Let me start off by saying that I did not expect my last post to turn into a series, but I guess there is a lot of information and different perspectives to address when we talk about personal training. Anyway, this post will serve as a sequel to the last post, however, this time, we will be talking about clients! You could be the idiot in this case, but it’s okay because everyone has been an idiot in a situation in his life. Given that you
You call/text your trainer often
Okay look, your personal trainer has a life too. He must train, train other clients, go out, spend time with his family, pay bills, work another job…etc. you get the idea. So, what makes you think that it’s okay to call or text your trainer often? Furthermore, calling him to ask him “what should I eat today?” or “what muscle should I train today?” is annoying and wastes his time. Stop calling or texting your personal trainer for stupid reasons, please!
You don’t listen to him
So, you hired a good personal trainer who knows what he is doing, now why don’t you listen to him? If you hired a trainer and decided to invest your time and money into such a service that can pay off well, why don’t you actually consider your trainer’s advice and follow it? Your personal trainer -given that he is not an idiot- has decided a training and diet plans for you to follow to help you achieve your goals in a timely manner. If you are just going to pay for an expensive service like personal training while not actually following his plan for you, you might as well continue doing the crap you were doing prior to hiring him. Don’t waste your money.
You are stubborn
Ahhh my favorite! Some people don’t like being “wrong”. This holds true in all aspects of life; some people just cannot accept the fact that other people know more than them or that they are wrong. If your trainer tells you to do a certain exercise or to count calories, he did so for a reason, whether you know that reason or not, just know that it’s to help YOU achieve your goals. If you have a good KNOWLEDGEABLE trainer, please stop trying to argue with him, it won’t get you anywhere and it will annoy him/her. If he mentions a specific scientific theory or training method, he knows what he is doing and he isn’t really interested in debating with you. Just accept the fact that you don’t know it all and that you can be wrong sometimes. After all, you don’t want to look stupid by making an idiotic statement, right?
You are inconsistent with your training regimen
What makes you think it’s okay to be creative with your training regimen when you paid an expert to do design one for you? Seriously, it doesn’t make any sense to me. If you were prescribed a specific training regimen, stick to it. Consistency is key! Rome was not built in a day and neither will you achieve your goals in a day. Your trainer expects you to stick to the training regimen he has designed for your specific goals and body type, do not start changing things up without his permission, and make training a priority.
You are inconsistent with your diet plan
This is a major factor why certain clients succeed in achieving their goals while other don’t. So, your trainer has designed a training regimen for you and a diet plan, right? And you know that he cannot watch you all the time, right? THEN STOP EATING ICE CREAM WHEN YOU GET HOME BECAUSE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU DESERVE IT! Your trainer doesn’t know what you are doing as soon as you step outside the gym, however, he expects you to follow your diet guidelines to achieve the goals you want. Don’t ruin your progress or diet plan by switching things around without your trainer’s permission and stick to your diet. You can train like a beast and stay consistent, but training without a solid diet plan is like trying to run to Italy on a treadmill! You will be just spinning your wheels, and you won’t achieve the desired results.
One session won’t do it
Personal training is not a cheap service, and personal trainers understand that. They also understand that not everyone has the funds to spend on personal training. But, be realistic, one session a week is not going to do it. Ideally, you want to get in 3 to 5 sessions a week with your personal trainer. That way your trainer will be able to track your progress more often and tweak things around when your progress stalls. In fact, your trainer will begin to know your body more, which will in turn help him help you achieve your goals.
He doesn’t know where to get performance enhancing drugs
Besides the fact that performance enhancing drugs are illegal, asking your trainer if he knows how to get some or to get you some is not going to work out. This request is disrespectful to the trainer and even if he does know how to get them, he won’t get in trouble with the law for you.
He isn’t interested in your personal stories
Your trainer has his/her own life, they have things to take care of and could be stressed. Please, stop bothering your trainer with what Angelica said about you the other day or how you chipped a tooth in the 5th grade, they don’t care! Casual talk is fine, of course, after all we are humans, not zombies. However, keep the personal stories and too many details to yourself.
You chose the wrong trainer
In the first part of the personal training series, we spoke about what makes a trainer clueless, but you are also responsible for your choices! Had you done your research before choosing your personal trainer, you wouldn’t have chosen a clueless trainer who can’t help you whatsoever. Do your research and make up your mind beforehand so you don’t waste time and money and regret your choice down the road.
You have high expectations
Similar to “one session won’t do it” if your expectations are too high, you are not doing yourself a favor. In fact, setting high expectations is bound to fail because transforming your body takes time, your expectations will stress you out -which is counterproductive- and you won’t be giving yourself or your trainer a chance to make progress. You will not lose 100 pounds in one week or even a month! Thus, set realistic expectations, work hard and stay consistent, and you will succeed.
You are lazy
If you made a commitment by paying for a personal training service, you should make it a priority to train hard and transform your body, period. You are expected to be on time for your sessions, stick to your diet outside the gym, train hard at the gym and give it all you got. Oh, and track your progress.
You are disrespectful
Do NOT ever think it’s okay to disrespect your trainer! Or anyone for that matter. In fact, you should be thankful that someone else is taking the time out of their day and passing down their knowledge to you to help YOU change your life around. You disrespecting your trainer won’t get you anywhere and will cause awkwardness and tension for absolutely no reason. Keep the relationship delightful and professional, it will pay off.
He doesn’t want to sleep with you
While this point applies to both genders, this one is mainly aimed at the ladies. Ladies, I know how us men could be when it comes to dealing with testosterone and its sexual effects, however, just because you are a lady and you have a male personal trainer does not mean he wants to sleep with you! He might be just doing his job and that’s it. I am not saying that some trainers do not want to sleep with their clients, what I am saying is the majority are probably not interested in doing so and by you thinking that you are ruining a beneficial professional relationship. Let the guy do his job and train you and both of you will go home at the end of the day.
He is not your friend/mother
If I get one more drunk phone call at 3 o’clock in the morning from one of my clients asking me to pick them up, I will shoot myself in the eye! Seriously, personal trainers are not your friends or your mothers, they are not obliged to pick you up on a Saturday night when you are drunk out of your a** and drop you off at your house. Just don’t!
You train like crap
“If you don’t bench press those 45 lbs., John, I will let it fall on your neck.” This is what’s going through the trainer’s mind in the picture above! I told you a few points earlier not to be lazy, right? Here is a continuation of that point. When you go to your personal training session, you are expected to train like a beast. Your trainer does not care how tired you are, just do it! Stop spacing out. Stop looking through your phone or texting while training, put that crap away. Do not talk a lot, just train! We want to help you, but we cannot do so unless you are willing to give us all you’ve got.
Thanks for coming late and holding up other clients
Your persona training session was scheduled at 5:00pm right? Why did you show up at 5:30? We understand that life happens sometimes. You might’ve gotten caught up in traffic or had to do something urgent, we understand. However, give us a call so we know what to do and can plan our schedules accordingly. If you should up late to your personal training session without a legitimate excuse, this just shows lack of commitment and respect. You are wasting your time, your trainer’s time and the time of other clients scheduled after your session. PS: Texting or calling your trainer in this case is fine ;).
Thanks for cancelling last minute
You and your trainer were supposed to train together at 6pm, however, you called him at 5:45pm informing him that you won’t be showing up. Why did you not call him earlier? If you have a feeling that you won’t be able to train due to sickness, unforeseen circumstances or whatever reason it might be, inform your trainer as soon as possible. It’s respectful to do so and he/she will appreciate it. Emergencies happen, though. So, if you are canceling due to an emergency, we understand, don’t worry!
Do some research and stop asking stupid questions
If you chose the right trainer, he is most likely knowledgeable and well informed. Your trainer is still a human being and does not know the answers to every question. Always do your research and educate yourself, it’s the best investment you can do to develop yourself. You should at least have basic knowledge about dieting and training. Your trainer doesn’t expect you to know a lot, however, when you have a good foundation, it will make your life and his life easier. In fact, it will even help you understand why your trainer is making you do certain things. Your trainer will appreciate intelligent questions, but he won’t tolerate stupid ones. Do your research fellas!
You blame him for everything
If you have been following your trainer’s advice for quite some time and you are not seeing any progress, then yes, your trainer is to blame, however, if you do not adhere to his dietary and training guidelines and expect him to be a miracle worker and fix you up overnight, you are delusional.
He wants to make money, too
Your trainer trains people for a living and he has rent to pay, too. Don’t try to negotiate prices after you have already agreed on a specific rate. Yes, personal training is not very cheap, but that’s the cost of transforming your life and improving your health. Take it or leave it.
Tell him/her about your medical history
This is a major one. If you have history of a certain disease or a medical condition, no matter how small or big you think it is, tell your trainer beforehand. If you have an underlying medical issue that your trainer is not aware of, he might unintentionally design a dietary and training plans that could make your health worse! There is no reason to lie about your medical history, don’t worry, he won’t be drug testing you!
In conclusion
Your trainer could be an idiot, but you can be an idiot too. Always do your research and stop doing the above-mentioned things, they annoy your personal trainer. I could be an idiot, too. The difference is I am willing to admit it, while you are not. Curb your ego, hire a good personal trainer, put in the necessary work and stay consistent. This is the “secret” recipe for transforming your body. And by the way, it won’t happen overnight!
If you were an annoying client at some point, comment below and tell me what you did, ha!
