I hate my job sometimes and want to get into another field

[Smoko]

you know world class strongman do sets with 405 for 20 reps but they actually squat it ass to calves. You're probs like every other dumbass in the gym who bends their knees 2 inches and calls it a 'squat'. With a 405 for 18 reps squat i guess you'd be deadlifting around 700lbs at 190lbs right? Oh wait you probs can't even deadlift 495 since you don't squat correctly in the first place.

Seriously.. not even on topic. get over it.

[StannaRad]

OP you would probably kill yourself if you worked at my gym. where in NC are you anyway?

lol. Mine too. While I was squatting this morning there was a trainer 2 feet from me doing this program on the bosu. Mirrored what you were talking about. I was laughing at your post cause these types of workouts are what trainers always do in my gym. ( sorry to butt in--I'm not a trainer but had to comment ) :-)

[HitItHard]

lol. Mine too. While I was squatting this morning there was a trainer 2 feet from me doing this program on the bosu. Mirrored what you were talking about. I was laughing at your post cause these types of workouts are what trainers always do in my gym. ( sorry to butt in--I'm not a trainer but had to comment ) :-)

nice to know there are people out there who feel my pain lol

[BC02]

nice to know there are people out there who feel my pain lol

at 24 hr its the same way. Also all squats are 2 inch down then back up breaking at the knee 1st

[seabass08]

Dude point out where I lied. Go through all these posts and point out where I lied. I never once said i COULD squat 405 x 18. My 1 rm is 575. I squatted 405 for sets of ten in the past. I said based on that I believe I could squat 405 x 18.

Just Youtube 405 x 20 and there are about 30+ videos of guys doing it. It must not be that ****ing amazing.

Thats my final words on the squating 405 x 18 topic that was irrelevantly brought up much earlier in the post before hijacking.

It's not for properly trained athletic types. In college, we had 5-6 linebackers/linemen who could rep out 405 on squats with ease. A typical linebacker for us could squat in the high 500's, bench about 375-400, clean 315. Linemen did even more. But then again, they lifted heavy and hard, which is uncommon. And that was a little Division 1-AA school. I can't imagine Oklahoma, Alabama and NFL teams.

[seabass08]

See, this is again the same type of attitude IMO. Yes, you can take anyone walking into a gym and tell them "eat healthy, exercise more" - and it really is that simple. However, what you are forgetting about is one of the major components of personal training - ACCOUNTABILITY.

I have the same attitude - for my clients to eventually not need me anymore. However, some people choose to pay for a service and to have that mentor and educator as a regular reminder of their health and well being. Some clients honestly need a year to two years of physical exercise and proper diet to reach their goals (whatever they may be). Some people just admit to themselves that they won't work out without having that person there to meet them. Is that wrong? To me, it is a large part of the reason why our industry exists in the first place.

That 40 year old housewife you guys are laughing about might be terrified to come into a gym environment and need someone there to make sure she steps in the door. The difference between the attitude of you guys and seemingly the rest of us is that we actually want to help that person and improve their life in some way. I don't care if you're an elite athlete or a 50 year old with low self esteem who is socially awkward and can't run a block - if you ask for help and truly need it, then my job is to help.

Oh, and for your example about boot camps, those guys are typically exercising several hours a day, every day. Which is totally unrealistic for 99.9% of the population. We can do the same movements, but there is a huge difference in volume when you are talking about someone getting in 3 hours of activity every day versus most gym goers and PT clients who get in 3 hours of activity every WEEK. Do I do the same movements? Sure - but the volume is unfortunately massively reduced. I'd love to have a client who would come in and work out 3 hours every day but it hasn't happened in twelve years.

As I have said already, yes there are tons of retards in our industry, and I think it should be regulated and a lot harder to get into. But it's not. My goal is to simply be the best that I can at it and help as many people as possible, no matter where they come from.

I agree with a lot of what you are saying. Fact is, a lot of people are willing to pay $$$ for nothing more than a workout partner. Thats not a knock on PT's, because I guess it's better those people pay you guys than not show up at all.

I think my frustration is that, like you said, it's a chore to get the average person to put in 3 hours a week in exercise. Many of us, especially former athletes and military types, just can't fathom that attitude. I don't understand how a person can not be motivated to workout at least 1 hour a day, even if it's just a light jog and stretching on a "off day", and going hard the other 5-6.

But as I said, I am a bit odd in that I don't readily accept fatness in our society like most do. It's disgusting and pathetic. SOME, a very small %, have a health or injury related reason that they'll be a bit overweight. But 98% of fat asses have no excuse other than they don't want to do the hard work. So seeing a PT walk a fat body client through a workout that, no disrespect, is truly a joke rather than just telling them "Look dude, you're real fat, it needs to come off now, here is how and YES it's gonna be hard, it's gonna suck bad" just annoys me.

I think sometimes the venting guys like me do is misplaced onto PT's, when the frustration is really towards a society that so readily accepts sloppy bodies as the norm. I'm 100% certain the harder you guys pushed people, the less they would come back because our society is f**king soft these days.

I guess I just can't see myself being a PT and making the workout easier just to keep people coming back. Thats why I went back to college sports.

[KyleAaron]

I'm not insulting clients, I'm insulting typical personal trainers.

So you do not consider,

hurray for being a life coach and getting some sedentary fat **** off the couch for once

to be insulting to clients?

Do you think that if we said, "Your trainer says you are a sedentary fat ****" they would not be insulted? Do those words convey respect?

You have contempt for your clients. Nobody should give money to someone who has contempt for them. If we want that we can go to street hookers.

[HitItHard]

So you do not consider,

to be insulting to clients?

Do you think that if we said, "Your trainer says you are a sedentary fat ****" they would not be insulted? Do those words convey respect?

You have contempt for your clients. Nobody should give money to someone who has contempt for them. If we want that we can go to street hookers.

in all honesty maybe thats what it would take. as someone said a few posts up, being fat seems acceptable in society these days which is pathetic

[LiftHeavy85]

in all honesty maybe thats what it would take. as someone said a few posts up, being fat seems acceptable in society these days which is pathetic

I cant buy for a second you have any type of graduate education with this kind of attitude

[HitItHard]

I cant buy for a second you have any type of graduate education with this kind of attitude

sorry you feel that way bro

[KyleAaron]

I cant buy for a second you have any type of graduate education with this kind of attitude

Sadly, graduate programmes do not filter out the cocksmocks.

[HitItHard]

Sadly, graduate programmes do not filter out the cocksmocks.

sadly, douchebags live in australia too.


you know the ironic thing about your posts is that you havn't agreed with me on a single point. at all. ive said about 50 different things and you criticize each and every one of them, even when i make good points. its like you get sand in your vagina when i speak the truth about how this industry is full of a bunch of shmucks and how annoying clients can be sometimes and you are just like "uh no uh uh" or how it seems certifications are viewed more highly than degrees "uh no" i could say a kg is 2.2 pounds and you'd be "well actually sir its 17 pounds, you pompous ass"

i dont really care if people agree with everything i say but you KNOW i bring up good points, and if you don't see this crap in your day to day life then you are either really dumb, really oblivious, or have the perfect job in the world where you don't have to deal with anything like this and are ignorant to your own ego and don't realize how easy your job is

[carl.c]

WOW talk about sand in the vigina, you come here whinnig about this and that and trying to back it up with how educated you are, now your butt hurt that we don't prostrate are selves before you.
I still don't understand why your not training only pro athelets, yes you say youve answered it but I don't like reading your mile long whinny posts about your inability to cope with reality.
It gettign silly this post is 5 pages long of you trying to get someone to stroke your ego and its not going to happen. We are personal trainers and we enjoy helping people learn and experiance the joy and beneifts of excersie and a health lifestyle. Do all of are clients succead "no" but even the ones that don't where given a fighting chance.

[HitItHard]

WOW talk about sand in the vigina, you come here whinnig about this and that and trying to back it up with how educated you are, now your butt hurt that we don't prostrate are selves before you.
I still don't understand why your not training only pro athelets, yes you say youve answered it but I don't like reading your mile long whinny posts about your inability to cope with reality.
It gettign silly this post is 5 pages long of you trying to get someone to stroke your ego and its not going to happen. We are personal trainers and we enjoy helping people learn and experiance the joy and beneifts of excersie and a health lifestyle. Do all of are clients succead "no" but even the ones that don't where given a fighting chance.

omg. are you serious? dude...

"why aren't u training pro athletes"
well if a degree and cert automatically meant i got to train pro athletes then i guess there would be millions of pro athlete trainers. whats ur degree in? accounting? well then why aren't you the head accountant at microsoft? you see how dumb that sounds?

my take home message is that a lot of stuff that strength coaches do, they do because it WORKS and is what is backed up by the SCIENCE. this means that a lot of training principles and the overall mindset of how to go about training and take someone who has never worked out before to the overall goal of getting them to be able to move in a way that would allow them to PERFORM is the correct road to travel down. Who do you think would be more qualified to train a 40 year old woman looking to lower her blood pressure, increase flexbility, and lose weight? A CSCS or CSCCS certified weightlifting coach, or someone with a NESTA PT cert? are you fuking serious? one requires a TON of experience with all kinds of populations, as well as a degree, and the other requires one to read a book on simple training principles and take a test.

Just because someone who has a background in training athletes doesn't mean they aren't going to be more successful at the job of some rinky dink certified PT at a Ballys. Its like saying a corvette wouldn't be able to beat a pickup truck in a race up a mountain.

edit: and one more thing. ive said it a thousand times but apparently people aren't getting it. my whole argument is this:

when you spend an entire week (2 classes, 3 hrs total) comparing the shear on the knee during a half squat, squat on smith machine, and a full squat, given by a phD in biomechanics with a background in olympic weightlifting, and then leave class go to your PT part time job and see other PTs (with certifications) training people (with knee issues - "hey man i cant do squats i have knee problems") doing squats on the smith machine and laypeople walking around acting like you are crazy for going below parallel, or for even doing a squat in the first place, you get a little frustrated. THATS IT. THATS WHAT MY RANT IS ABOUT.

that is what i mean when i say "when your bubble is popped and you don't live in your own little box and know more about the truth of the stuff outside your popped bubble, you will never be as happy as you were before. ignorance is bliss."

[HitItHard]

and one more thing:

who is going to have a better progression for getting a sedentary individual to reach a good long term goal of a good, proper squat? A NSCA CSCS or a NSCA-CPT?

think about it

[carl.c]

I could agree with your rant but its your whinning that kills it for me.
I work out early in the morning because of the same problem you have , it bugs me and I send all of my time observing the people and the crazy things they do in the gym.
That being said I don't post it here and I've come to understand all I can do is help the people that come to me.

as far as my training goes: I have a bs in kinisology, minor in kinsotherapy, minor in ethics. Cert are nsca cscs, held the acsm fitness specialist but gave it up for their support of the health bill.
I preffer to work with young athletes but will help anyone who comes to me.
And yes it frustrates me that my degrees are only considered a cert by the majority of the industry.
The problem I have is you coming here and shinning if your just venting then that cool but you need to deal with your frustrations in a productive manor.

[HitItHard]

I could agree with your rant but its your whinning that kills it for me.
I work out early in the morning because of the same problem you have , it bugs me and I send all of my time observing the people and the crazy things they do in the gym.
That being said I don't post it here and I've come to understand all I can do is help the people that come to me.

as far as my training goes: I have a bs in kinisology, minor in kinsotherapy, minor in ethics. Cert are nsca cscs, held the acsm fitness specialist but gave it up for their support of the health bill.
I preffer to work with young athletes but will help anyone who comes to me.
And yes it frustrates me that my degrees are only considered a cert by the majority of the industry.
The problem I have is you coming here and shinning if your just venting then that cool but you need to deal with your frustrations in a productive manor.

~hand shake~

[carl.c]

dito

[BC02]

and yes it frustrates me that my degrees are only considered a cert by the majority of the industry.

you are lucky. Out here in az degrees are looked upon as being lower than ***** by club mngrs

[NorwichGrad]

For those of you have fitness-related degrees: I completely understand your frustration. I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering, and I have worked with many non-degreed people who have the title "engineer" even though they did not earn it. (California is the only state where "engineers" actually have degrees.)

Am I pissed off about it? I used to be; not any more. I have come to the realization that all you can do is all you can do, and sometimes all you can do is enough. (Think about that for a second.) Getting pissed off at things we have no or little control over will only make us bitter. Being bitter is not good for one's well-being. We all should know that. Life is too short.

I consider being a trainer a second career. I refuse to treat it as a "part-time job" because I take it and my clients seriously. I may "only" be ISSA-cert, but I always, always try to learn from the good folks on this board.

So, OP: Rant if you must. It's just the internet. But given your credentials, stick around and share your experience with the rest of us whenever there is a topic that requires in-depth knowledge greater than a weeked seminar could provide. I believe that is why bb has a special section for trainers.

[extremenergy3]

So the OP is saying that if I can train someone to do perfect olympic movements (and gain muscle and lose fat) in the same amount of time that he can, and I only have certifications and he only has his masters, then I'm a crappy trainer? This makes me sad

[LiftHeavy85]

and one more thing:

who is going to have a better progression for getting a sedentary individual to reach a good long term goal of a good, proper squat? A NSCA CSCS or a NSCA-CPT?

think about it

I can teach a good proper squat without either one..... Experience is better then any degree or certification.


Should I take olympic advice from some snot nose punk that think since he has a degree hes entitled to something special, or from someone like john broz or Antonio Krastev....hmmmm tough decision.


Just because you have some paper saying you know what your talking about doesnt mean you know how to apply it.

[HitItHard]

I can teach a good proper squat without either one..... Experience is better then any degree or certification.


Should I take olympic advice from some snot nose punk that think since he has a degree hes entitled to something special, or from someone like john broz or Antonio Krastev....hmmmm tough decision.


Just because you have some paper saying you know what your talking about doesnt mean you know how to apply it.

just because you know how to apply it to yourself from doing it in the past doesn't mean you can teach it to someone else or why you do what you do or the biomechs behind it

and john broz or antonio krastev have coaches.... who are qualified.... to...... teach

[someonefat]

know what you mean just by working out everyday. See so many people not training hard doing nothing and most don't see results. And in the end working out is all about results not the training itself. Its frustrating because you know that certain things are not nearly as great as others. Since your in a position to teach I don't know why you wouldn't show your clients that your methods will work well.


Now you have to realize an old women is not going to want you to push her doing snatches and squats though. Everyone is going to be at different levels so you have to alter workouts to fit your client though. You should try to apply your knowledge to get them to get the best results possible under the limitations of their level where your not burning them out and scaring them away. Not everyone responds well to haradass yelling at them to do more weight and reps ext.

Every person gong to be different but as their trainer you need to find a way to get them the best results possible since they are paying your for results. If you don't deliver results for that person you have failed and wasted your and there time and took there money.

[Smoko]

just because you know how to apply it to yourself from doing it in the past doesn't mean you can teach it to someone else or why you do what you do or the biomechs behind it

and john broz or antonio krastev have coaches.... who are qualified.... to...... teach

I definitely agree with this.

The attitude that I lift more than you so I must do it better is stupid. There are so many coaches who are the best in the world who never played the sport they coach or never played it well.

[Jbonito]

know what you mean just by working out everyday. See so many people not training hard doing nothing and most don't see results. And in the end working out is all about results not the training itself. Its frustrating because you know that certain things are not nearly as great as others. Since your in a position to teach I don't know why you wouldn't show your clients that your methods will work well.


Now you have to realize an old women is not going to want you to push her doing snatches and squats though. Everyone is going to be at different levels so you have to alter workouts to fit your client though. You should try to apply your knowledge to get them to get the best results possible under the limitations of their level where your not burning them out and scaring them away. Not everyone responds well to haradass yelling at them to do more weight and reps ext.

Every person gong to be different but as their trainer you need to find a way to get them the best results possible since they are paying your for results. If you don't deliver results for that person you have failed and wasted your and there time and took there money.

You kinda missed what his point was.

OP I agree with what you are saying with applying sciences and periodization to get them to perform better which in turn means they are healthier. That's how I train with my clients and I explain that to them that if you want to train with me it is a process. And it WORKS! I have a 65 year old women with osteoporosis squatting half her body weight. Which is huge since when we started she didn't even have the strength to do a body weight squat. So by adding performance training and bringing in periodization she is strong lean and mobile now. Which like you bothers me when I see trainers having people perform unproductive programs. All I can say is open up your own place so you don't have to see that **** anymore. That's what I did, and I am very happy I did.

I do have to say though it kinda appears to me that you carry a lot of weight in a degree. Which I'm not by any means saying is a bad thing. What I'm saying is if your hungry enough to get out and learn how to train and about the body you will. So, much information is available now it's ridiculous. That's what I have been doing and I feel very confident in my knowledge. I push myself to increase my knowledge daily.

[NorthTexasBB]

I definitely agree with this.

The attitude that I lift more than you so I must do it better is stupid. There are so many coaches who are the best in the world who never played the sport they coach or never played it well.

although this can be true, the amount of coaches who coach in a sport they never played and are good at it are few and far between. Take Jim wendler for instance, he has a english degree and is prob one of he most knowledgeable people around when it comes to power lifting. Does he know the science behind it? prob not...but he sure knows how to get people strong.


I would agree that someone with a degree can be successful but at some point I think having that experience to know how to get athletes to certain points can be a huge factor when it comes to getting clients.

[carl.c]

"Oh God" I can't belive its down to this argument over education vs no education.
I'm willing to bet that john broz and or antonio krastev would have litttle to no clue on how to train the average person who just wants to get into better shape.
True that an education is not all important it dos give one a leg up on the learning curve and understnading when one has to deal with a wide range of clients.
I think thoughs who don't think education is inportant in this feild are the same ones who think they just sent their banking info to a nigerian prince for millions of dollars.

[NorthTexasBB]

"Oh God" I can't belive its down to this argument over education vs no education.
I'm willing to bet that john broz and or antonio krastev would have litttle to no clue on how to train the average person who just wants to get into better shape.
True that an education is not all important it dos give one a leg up on the learning curve and understnading when one has to deal with a wide range of clients.
I think thoughs who don't think education is inportant in this feild are the same ones who think they just sent their banking info to a nigerian prince for millions of dollars.

john broz does coach just average people along with world athletes using just oly lifts


OP watch the documentary "strong" by joe defranco...I think you have his type of mind set. He explains he opened his gym because he was a prior athlete and couldnt deal with training "regular" people because most of them dont have the mind set and are generally lazy.

[drangel254]

Edit : good debate here fellas, interesting povs.