Why You Should Be Picky...
Note* re-published from a previous blog from 2018
I have been very lucky over the years to work with some truly awesome trainers / coaches / instructors / teachers / humans.
At different stages I have needed different things from them – some helped me through an injury, some helped me fall in love with strength training, some fuelled my curiosity for movement and some challenged my currently held beliefs around training and teaching.
My Pilates soul is being fuelled by regular sessions with a great instructor here [in Kuwait] plus my home workouts, but I am still struggling to find exactly what I’m looking for in a strength training space. I have been “shopping around” trying some different gyms and it’s made me realise that we should ALL be super picky about where we spend our money for this stuff. It’s not cheap at home, and it’s certainly not cheap here – but it’s definitely worth it if it’s giving you what you want.
The questions that I am asking when looking to invest my time and money in training/gym/coaches/instructors are:
1. Do they say hello?
· Do they introduce themselves?
· Do they say hi to any new faces?
· Do they ask about any current injuries in the group?
It seems so bloody obvious, but these things don’t always happen! If this pretty basic level of connection and communication is missing - I'm already that not that interested.
2. Do they care about the movement?
· Do they demonstrate and explain the movements?
· Do they help people that are struggling and provide alternatives or modifications?
· Do they provide cues in a POSITIVE / CONSTRUCTIVE / ENCOURAGING way? Or are they just telling people what NOT to do?
I LOVE being in a class and hearing great instructors give fabulous support and guidance to the people around me. I WANT them to be specific, and set challenging goals that make me work harder AND smarter. If a coach is only providing negative cues…I’m thinking this place is not for me.
3. Do they tell you the WHY?
· Do they explain the plan/programming?
· Do they justify their cues?
· Do they ask about and make reference to YOUR GOALS?
When paying someone else for training, I want to know that I am in safe hands, and working towards something. Knowing the programming process, and how it aligns with MY GOALS is an important part of the teacher / student relationship.
Having said all of that, I think the three MOST important things for me are:
Is it fun?
Is it challenging?
Did I learn something?
It’s okay to be picky about who you train with. It’s your body, health, money and time. Ask yourself what is important for you to get out of a training session – and then find someone that provides that!
What do you look for in a coach/trainer/instructor/gym?