Tuesday, June 20, 2017

How to Spot a Fitness “Coach" Who Doesn't Actually Train People


I'm a firm believer in practicing what I preach. After all, who am I to make the liberating recommendation to wear two different socks if I’m not damn well doing it myself?

(Full disclosure: I usually just wear the sock on my prosthetic foot until it falls apart. My prosthetic foot doesn’t care if its sock is dirty.)

Relatedly, since I started my PhD this past September, I’ve continued to train people in person at least once a week. I fancy myself something of a Batman figure in this regard, leading a double life as both researcher and practitioner. I don't have a cape, though (yet).



The fact of the matter is, when it comes to being a fitness professional, I don’t think you can keep your head in the game and stay informed on relevant issues if you aren't actually doing and living that #trainerlife (at least as often as your schedule permits).

For this reason, it irks me to no end when I see people giving out nonsensical workout advice that can only be indicative of them having never actually trained anyone (besides maybe themselves).

The issue of these imposters masquerading around the web claiming to train real people when, in fact, they do nothing of the sort is a serious one. And I'm calling bullshit.

Because it can sometimes be a challenge to identify said phonies, here are a few red flags to keep an eye out for.