Gym rant - Condescending “PT”s

Mickdundee

Winger
Joined David Lloyd’s last week and was told you get 4 free PT sessions. I then found out it’s actually 4 30min introductory sessions after I’d booked in for tonight.

conversation went like this:
PT: what do you want to get out of these sessions

Me: I’ve been doing the Stronglifts program for the last 10 months or so in my garage, and now I’ve joined a proper gym I’m looking for something to do in an extra session or 2 on top of my compound lifts. I like the look of the Synrgy equipment but the times of the classes don’t really suit me.

PT: What are your aims? Bulk up? Get more toned?

Me: I’ve been looking to get back down to 14 stone - I’ve lost a stone already and about another to go.

PT: You need to be doing cardio then.

Me: I’m really more interested in “functional” type exercises, like with the Synrgy equipment.

I’ve come away with a 100% cardio programme and asked to book in with her again in 10 days time. I think I’ll book my son into the 11AM kids class a week on Saturday, book into a Synrgy class and jack in the sessions.
 


95% of them are f***ing useless tbf, they just go through the motions.
From my experience, the decent ones seem to set up on their own, either by opening their own gyms or hiring out space in places that specialise in personal training, rather than being employed by a “leisure club”.

I didn’t think I was asking for much, they have loads of interesting/different equipment on the gym floor (Slam Balls with various different items to throw them against; bungee ropes, ladders, logs etc) I was just wanting some pointers for exercises. Ended up doing what I could have worked out for myself had I actually wanted to do intervals on the treadmill or use the rowing machine.

Mrs Dundee is seeing a proper trainer (signed up for a 10 week “transformation” block a week and a half before we decided to join DL) and she seems to really know her stuff - detailed nutritional guidance for calories, macros etc; focusing on compound lifts with accessory exercises and HIIT, making special allowances for my wife having 2 metal rods in her back.
 
Mrs Dundee is seeing a proper trainer (signed up for a 10 week “transformation” block a week and a half before we decided to join DL) and she seems to really know her stuff - detailed nutritional guidance for calories, macros etc; focusing on compound lifts with accessory exercises and HIIT, making special allowances for my wife having 2 metal rods in her back.
90% of PT's aren't qualified nutritionists but will give you a diet plan without having a clue what they are talking about, sometimes a good PT will say, sorry i'm not qualified to give you nutritional advice.

Realistically over the course of a year, you could probably lose the same amount of weight from regular cardio by doing regular weight training. But you are better off taking pictures and seeing physical body changes over a number on a scale, as muscle is heavy!

I was advised to do say 1 cardio session a week & 1 HIIT session, on top of my weight training to help the weight go down.

I'd say the only downside of this for me when i was doing it, is that although i looked in good shape, i was nowhere near as fit when say playing football, so i felt i needed to do more on top of the weights and i got the point where i was doing like weights every morning & insanity/football 3-4 times a week and i just burnt out.
Now i'm a walrus again.
 
The only time I've ever found one to be any use whatsoever, was when I did knee rehab after my first surgery. She pushed me hard, and gave me exercises I never knew about.

As far as ordinary workouts go, I haven't had much success with them, and the guys I watch in the gym actually make me angry at times. Earlier this summer I watched a guy doing a session with a kid who could only have been in his mid teens. He had the physique of an Ethiopian distance runner, and this guy had him doing bicep curls for what seemed like an eternity.

As someone else said, people who are passionate and knowledeable tend not to work in leisure clubs and big chains.
 
Joined David Lloyd’s last week and was told you get 4 free PT sessions. I then found out it’s actually 4 30min introductory sessions after I’d booked in for tonight.

conversation went like this:
PT: what do you want to get out of these sessions

Me: I’ve been doing the Stronglifts program for the last 10 months or so in my garage, and now I’ve joined a proper gym I’m looking for something to do in an extra session or 2 on top of my compound lifts. I like the look of the Synrgy equipment but the times of the classes don’t really suit me.

PT: What are your aims? Bulk up? Get more toned?

Me: I’ve been looking to get back down to 14 stone - I’ve lost a stone already and about another to go.

PT: You need to be doing cardio then.

Me: I’m really more interested in “functional” type exercises, like with the Synrgy equipment.

I’ve come away with a 100% cardio programme and asked to book in with her again in 10 days time. I think I’ll book my son into the 11AM kids class a week on Saturday, book into a Synrgy class and jack in the sessions.
Tl:dr

Is the PT physically tarty?
 
I dont think Condescending is the correct word. Because I doubt the person doing your 4x inductions sessions is even a personal trainer. Will just be a gym instructor who is following the default guidance they are told to give. They probbaly dont get many people with actual gym knowledge bothering with the 4 free sessions. People doing those sessions will usually be gym noobs without enough experience to pose any difficult questions.
Suggest you sack them off and carry on doing what you are doing.
For what its worth weight loss is 80% nutrition and 20% perspration.
If you want to post up or PM me your nutrition plan I can have a gander.
 
I dont think Condescending is the correct word. Because I doubt the person doing your 4x inductions sessions is even a personal trainer. Will just be a gym instructor who is following the default guidance they are told to give. They probbaly dont get many people with actual gym knowledge bothering with the 4 free sessions. People doing those sessions will usually be gym noobs without enough experience to pose any difficult questions.
Suggest you sack them off and carry on doing what you are doing.
For what its worth weight loss is 80% nutrition and 20% perspration.
If you want to post up or PM me your nutrition plan I can have a gander.
That’s exactly what I was planning to do. The Synrgy HIIT class is full this weekend but will do the one next weekend and probably either do that every week (because it’s the same time as the pre-school craft class) and keep my current “accessory” session for for the other non-compound lift day, or throw together a couple of accessory days with some of the Synrgy exercises together with my other exercises once I’ve done a class or 2 and know what I’m doing.

Nutrition wise I’ve basically bumped everything into MyFitnessPal and followed what it said. It’s 50% carbs, 25% fat, 25% protein. Starting weight was 15st 12lbs (actually it was 16st3lbs back in May but after losing 5lbs the healthy eating went out the window because I hated my old job until I started my one in September and decided to get healthy again) and my target weight is 14st. As can be seen from my other thread, I had been struggling to meet my protein goals but a couple of tweaks to my lunches and a couple of my teas and I’m smashing it every day.
 
Last edited:
There's a PT in the gym i go to who has regular clients in daily. I have only ever seen him make his clients just push and pull a sled down the track, continiously, for about half an hour. I have never seen them do anything else.
 
Plenty are shit, plenty are good. It depends what you're willing to pay and where you know to look, like with plenty of industries and services.

Unfortunately the route that most people are likely to take will lead them to incompetent idiots with insufficient knowledge of basic physiology, biomechanics and programming. It's an industry that many people fancy themselves as experts in after losing a bit of weight or achieving a half decent physique, with fast track courses available to pretty much anyone.

Just got to have a good look around. If you've got a nose for bullshit, just ask plenty of questions about the underlying mechanisms of adaptation.

Might even find one who's brain I'm seemingly subletting substantial space from, unknowing to me :D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Plenty are shit, plenty are good. It depends what you're willing to pay and where you know to look, like with plenty of industries and services.

Unfortunately the route that most people are likely to take will lead them to incompetent idiots with insufficient knowledge of basic physiology, biomechanics and programming. It's an industry that many people fancy themselves as experts in after losing a bit of weight or achieving a half decent physique, with fast track courses available to pretty much anyone.

Just got to have a good look around. If you've got a nose for bullshit, just ask plenty of questions about the underlying mechanisms of adaptation.

Might even find one who's brain I'm seemingly subletting substantial space from, unknowing to me :D
what's all this here then?
 
Joined David Lloyd’s last week and was told you get 4 free PT sessions. I then found out it’s actually 4 30min introductory sessions after I’d booked in for tonight.

conversation went like this:
PT: what do you want to get out of these sessions

Me: I’ve been doing the Stronglifts program for the last 10 months or so in my garage, and now I’ve joined a proper gym I’m looking for something to do in an extra session or 2 on top of my compound lifts. I like the look of the Synrgy equipment but the times of the classes don’t really suit me.

PT: What are your aims? Bulk up? Get more toned?

Me: I’ve been looking to get back down to 14 stone - I’ve lost a stone already and about another to go.

PT: You need to be doing cardio then.

Me: I’m really more interested in “functional” type exercises, like with the Synrgy equipment.

I’ve come away with a 100% cardio programme and asked to book in with her again in 10 days time. I think I’ll book my son into the 11AM kids class a week on Saturday, book into a Synrgy class and jack in the sessions.

We use a lad who is dedicated to PT only mate - maybe worth giving him a try if you want to do specific training. He's top class, relatively cheap and works out of Ashbrooke. If you interested let me know and I'll PM you his details.
 
We use a lad who is dedicated to PT only mate - maybe worth giving him a try if you want to do specific training. He's top class, relatively cheap and works out of Ashbrooke. If you interested let me know and I'll PM you his details.
The 4 hour drive might be a problem, thanks for the offer.

I actually know a guy who is a PT with a good rep around here, but all I was really wanting from the woman in the gym was to show me some of the equipment I’ve not used before as they have some “functional fitness” type equipment they use for gym floor based classes (and are free to use the rest of the time) but none of the class times suit.
 
The 4 hour drive might be a problem, thanks for the offer.

I actually know a guy who is a PT with a good rep around here, but all I was really wanting from the woman in the gym was to show me some of the equipment I’ve not used before as they have some “functional fitness” type equipment they use for gym floor based classes (and are free to use the rest of the time) but none of the class times suit.


Ah - not the best warm up I guess :)
 
Most of the ones at my place just stand around slapping each other on the back the majority of the time. I've also started to notice that some of the newer ones they employ are in pretty bad shape. Not sure I'd want to pay for nutritional/weight loss tips from someone who obviously can't practice what they preach.
 

Back
Top