Trainers and coaches are a dime a dozen these days, but great ones are hard to find. Having been on both sides of the situation, I have personally seen the good, the bad, and the absolutely horrible. I spent two years as a graduate assistant in collegiate women's basketball before landing my first and only head coaching position. On the training side, I was one of the eighteen million CrossFit level 1 certified coaches as well as a personal trainer at a local globo gym. And just to throw it in, I also have my master's degree in exercise science.
Does my background make me an expert in this area? Probably not, but it leans toward a lot of real world experience. Was I a good coach/trainer? Well....if you caught me on a day that I was sober, I know that I was better than a lot of the choices now days. Actually, I was better drunk than some of the "trainers" I have seen AND worked with. (If you haven't read any of my previous blogs, I am a recovering professional drunk...thus the reason for the occasional drunk references.)
Now, every coaching/training situation is different...from the knowledge of the trainer, to their personality, to their background in the sport, and I believe where they train or coach makes a huge difference also. I will break this down into three categories: Globo gyms, CrossFit gyms, and sports specific gyms/hardcore gyms; and then post on each one separately.
The Globo Gym: I start with this particular type of gym because I have had the worst experiences both as a trainer and training at these places. They are the ones you see in mass all over various cities, have commercials offering you two biceps for the price of one, and offer free pizza to gym members (let it be known that if it was chocolate chip cookies, I might join). The process for becoming a trainer in one of these gyms varies, but the basic idea is that you pay a large sum of money, take a test on-line, and you're off to start a new career. The one thing everyone needs to know about globo gym trainers, they are high pressure salesmen. These trainers celebrate incoming money, not necessarily new clients because more than likely you will get an introductory rate, but the clients they re-sign, when they jack up the price for your sessions. If you sign up for a minimal amount of sessions, they are required to charge you the highest rate. So, whether or not they can actually help you achieve your goal(s) is second to how much money you are willing to spend. In addition, boot camps in Globo gyms are typically a joke. Why you ask? Because there is little money to be made and most trainers do not want to waste their time teaching them. Personally, high pressure sales is not something I can do...I lean toward telling people the truth, not filling their head with a bunch of bullshit and stealing their hard earned money.
I made a huge mistake once in hiring a trainer simply because he was massive. I knew that all I wanted to do was lift big, so in my mind he was going to be great. Long story short, my "personal" training turned into a boot camp of some sort based solely on cardio and body weighted movements. I hate body weighted workouts and hate running even more! I guess the heavy lifting part slipped his mind.
Now, there are good educated trainers in globo gyms...they are just harder to find. Most offer a free introductory workout session. Take advantage of this process and get to know the trainer before laying down any money. Typically, there is also a head trainer of some sort and if they care enough about their job, will be able to match you up with a trainer based on your preferred workout style. Another thing you might consider is to ask one of the trainers how to use certain pieces of equipment. It is free and to some extent will test the knowledge of the trainer.
Finally, be aware that newbie trainers are usually assigned to weekend duty. The ones I worked with usually did not want to be there and more times than not came in hung-over, still drunk or high from the night before. Keep in mind that most are kids, usually college students, that are just looking to make a buck to fund their weekend party.
If you are looking to join a Globo gym, in my humble opinion, stay away from the personal trainers, OR do a lot of research before you waste time and money on a bad experience like I did. If you are an experienced lifter and have your own routine, then you have nothing to worry about...go for the Globo!
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