Pissed Off Personal Trainer

The question about fitness qualifications came up on Twitter today. This quick (hopefully not too many typos) post aims to explain the state of play of fitness qualifications. What many people do not understand is that the Fitness Industry has little, to no, regulation (I'm writing as UK based, but there are few differences worldwide). The official information from the UK government National Career Service agrees: The same website lists the following for Personal Trainer. So based on this you do not need any qualifications. However, it is unlikely that you would get insurance without being qualified. You wouldn't get car insurance without some form of drivers licence. But your clients don't ask you for proof of insurance...... The vast majority of gyms would not hire people without qualifications despite this lack of official guidelines. A general overview of the courses most gyms recognise is as follows: Level 2 Fitness Instructor (FI) This is the...

There are many, many fitness professionals who are very limited in the way they operate. It is not just about the exercises used, the rep ranges and the style of training. For many FitPros it is just difficult for them to see that not everyone is the same as them. Thsat people are motivated by different things, that people respond to different methods. For others it is dogmatic belief in a training system or just pure bullshit marketing (Fasted Cardio anyone?). If we ignore specific exercises and look at  some workout structures you can soon see simple changes that can benefit clients and class members. Get It Done Method Some people really respond well to formats that allow them to just get the job done. If they push hard the exercise is over. So a simple format would be setting cardio intervals based on distance, not on time. For example: 5 x 200m Sprints on a Concept 2 Rower, 40 seconds rest instead of 5 x Sprints on a Concept 2 40 seconds work, 40 seconds rest. The ac...

What is the Best?   Fitness Professionals are forever being asked question like:   What is the best way to lose fat? What is the best way to get a flat stomach? What is the best way to get big biceps? I urge all Fit Pros to not answer these questions because there is no 'best; for anything. We are all different and we all respond to things differently. Sadly the internet, paper media and social media is full of supposed 'best' ways. People need to stop reading these articles and instead think about the principles behind whatever they are trying to achieve .   Example 1 – Fatlos s   In order to get your body to burn stored body fat you need to create a sustained calorie deficit. You eat less than you burn. How you achieve that is down to the individual, all that matters is you actual create a calorific deficit and you sustain it.  You want to cut carbs, great it will work. You want to cut fat, great that will work. Want to cut out ju...