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Gemme · 02-28-2012, 10:51 AM

I get occasional emails from LiveStrong and I got this one a few minutes ago. For those who use trainers or are considering getting one and/or go to a gym, I think this might be helpful.

Does the Gym Make You Fail?

When I was 13 years old I had my first experience with a personal trainer. Some might think I was too young for one-on-one training and what I needed was to spend more time running outside and less time grabbing seconds (and thirds) of my mom’s Rice Krispie treats. At the time, I was a playing a lot of tennis and my body was routinely failing me. I wanted to improve, so naturally a trainer seemed like a good solution.

It was one the best decisions I ever made as a young athlete. That summer I became faster, stronger, and a better tennis player. Unfortunately, I was also terribly lazy, quit working out, and abandoned non-sports activity for several years.

Despite my early success and many other great experiences, today’s training situation is in need of a complete overhaul if people are to become healthier.

I’ve said many times that I don’t believe in excuses. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to take care of your health, eat better, and make your way to the gym. That has not changed. Hold yourself accountable, look in the mirror, and ask yourself, “Do I care about myself?” And then follow up with, “Am I doing all I can to make myself healthy?”

If you start there every day, you’ll probably do a better job of motivating yourself to stay active and eat well.

But I also know that finding the will to exercise is not innate to most people. And eating bad foods is something that is programmed into the social fabric of our society. Those are not excuses; it’s reality. And in order to overcome those hurdles, we need help and support. Some of that can come from family and friends, but the gym is supposed to be one of the arms of support, and for the most part, it is failing miserably.

I travel and visit gyms in every state and while it genuinely hurts to say this, most facilities are bad. That’s not to say all trainers are bad. There are some incredible facilities with great staffs. And there are some bad facilities with talented trainers. But on the whole, the training business needs to change their model and become better at what they do. I’m optimistic that change can occur because many of the failures are due to a lack of effort. Take these three examples:

Distracted Trainers
If I see one more trainer playing on an iPod or talking to other people while a client is training I might have to take action. When you are training a client—especially when they are paying you good money—all of your attention should be on them. You should be watching their form, keeping them mentally focused, and letting them know that you care about their success.

Lack of Personalization
Let’s be honest: Diet is extremely important to any results you’ll see. And it’s true that many people sabotage their hard work in the gym with poor eating habits. But there is a method and madness behind training as well. A fat loss program and a muscle-building program are not the same. And yet, many trainers will design their workouts that way. It shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how to program a workout.

Listen—I am not the training expert. I am a translator who has worked with some of the smartest minds in the industry and learn from their rules, mistakes, and lessons. There is a very specific science to creating a workout and the design is determined by your goals, your strengths, and your weaknesses. Anyone who tells you otherwise—and that is many trainers—is giving you the wrong idea and is someone you can’t trust.

No Fundamental System
While personalization is important, it can go too far. Consider this the bootcamp paradox—where every workout is different and creates the "feeling" that what you're doing is correct. As I mentioned before, good workouts have a design. And great trainers have a belief system that influences how they create programs. That’s what allows you to build success; you find a plan and strategic approach that works and then adjust based on the needs on the client. Those trainers who don’t understand why they are picking exercises and don’t know why they are structured a certain way are just as dangerous as those who prescribe the exact same program for everyone, regardless of goals. When looking for a good trainer, you should ask questions about the design. Even if you don’t know much about fitness, you can usually tell if someone is talking confidently about a topic or just spewing BS.

Lack of Continuing Education
This is one of the biggest problems in the industry. Many trainers will earn their certification and then just focus on training clients. The training part is good—great trainers are born in the trenches, working day in and day out with clients. But just like any other business, nothing in the fitness and health industry is static. Every day a trainer should be working to become smarter and better. And the way to do that is to learn from other experts, read books, and attends seminars. If I’m a client, I’m asking trainers how many seminars they attend per year or how many books they read. If they’re not trying to get better at their job, why should you put your faith in them?

The Real Issue
Those problems can be solved easily. But the biggest change has to come from an overall approach to the gym experience. Fitness and health facilities have forgotten one simple factor: That their clients are real people. These people—YOU—are coming to them out of need. You want to get back in shape, feel healthier, and see results. And yet, there’s a lack of customer service that is the fundamental attribute of any good business. Fitness is a huge industry, but it’s poorly run because it’s not designed to take care of the consumer.

Just think about how many people switch gyms. Or never work with trainers because of lack of results or steep prices or inflexibility. Most gyms—not all—have one goal: Get you in and sign you up at a “reduced” rate. After that, most gyms forget about you. They’ve roped you in to a long-term deal and now your results and happiness are secondary. Inevitably, this is why many people don’t like the gym—because there is a lack of attention to the consumer beyond the point of payment.

Alwyn Cosgrove, a very talented trainer and owner of Results Fitness—one of the most successful gyms in the country—built his facility the right way. He realized that training was a business that started with clients. I've heard Cosgrove mention the book Peak (by Chip Conley) as a good read on how to build a successful business. The book addresses the three tiers of customer service. The first is your fundamental needs. In gym speak, this means having a space, equipment, and the option to receive personal training. Maybe there are more bells and whistles, but that’s just the foundation of a good gym. And yet that’s where most facilities stop.

The second tier is meeting desires. That is, what do you want to achieve? And what are the barriers that stand in your way? A good facility will cater to those preferences.

The final step: Address unrecognized needs. This last step is what defines the cream of the crop.

Let’s be honest: Few gyms take this approach to creating an experience that considers you. And while I don’t blame gyms for the country’s health struggles, they don’t do enough to reverse the trend. To prove the point, I reached out on Twitter and asked users if they are happy with their gym.

The results: 87% of respondents said they were unhappy.

Think about that. That’s a bad sign when the majority of people who are responding are probably those who enjoy activity and will go to the gym regardless of the experience.

What about the rest of the people? What about those who struggle every day to pull themselves out of bed or drive themselves to work out after a long day of work?

These people need the gym to become a place of fun. A place they can trust. A place that is worth their money.

At any favorite hangout—whether restaurants, bars, coffee shops—people attend because of the experience. Fitness should be no different. And yet the business routinely drops the ball.

There isn’t a quick fix to this. I’m calling out all the fitness facilities to make a stand and improve their customer service. Get back to focusing on the client and providing services that will make them comfortable; Hiring a staff that cares about their own success as trainers and the success of their clients.

There is a fight going on for improved health, and we need everyone in the industry on board and helping the cause.

We’ll do our part at LIVESTRONG.COM to provide the information and guidance that will help you build confidence and knowledge. It should enable you to eat healthier and even take exercise into your own hands.

But at the end of the day, we still need gyms to play their part. It’s time for them to acknowledge their faults and step up to the challenge.

- Adam Bornstein

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/blog/...#ixzz1nhDGAkq7

02-28-2012, 10:51 AM	#3287
Gemme Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Queer Stone Femme Girl of the Unicorn Variety Preferred Pronoun?: She, as in 'She's a GEM' Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: The roads are narrow here Posts: 36,631 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 182,498 Thanked 107,932 Times in 25,667 Posts Rep Power: 21474888	I get occasional emails from LiveStrong and I got this one a few minutes ago. For those who use trainers or are considering getting one and/or go to a gym, I think this might be helpful. Does the Gym Make You Fail? When I was 13 years old I had my first experience with a personal trainer. Some might think I was too young for one-on-one training and what I needed was to spend more time running outside and less time grabbing seconds (and thirds) of my mom’s Rice Krispie treats. At the time, I was a playing a lot of tennis and my body was routinely failing me. I wanted to improve, so naturally a trainer seemed like a good solution. It was one the best decisions I ever made as a young athlete. That summer I became faster, stronger, and a better tennis player. Unfortunately, I was also terribly lazy, quit working out, and abandoned non-sports activity for several years. Despite my early success and many other great experiences, today’s training situation is in need of a complete overhaul if people are to become healthier. I’ve said many times that I don’t believe in excuses. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to take care of your health, eat better, and make your way to the gym. That has not changed. Hold yourself accountable, look in the mirror, and ask yourself, “Do I care about myself?” And then follow up with, “Am I doing all I can to make myself healthy?” If you start there every day, you’ll probably do a better job of motivating yourself to stay active and eat well. But I also know that finding the will to exercise is not innate to most people. And eating bad foods is something that is programmed into the social fabric of our society. Those are not excuses; it’s reality. And in order to overcome those hurdles, we need help and support. Some of that can come from family and friends, but the gym is supposed to be one of the arms of support, and for the most part, it is failing miserably. I travel and visit gyms in every state and while it genuinely hurts to say this, most facilities are bad. That’s not to say all trainers are bad. There are some incredible facilities with great staffs. And there are some bad facilities with talented trainers. But on the whole, the training business needs to change their model and become better at what they do. I’m optimistic that change can occur because many of the failures are due to a lack of effort. Take these three examples: Distracted Trainers If I see one more trainer playing on an iPod or talking to other people while a client is training I might have to take action. When you are training a client—especially when they are paying you good money—all of your attention should be on them. You should be watching their form, keeping them mentally focused, and letting them know that you care about their success. Lack of Personalization Let’s be honest: Diet is extremely important to any results you’ll see. And it’s true that many people sabotage their hard work in the gym with poor eating habits. But there is a method and madness behind training as well. A fat loss program and a muscle-building program are not the same. And yet, many trainers will design their workouts that way. It shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how to program a workout. Listen—I am not the training expert. I am a translator who has worked with some of the smartest minds in the industry and learn from their rules, mistakes, and lessons. There is a very specific science to creating a workout and the design is determined by your goals, your strengths, and your weaknesses. Anyone who tells you otherwise—and that is many trainers—is giving you the wrong idea and is someone you can’t trust. No Fundamental System While personalization is important, it can go too far. Consider this the bootcamp paradox—where every workout is different and creates the "feeling" that what you're doing is correct. As I mentioned before, good workouts have a design. And great trainers have a belief system that influences how they create programs. That’s what allows you to build success; you find a plan and strategic approach that works and then adjust based on the needs on the client. Those trainers who don’t understand why they are picking exercises and don’t know why they are structured a certain way are just as dangerous as those who prescribe the exact same program for everyone, regardless of goals. When looking for a good trainer, you should ask questions about the design. Even if you don’t know much about fitness, you can usually tell if someone is talking confidently about a topic or just spewing BS. Lack of Continuing Education This is one of the biggest problems in the industry. Many trainers will earn their certification and then just focus on training clients. The training part is good—great trainers are born in the trenches, working day in and day out with clients. But just like any other business, nothing in the fitness and health industry is static. Every day a trainer should be working to become smarter and better. And the way to do that is to learn from other experts, read books, and attends seminars. If I’m a client, I’m asking trainers how many seminars they attend per year or how many books they read. If they’re not trying to get better at their job, why should you put your faith in them? The Real Issue Those problems can be solved easily. But the biggest change has to come from an overall approach to the gym experience. Fitness and health facilities have forgotten one simple factor: That their clients are real people. These people—YOU—are coming to them out of need. You want to get back in shape, feel healthier, and see results. And yet, there’s a lack of customer service that is the fundamental attribute of any good business. Fitness is a huge industry, but it’s poorly run because it’s not designed to take care of the consumer. Just think about how many people switch gyms. Or never work with trainers because of lack of results or steep prices or inflexibility. Most gyms—not all—have one goal: Get you in and sign you up at a “reduced” rate. After that, most gyms forget about you. They’ve roped you in to a long-term deal and now your results and happiness are secondary. Inevitably, this is why many people don’t like the gym—because there is a lack of attention to the consumer beyond the point of payment. Alwyn Cosgrove, a very talented trainer and owner of Results Fitness—one of the most successful gyms in the country—built his facility the right way. He realized that training was a business that started with clients. I've heard Cosgrove mention the book Peak (by Chip Conley) as a good read on how to build a successful business. The book addresses the three tiers of customer service. The first is your fundamental needs. In gym speak, this means having a space, equipment, and the option to receive personal training. Maybe there are more bells and whistles, but that’s just the foundation of a good gym. And yet that’s where most facilities stop. The second tier is meeting desires. That is, what do you want to achieve? And what are the barriers that stand in your way? A good facility will cater to those preferences. The final step: Address unrecognized needs. This last step is what defines the cream of the crop. Let’s be honest: Few gyms take this approach to creating an experience that considers you. And while I don’t blame gyms for the country’s health struggles, they don’t do enough to reverse the trend. To prove the point, I reached out on Twitter and asked users if they are happy with their gym. The results: 87% of respondents said they were unhappy. Think about that. That’s a bad sign when the majority of people who are responding are probably those who enjoy activity and will go to the gym regardless of the experience. What about the rest of the people? What about those who struggle every day to pull themselves out of bed or drive themselves to work out after a long day of work? These people need the gym to become a place of fun. A place they can trust. A place that is worth their money. At any favorite hangout—whether restaurants, bars, coffee shops—people attend because of the experience. Fitness should be no different. And yet the business routinely drops the ball. There isn’t a quick fix to this. I’m calling out all the fitness facilities to make a stand and improve their customer service. Get back to focusing on the client and providing services that will make them comfortable; Hiring a staff that cares about their own success as trainers and the success of their clients. There is a fight going on for improved health, and we need everyone in the industry on board and helping the cause. We’ll do our part at LIVESTRONG.COM to provide the information and guidance that will help you build confidence and knowledge. It should enable you to eat healthier and even take exercise into your own hands. But at the end of the day, we still need gyms to play their part. It’s time for them to acknowledge their faults and step up to the challenge. - Adam Bornstein Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/blog/...#ixzz1nhDGAkq7 __________________ Gemme's Journal I'm misunderestimated.