The Rip-off Artist

“She’s ripping you off...and you don’t even know it!”

That’s what my mind was screaming as I watched the client of one of the “trainers” in the gym where I do my work participate in what was supposed to be a fat-loss session. The problem with this “trainer”, like so many others like her, is that she doesn’t have a clue as to the essential principles that facilitate a successful fat loss program.

I’ve been involved in the health and fitness industry in one facet or another for just about thirty years now. In that time I’ve seen a vast number of individuals who claim to know what they were doing brand themselves as a “personal fitness trainer” but were in reality regurgitation specialists of poor information they read in the latest edition of “Muscle & Fiction” magazine.

When it comes to helping clients achieve true fat loss success most trainers’ just plain suck, pure and simple. I can say that because I witness the fruits of their labor on a daily basis. That may sound harsh, but the truth is many times controversial and confrontational.

The aforementioned “trainer” has a number of clients who’ve only grown fatter since partnering with her “Master Trainer’s” program. Personally I think that is the equivalent of thievery.

Have I always been the type of trainer who isn’t afraid to offer a 100% money back success guarantee and can produce measurable, positive results?

No.

I am ashamed to admit that I was once in the category of trainer I now loathe so deeply. It is said that we cannot become responsible for success until we are first willing to be responsible for failure. Success is often cultivated in the dung of failure. When one accepts responsibility for their failure, they are free to make the necessary corrections and move toward success.

I spent quite a while in that dung heap, and I grew very tired of both the company and the stench.

For me the difference was a conscious decision I made some 10 years ago to stop being mediocre. It involves doing something each and every day to improve my value to those who come under my care. I read constantly, I spend hundreds of dollars per year on books, educational materials and seminars and I inquire of the best trainers in the world for information.

I do this because it allows me to be a better trainer for you. It allows me to assist you in reaching your goals; whether they are fat loss, fitness or athletic performance in nature.

If you’re serious about hiring a trainer to ensure that you achieve success in your goal for fat loss and improved health, go visit the gym where you intend to train and watch the various trainers at work. Here’s what you need to look for and avoid when hiring a trainer:

1. Does the trainer in question spend an inordinate amount of time talking with their client instead of actually having them work?

2. Does the trainer in question have the client perform multi-joint or whole body movements designed to elicit a large percentage of muscle, or do they perform a high number of “isolation” exercises, like biceps curls or triceps presses?

3. Does the trainer in question primarily use a machine based regimen in which the client is sitting or lying down, or does the client spend most of their time on their feet using free-weights, cables, medicine balls and the like?

4. Does the trainer in question assist the client with every repetition, or do they instead select an appropriate weight so that the client can perform the exercise with strict form on their own, thereby achieving maximal benefit?

5. Does the trainer in question ensure that the client is using strict form or are they more of an overpaid “rep counter?”

6. Does the trainer in question have the client lift heavy enough to elicit a physiologic response to build muscle or are they using “wimp” weights and simply going through the motions?

7. Does the trainer in question follow a personally designed program and keep data on each session in order to measure progress, or do they seem to “wing it” as they flitter sporadically from exercise to exercise around the gym?

These are just some of the things to look for when considering a trainer for hire. There are a number of other factors that come into play depending upon your individual goals, but these suggestions will give you some idea as to the credibility and integrity of a potential trainer.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns I can be reached at steve@firestormfitness.com.

God bless you,
Steve