A Personal Perspective, For a Change.

Are trainers expensive baby-sitters or cheap therapists?  Or neither?

The two (sadly) predominant stereotypes of trainers are The Baby-Sitter (AKA The Rep Counter) and The Therapist.  Go into any New York Sports Club (or, *insert name of your gym here*) and I’ll bet dimes to donuts you’ll find several examples of both.

The Rep Counter does just that – count reps.  No feedback, no coaching, no educating.

The Therapist may make you feel better, but they distract you from your immediate goal – optimal workout performance.

Of course, I’m not saying a trainer can’t provide clerical or emotional support for their client.  But the ultimate goal always has to be kept at the forefront: Guide the client towards their (fitness) goal(s).

Certainly, it’s important that you like and click with your trainer.  But is your trainer up to task?

Trainers, it’s also easy to fall into the opposite trap and overcompensate.  It’s ok if your client isn’t doing 100 different exercises in their routine.  It doesn’t make you a bad trainer if your client doesn’t perform kettlebell snatches, moves weights at a 10/10 rep tempo, or can’t flex and isolate their tensor fascia latae muscle.  It’s just as easy to talk a client to death (to over-instruct) as it is to offer too little (or no) guidance.

I think trainers should be helpful and conscientious, and I think it be done without acting (and looking) like a complete tool (nothing personal, guys and gals).