The desire to play sports is good, but when you want to exercise under the supervision of a professional it is even better. The coach should help you understand the basics of the discipline, be it swimming or training in the gym, talk about the technique and how to achieve the desired results, and also help to avoid injury. True, in reality this is not always the case – at a variety of workouts you can face humiliation, shaming and unsubstantiated advice. We analyze several situations that will help you understand that it is better to stay away from the coach.
“We train according to the instagram method”
The threshold for entering the profession today is not high – and even people who have no specialized knowledge at all can look convincing on social networks . The opportunity to work as a trainer in fitness clubs, for example, is available not only for those who graduated from a specialized higher educational institution, but also for graduates of relevant courses – and you can start a popular instagram blog without them at all .
Pay attention to the formation of the coach and on how often and where he receives further knowledge. For effective work, it is not enough for a trainer to know what exercises to recommend – you need to understand the structure of muscles and the structure of the body as a whole, so as not to harm the client. Safety comes first.
The popular advice that can be heard , including from the coach in the gym when it comes to weight loss. In fact, this is a myth : in order to reduce weight (if you need it at all – for example, as recommended by a competent doctor), first of all, it is worthwhile to eat a balanced diet and add physical activity to life. The habit of not eating after six, when you go to bed at two, is more likely to result in you going to sleep on an empty stomach than to the desired effect.
The trainer should have a basic knowledge of nutrition, but is still not a specialist nutritionist. Communication with him can not replace going to the doctor – and the coach should not try to take someone else’s role. The same applies to the recommendations of dietary supplements and vitamins. We have already discussed in detail why you should not try to prescribe medications for yourself – if you have problems, see your doctor.
In English there is a popular expression “No pain, no gain” – in conversations about sports it is often used to show that you need to train “through I can not”, that pain and discomfort are a natural and necessary part of the process. This idea was not to scratch: to achieve results without a certain load (and the discomfort of it) does not succeed. Another thing is that you do not need to ignore the body’s signals that you feel bad – there is a huge difference between discomfort and pain.
The fitness industry knows some sad examples. At CrossFit, for example, there is the infamous mascot – blyuyuschih clown : he is related to the fact that many are trained to vomit after workouts. If the coach ignores you when you say that you can no longer or that the load is too great for you, this is a wake-up call. If he says that you are “lazy”, or scolds you for allegedly insufficient efforts – even more so.
” You have a problem area here, you need to work it out.”
There can be many reasons for playing sports , from a genuine interest in a particular sport to a desire to add movement to life. It’s no secret that many people start playing sports in order to lose weight. Of course, this is often decided by people who have no medical need to lose weight, and what happens can lead to a variety of results, including a threat to health and well-being.
But one thing is a personal decision of a person, and quite another is a situation when a coach convinces you that you have “flaws” that need to be “worked on”, or is generally ashamed of weight and appearance . Hating your own body is a vicious motivation, and a coach should not support it. Alas, in the fitness industry this happens quite often: it is not for nothing that there is an expression “skinny fat” – this is the name for thin, but supposedly not “fit” people. If your coach thinks he can dictate how you should look, run.
“Let’s remove the fat in this area”
A loud promise to make you a “dream figure” is a popular way to lure customers, but not a science-backed idea. Studies say that making the body lose weight only in certain areas is impossible – so the person who promises you this is either lying or does not know what he is dealing with.
The only thing that really do – to strengthen with the help of training specific muscles. True, this does not mean that you will lose weight in the exact zone that you are working on with the help of exercises – perhaps you will simply get more prominent muscles while maintaining your usual figure. Instead of the “dream body”, it’s much more enjoyable to focus on something else — for example , how sport affects your well-being and mood.
It makes sense that as you play sports, your understanding of technique and stress, as well as your own body and its capabilities, grows. But that’s not to say you surpass in knowledge of the subject matter the coach – in an ideal world, a person with specialized education, versed not only in the intricacies of discipline, but and in how to respond to load the body.
True, there are situations when the coach thinks that he knows what you need better than you , simply because he has a greater theoretical base and experience. This, of course, is not entirely true: a specialist knows how training should be structured, but only you understand what you want from training and why you went to train at all. If you are not asked what you need at all , it may be worth looking for someone who will be more attentive.
In an ideal world, the trainer does not just give you exercises, but explains what and why you are doing – as well as how the technique is built and what effect this or that action gives . In addition, he should draw up a training plan, and if we are talking about personal training , adjust it to you, your capabilities, needs and goals. If the coach improvises every time and thinks about what to give at the next stage, and does not plan a lesson , it may be worth contacting someone else.
The coach does not speak at all , but looks at the phone
It’s impossible to imagine life without a smartphone and social networks today, and this also applies to the gym – whether you watch a series on a treadmill, listen to music on headphones or take a selfie. Coaches are people just like us, and it is logical that they also use social networks and instant messengers. However, if a personal trainer spends on the phone all the time while you train, this is a reason to think.
Of course, there are emergencies – but they obviously can not happen all the time. In addition, one of the tasks of the trainer is to monitor how you are doing and correct your technique in time so that you act more efficiently and do not harm yourself in the process. And this is unlikely to work without taking off from the screen.