My training is better than yours

Talking with other trainers or just your average gym goer, I always feel like when nutrition and training methods come up it always turns into a playground argument. Very much like “my dad can beat up your dad” sort of thing. The amount of times people wont even listen or even take in my own opinion on training. I once told another trainer that I think the deadlift is a pointless exercise. They went balistic (even now I’m laughing to myself about it) I just said I didn’t think it was applicable to the real world, movement wise. Lifting with a trap bar I feel is like picking stuff up from the floor. Though I prefer a trap bar deadlift. “I think” and “I prefer” should have been the words that they heard instead they kept trying to convince me how good it is. Yes it’s a great exercise and it does incorporate loads of other muscles, though I like doing stuff that has a bit more involvement in real world movements. In the end I had to walk away from them.

Photo by Niragire Tresor

Photo by jan valle

Just like our feelings for our fathers, the way we train is special to us for many reasons. It might have helped you overcome a mental hurdle or pushed you to want to swap careers or to even further yourself personally/professionally. Specific to our needs and journey.

I’ve heard many trainers, from across social media platforms and in person say what they believe is the best type of training for weightloss, muscle size, strength, flexibility and so on. I can’t help but roll my eyes at it all. So sorry to disappoint but this isn’t a post about what’s “best”. Like our dreams of the future our health journey is very much individual. As a health professional I would always consider myself a guide. Out there in the world there are others who think the same I’m sure.

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Photo by Rachel Claire

Don’t get me wrong there are ways of doing something that could cause harm and this is were I’d step in to try and improve what is happening. One time in the gym, a young lady was given her workout by her online trainer. She was performing a deadlift. I use the word performing here very loosely. Her form was really bad, bending from her waist, picking up at least 60kg from the floor. I stepped in, went through proper technique with her and then watched her doing it with just the bar. When she put the 60kg back on, with good form she couldn’t lift it. She dropped it by 40kg and it worked like a dream. I asked her if her trainer had even gone over the technique of a deadlift. She looked blanking at me then said no. I couldn’t believe it.

I get that having online clients is challenging when it comes to making sure that your client moves safely. No disrespect to the trainer. Maybe they did really go over it but the lady just ignored it, as most gym goers think they know best. Or that might have even sent a tutorial video over on how to deadlift. In any case it came across to me like the trainer had sent out a ‘cookie cutter’ programme to this lady and didn’t create it around her specifically. How we train then becomes far more important to what we are training in my opinion.

Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva

Calistenics, weight lifting, yoga, pilates, HIIT, steady state cardio etc, all has a part to play in our health journey. Yes some trainers chose one over the other, myself included, though when I take on new clients I will always keep evolving their training till we find the one that best suits them, their goals, lifestyle and mentality.

When looking at your own fitness journey and goals, take some time to go through what you need to do. Practice it. Get the form right or in the case of calisthenics find the easiest exercise to start with that will lead you to where you want to go. After all it’s a marathon not a sprint. There is never going to be ‘one way’ of doing any exercise. Try everything you can, as safe as you can and before you know it you’ll be hitting your personal goals and going beyond them too.