Hire personal trainer?

[notfreemoney]

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You are describing what is wrong with the industry, not what people don't understand.

The fact that folks have medical problems, sedentary, etc. determines to a large a degree what trainers do with healthy people due to various trainer certification programs.

This is taking the wrong lesson and misapplying it, as those in poor health, sedentary, etc., are precisely the audience to learn the bio-mechanically correct way to lift something off the ground, stand-up/sit down, pull on something, push on something, push it or pull it from over their heads.

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You misunderstood what my point was. The ultimate goal is to make these sedentary clients lead more functional lifestyles. The point i was trying to get across is that deadlifts, benchpress and squats are not the correct exercises to put a beginner on which 90% of personal training clients are. It takes a while to get beginners aclimated to a training program before you even think about moving them to a squat rack.

[shemp]

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You are describing what is wrong with the industry, not what people don't understand.

The fact that folks have medical problems, sedentary, etc. determines to a large a degree what trainers do with healthy people due to various trainer certification programs.

This is taking the wrong lesson and misapplying it, as those in poor health, sedentary, etc., are precisely the audience to learn the bio-mechanically correct way to lift something off the ground, stand-up/sit down, pull on something, push on something, push it or pull it from over their heads.

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You misunderstood what my point was. My point was that the ultimate goal is to make these sedentary clients lead more functional lifestyles. The point i was trying to get across is that deadlifts, benchpress and squats are not the correct exercises to put a beginner on which 90% of personal training clients are. It takes a while to get beginners aclimated to a training program before you even think about moving them to a squat rack.

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I think I understand your point and disagree. These are people that need to squat so that they can stand up and sit down correctly. There's enormous transfer to these skills. This is functionality. That I say "squat", and you hear "power cage or ATG or put another wheel on"-- that's your problem. Likewise with the deadlift. The fact that they don't have the ROM to do a squat will never be overcome by handing them a 2# dumbbell.

edit: Moreover. Here we are talking about training for healthy folks, and I find it telling that you want to discuss how folks don't understand the centrality of the infirm to the process.

[notfreemoney]

i think the problem is that we are not defining the person that is being trained. Originally, i was responding to the posts that were saying that they never see trainers have clients do anything but machines and other exercises that dont involve the big lifts we advocate on here alot. I was simply saying that most trainer are not having their clients do those lifts becuase most of them are sedentary beginners.

Im all for healthy individuals who have shown that they can handle certain exercises to do them.

[shemp]

It is your want to define the person and differentiate their needs in the way you suggest that is the issue. The need to stand up and sit down correctly is at least as urgent for an 80 year old as a 20 year old. But stipulating that this is inappropriate for the 80 year old(or even most trainees), that observation doesn't belong in a conversation about the 20 year old(or the other trainees)-- except as an excuse for why the industry doesn't serve it's charges.

I've seen plenty of healthy folks, some doing sophisticated/demanding agility drills and stability ball stuff-- never doing major lifts.

I've seen plenty of other folks-- never doing progressions towards a squat or lift.

[Thremp]

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they do not have the neuro skills to perform freeweight exercises.

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Lies. Outright and complete.

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I would love to see you try and take someone that is sedentary and immediately start them with freeweights. Freeweights are advanced. Maybe not for you, but for most people. There are also other concerns such as most people just starting a routine do not like to go into the meathead section with the freeweights. This makes them uncomfortable and less likely to continue a fitness program.

Heres a good example. You dont start someone out doing crunches on a swiss ball when they cant perform a crunch on the ground effectively. They dont have all of the skills, and yes some of them are neuro, to perform the exercise effectively. It would be a waste.

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And I'd give them a broomstick and we'd practice things like utilizing proper form getting it off the ground and standing and sitting with. They'd have perfect form before they ever picked up a weight and increase flexibility and mobility.

Deadlifts and Squats are movement that everyone does everyday. We don't think about it, we just do it.

[Weir]

the argument that people don't know how to do a squat or a deadlift is dumb. I had never lifted a weight before and walked into the weightroom before football season and our strength trainer teaches me in 5 minutes how to do a squat and 10 years later i can still do one. it isn't a difficult procedure. Anytime you don't lift for a long time, you are a little wobly the first time you pick up free weights, but it takes 1 or 2 workouts to get it straightened out and then it is easy as pie.

[MasterCye]

Free weights are not advanced, not even close. Which would you rather do:
1. Do strictly machine movements which totally isolate the muscle for 6 months to gain strength. Then move to free weight compound movements and try to do similar weight you were using on the machines? You now have quite strong primary muscles with NO STRENGTH in the stabilizer muscles. I don't know about you but this seems a like a recipe for disaster.

2. Start out with free weight compound movements with low weight to improve technique and raise the weight as needed. This way the stabilizers increase strength at the same time as the primary muscles, ie. much less chance of injury.


Hmmm, the choice seems obvious to me.