Question Regarding Personal Training

[Davsey85]

I am curious ever since learning about the negative effects of too much exercise which differs from person to person and reducing my time working out in the gym would it be unethical to work as a personal trainer when i myself don't workout more than a few minutes in a gym and don't believe that a 30 minutes,45 minutes or an hour of gym time is necessary?Since i like to do walking outside and playing sports and the bare minimum in the gym to stimulate the pushing,pulling,and leg muscles which i can do in under 10 minutes would it be incongruent with training clients for half an hour or an hour.I only do 1 set per body part and was wondering if it would be cheating people if you had them do multiple sets of several exercises which would pretty much be the only way to cover a 30 minute or an hour of personal training.My exercises are boring and monotonous and they would lose interest for example if you don't follow the culture hitting the abs from multiple angles like you normally see in gym culture.Obviously it would be more honest to tell people that you should spend less time in the gym and more time playing sports and walking outside.I'd be glad to give them a different approach but what could they do for an hour that wouldn't result in overtraining. Maybe only doing weights for a few minutes and telling them to pick a sport they enjoy and playing that sport with them one on one.This would be unconventional.Thoughts?

 

[800mRepeats]

Yes, it would be unethical for you to train clients in ways that you don't think are in their best interest and/or will help them attain their stated goals.

That said, an argument *could* be made in favor of training clients in ways that you suspect are "unhealthy" or toward goals that you suspect are "unhealthy" - as long as you provide full disclosure and discuss the pros/cons of THEIR choices.

I do perceive an opportunity for you here - to create something new and congruent with your current beliefs that you think will really serve your clients. (You don't have to be a shill for convention!)

 

[Davsey85]

How practical would it be to ask them to pick an activity/sport that they enjoy doing and do that thing with them.For example tennis,golf,bowling,dancing whatever and for example a 1 hour session do a few minutes of easy strength training and cardio and then the rest of the time just do the activity with them?People who come to the gym typically aren't told that they should do an activity that they enjoy and that any weight training and cardio outside of that activity should be kept to a minimum.

 

[tca300]

 

[bcopeland]

Hi Davsey85, I've been a personal trainer for over a decade. I have my own business and facility. Different people will of course have different tolerances for volume and intensity. Always remember that they are coming to you for your expertise and/or motivation.

If they come to you for your expertise then you are giving it to them. If they are coming to you for simply motivation but not expertise meaning they won't value what you say then that is probably not a client you want anyway. Basically every pro athlete I have ever trained has been a pain in the arse but most real people don't want to work super hard anyway. So a lot of it will come down to the type of clients you see.

Personally with my clients I do about 30 minutes of non-strength training which consists of joint mobility drills, sports vision drills, balance drills, and fun hand-eye coordination (playing catch in various ways or mimicking sports without the stress of competition.) Basically playtime for adults. The next 30 minutes is kettlebell and bodyweight strength training customized to their personal goals and metabolic capacity for recovery... and they psychological makeup. (circuits, vs. straight sets, etc.)

So yeah, you are the expert (and you won't ever be perfect), they are coming to you for help so do what you believe to be best for them and have confidence in your position.

Brian