Getting a bad personal trainer is worse than not having one

So I decided to go to the gym in the new year on the 2nd even though I promised myself that I was not going to subject myself to that. I presumed it would be packed and even though we have some pretty hefty Covid restrictions in place I had to wait half an hour before I was even allowed in because they have a maximum amount of people that are allowed in at a time.

The only reason why the gym was not a madhouse was because of the restrictions. I would be willing to bet that if these were not in place that the situation after new year would be exactly the same as it has been in the past several years. It was as packed as it was allowed to be.

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I noticed a lot of the usual stuff such as people that are in obviously bad shape that don't know their way around a gym and using the equipment incorrectly. I will NEVER get on anyone's case for trying to better themselves but honestly, these folks need to stick to the machines to reduce the chance of injury. I hope they were taking it easy but from what I saw, it didn't look like they were. Not only were they obviously out of their element but they were pushing it way too hard and when I go back this afternoon I would be willing to bet that I do NOT see the same faces since they are most likely barely capable of moving their upper bodies after going at it way too hard.

This is not what I want to write about today though because what I saw next is something that surprised me because the person in question is meant to be a professional and should know better.

I saw a guy being helped by a personal trainer that is employed by the gym with a new customer that, based on his girth, I would say is probably brand new to exercise. I think that getting a trainer is a very good idea if you have the money and are brand new to the gym in order to prevent injury and to familiarize you with how the equipment works and to help you gain proper form - which I feel is much more valuable than how much you lift.

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_{this is not the trainer in question, phones were banned in the workout area, presumably to prevent getting reported for violations}

What was happening in the situation that I observed is that the customer was clearly struggling with the stacks that the trainer had set up for him. On his 3rd or 4th rep he was breathing heavy, skin was turning red, and he was really struggling to do his weighted squats. Now, I am NOT a certified personal trainer and I presume that this guy is, so this is what I find so surprising about putting the customer in that situation: You are going to hurt this guy and he is going to quit and never come back to the gym.

"That guy isn't going to be able to walk tomorrow" is what I was thinking and after the 2 or 3 days it takes for his legs to return to normal feeling is he going to be thinking to himself "yeah, I can't wait to do that to myself again!" .... well, of course not. He will probably immediately tuck back into his bad habits and then say "well, at least I gave it a shot!"

I know a few guys that ARE trainers and the thing they do the most of is talk to their new customers to find out what their fitness goals are. They also will explain to new customers that their first couple of sessions are actually going to seem really easy and that this is important while they and the trainer figure out how to safely guide them into the world of fitness. I'm a big believer in the "baby steps to fitness" model of exercise and how it is much more likely that a person is going to stick with these good habits if they don't need 2 rest days after each workout.

The trainer that I saw is not very good at his job. A trainer's job it twofold: They are there to assist you in your fitness goals and also to help ensure that the customers remain exactly that... customers.

I would bet money on the fact that this person I saw grunting away on the squat racks while his trainer shouted at him to do "just 2 more!" is never coming back to the gym at all. So if you do make some sort of decision in your life to get into better shape and decide to get a trainer involved I would put a bit of effort into the interview portion of the signup and it should be YOU interviewing the trainer, not the other way around - it is you that is going to be paying them after all.

Or you could just do some research, take it easy, and do it on your own as you focus on diet. That's what I did and I lost 50 lbs, gained a bunch of muscle, and have kept it that way for over 2 years now