everyone's a fitness expert

It takes only about 5 minutes on social media to confirm that there appears to be a wealth of fitness experts. Instagram is especially notorious for this. I'm not knocking Instagram. I myself had an IG account, but found it sucked up more of my time than anything else. 

The problem is people associate good looks and a hard body with fitness knowledge. When I was 20 I was in the Marine Corps and I fell into that very category. However, I knew very little about exercise or nutrition. I knew the basics movements, and the concept of the need of protein for muscle mass, and I knew a few things about supplements that the non-exerciser might not know... giving the further illusion that I was an "expert".

Now I hold a masters degree in Exercise Science, I hold the most prestigious certifications in the industry and have over a decade of experience as well as teach college courses and certification classes to aspiring trainers and by many measure may be considered an expert but that's now how I refer to myself. Firstly, the concept of expert has this connotation that we have all the answers, and there's nothing left for us to learn, because clearly we know it all. This is far from the truth. I know a lot.... more than most or almost any other trainer I come across but there's so much we "experts" and the scientific community have not yet learned. So if the fitness guru is calling themselves an expert and has advanced credentials that's fine... but usually that is not the case. Usually they have a couple of certifications, and a couple of success stories... which are nice, but hardly constitute the title of expert.

In the United States largely personal training is unregulated. There are only a few places that require any sort of education to claim to be a personal trainer. That means literally anyone with a heart beat who likes to workout can call themselves a personal trainer or a coach. I have come across quite a few of these very people. They very frequently think of themselves or call themselves an expert. In one particular instance I had one guy who was preparing for his first body building competition, and was working on getting a certification (but did not have one yet) attempt to poach one of my clients. He explained to the client that even though I was good for "basic" fitness stuff if that guy wants to build muscle, he'd be a much better choice. He justified this by telling the guy he was preparing for a body building competition and went on explain his muscular gains. 

That example epitomizes the self proclaimed expert syndrome found in the fitness industry. The soon to be trainer/expert was in his early twenties, was using steroids, and was recommending to my client (who was 67 years old), to lift heavier weights and lower reps. This was his piece of expert information. The problem with this short sited recommendation is he ignored the conditioning phase that is so crucial in the ageing population especially if they do not have a history of lifting weights. 

If you're looking for a good trainer, or fitness expert to help you achieve your goals here are a few things to pre-qualify them.

• Do they have experience working with someone who has your goals, in your demographic (age, gender, health status/conditions)
• If they do not, do they have experience in something close, or have the ability to find the information, or will they just take your through what they know for them?
• Do they have a valid personal training certification or degree? A valid certification typically is NCCA accredited with the exception of the ISSA (which goes through the department of education)

There are a number of other things to look for in a trainer, but this will ensure you are working with someone who is competent enough to help you and keep you safe. Thanks for reading my rant.... have a great day!
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