When too much personal fitness training is too much

The purpose of this article is to pull back the curtain on some of the issues to be aware of when working with a personal trainer. As a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach with 10 years of experience, I have come across many personal trainers and have learned many of the things to consider.

There is one sentence that needs a lot of attention, and that is “scope of practice”. Scope of practice is a phrase commonly used in the medical field that dictates the limits within which doctors and therapists can work. This also applies to any personal trainer, because there are some limits that a trainer should not cross.

The first practice is massage. In most states, massage therapists must be licensed. Licensed title is key, here. The license definition is as follows:

Licensing “is the grant of legal authority by the state, pursuant to state police powers, to practice a profession within a designated scope of practice. Under the licensing system, states define, by law, the duties and the function or scope of practice of a profession, and provide that these tasks may be lawfully performed only by those who are licensed.As such, the license prohibits anyone who is not licensed from practicing the profession, regardless of whether the individual has been certified by a private organization or not”.

Certifications, on the other hand, are a voluntary process provided by a PRIVATE organization that states that the earner has completed pre-set courses and a possible exam. This is a very important distinction, as being licensed means there is strict government oversight that dictates the ability of professionals to perform their trade.

The reason massage therapists must be licensed is because giving a massage is an extremely invasive procedure. There is a tremendous amount of manipulation of the muscles and the body, and there is also a certain risk factor with massage.

With the way the muscles are manipulated, it is quite possible for an inexperienced person to cause significant injury to the client. This is why licensed massage therapists spend hundreds of hours studying human anatomy, pinnation angles, muscle actions, and physiology to understand exactly how to safely manipulate the body.

Many personal trainers, especially inexperienced ones, want to give clients “extra service and attention.” Personal trainers sometimes have a false sense of confidence that they know more than they really do. This is when inexperienced trainers will break the scope of practice and massage clients to “release trigger points” and relieve pain. The problem with this is that they underestimate the risk they are putting on their customers.

This is the exact reason why experienced trainers teach their clients how to use myofascial release. Self-myofascial release consists of things like foam rolling, where a client can work to release trigger points and relax tight muscles, without the need for a trainer to touch them.

Stretching is another place where trainers can get a little too invasive. A side effect of resistance training is the hardening of the muscles. Therefore, stretching is absolutely necessary to keep your muscles relaxed and protect your range of motion. Again, with an inexperienced trainer, this can lead to injury.

Stretching is definitely within the scope of a trainer’s practice, BUT it must be done responsibly. Overstretching a muscle or stretching it in the wrong direction can lead to muscle or tendon tears. Not following the proper protocols for stretching can also lead to injury. Stretching should always be done after a workout; Never before. This will protect the client during training.

Stretching should ALWAYS be done with muscles that are warm. The muscles work almost identically to elastic bands. If you’ve ever tried to pull on a rubber band that’s extremely cold, you’ll notice that it’s brittle and breaks. Muscles work the same way; if they are cold and the trainer tries to stretch them, there is a risk that they will break.

This is extremely important when using advanced stretching techniques like the PNF stretch, where the muscle is stretched, contracted, and stretched again to create a greater stretch and range of motion. This advanced stretch can easily lead to injury.

It is also key to have great tactile awareness. His personal trainer, basically everywhere he looks in Connecticut, has to be experienced enough to know exactly how much to stretch the muscle without going too far.

A knowledge of anatomy and muscle action is also essential. Muscles move in certain patterns based on their pinnation angle. If you try to stretch a muscle against the pattern, you are putting the client at risk or you will no longer be exercising the correct muscle.

Knowing muscle action is also very important for stretching. Whether a joint is flexed or extended will determine whether certain muscles are contracted or relaxed. It is very easy to teach a client how to stretch correctly, allowing them to control how far and how much pressure is applied. This is a much safer method when supervised by an experienced personal trainer.

Don’t forget about the comfort factor for a customer. A personal training relationship should be safe and comfortable. A personal trainer like where I am located or wherever you are looking should NEVER make a client uncomfortable with a conversation or “too much” contact. Touching really should be kept to a minimum. The only time a client should be touched is to make quick position adjustments, or in an effort to help with stretching. This contact must be the least invasive possible and must always have the consent of the client.

In my 10 years as a very successful personal trainer, I have never had to touch a client more than for a brief adjustment of position, to emphasize where the focus of the work should be, or to assist with a light stretch, when called upon. . I have never had a problem with clients not being able to learn to stretch or use myofascial release. As personal as this industry is, there is something too personal!

Finally, the biggest sign of an inexperienced or insecure trainer is excessive compensation. I’ve found that the loudest coach in the room tends to be the one who needs to overcompensate for his lack of knowledge and confidence. These are also the trainers who tend to be the ones to learn a new “skill”, and that’s all they do until they learn the next one. These trainers have a need to show how much they know by using “parlor trick” drills or “new” methods, but they do it haphazardly. The best trainer is the one who can calmly get a client to get the results they want for their specific goals, without yelling about it and without boring the client with information they honestly don’t normally care about.

Most clients don’t necessarily care about the how; they just want to achieve their goals. It is up to the coach to have all the necessary tools to help the client achieve those goals. The best coaches I’ve ever met know a lot about a lot… But you may never know because they don’t have the need to prove they’re better than any other coach. His sole purpose is to help his clients achieve their goals. A good trainer never overdoes the new tricks he learns. Instead, they choose from their pool of knowledge to find the best methods for the right clients!