stand up squat (ass to bench etc.), or a plie squat, or a goblet squat depending on how "severe" this mock shoulder pain is.

If i were you, i'd ask for a bit of background info before each of those movements above. In a real situation, you'd ask questions to a real client all the time. Nothing wrong with it. Create more of a context, because a manager just saying "yeah, he's 50, got a shoulder issue, now demonstrate these exercises please", is not enough. Do a ROM test and question the mock client's lifestyle as per what activities cause him pain, and relate it back to a gym scenario.

[SageFit]

If this test is serious and you're not supposed to question it, your employer is a tard.

[Keltron]

If i were you, i'd ask for a bit of background info before each of those movements above. In a real situation, you'd ask questions to a real client all the time. Nothing wrong with it. Create more of a context, because a manager just saying "yeah, he's 50, got a shoulder issue, now demonstrate these exercises please", is not enough. Do a ROM test and question the mock client's lifestyle as per what activities cause him pain, and relate it back to a gym scenario.

It could be that that's what the manager is looking for if he truly is testing him and isn't a moron himself.

In my experience I've found that shoulder pain and shoulder issues doesn't necessarily mean they can lift overhead. Lifting a load overhead is a fundamental movement in real life so for me to automatically dismiss it w/o further evaluation is a disservice to the client.

[ChessGuy]

What does your certification say? My NASM book has lots of ideas.

Keep it simple, boss. Forget 'super sets'.

Make sure you let him know that heavy squats hit the 'core' very hard.

[zj95maxx]

Interview went well. Few things he said was instead of doing dumbbell shoulder press ( I emphasized the stability involved) I should have done machine to start in order to just get the movement down.

I also referred to the lat pull down as a "simple" exercise and he said I should steer away from comments like that.

other than that, he liked everything and offered me the PT job

[JoeCannonMSCSCS]

Here is my guide to the interview for personal trainers that can help you. Look at the comments too as I address the mock training session as well

http://www.joe-cannon.com/fitness-jo...ps-to-success/

Joe