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In this day of the Internet, so many fitness enthusiasts have been deemed “gurus” on the simple premise that they have packed on 30 pounds of muscle on their frame; or they have dropped 30 pounds of fat following a strict diet. Those are two very impressive notables in this age of sedentary-ism; but what happens when you apply those same principles that helped you achieve such a feat to a DIFFERENT person in a DIFFERENT body? Its a big difference.

Fitness marketing has been around since well before Arnold brought bodybuilding to the mainstream. Muscle & Fitness magazine ran articles monthly on the newest type of bodybuilding workout the current champ was using and printed it. Almost in unison, every reader started that workout the next day at the gym.

The best $8.95 I've ever spent

The walls have been broken

Today, it seems everyone is a personal trainer. If you have a great physique and like to wear tight shirts, you’re in. Think about it…what happens when you announce you are a personal trainer to a stranger? The stranger looks the trainer up and down–scanning the physique. Its our first line of advertisement. However, what has worked for you may not work for someone else. (Jon Goodman did a popular post examining the question “Should all Personal Trainers Have Six Pack Abs? a little while ago)

You see, we live in an age where seeing is believing. And there’s alot of fitness marketers out there that spend alot of time bragging about all the money they make (cough*cough* bullsh*t) and developing recycled products every other month. Each product touts a new workout program that promises to be better than the last. And when you uncover the content of the latest product; it reminds you alot of the LAST product! They seem to have plenty of time to create long sales lists, long marketing campaigns, and find their way to many online forums.

They have alot of free time to hit the gym too. That’s a good thing, right? Sure is if you want to maintain optimal health and lean body mass to simply function better and live a quality life. But what if you want to develop products or maintain an online presence? Shouldn’t you walk the walk? The Internet is scoured with photos and testimonials of gurus with their shredded physiques overlooking the ocean side at a Hawaiian resort, so I guess I can believe that they are in great shape. I see that and I believe that.

But wait…

Where do they find the time to do all this if they are training clients for a living? I mean, shouldn’t they be walking the walk of “helping others achieve results” and using that as their main credential? It beckons me to ask: are they really training anyone at all?

Someone once said that if you are not “paying the mortgage with your training career, then you are not training many clients”. Don’t call yourself a personal trainer unless it’s your career.

A career is a full-time endeavor…not part-time, not per diem. You pay the bills doing what you love in the career you chose. Remember the 10,000 hour mark to measure experience? I am reluctant to believe that many of today’s gurus have acquired 10,000 hours of actual face time with a client. I have an easier time believing that they have achieved 10,000 hours facing a computer screen working on the latest SEO program.

Does it really matter that a fitness professional actually trains people…in person? Does it matter that a surgeon has a steady hand? Of course.

Well why can’t I simply market my ideologies, opinions, and my personal workout and make money off of that?
You can do that too.

Why you must have face to face time

You coach…You don’t lecture - Gurus that spend 90% of their time with online clients miss out on the human condition. Relating to a person and bringing out the best in them. How do you do that with words typed? There has to be a visual and auditory stimulation to really reach into someone and pull out their best effort. There has to be a reciprocal communication of data that includes spatial awareness, cue accentuation, stress, and command. Can you really do that with words all day long?

Notice the difference in stimulation in the following videos contains verbal speech and words typed:
#1

#2

Which video grabs you more?

Hopefully if you are breathing the same oxygen I am, you said video number 2. Face to face training carries a stimulation that is mentally beneficial for both the coach and the recipient. Most gurus that spend 90% of their time on the Internet, spend their time lecturing you on what you ‘need’ to do and recycle information that has already been available. If you are a visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learner (and most of us are a combination of all three); you want a coach in the room learning about you, and then mapping out a plan of success based on what they are working with.

Learn, See, Do… and Trouble shoot - I have mentioned many times that my first 2 years in the business, I may have committed more errors in program design with my clients than ever. I was young and I was still learning. I knew what my body was capable of doing; but when I commanded my client to perform certain movements, they struggled. I couldn’t figure it out without having to observe them — taking in information from what I was SEEING — and correcting or modifying my original design. No exercise program is written in stone. NONE. All will have to be modified.

All the great coaches will tell you that. You cannot write a one size fits all program and expect optimal results. Each program has to be tailored towards the individuals’ goals, capabilities, and medical history. However, many programs sold online are promoted as they are the END ALL, BE ALL and will 100% work for you. That is not true.

There are certain coaches that sell products online that I admire…alot. They are smart and use test studies to warrant feedback on a program. Once they have gathered the info needed; then the product is packaged and sold. That is concreteness.

Stop admiring personal trainers and…

Get out there - It takes alot of guts to call yourself a fitness professional. People expect you to be a marathoner, cyclist, parachuter, power-lifter, and deep sea Navy diver–all rolled up into one. Truth is...I am a fitness professional and I sometimes get sick of going to the gym. I sometimes get sick of talking about fitness. I rarely feel the need to talk about fitness when I am out. I like to talk about LIFE. Physical fitness is a component of life. And it is what defines my career. The path to becoming the best that you can be has many routes and doesn’t only include fitness.

Is there really a difference between training others versus training yourself and expecting the same results?

Sure there is. Training others is a complex process of applying modifying principles indicative to a person’s relative response. A trainer learns how to SPEAK, GESTURE, MIRROR, and DEMONSTRATE when working with another individual.  A guru who spends 90% of her time “working online” misses those actions. So how can you deem a guru credulous when they have not tested their expertise in the real world? Am I implying that the online world is not the real world? Yes.

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What are your thoughts on internet trainers? Do you think it’s fair for them to call themselves trainers? Comment below and, as always, please share

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