Personal Trainers are "health professionals"...

[ricks]

Thanks for the input. I gather there is a lot of animosity regarding personal training.

I started to explore it to learn more. I have taken an anatomy course and am enrolled in two courses this summer.

I really do understand that training individuals is all about individual training. I am doing my internship with a studio that is run by a person who has a doctorate in sports medicine. He has probably forgotten more about this area than I can ever hope to learn.

Anyway, wish me luck. I plan to be a good trainer...not in the business of ripping people off. Just trying to help people achieve their goals in a healthy and safe manner.

[Eric3237]

I wouldn't call it animosity. Just concern and frustration with the industry at large. I definitely wish you luck and like I said this isn't meant as a personal attack against any one individual. Frankly the good trainers know who they are and are just as disgusted as I am with what is going on out there.

People should not pay for a glorified rep counter.

[hrdgain81]

ricks, good luck with everything, I wish you all the best and I'm sure once you've finished your education you can be one of the good ones, its all about wanting to better yourself, and its seems you have the right mentality.

Eric, "If someone tells you your over thinking, that means they dont have an answer." Thats an interesting take, I have to say that one of the trainers I respect most says that all the time on his forum. then again thats to people posting on his forum, not to people paying him for training. If you've ever read through Lyle's forums, you know exactly what I mean.

[Eric3237]

Yeah,,,

I don't mean to make an absolute statement. That's why I did try to point out that sometimes people ARE overthinking simple things and dwelling on details. The whole analysis paralysis. Hell, probably 70% or more trainees overthink supplements all the time .

But when that becomes a mantra then there is something wrong. There is a difference between carefully considering something and then warning someone that they may be over-analysing things. But when it becomes a stock answer designed to squash anyone's questioning your "methods" I have NO respect for that. If you want to call yourself a trainer you should have a reason for everything you do and be ready and willing to educate. A trainers job is NOT to make someone dependant on them. The best trainers EDUCATE their clients and work themselves out of a job in the sort term...but in the long term they will be sought after.

I think we need to consider each situation individually. If you have respect for someone there is a reason for that and it certainly couldn't be becasue they never have an answer to questions! The fact is and I'm sure you have noticed this, the typical forum guru is just regurgitating but it is not "at their fingertips". The "knowledge" has not been synthesized into an overall training philosophy. The fact is there are very few principles and the best trainers will be repeating the same things over and over and simply refining things and adding to them....organizing their philosophy better and better as they learn more and experience more.

So there is another warning sign to look for. If someone is under the illusion that to appear knowledgable they have to continually say something different about fundamental principles.....

But I am really speaking mostly about training. Sure there are new methods and refinements all the time but the underlying principles really are the same now as they have ever been. So if your "methods" are based on sound principles it should be easy to explain them.

But when I use the term "guru" I am using it in a perjorative and facitious sense sense it is such an overused and bastardized term. There are a lot of trainers and coaches that I respect...but I am not their "disciple".

[hrdgain81]

^^ you speak the truth sir, the only thing that bothers me more then a self proclaimed guru, is the disciple that swears by them. If i had a dollar for ... nevermind, i'll stop now before this degrades into the hatin thread

[Eric3237]

Yeah, haha, I don't wanna go down that road

[widdoes2504]

Agreed. It would be sooooo easy to go down that road

[_Wolf_]

LOL...

you know......i just gave a final exam yesterday in this Speech class i am taking called "Persuasion". btw: im taking this class to fulfill my minor in communication management.

anyways, so we study all these theories like social judgement theory, functional attitude theory, learning theory, etc etc...i studies how cult formation occurs, how social campaigns are formed, etc....how great motivators use certain devices while speaking and presenting themself...how hitler was an excellent orator and the like..

well, ive always been a critical person....very much like a cynic. i think this class has taken me one step over the edge now lol...

my point is: after finishing this course (which has probably been the best course i have taken so far) i cant help but laugh at some of these "cult" formations i see going on. hrdgain mentioned discuples of E-Gurus...well...its sort of like a cult formation and if you read those 3 books i had to read (each one was like 300+ pages) then you will notice how text-book like these gurus are. nothing is completely new. i just find it really funnny to see hardcore DC supporters or die hard IA fans or brainwashed westside trainees lol....very interesting to view some of this stuff from a persuasionists viewpoint