What drives you mad about Fitness Instructors and visa versa!

10.02.2015

A good instructor will be a member of the Register of Fitness Professionals which means you can look them up and see how qualified they are, just like you can check to see if the work man who’s just about to bash some walls down in your house is actually qualified to do so. It does amaze me that no one bothers to check to see if their instructor is qualified. I’ve been in the industry for years and I’ve never been asked by customers what qualifications I’ve got, they take the risk that I know what I’m talking about and intrust their health and their joints to my instructions but they wouldn’t risk damage to their house by a cowboy builder?

I asked some customers and staff to be honest with me, here’s what they said:

Over to you!

  • Fitness Instructors wear clothing two sizes too tight or roll up the already short and tight sleeves of their polo shirt to show off ripped muscles

OK, I’ll give you that one….

  • They talk about ‘clean‘food. You want to lose weight and choose healthy food choices but now you’ve got to worry it’s not ‘clean’ enough!

‘Clean food’ is a buzz word for healthy eating, in other words chuck out the processed foods, high trans fats and sugar but I guess it can sound a bit pretentious!

  • They’re obsessed with talking about protein. You’re fed up with being told to eat protein at every meal, drink a protein shake after exercising and as if you’re still not getting enough you should eat protein bars between meals!!

This can be confusing. Recent reports state that the average person who works out three times a week doing moderate activity needs approximately 0.8 grams per body weight kg of protein a day to repair muscle breakdown. This is adequately provided by a healthy diet including chicken, meat, nuts etc aiming to eat a protein portion at each meal. If you can do this then there is no need for protein drinks and bars. In fact, any extra protein will be flushed out via the kidneys, it can’t be utilised by the body. This can put strain on the kidneys and in some instances if the individual isn’t drinking enough fluids the unused protein can form as crystals and end up as painful kidney stones, something you definitely don’t want to have!

However, if you are an athlete or you are trying to bulk up your body will need more protein than is humanly possible to eat! You will need approximately 2.0g per kilo which is where the supplements will come in handy.

So, unless you are an athlete, don’t worry too much about supplements, just make sure you eat a healthy balanced diet every day

  • Instructors who Say “That was the warm up”… meaning that this part of it was meant to be the easy bit, so why are you so knackered and how can you possibly work any harder?

I get that, but I’m guilty of this. I let my customers know that they are doing a warm up so that they know not to work too hard, it should be a gentle pace gradually increasing in intensity. If you’re shattered by the end of the warm up you worked too hard!

  • They tell people to smile! Why would you want to smile when you’re being tortured??

It’s a well-known fact that the corners of your mouth are attached to your legs, the harder you work the higher the corners of your mouth go to form a smile, OK maybe only my customers know this but it makes them smile when I tell them this so it must be true!!

  • They ask “How are you feeling” That’s about as much good as your dentist asking you the same question with a mouth full of dentistry. It’s obvious how you’re feeling; knackered!

A good instructor will always ask how you are feeling; they want to know if anything is hurting, if you can’t answer them they’ll know you’re working too hard and advice you to take your intensity down, this is actually called the Talk Test. So next time they ask – answer them, if you can!

  • Instructors who count reps too slowly or repeating numbers so that you end up doing more! - That’ll be me told then!
  • They’re fit and smug and delight in telling you how many workouts they’ve done already in one day
  • Usually they’re not boasting, just enthusiastic!
  • You hate it when group instructors don’t join in with the workout or only put the minimum of effort into the workout.

Sometimes it may come across that the instructor is being lazy but, your session could be the 5th or 6th session they’ve instructed that day! However, I knew an instructor once who actually walked around the studio eating bag of maltesers when the customers were doing sit-ups! (You’ll notice that I spoke about her in the past tense there?!) However active they are the should be enthusiastic and interested in the activity and its participants

  • Instructors who stare at their own reflection in the mirror

Yep, with you there…

  • Instructors who don’t sweat, wear a face full of make-up which doesn’t run and finishes the sessions without a hair out of place

I wish! I look like a complete mess and regularly frighten small children on the way home!

  • Instructors who don’t correct you if you’re doing something wrong

Absolutely, Instructors need to correct bad posture and offer advice.

  • Instructors who come up to you in group sessions and correct you if you’re doing something wrong

Hmm, confliction here… the best way to do this without bringing attention to one person is to instruct the whole class to, this way the person who is doing something incorrectly will be told without them feeling uncomfortable. It’s easier to instruct one to one in a gym of a group session like Yoga or Pilates than it is in a session of HIIT or Aerobics without causing embarrassment.

  • Gym instructors who chat to their friends more than the customers

Some customers like to go to the gym and workout in piece; the ear phones go in as they walk in, head down, on a mission to get to the gym equipment without making eye contact and having to speak to anyone including the instructor. Other people need the support of the instructor and all gyms will get complaints that they are being ignored. Gym instructors are taught to walk the floor and talk to the customers but they know that there will be some people who don’t want this. If you need advice or help with something don’t be afraid to approach them!

Now it’s our turn!

  • Customers who don’t wear deodorant!

The gym may be the place you go to work out but for staff it is their office! If the person next to your desk had hygiene problems it would make your working environment very unpleasant – you get what I’m saying here?!

  • You don’t put equipment away!

When I was on the gym floor my biggest gripe was people who didn’t put equipment away once they’d finished with it. Spare a thought for some of us who aren’t blessed with muscles capable of lifting your discarded dumbbells and have to result to rolling them to the weight stack and doing our backs in!

  • Swearing!
  • ‘Nuff said…
  • Leaving a pool of sweat on the gym equipment

If you sweat it out - mop it up!

  • Grunters!

Women giving birth to twins don’t make as much noise giving birth than some hefty bloke bench pressing!

  • Turning up late for studio sessions

I started an Aerobics class recently at 7pm and a lady strolled in at 7.20. She wasn’t happy when I said she couldn’t join in. At the beginning of the session I make announcements; if there are any new people, any injuries, pregnancies etc, if you’re late you won’t hear any of this and I can’t stop my class half way through to ask late comers the same questions. You’ll also miss the warm up and risk get injured- lecture over!

  • Chatting loudly during studio sessions

We can’t compete with the music and people having a catch up!

  • Working out when you’re ill

We don’t want to coughed and sneezed over and neither does the equipment!

  • Not getting off equipment between sets

This makes doing an induction a nightmare for instructors and annoys other gym users, if you’re resting between sets please let someone else use the equipment.

  • Blaming us if you don’t reach your goals!

Instructors spend a long time putting a programme in place for you, working out nutrition plans and motivating you. What we need from you is for you to keep to your side of the bargain! You need to put the effort into the exercise and eat the right foods, the person sitting on an exercise bike leisurely reading a magazine really can’t expect to lose weight and increase their fitness level but they will know what celebs are dating who and the latest fashion trends!

  • And the last thing… selfies! Is nowhere sacred?!

But, all this said and done, the relationship between customer and instructor can lead to a long friendship which crosses all age groups. Over the years that I have been an instructor I have met some wonderful people. Some of who have been inspirational and at times courageous, some have been a challenge, others a pleasure to work with! Many of the customers at SLL have been with us for years so we must be doing something right!

I can’t think of a better job…

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