All trainers and exercise facilities are not equal. There I’ve said it. I can hear the “how dare she's,” now. Let me explain. Anyone can operate a gym, anyone can deem themselves an expert and advertise “expert advice from our qualified trainers”. This doesn’t mean that they have had any training in muscle movement or injury prevention, any training in working with senior citizens or even any qualifications in working with high school students or adult bodybuilders. All that statement means is that they have determined themselves an expert and opened a business. Perhaps they have an athletic look or participate in a sport. It’s legal. The public who unwittingly allows these folks to give them advice are the ones who suffer. So what? How does the public suffer from the misinformation given out by unqualified instructors? It’s only exercise, how could it hurt anyone? Let me tell you what’s wrong with just anyone dispensing fitness advice.

A friend of mine lives out of the area and only visits now and then. He began a gym membership and a healthy eating plan. Now after about six months a few guys at his gym have been asking him to work out with them. Although he is 52, the other guys are older and tell him they have been lifting weights for years. He is working out with them and taking their advice as to weight, reps, style of lifting, etc. I had to tell him “these guys sound like idiots, they are going to hurt you”! Are they in shape? Well no, they say it’s because they are over 50. I must say “oh really!!!!” Could be they are not in shape because they don’t understand what they are doing and are using age as an excuse. This is so typical in gyms, bubba is big, bubba lifts heavy weight, therefore bubba must know what he’s doing, right? Wrong, bubba probably has all kinds of aches and pains, his knees, his back, his shoulder. But when Bubba describes these problems, it’s never due to improper lifting techniques. Oh no, Bubba got hurt due to this that and the other thing. It’s never Bubbas lack of knowledge. He always has a pile of excuses. Yet in most gyms there are several little clicks of bubbas dispensing advice. Sometimes these Bubbas have actually taken a Personal Trainer Certification course, one bubba took a mail order certification and had a 30 day open book test, taken at home. Would you like to take advice from someone who put so little effort in obtaining fitness knowledge? You probably have already and still don’t know the difference.

Now on to Bubbas’ female counterpart, Ms Fitness Chick. Usually she is someone who enjoyed another instructors class. Maybe Ms Fitness Chick was a star pupil. Many times the original instructor had no real training or just took a basic weekend seminar on aerobic fitness, hardly qualifying them as an expert, yet these are the folks who run classes for community groups holding classes at schools, hospitals and even community college classes. Credibility of location is given to those with no real credibility or qualifications. These chicks push their own misconceptions of healthy eating on the class who thinks they are getting an experts advice. The flooring at these facilities is not recommended and leads to injuries. Recently a chick advertised Tai Bow, but had to retract the name since it is trade marked and available only to those having taken the training course to use the trademarked name. When someone new walks in my door, I screen that individual for injuries or potential problem areas that could lead to an injury. The conversation comes around to current and past exercise programs and 9 out of 10 times the injury is coming from that class or so-called expert having the class do moves likely to cause injury.

What I find really interesting is that these local bubbas & chicks never show up at the bodybuilding and fitness shows. I mean even as a spectator, most seem afraid to be found out. Afraid to even sit in the audience with competitors, trainers and families. Wouldn’t it seem that those who claim to be experts would have some type of a presence at our local regional competitions that have been going on for the last 10 years in Burlington and around. It easy to be a big fish in a small pool, it’s not such an easy task to gain respect of your peers regionally.

Anyone can show you how to exercise and anyone can waste your time and get you hurt. Be an informed public, gain results through knowledge.

Come see my competitors at the next contests coming up May 11, 2002 and June 22, 2002. Both urine tested natural competitions sponsored through different affiliations. Not only does Achieve Fitness talk the talk but we walk the walk and the phonies can’t say that.

Please e-mail any fitness related questions you would like to see discussed in my column. I will answer them if I’m able.