Recently, I came across a news article which ripped Jillian Michael’s to shreds. Who is Jillian Michael’s? If you have ever seen the show the “Biggest Loser,” you may know who Jillian is, but if you haven’t you probably won’t. Jillian is one of the personal trainers who is regularly seen on the show the “Biggest Loser”. The show takes overweight people and whips them into shape and the person who loses the most weight is awarded a prize. Sounds great, huh? It is a good idea especially for people who can’t get enough of reality tv.

Kettlebell

Jillian Michaels is well known in most fitness circles. She has been a trainer since her teen years and her image is attached to several well known exercise products including dvds. I imagine this is why they chose her for the show. This is where the probably lies as most of the so called fitness celebrities constantly have to maintain their “shine” to keep their spot in the public’s eye and maintain marketability. Who wouldn’t want to remain relevant? The difference between remaining relevant and disappearing can decide things such as driving a Mercedes Benz or a Ford. It might even mean having to cook yourself or hiring a personal chef. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am all for trainers making money doing something they are passionate about but I don’t think it should be at a client’s expense. In Ms. Michaels “microwave” approach to kettlebells dvd, many people have criticized her form and technique saying it can and will eventually lead to injury. I can attest to this as I took a kettlebell class and you definitely want to make sure your form is correct and it takes plenty of practice. Its not something you can “grab and go” without first practicing and getting some private instruction. It looks easy but it really isn’t. Its one of those things where image and perception can get blurred and this is what I wanted to talk about today.

Image and perception

Let’s say you venture into your local gym and you’re approached by two trainers with the following characteristics: Trainer A has muscles bulging everywhere and he talks the talk about the bodybuilding championships he’s won and who he knows in the fitness industry while Trainer B is a scrawny guy who doesn’t know anyone and looks like he can barely put one foot in front of the other. Who would most likely be your choice for a personal trainer? I can tell you from experience for most people it would probably be Trainer A. Why? Most people correlate bodybuilding with gym experience and this is not always the case. Bodybuilders body build….this is what they do. It doesn’t mean that person knows the correct way to train you, it just means they knew the correct way to train to achieve the look they wanted. Unfortunately, they’ll probably try to train you the same way and leave you injured. This happens all too often in the fitness world where image and perception becomes blurred leaving innocent bystanders standing in the crossfire. I am not just picking on bodybuilders as some of them know their stuff, because it can happen in a completely different way.

Used car salesmen or personal trainer? Maybe both!

Personal “Gym” Trainer

Here’s the scenario. You recently join the gym and you’re approached by a personal trainer for a free introductory session. He or she takes you on a tour of the facility and then puts you through the workout and its a “doozie”. They then try to sell you a bunch of  training sessions and since you want to lose weight, you sign up. Bad move or no? You figured you can’t go wrong because they work in a gym, right? I am going to make a safe assumption here and tell you only 10% of the trainers in your local gym are serious about training people and helping them with their weight loss goals. The other 90% are probably between jobs, just losers, or they thought personal training was cool so they wanted to give it a try. If you don’t believe me, take an inventory of the trainers the next time you go into your local gym and then do it again about a month from now. I can almost guarantee over half of the trainers there will be gone. They will have quit, gotten out of limbo, or were fired because they weren’t serious about the job. So what does that tell you?

Don’t be fooled

Never get caught up in image. It can deceive you. For instance, most people who may have bought Jillian Michaels dvd will look at her and think she’s a kettlebell expert when she isn’t. She does play the part well to those who don’t know any better and this happens all to often in the fitness industry. You have people giving advice or training people based on an image and how the image is perceived. Jillian might be a great personal trainer but she isn’t a great kettlebell instructor and shouldn’t pretend like she is one. On the other hand, no one should pretend to be a fitness trainer when they obviously aren’t one, leave that  to the trainer who is serious about touching people’s lives and making a difference. There comes a time when you have to value integrity over a fast dollar and all too often this isn’t the case. Until next time, see you on the lean side!

Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist