Do you ever get frustrated watching another trainer have their clients perform exercises incorrectly?
I workout at a gym I am not working for. I get so frustrated when I see other trainers clearly training a client using incorrect form or just plain bad, possibly harmful, exercises. I don’t know what to do. Should I say something to the manager? I mean this place is known to hire people before they recieve their certification and give them up to 6 months to get it. What do I do?
You only end up in a ‘he said / she said’ argument that you won’t win. If that gym is known to hire people as ‘trainers’ before they are certified then approaching the manager is hardly a viable solution.
On the other hand: I have altered exercises for my clients for very specific reasons. Is that possible? And why not ask the ‘trainer’ for his rationale to modify the exercise? Maybe you can strike up a conversation.
I too find this very frustrating. I train people in a private gym where the members can bring in their own trainers. (The members must live in the building). There are 3 other trainers I see regularly there who are embarrassments to the industry. Their clients (who are mostly 60 and older) are doing high risk exercises with poor form (Behind the neck pulldowns, broomstick twists, bouncing toe touches,working out with slippers on (!), treadmill with ankle weights to mention just a few), there is little variability in what they do, and I have seen two of the trainers on their cell phones more than once. I do keep my mouth shut, but I can say I have had many members ask me about training, and when I tell them I am not taking new clients, I give them the business card of a trainer I feel comfortable recommending, obviously not one of the three I see. Hopefully that subtle message gets through.
The answers given are excellent, Janet’s in particular. I can assure you that this will be something that you will deal with forever! I have been to so many lectures and read so many articles where the information is, at best, questionable based on the research, and, I guess, based on my interpretation.
Just relax and “keep the faith” that the clients are on their way to a healthier lifestyle! The information given will most likely pass over anyway.
Take care.