ACCEPTING MEDIOCRITY – Not on our time and not under our watch!
One thing that amazes me and annoys me about Personal Trainers is their willingness to be seen to be nice, accomodating and to appease the client. Sure, the client is paying you but, they are paying you for results! They came to you in the beginning because they want your help in achieving and they want you to help get them to where they want to go. They have a need, they have a want and they have a desire.
So as I and we see it, our job and the reason you are paying us is to get you those results. As such, we will do all that we can to get you there. Sure we can be nice and sure we could sugar-coat things (and I can assure you we are lovely people) but one thing that needs to go with the role is honesty and integrity. I see too many Personal Trainer’s reward their clients with comments and phrases such as “you have done really well”, “that was a really good session”, that is great technique” – when in fact it hasn’t been.
Now correct me if I am wrong but a client should be given accurate and honest feedback on how they are going, what they have achieved and just how well they are tracking. One such method is this – rating your technique for almost (if not) every exercise you are performing. We set up a scoring system from 1-10 based on how well you are performing an exercise and if it is for example less than a 10, then we will actively help you understand where you are falling short and rate you accordingly.
If you are a 5/10 then we will tell you this, guide you towards a 10/10 and let you know what specific areas need improving on the spot, in real-time and then set you the task to improve on that there and then. We will then set you the task to work on it weekly and in between sessions. Often we will send you to our youtube channel to brush up on your technique in between sessions (here is an example of how to perform the Lat Pulldown correctly.
If you look like you have lost weight/improved posture/improved muscular tone/etc, then we will let you know this and tell you but at the same time if things go the other way, then we will also let you know this too.
Have I scared you off using us as a Personal Trainer yet? I hope not but at the same time I challenge you to ensure that your current PT (if you have one) is not delivering you with a ‘fake’ and ‘feel-good’ approach to your training.
When you enlist the services of a PT you want results as I have outlined above and whilst we are heavily focussed on that, we are also very much about you and making it fun and in a supportive (but accountable) environment (see our client testimonials video).
Another aspect to Personal Training that I am not too happy with is the PT that will simply just watch you and allow you to train with poor form, poor guidance and some will even just be happy to sit down and have a coffee with you because you don’t feel like training? Sure we can and will catch up with you socially but don’t confuse this with giving in to sit down and have a coffee because you are paying for our time. We simply want to get you the results that you are looking for!
If you have a PT or are looking for a PT, ask yourself these questions in order and really challenge yourself for the answer:
“Do I want a Personal Trainer?”
“Do I want results?”
Then ask yourself “do I want a Personal Trainer that will get me the results that I am looking for”.
If you are actually true to yourself and serious about the answer, many people out there with Personal Trainers will find that they have selected poorly and others about to look for one should really be inquistive and not just select on price alone. May I suggest you look around and use my complimentary 12 point “how to choose a Personal Trainer” checklist and either assess your current PT or use it as a guide for selecting a Personal Trainer.
Remember that if you want to be mediocre and settle for less than you are capable of, then you are essentially settling for second best. You must remember that to have a PT, you are parting with your money and in doing so please ensure you are getting true value for money!
Justin Moran
Personal Trainer and Managing Director of Just In Time Personal Training
0411 798 934
