Most important is to improve the clients quality of lilfe. The person who can't walk up 2 flights of stairs without getting out of breath, the bricklayer who complains of back pain, the elderly lady who can no longer carry her shopping bags, the mother who has difficulty playing with her children on the floor and then getting up again, the martial arts guy who wants to hit harder, ... find out what your clients want and need! Improve their quality of life and be honest with them!
Other mistakes I frequently see are: 1) coaches don't correct bad form 2) put on too much load and then help the client lift the weight. 3) not asking what the client's goals are. 4) including odd exercises that have no obvious value and seem more like an intent to provide something "different" or entertain the client. 5) using the same workout routine for everybody (no personalization) There are probably more, but these are the ones I see constantly.
To be fare, a newbie doesn't need the variation you said in #5 as any exercise is going to be a boost. The same program works for 95% of people unless they are training athletes or people with past injuries. Like Mike said, compound supersets over 30-45 minutes is all you need to get a great workout and feel accomplished.
@@brandongroth4569 agreed. As Mike mentioned, workouts for newbies can be pretty simple. Nevertheless, I believe routines should be individualized. Not everybody is built the same and not everybody has the same goals.
So many times I trained an absolute beginner. We finished and they said, "that's it?". Then we went down the stairs and they where like, " holy shit!". :)
@jeremyjjbrown you're not lying. I'm 8 months into my first gym membership in my entire 36 years. Our initial "level set" workout with our then trainer was a 15 minute workout of about 4 exercises. I couldn't sit on the toilet right for 4 days. Walking was a nightmare. People don't realize how out of shape they are until they actually do anything moderately hard...
@@HeadCannonPrimeisn't that an indicator that you are making them do too much? Not a PT but after 10 years of training if I don't train for a month or two I can bypass DOM by going really easy the first week. Is that impossible for beginners?
@@MyRevoltecyep for me and my friends when we started going to the gym the couch made us do just some chest hammer presses and some shoulder presses and the next day we couldn’t move we didn’t even put any weights on the machine
I'd say as a woman there are some key mistakes I see trainers make with women in particular: 1. Assuming her goal is weight loss/commenting on her weight for no actual reason. Maybe she is entirely interested in strength gains and doesn't need that input Karen. 2. Not pushing women hard enough/never pushing them to failure. 3. Avoiding free weights on their behalf. 4. Obsession with bizarre/made up bs exercises that 'tone' rather than just having her do a normal ass program.
There's 2 issues causing this problem. 1. The trainer isn't doing a proper initial assessment or hasn't done one at all. The client just assuming the trainer is going to give them what they want without ever telling the trainer what they want. Or 2. Someone else did the assessment like the gyms salesperson or fitness director. And did not properly brief the trainer on how to train the client. The system is messy and inefficient
@paddy3622 you can definitely have both, but it's a hard balance to strike. Sometimes your friends can be the people who kick your ass the hardest. But in the gym, it's time to work.
Maybe some people do, but I've got enough issues as it is lmao. Dragging my fat ass into the gym in the first place already takes a lot of mental effort -- I need someone to be encouraging more than anything else. (I've only been going routinely since May, so I'm still pretty new to all this, too...)
This information is so semantical he should be emphasizing that you have to assess each client individually. What they can and cannot do. And what their goals are.
This is how I train my older adult clients (55-75+). Compound movements work really well for them and best support their activities of daily living. Plus a few of them have put on visible muscle mass.
Watching an RP video makes you realize that most UA-cam fitness is based on implications. Dr Mike is always logically explaining his recommendations, in contrast to other channels where the creators just give prescriptions implying "train like me to look like me". Quality video.
This one pisses me off: TRAINERS TEACH YOUR CLIENTS GOOD GYM ETIQUETTE. I’ve seen trainers with their clients walk away from bars with plates loaded. Wtf.
@shoefury Agree with this completely. Example in my gym we have designated lanes for sleds in a large gym area with astroturf. The other day I am pulling sleds and I'd been there a while and there was a trainer training a client. They take an exercise mat and plop it down right in the lane I'm working on to work on the mat. WTF? You see me here working, you didn't just come in here. I was angry and asked them to move their ass. Pay attention.
My biggest gripe with personal trainers is that instead of giving their clients the tools they need to be able to have autonomy over their own training going forward so the trainer and client can eventually go their separate ways in confidence, they built a parasitic relationship built around the concept of “you need me.” I understand it’s in the PT’s best business interest to keep a client as long as possible, but doing so at the expense of disempowering the client in exchange for money is icky
@BUFFALO_cougar_slayer I've gotten extremely lucky in that sense... My trainer was originally a temporary one, while my regular trainer was on sabbatical. Even though we only originally trained with him for a month, he wrote up a whole mesocycle of workouts for my wife and me. He knew that I was interested in learning better form, building workouts, and just gaining overall strength and health. I can directly quote him as he said, "I want to teach you so that one day you won't need to have me train you, and so that you can build your own programs." He's a great guy and has actually, I believe become a friend, as well. I've been training with him about a month and a half now, as our actual trainer, and my progression has been insane. Guys like him are rare, but they're out there.
I’m with you on this one! As a personal trainer at my local gym I always tell my clients that my goal is to be their guide to get them to the point where they don’t need me anymore and I only use tools that they’ll be able to use even when they’re not with me. I want them to build the confidence to continue on their own and to even be able to teach those around them. To my surprise I’ve actually been able to retain more clients for longer periods because of the respect and trust vs my peers who don’t view it this way.
Unless you're a professional athlete WTF do you need a personal trainer for, people act like they don't have all the information in the world in their hands. Step 1. How to Workout w Dr Mike. Step 2. Go FKKKING WORKOUT!!🤣🤡
As a newly launched personal trainer…I couldn’t click this fast enough 😂 Edit: this made me feel so much more confident as I do a lot of this already, probably from watching all your videos. I need to pick up the pace I’ve learned though
Personal story. I worked with a PT for 14 months. I told them my goal was to get jack and shredded. He got me doing CrossFit 5x a week, and 1 continuous year long bulk. I went from 126lbs to 169lbs. I basically just got fat and built no muscle. Now I have been cutting and maintaining since January. 😂😂 Super thankful for this channel.
When I started into working out more regularly at a gym (good life) I booked one of their trainers for one session specifically to help me with form on my squat and bench. The guy instead filled the time with accessory movements like pistol squats and kettle bell stuff. Never booked a trainer there again. Went on to keep working out (now in my 2nd year of regularly hotting the weights 5 days a week) did all my research on UA-cam instead and eventually bought the rp app. Have been using that for a few months now.
Yep, same thing for me. Every trainer I've had made the first session so intense and miserable that I never went back. Everything I know I learned over the years was from yoga and UA-cam lol.
The exact same thing happened to me. I was clueless and just wanted to know the proper form for squats, bench press, shoulder press, etc. I got shown how to use a treadmill and the olyptical. I just got the biggest guy in the gym to show me haha
I almost got mad at a trainer when I was working out yesterday(I've already been complimented on my form before) and I realized that the trainer was watching me and not his client. I started to fuss and remind him I'm not the one who paid him and he realized I saw him watching and looked away. That sounds like a weird story and I get it but even if my form is wrong I'm not the one who paid him for training. Don't worry about me.
@gSF95 I've seen a few just flat out on their phones or cutting up with other gym members walking by. Had it happen to me before my current trainer. Like damn, I'm not paying you to chill with your homies. I'm trying to learn and get healthier. Luckily, my current trainer is a badass, and he does a great job of paying attention to form and giving cues. He's also good at shooting the shit and motivating through hard sets.
Pet peeve: trainers who give every client the same workout. 25 year old high school football dude trying to live his glory days? Bench, deadlift clean and jerk. 45 year old mom with a disk herniation just trying to get back into fitness? Bench, deadlift, clean and jerk.
4:26 if the RP app had the ability for me to track all of my clients I would absolutely use it. I don’t like any current training apps but from what I saw in the video where you made your own plan the interface is perfect.
TrainHeroic is the best i've come across so far. Able to add clients, build specific workouts, tracks total workout volume, etc.I use it for one-to-one clients as well as online. Was also going to go and check the RP now but after you mentioned you can't track all clients it also won't work for me
You can, the only catch is they can’t use the app at the same time, example- i share my account with my dad and he has his own routine and individually labeled for him. So it might need more work to help make it easier but it’s possible.
I think the information you give is better than ANY personal trainer, Dr Mike. All of the personal trainers ive were PURE DOG SHT; a total waste of time, energy and money and the experience was often EXTREMELY counter productive. god bless doc
I've been coaching for a decade, training myself for 25 years, and I can say with absolute confidence this is legit advice. THIS is personal training done right.
As a trainee, who has had several bad trainers, this video is spot on!!! I remember the first PT session I ever had (with a really good trainer). Afterwards, I almost crawled into the locker room, sat on the bench trying to recover, with only 2 thoughts going through my mind: 1) I'm gonna die!!! 2) I can't wait until the next session! A few sessions later, I told him I had a complaint about the previous session. He was all concerned and asked what he could do to improve. I told him that after the session I noticed there was about a square inch section of my shirt that was not soaked in sweat and told him I expected him to do better. :) THAT is the type of trainer I like and respect! Most of the trainers I see these days spent way too much time chit-chatting with their clients (which is also the fault of the clients- they either encourage it or don't put a stop to it). I also see too many of them focusing on muscle isolating exercises.
My number one from the start is that your personal trainer actually is fit. A lot of people get the certs for an “easy” job and it reflects in their client’s results
I was a personal trainer back in 2006 after just 8 years of training and an online certification. As many people do, I would sometimes question my abilities as a personal trainer. After watching this video though I feel like I was pretty decent. These tips, in my opinion, should be basic knowledge to all personal trainers and it really surprises me that these things need to be addressed to people who are already certified.
Dear Mr. Isratel, please make another video giving advice to trainers. I am a new personal trainer and you deliver information in such an amazing and easy to digest way. Thank you!
when I first started my training journey having lost 50lbs, I asked my clients who their “guy” was. Five of them all swore up snd down by the same person. I showed up; this guy looks like if Bruce Lee was black and a grandad. He kicks my arse EVERY session but never hurts me. Super happy with my progress. It’s uncanny - every time I watch a RP video, I’m like, “wait, that’s how Archie makes me do it!” - super exciting!
Dr. Mike. Would like to hear a version if this concerning training the older clients particularly 60's and 70's. Where dealing with the aging body safely in clients wanting to maximize their physical condition at these older ages.
Anyone who will stick around for hard training is a gift. I wish everyone was like this. But if you want to be able to help the most people possible, you must realize there are many instances where this is not something that will retain the client. Older individuals, individuals who absolutely loathe working out, people with high blood pressure who get dizzy with many compound movements, these are people that will not stick around if you are exhausting them every workout. I used to work everyone to what I saw as reasonable limits and lost many early on and lost these clients for specifically that reason. I’d rather them do a suboptimal workout than nothing, which is what will happen if they are afraid of the workout I will put them through. For these people it’s important they like you. This will keep them coming and you can ease into harder workouts as time goes on, say things like “yeah it’s hard, it’s supposed to be hard”, but the most important thing you need from a client early on is to KEEP THEM COMING. Bottom line. Don’t be so quick to judge trainers that seem like they’re going too easy on their clients because you likely don’t have the full story
At my gym there's a kid that's been working with a PT for at least two years now and the kid has made no progress :/ I've noticed crazy volume, absolutely no progressive overload and no attempt at correcting his form :/ I feel bad for that kid and his parents spending 50 bucks each session and get nothing out of it.
I agree with fellow commentators, OP - attempting to make small talk with the kiddo (about seeing him around, joke that if you did so much volume you wouldn't be able to crawl out of bed, asking if he's training for a particular sport, asking jokingly if he's perhaps not allowed to use heavier weights - I suck at people..) and helping him out would be an incredible kindness. There's high likelihood that trainer sucks and the kiddo isn't eating enough either. It would be horrible if lack of perceivable progress made him loose faith in himself, give up on self improvement and start avoiding gym. The fix is probably ridiculously simple and I bet one of the issues is that he's not eating enough which is something his "trainer" should have long noticed and corrected. Teenagers are in such a volatile, difficult state emotionally that it's not difficult to imagine how it could affect him negatively, even for the rest of his life, especially if his friends are seemingly gaining muscle from nothing - as teens often do. Reaching out to him out of kindness and providing him with good advice and good resources can potentially change not only his fitness but potentially - outlook on people. Aand I know that because looong ago, I was that kid - only my trainer was an old copy of German bodybuilding magazine. I would have likely hurt myself sooner than later. And instead of ridiculing me, one of the biggest ironheads there took pity on me and took his time to show me the basics and write me a rudimentary starting program. He shaped me not only as a lifter but as a human being too. Aaanyway... Even if by a tiny, tiny chance you end up being somehow wrong about his trainer/training just the fact that someone noticed him and cared enough to take time to try to help him out without judgement or condescension will mean a lot to this young dude. Go for it, dude. You have good heart.
You guys are right, unfortunately I haven't had a chance to talk to him one on one yet. It's a small gym and that trainer is always around when the kid is here.
That was very helpful - thanks! I superset and also walk from the bench/machine to record what I’ve done in a workout log I deliberately have on the other side of the weight room. No need for rests this way.
biggest mistakes I see these other rookie personal trainers make is they don't have any butlers. I have not 1, but 3 butlers (1 at each mansion). Without a good butler how on earth do they expect to have their clients see gains??!?!
When I first started training 30 years ago, trainers were usually jacked. Now many don't look much if at all better than the clients they are training. This is even more true for most typical large chain gym trainers.
As an exercise scientist, I can't do, so I teach. Don't knock people for looks. A fat lady is the best skateboard Slolam champ and Steve Smith was one of the best NFL receivers. And just cuz someone is SWOL doesn't mean they know anything other than to train themselves. THIS is the biggest issue with exercise science and training in this day and age. The paradox of looking the part vs knowing the part. And it's so rare to have a Dr. Mike or Jeff Nippard, who knows it and does it. Particularly without roids, or honest about em.
@@morsumbra9692 i saw an obese woman training this guy at a chain gym and not correcting his form on tricep extension, if youre obese then ya you better know what youre talking about otherwise how the hell are they a trainer n getting business. hes right you should have to look the part for the job at least be in shape n healthy
@@morsumbra9692 i agree i have a class i teach of how to get rich, i myself am not rich, why? because i just love seeing other people rich. its totally believable
I've recently been enjoying a lot of your content and find it very informative overall. I apologize, and you may think I'm way off base here, I think you misspoke regarding shorter rest periods resulting in a weight training session taking on the qualities of a cardiovascular training session by maintaining an elevated heart rate throughout the workout period. You referenced using supersets based off pairing opposing muscle groups through various resistance training exercises. This doesn't appear to have the effect of improving cardiac output, cardiac power, or peripheral capillary density - unless you are using a specific tempo lifting fashion with continuous breathing throughout the movements. In fact, what you are describing sounds a lot more like anaerobic lactic intervals which, as far as I understand it, can result in reducing peripheral capillary density. I'm not suggesting it's a bad way to train. It doesn't generally result in the specific adaptations one would expect from cardio training. A more effective way to incorporate cardio into a workout session might be through 5-10 minutes of steady state as a warm up or cool down.
I have recently started watching Dr. Mike's videos, and am becoming a fan ($50Aus says i dont get a reply to this comment). I have recently started getting PT sessions with very specific goals as a hobby athlete, and the most motivating thing my coach does is say before a last set is "oh, you look tired, maybe skip this set..." and i know what he's doing, but it always fires me up to finish strong and sometimes i even get an extra set in lol
As a female with high cortisole I absolutely hate short resting periods. I CAN do it, yes. But that would do me in for the rest of the week. So I'd be training one a week for 30 minutes and feel like shit for the rest of the week, hating working out, dreading the next session, stuffing my face with food, because I feel so weak and depleted. Yeah, that's about it. And a lot of woman think that's what working out feels like and should feel like. Honestly I'd rather go to the gym 3-4 times a week, do strength training with 3 minutes rest between sets, not do too many compound movements that completely fatigue me and actually enjoy it. Also, the stressful training never made any changes to my body. I probably just got fatter from trying to combat the fatigue. The slower strength training sessions ACTUALLY gave me some shape for the first time in my life.
as a man I also like longer rests. 3 minute rests between heavy sets of 3-5 end up being MUCH more work at the end of a 45-60 minute session than 1 minute rests but I can do a fraction of the weight just to hit those same 3-5 reps.
Yeah, did that guy really say he wants people nearly throwing up? Eff that. I have done that to myself a few times and yep, once the body gets to that shocky and barfy place, it's a slow recovery, you will feel crappy for some time. The trick is to work out hard but NOT reach that level which is basically you being ill from working out too hard. I'm not training for the Navy Seals, don't be an ahole if you are a trainer please.
I’m just beginning a career in personal training while I pursue a degree in Kinesiology as well as nutrition and this content is extremely helpful for someone like me! Watching this gives me tons of confidence as I already well understand these fundamental concepts! Thank you Papa Mike!
13:06 Gary, Indiana is legit the worst place I ever been through. It looks like where they film every post apocalyptic show/movie, but they edit the movie to make it look more livable.
So much good stuff in here! You nailed it with the why I use a personal trainer. When I workout on my own I simply don’t push as hard, rest longer (negating any cardio), and sometimes I don’t show up at all. 😆 better to have someone waiting for me that also pushes me.
Not ramping is also one of the biggest mistakes I see in people training themselves too, and is one of the best pieces of advice I give to new guys, I see so many people come in amped up, ready to go, talking about how they're gonna look in a year, and they go balls to the wall, right off the bat, then can't walk or move their arms for a week and never come back!
I am a trainer and I see this many times in the gym what you mentioned. Clients I have twice a week i do full body functional training and they got some really good results.
@@tiaanlaubscher3382 I see my trainer twice a week, but he programmed a 5 day workout week, split over 2 upper & 2 lower days (alternating), and 1 active recovery day. So, I'll go into the gym, even without him training me, and get those sessions done. It's helped my gym discipline out wildly, and has driven my passion for getting the work in and knowing I can do it on my own.
Full body is excellent for most people. It can be great for advanced even if you know what you’re doing, but at that point it’s easier for most to split their workouts.
Dr. Mike is GOATed but I'll play contrarian on over-leaning on short rest times for all personal training populations: 1) This definitely works best in terms of antagonistic pairings, where possible, but this is awkward to pull off in commercial gyms. Where it is possible it's one of my favorite, time economic ways to train. 2) Short rest times in the context of repeating the same exercise are fine, particularly for machine based exercises and with relative novices, but if you're talking longer term (somebody training months to years) and you include more technique-sensitive exercises (any form of barbell squat, RDL etc.) I think you are substantially increasing risk of form breakdown by making something other than their muscular strength the limiting factor. The average person struggles mightily with form, and making them do set after set while being distracted by heavy breathing and being otherwise exhausted is not an ideal way to cement good form, I'd argue. This is why Crossfit is a notoriously terrible way of introducing people to technique heavy exercises (barbell slow lifts, oly lifts etc.), because high fatigue and great technique acquisition stand in direct opposition to one another. 3) I don't love the idea that personal training clients need to be segregated into a completely different category from other training populations. The average, lifetime lifter is not going to be arbitrarily enforcing short rest times for most of their work, nor should they. The overwhelming majority of successful lifters (including Dr. Mike himself) do not train this way in the long term. To the extent that the job of a personal trainer is to empower a client to develop lifelong habits, you risk not training them how they'd probably be training in the long run on their own. If the goal is to make them permanent clients, this makes more sense, but I think that's not totally awesome, either.
Playing a friendly contrarian to your 3rd point: The PT clients *are* unique in that they probably have very limited time with their trainer and are probably less likely to be bothered to research and learn about stuff on their own. It makes it much more incentivized to make the most of it by choosing time-efficient strategies. The goal should be to give them a reason to want to continue training and 2 of those are results and doability. If they set up a training program that gives them slower gains costing more time, that risks having them fall off the wagon. You need to get them hooked and during that time, they'll have developed fitness, familiarity and autonomy to take more control of their training and set it up as it serves their now-refined more internalized goals.
@@canererbay8842 "The goal should be to give them a reason to want to continue training and 2 of those are results and doability. If they set up a training program that gives them slower gains costing more time, that risks having them fall off the wagon." I would argue "adequate rest" better fulfills this criteria than "arbitrarily short rest." There is definitely a good chunk of trainees who want to be punished, but a high percentage of personal training clients are middle aged to older adults with extensive medical histories, including orthopedic limitations. Training in a way that maximizes fatigue probably jeopardizes their long term gains in multiple ways, including inadequate technique acquisition, increased injury likelihood as a result, and a generally less pleasant experience where focusing on strength progression (the actual thing that most benefits them imo) can be made awkward. If we're talking 20 or even 30 something trainees with no medical history and a want to be punished, go crazy, and obviously all training should be geared towards people's actual goals. I'm not saying people need those 3+ minutes on average, but I do think "adequate rest" is often warranted. Out of the gates, if you let people self-select rest and start them appropriately light so you can enforce good technique and full for them range of motion, 1 minute actually is pretty reasonable. In the longer term, if you have them doing their squats, RDL's, heavy leg presses, bench press variants and the like, I think drifting towards ~2 minutes plus is very easily warranted. I think the biggest possible favor you can do a client is get them globally stronger, safely, and set them up for the ability to train themselves when they inevitably fall out of personal training as the vast, vast majority eventually will.
Dude, I have been watching you for almost a year now, and I have learned a great deal. I am in school for exercise science and I appreciate your information because it is true. I also love your no bs attitude. Would you mind doing more videos showcasing possible workouts that save time while getting "it" done, please?
When they aren't even paying attention to their client. I've seen them on their phones or worst yet jut checking out someone in the gym. When they don't adjust the equipment settings and explain to them how to know if it's adjusted correctly for their size or not. When they're just chit-chatting instead of discussing their goals, what they're feeling, teaching why they're picking certain exercises and what they're good for, etc. Too many people get into personal training just because they like their own fitness and not because they're good with people, coaching, or teaching.
I see this all the time at my gym. The trainers (not all, but most) are chatting, not taking notes so they can track reps and weight or time in the case of timed cardio. They're just shooting the shit.
I have a trainer and she is GREAT! She always asks if I'm okay with current weights but once in a while tell me to grab more and do "just 2 more reps". After 2 weeks not only i boosted my muscle endurance, but also working weights got increased!
As a guy who hired a not so great personal trianer, I agreed heavily with pretty much all your points. I remember being frustrated with how slow the progression was and my trainer demanding long rest periods between sets when I was fully recovered. I started in the gym at 30 after a decade of construction work. Hadn't lifted since high school. My trainer wanted me to do 10 body weight squats with a 3 minute rest. On the third session we were up to bar. I fired him after that and found a much better trainer. He was had me doing a 5x5 program with squats, dead lift, bench press, overhead press, and barbell rows. They were all super setted. In a half hour three times a week, I was able to get my bench to three plates, and my squat and deadlift over four plates in just six months. I chose the personal trainer route early on because I needed direction. I was 30, getting a little fatter, and too dumb to try and copy form and technique from youtube. A bad personal trainer nearly got my stuck as a dumb fat 30 year old. A good personal trainer made me into a dumb fat and pretty strong 33 year old. That had to be worth thousands of dollars worth of my hard earned money right?
I don't use trainers, but I know some people who use trainers. The reason they use trainers is so they can tell people they use trainers, and then when they stop progressing they stop training because they believe they can no longer progress. They themselves don't feel they can push any harder and in turn they give up. Sometimes it's not all on the trainer to push you. They can show you the way but you have to be willing to be pushed. Trainers can only push you as far as you allow them. It's their livelihood, and they cannot afford to push so hard that you leave.
I've been a trainer for about a decade and am also a training department manager. My rules are simple: 1. Always be willing to learn and grow. 2. Always have your eye on the goal 3. They don't pay us for fine, they pay us for great. Anyway, my biggest two are training the clients for your goals instead of theirs and doing the hollywood "random shit thats hard." I'm happy to say my current staff are past those now!
I hate "random shit that's hard". I don't want to pick on female trainers but they seem to love that stuff. Or compound moves that make no damn sense (bicep curl to shoulder press). I've got into arguments with other trainers over that stuff.
This. Trainers should always be learning. There’s a trainer at my gym who insists that you should only squat if your knees don’t go past your toes and if your back can be perfectly vertical. His clients squat depth is about 3 inches.
As a trainer, I already apply everything Dr. Mike is saying but I disagree when he says most clients want to feel exhausted at the end of the workout. Yes, you have that kind of client but you also have the type that needs to be handled so carefully or you wont see them again. In a few sessions you can see what type they are. When it comes to talking, if they want to talk, I will talk. If that means 4 minutes without doing a set, let it be. If you have good conversation skills, you are a step ahead of everybody else as a trainer. I really believe if you just want your clients to workout, you're missing on something. Also, there's always variability within the same person. One day they may want to talk, the next session, not so much. My experience tells me that a good PT must be very adaptable!
💯 per cent dude… some of my clients only do 3 exercises in a 1hr session they literally are pretty lonely and I’m the only person they see that day. Pt is so much more than hammering a client for results I’d venture to say most of my clients have little interest in the training and more the banter we just have! 😂
yeah this. trainers are for two types of people. Those who genuinely want someone's help getting to their goal body, and people who think they can just throw money at someone and wake up jacked.
THere's probably something important here in your statement. Part of why I keep my current hair stylist is that she's fun to talk to, but there's probably other stylists that will cut my hair a bit better. I even had one like that but he was a jerk so I just didn't like going there and so I got my current one instead. Maybe if I was a Hollywood star, I'd care more about that extra 5 percent of skill that jerk stylist has but since I'm a normal person, I'd rather have a pleasant experience for that hour. The point is that if you want to keep your clients, you don't have to pick only one thing to consider to the exclusion of all else, there is mental health and having someone to talk to that also makes the hour pleasant in other ways, you can spare a few minutes of chitchat here and there if the client is not trying to become an Olympic champion.
You've obviously been watching me train people because I do EVERYTHING you recommend😆. Love your content. Great mixture of informative and funny. Keep it up!
When I first started training people(just cause people would ask me too, I wasn’t certified or anything), I had to learn the first part, cause I would make them go hard…they loved it, but they would hide from me after that. I had to learn to let them get used to it. Focus on form first, let them get used to the mechanics…then eventually push them.
Generally from a beginner standpoint most Personal Trainers I've encountered do not take adequate time to teach proper form/range of motion on exercises and rush that part of the process too much. Great video btw!
i totally agree that clients value you more by how sweaty/exhausted they are at the end. only clients who truly understand the science and reasoning behind things want "optimal training". everybody else just wants to FEEL like they trained hard. I always start with new people with the absolute minimum volume then gauge the next sessions based on their self-reporting. For the average client (ones trying to train 30-60 minutes max) I strongly believe in compound movements and antagonist supersets.
After a check-up at a personal trainer, he said, you don't need a personal trainer. Now I'm my own trainer and all the topics you raised cover my way to train. And yes I like to "suffer" and seemingly I like to make myself "suffer". But I like to realize to step further, even if I'm not lifting weights, but swing them. Reaching "milestones" is a good feeling, like swinging a 10kg clubbell one handed and realizing, that the stability and endurance in the whole body, the feeling for counter balance increase. One problem I see for me training myself is to keep getting gains, if the equipment get's too light weighted or the space for equipment is limited.
I've been a personal trainer for 30 years. I have a degree in exercise, CSCS. I have had the NASM, ACSM and ACE certifications. My biggest problem with trainers and the profession is that you can get a "certification" in a few days. The ACE certification is such a joke. So many trainers have no idea what they are doing. They don't get thorough health histories from their clients. They put middle aged people that have never exercised through hard workouts on day one after asking only one question. "What are your goals?" Meanwhile the client just had a stent placed in his LAD three days ago, smokes three packs a day and is obese.
Grateful that at my gym, all trainers have degrees - kinseology or related. And all are certified medical exercise specialists. These people are underrated and underpaid.
This is good stuff. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos. My son is turning 14 in a few months, he is 6,3, and 230 pounds. He wanted to start training, and we have, thankfully, because yeah, it's near 50 pounds over weight. Anyway i live in butt fuck nowhere northern Canada where it's hard to find a good gym let alone a decent trainer. Found your channel, maybe a week ago. It has given me lots of knowledge i have been able to apply to my sons and my own workouts. Thanx again doc 🍻
I work out with a trainer for 6 months take a break from him for 6 months then back again watch your videos regularly I go back to him as he does most of what you advise
I saw a group of personal trainers when I was first getting into weightlifting (they all kind of worked together, it was an interesting setup, sometimes you’d train with the same person sometimes not). I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing and I have a very significant back problem to work around. I went because I was worried about learning good lifting technique, not for any other reason. Some of the trainers were great. They really focused on me and what I wanted and taught me a lot. Some kept going off on tangents about things I’d expressly communicated I was not interested in addressing at that time (weight loss, nutrition generally, etc.). it was really annoying and took up time at my training sessions that I would’ve rather used in pursuit of my goal (learning how to lift). I have a long history of disordered eating and body image issues, sometimes I can handle that sort of thing and sometimes I can’t. At that time I wanted to focus on building my confidence at the gym and making it part of my lifestyle. I didn’t want to muddy the waters by pulling it into other things and some of the trainers just didn’t seem to either respect that or believe me when I told them what I wanted.
this made me more sure about my hard training, I have no trainer. Also made me shorten the rest times by 25-50%. that bumped up my average heart rate though from 110 to 140 (with me being 47 years old begginer). great video even if you are not a trainer and dont have one.
Great info! Glad to hear I’m doing more things right for myself than I thought. I felt like a basic newb favoring the compound exercises over specific isolation ones, but that’s better for my goals. Also thought I botched the workout if I put volume I couldn’t complete onto the next attempt when I’m more rested but turns out that’s valid. I alternate the push/pulls to avoid the rest times and boredom, but I’m an endurance athlete so it’s better for me to have the cardio component in there as well.
I hired a trainer who was pretty expensive. It was like 80-100 bucks a session. First couple were solid, but then he started stacking sessions with other clients. Never went back to him, lol.
@@HeadCannonPrime just weight lifting, and wasn’t group sesh style either. He just double booked clients, and we were at wildly different levels doing completely different exercises. He’d come back, nod his head, and then disappear. Replaced him with UA-cam. Would still love to try out a good personal trainer
I can't fault anything in here. I don't ever yell or get in client's faces, that isn't the type of client I deal with. The thing with rest, especially older people, and PT, their breathing may normalize before the muscle is ready to go again. I use a minimum rest of 1 minute. I have used antag supersets. It's great for experienced clients. I've used it with teens who can handle the cardio load. For newbies who are learning proper form, you just have to go slow. If the client is out of breath and you are trying to explain how their form was janky, all they hear is Blah Blah Blah. One note about your example plan, you have upright row and barbell row in the same workout? Seems like a very similar movement back to back. I prefer antagonistic supersets of squat and a hamstring/glute exercise like RDL, or bridges. Last point about isolation training, men ALWAYS want to do a bicep curl at least once a week. It's a dude thing even when they are 80 years old. Just put one in even if it's not the most optimal. Never had a client say "yeah my biceps are just too damn big".
The beeest content! Love everything u guys do! You guys have completely changed my physique🙏🏽🙌🏽🥹🫡 F*** i wish i had these videos/info 20 yrs ago lol.. also love all the podcasts your in. Thank u mike and RPstrengh crew!!!🎉
Cool video and great tips. App suggestion….. have you considered having a PT version of the app where the PT pays a larger subscription but has the ability to store and manage multiple clients?
Great video - random, but man would be so cool for you to jump on rogans podcast - feel like that would blow the channel even more into the mainstream and he would eat up your style of conversation.
I think Dr Mike is on level above the average Rogan's listener and frankly, Rogan himself lately. Seeing him nod in awe and agreement when Terrence Howard vomited his science-sounding world salad gave me so much second hand embarrassment I cannot treat him seriously.
Reassures me that I've got a good trainer, just over 2 years at twice a week starting from never been in a gym in my life, progressed steadily if you discount some injuries (not gym-related) that had to be adjusted for. One of the other trainers has commented a couple of times that my consistency is probably the single biggest factor, that PT seems to get a lot of young guys, who just want to get jacked now and do show-off stuff because their mates are around. I do maybe slightly want to intersperse some 'penance' sessions though -they kinda sound fun and I probably need the cardio
My wife wanted to jump into fitness, and she doesn’t want a trainer so I’ve just been training her. She’s a real dainty princess type person, so I was worried about pushing her too hard, but she’s really been giving it her all. I didn’t expect it to be the case but it seems the hunger for soreness and working harder than you ever thought you could is a pretty ubiquitous experience, we WANT to hurt and adapt to get stronger, even the royalty.
I got a question. I have a client who is over 400lbs (lost 5lbs last week🎉) and I put him on minimum compound lifts for a few reasons: 1. He goes to PF and I don’t like how smith machine can put your joints in a uncomfortable position when squatting, bench press, and DL 2. He wanted more dumbbell workouts so I made sure to give what he wants 3. He has lack of mobility in his knees at the moment so for his leg day I gave him something special that involves lunge holds and fire hydrants I want to make sure he gets everything he can out of his sessions but I don’t where to start. Any advice?
Surely having him just stand up from sitting on a bench a few times will be a leg and cardio work out. Call them unweighted box Squats if it makes him feel better. Or leg Press with minimal (or zero) load. If he can't do 10 parallel bodyweight squats he has no business lunging. At that size, unless he was athletic when younger and has a bit of muscle and coordination, this is a basic movement/rehab job so you will have to start with bare basics. I've seen videos of 600lb+ people *clapping their hands* to get a cardio workout due to the level of unconditioning and the effort required to move their arms. Basic rules do not apply in this case. On the plus side, once people that size do make a commitment the weight will drop of rapidly, and you, naturally, will get to take full credit for it!
As others have mentioned, I, too, have just finished up my NASM certs in PT with a PBC, CEC. This is not to be braggadocious but more so to explain how much I needed this because of the clients I will be working with. The people i will work with, odds are, will be way more experienced, therfore I can not to be atypical. I know I am small fry and almost guarantee Doc does not follow me...not out of malous in sure. Saying that, I swear this guy talks about topics at the exact moment I will or need to start putting into practice. I never started my Hypertrophy journey to be a PT, it was all personal but watching Doc over this last year has pushed me further than I knew I could go. Thank you so much for looking out for the little guy. I think a lot of us try not to be the average gym bro or be that cliché trainer. You are making these things possible for a lot of us. You have my unwavering gratitude.
Awesome and inspiring video! At the end you mentioned a very cool full body super set 30 total set workout example. How do you feel about training with bro splits, while still using compound lifts? Assuming the client is working out with you 3 days a week.
I'm not a PT but I coached under 18 (my kiddo's) at my rowing club together with a bunch of other coaches. I always made them go hard on the rowing machines but never destroyed them. And I was always busy correcting form/technique, something which the other coaches rarely did and that always drove me crazy... Better to learn it properly when you start than having to unlearn bad form.
I've started my own 30-45 min training program, based on a previous workout that was "9 round." I loved that workout, btw! 30 minutes 4-5 times a week, I actually started to get muscle definition. I never thought was possible! Then signed up for a class, and it worked me, but I felt no pain afterward. My program alternates 2 exercises for 3 reps of anywhere from 8 to 12, 30 seconds, "rest" aka toe touches, butt kicks, etc. For 9 rounds. Hold plank for 30 seconds at the end. It is killer, and I do a lot of core exercises, lunges, push-ups, and dips. I try to keep my heart rate up. That way, I maximize my workout in a short time span. I do it 3-4x a week.
One of my biggest pet peeves that seems so common, is when trainers switch up their exercise selection every session with complicated or flashy movements as a way of enticing their clients, under the belief that novelty and creativity somehow exudes superiority and thus impresses the client. It works until the client realizes they haven't made a single gain and have been doing renegade rows, turkish getups & mountain climbers needlessly.
I had a client one time that was just straight up honest from the get go he says I'm not trying to get bigger or in super great shape I just hate cooking and love ordering DoorDash and I just don't wanna get fat, that's all I'm after, at least he was honest, and i still put some muscle on him even though he wasn't after it. I just thought that was funny, and we're still really good friends to this day and it's been about six years.
Problems I've had with my one and only trainer, some included in your video: -Starting me off really easy was great and got to know my level. Though I could been pushed in some muscles but was really bad at others. Asymmetric like my shoulders / torso. I didn't even have level shoulders doing bar curls. -Ramping me hard, pushing me was good at times. Pushing me on leg day where I was about to pass out was new. I admittedly didn't have much to eat that morning and until that point had thought it's not been intense. Also myth of working out on empty. -Leaving things open to interpretation or not at all. I was a beginner in a lot of ways. Looked up what I could. I know they were there for training but vaguely talking about getting some good protein meal or not like getting the education part of his job. -No plan. It was always a guess on what I was doing sometimes it was only chest or back a couple sessions and maybe get to legs. I come in trying to do upper / lower split and the next day I'm reworking what I had planned before rest day. -Worst of it all was inconsistent. I would have a set work schedule. He rescheduled or cancelled on me while I still showed up for the night. Also broke my own consistency because I was planning on just being a dumb dumb and try to learn what I should be planning. -I think they were not in it for me to succeed. They made it sound like to me their training job was not a full or part time job. I wasn't their prime client. They would rather worked with an upcoming pro so they could work in an easy extra set of their own. Just a terrible trainer overall. For that I wasted time, money, and ultimately fell off anyway because the person I paid to set me to fitness goal.... let me fail hard.
Most important is to improve the clients quality of lilfe. The person who can't walk up 2 flights of stairs without getting out of breath, the bricklayer who complains of back pain, the elderly lady who can no longer carry her shopping bags, the mother who has difficulty playing with her children on the floor and then getting up again, the martial arts guy who wants to hit harder, ... find out what your clients want and need! Improve their quality of life and be honest with them!
What? I'm the only person who liked your post? Well, I'm 79+ years old, and so what you say really resonates with me.
Absolutely correct! This is what makes a great personal trainer
exactly, a personalized training routine that improves the personal issues! additionally, hold implicitly accountable and motivate them
Getting JACKED is the ONLY thing that matters! EVER!
@@eddiehauser6661WHEYMEN!
I don't train people, but goddamn, this just verifies that I have a good trainer. I appreciate the information, as always.
Jesus Christ saves!
@milesbrown1235 he dribbles the ball twice, steps back for a fadeaway jumper and SCORE!!!! JESUS CHRIST WHAT A SHOT!
@@milesbrown1235 yes he does! Don’t let weirdos in commment sections get to you we will make it brother!
Jesus bots before GTA6@@therepairsloth
@@milesbrown1235Matthew 6:5-8
Other mistakes I frequently see are:
1) coaches don't correct bad form
2) put on too much load and then help the client lift the weight.
3) not asking what the client's goals are.
4) including odd exercises that have no obvious value and seem more like an intent to provide something "different" or entertain the client.
5) using the same workout routine for everybody (no personalization)
There are probably more, but these are the ones I see constantly.
Number 5) is the main one…PT’s in my gym just have the same “routine” for everyone….
I HATE #2. If you have to spot the client after 4 reps, DON'T help them get 10 reps! It's clearly too heavy. I see this from gym bros a lot.
To be fare, a newbie doesn't need the variation you said in #5 as any exercise is going to be a boost. The same program works for 95% of people unless they are training athletes or people with past injuries. Like Mike said, compound supersets over 30-45 minutes is all you need to get a great workout and feel accomplished.
@@brandongroth4569 agreed. As Mike mentioned, workouts for newbies can be pretty simple. Nevertheless, I believe routines should be individualized. Not everybody is built the same and not everybody has the same goals.
Looks like the description of a Hollywood coach
Biggest issue I have with other personal trainers is that they aren't me and when they train people I don't get ANY money
Camp out newbies at the gym and that will sort itself
@srleplay how are you supposed to get more lambos and buttlers, like Dr. Mike if you don't have money? Steal them clients, get money. Lol
So many times I trained an absolute beginner. We finished and they said, "that's it?". Then we went down the stairs and they where like, " holy shit!". :)
this made me laugh, thanks for that
The first day is always "that's it, that was easy". Then the next day it's "OMG I can't move my body".
@jeremyjjbrown you're not lying. I'm 8 months into my first gym membership in my entire 36 years. Our initial "level set" workout with our then trainer was a 15 minute workout of about 4 exercises. I couldn't sit on the toilet right for 4 days. Walking was a nightmare. People don't realize how out of shape they are until they actually do anything moderately hard...
@@HeadCannonPrimeisn't that an indicator that you are making them do too much? Not a PT but after 10 years of training if I don't train for a month or two I can bypass DOM by going really easy the first week. Is that impossible for beginners?
@@MyRevoltecyep for me and my friends when we started going to the gym the couch made us do just some chest hammer presses and some shoulder presses and the next day we couldn’t move we didn’t even put any weights on the machine
I'd say as a woman there are some key mistakes I see trainers make with women in particular:
1. Assuming her goal is weight loss/commenting on her weight for no actual reason. Maybe she is entirely interested in strength gains and doesn't need that input Karen.
2. Not pushing women hard enough/never pushing them to failure.
3. Avoiding free weights on their behalf.
4. Obsession with bizarre/made up bs exercises that 'tone' rather than just having her do a normal ass program.
There's 2 issues causing this problem. 1. The trainer isn't doing a proper initial assessment or hasn't done one at all. The client just assuming the trainer is going to give them what they want without ever telling the trainer what they want. Or 2. Someone else did the assessment like the gyms salesperson or fitness director. And did not properly brief the trainer on how to train the client. The system is messy and inefficient
agree. u don't want a friend. u want someone u respect who's gonna kick your ass in a good way.
@paddy3622 you can definitely have both, but it's a hard balance to strike. Sometimes your friends can be the people who kick your ass the hardest. But in the gym, it's time to work.
Maybe some people do, but I've got enough issues as it is lmao. Dragging my fat ass into the gym in the first place already takes a lot of mental effort -- I need someone to be encouraging more than anything else. (I've only been going routinely since May, so I'm still pretty new to all this, too...)
@@therepairsloth true.whatever works.
This information is so semantical he should be emphasizing that you have to assess each client individually. What they can and cannot do. And what their goals are.
If your freinds cant do that get new ones
I hired a trainer last year, and it helped me start exercising, lost like 25 kilos now :)
This is how I train my older adult clients (55-75+). Compound movements work really well for them and best support their activities of daily living. Plus a few of them have put on visible muscle mass.
Watching an RP video makes you realize that most UA-cam fitness is based on implications. Dr Mike is always logically explaining his recommendations, in contrast to other channels where the creators just give prescriptions implying "train like me to look like me".
Quality video.
I’ve watched the entire video in 30s, so I am able to confidently say, Mike, I think you’re losing your hair
As a man in his 40s who hasn't watched the video I can confidently say you're out of your mind. Dr. Mike's hair has clearly been removed by ai.
I definitely read that wrong and ruined my own joke
I think it just migrated south
I farted
Hair on your head is over rated. Now, body hair... damn, I now want me a Dr. Mike bear version.
This one pisses me off: TRAINERS TEACH YOUR CLIENTS GOOD GYM ETIQUETTE. I’ve seen trainers with their clients walk away from bars with plates loaded. Wtf.
there are trainers in my gym who don't wipe down the benches JESUSFUCKINGCHRIST
@shoefury Agree with this completely. Example in my gym we have designated lanes for sleds in a large gym area with astroturf. The other day I am pulling sleds and I'd been there a while and there was a trainer training a client. They take an exercise mat and plop it down right in the lane I'm working on to work on the mat. WTF? You see me here working, you didn't just come in here. I was angry and asked them to move their ass. Pay attention.
My biggest gripe with personal trainers is that instead of giving their clients the tools they need to be able to have autonomy over their own training going forward so the trainer and client can eventually go their separate ways in confidence, they built a parasitic relationship built around the concept of “you need me.” I understand it’s in the PT’s best business interest to keep a client as long as possible, but doing so at the expense of disempowering the client in exchange for money is icky
@BUFFALO_cougar_slayer I've gotten extremely lucky in that sense... My trainer was originally a temporary one, while my regular trainer was on sabbatical. Even though we only originally trained with him for a month, he wrote up a whole mesocycle of workouts for my wife and me. He knew that I was interested in learning better form, building workouts, and just gaining overall strength and health. I can directly quote him as he said, "I want to teach you so that one day you won't need to have me train you, and so that you can build your own programs." He's a great guy and has actually, I believe become a friend, as well. I've been training with him about a month and a half now, as our actual trainer, and my progression has been insane. Guys like him are rare, but they're out there.
I’m with you on this one! As a personal trainer at my local gym I always tell my clients that my goal is to be their guide to get them to the point where they don’t need me anymore and I only use tools that they’ll be able to use even when they’re not with me. I want them to build the confidence to continue on their own and to even be able to teach those around them. To my surprise I’ve actually been able to retain more clients for longer periods because of the respect and trust vs my peers who don’t view it this way.
Agreed. The goal should be for them to be able to do the work on their own should they want to do that
Unless you're a professional athlete WTF do you need a personal trainer for, people act like they don't have all the information in the world in their hands. Step 1. How to Workout w Dr Mike. Step 2. Go FKKKING WORKOUT!!🤣🤡
@@itsoscargarciajr8211 respect!
As a newly launched personal trainer…I couldn’t click this fast enough 😂
Edit: this made me feel so much more confident as I do a lot of this already, probably from watching all your videos. I need to pick up the pace I’ve learned though
I hope success in your career
Might need to time your rest periods to keep things moving on a tight schedule.
sameeee just had my first client last weekend, gotta pick up the pace a bit
Same, though I'm currently studying for my certification, so not a trainer yet.
Busy wrapping up my certification myself. We could use a whole playlist on the dos and donts!
Dr Mike! You’ve helped me so much. I’m also very worried about how much your fingers are clubbing. Cardiologist!
Personal story. I worked with a PT for 14 months. I told them my goal was to get jack and shredded. He got me doing CrossFit 5x a week, and 1 continuous year long bulk. I went from 126lbs to 169lbs. I basically just got fat and built no muscle. Now I have been cutting and maintaining since January. 😂😂 Super thankful for this channel.
Why no muscle? Overtraining?
@@canelareina3795 He was doing crossfit, that's why
Lol! No offend to you, but it's the time when coach just so delusional about their hobby like crossfit and thinks that it's best for everything!
did you get your money back?
@@canelareina3795not hitting each muscle group frequently enough m. Training arms once a week pretty much.
When I started into working out more regularly at a gym (good life) I booked one of their trainers for one session specifically to help me with form on my squat and bench. The guy instead filled the time with accessory movements like pistol squats and kettle bell stuff. Never booked a trainer there again. Went on to keep working out (now in my 2nd year of regularly hotting the weights 5 days a week) did all my research on UA-cam instead and eventually bought the rp app. Have been using that for a few months now.
I had that happen. Like, I get it if we need to tackle some basics but at least pretend to address what I'm interested in.
Yep, same thing for me. Every trainer I've had made the first session so intense and miserable that I never went back. Everything I know I learned over the years was from yoga and UA-cam lol.
My god same I was also at good life for my first gym and it's crazy how it feels now doing solo and seeing what some of those trainers do
The exact same thing happened to me. I was clueless and just wanted to know the proper form for squats, bench press, shoulder press, etc. I got shown how to use a treadmill and the olyptical.
I just got the biggest guy in the gym to show me haha
Another big pet peeve is when their clients are doing exercises with poor form and don’t correct them on it
"Yeah just like that, quicker we finish the quicker I get back home and make tiktoks about how apples are poison or some shit"
I almost got mad at a trainer when I was working out yesterday(I've already been complimented on my form before) and I realized that the trainer was watching me and not his client. I started to fuss and remind him I'm not the one who paid him and he realized I saw him watching and looked away. That sounds like a weird story and I get it but even if my form is wrong I'm not the one who paid him for training. Don't worry about me.
@gSF95 I've seen a few just flat out on their phones or cutting up with other gym members walking by. Had it happen to me before my current trainer. Like damn, I'm not paying you to chill with your homies. I'm trying to learn and get healthier. Luckily, my current trainer is a badass, and he does a great job of paying attention to form and giving cues. He's also good at shooting the shit and motivating through hard sets.
Happened in both Mark Wahlberg videos. Mark's doing random bs in the background while the trainer is bs-ing to the camera
@@stevenstokes6306”yeah, the worse the form means the worse their gains and therefore the longer they hire me
Pet peeve: trainers who give every client the same workout. 25 year old high school football dude trying to live his glory days? Bench, deadlift clean and jerk. 45 year old mom with a disk herniation just trying to get back into fitness? Bench, deadlift, clean and jerk.
4:26 if the RP app had the ability for me to track all of my clients I would absolutely use it. I don’t like any current training apps but from what I saw in the video where you made your own plan the interface is perfect.
What do you use to track clients? I've just been using Google sheets forever.
TrainHeroic is the best i've come across so far. Able to add clients, build specific workouts, tracks total workout volume, etc.I use it for one-to-one clients as well as online.
Was also going to go and check the RP now but after you mentioned you can't track all clients it also won't work for me
Not sure if you've seen PTDistinction but I use it and its a great system worth checking out mate
You can, the only catch is they can’t use the app at the same time, example- i share my account with my dad and he has his own routine and individually labeled for him. So it might need more work to help make it easier but it’s possible.
use google sheets
I think the information you give is better than ANY personal trainer, Dr Mike. All of the personal trainers ive were PURE DOG SHT; a total waste of time, energy and money and the experience was often EXTREMELY counter productive. god bless doc
I've been coaching for a decade, training myself for 25 years, and I can say with absolute confidence this is legit advice.
THIS is personal training done right.
Agreed
As a trainee, who has had several bad trainers, this video is spot on!!!
I remember the first PT session I ever had (with a really good trainer). Afterwards, I almost crawled into the locker room, sat on the bench trying to recover, with only 2 thoughts going through my mind: 1) I'm gonna die!!! 2) I can't wait until the next session!
A few sessions later, I told him I had a complaint about the previous session. He was all concerned and asked what he could do to improve. I told him that after the session I noticed there was about a square inch section of my shirt that was not soaked in sweat and told him I expected him to do better. :)
THAT is the type of trainer I like and respect! Most of the trainers I see these days spent way too much time chit-chatting with their clients (which is also the fault of the clients- they either encourage it or don't put a stop to it). I also see too many of them focusing on muscle isolating exercises.
My number one from the start is that your personal trainer actually is fit. A lot of people get the certs for an “easy” job and it reflects in their client’s results
I follow a lot of good channels on UA-cam, but this channel is on another level with how good the quality of content is for five days a week frequency
I was a personal trainer back in 2006 after just 8 years of training and an online certification. As many people do, I would sometimes question my abilities as a personal trainer. After watching this video though I feel like I was pretty decent. These tips, in my opinion, should be basic knowledge to all personal trainers and it really surprises me that these things need to be addressed to people who are already certified.
Dear Mr. Isratel, please make another video giving advice to trainers. I am a new personal trainer and you deliver information in such an amazing and easy to digest way. Thank you!
when I first started my training journey having lost 50lbs, I asked my clients who their “guy” was. Five of them all swore up snd down by the same person. I showed up; this guy looks like if Bruce Lee was black and a grandad. He kicks my arse EVERY session but never hurts me. Super happy with my progress. It’s uncanny - every time I watch a RP video, I’m like, “wait, that’s how Archie makes me do it!” - super exciting!
Dr. Mike. Would like to hear a version if this concerning training the older clients particularly 60's and 70's. Where dealing with the aging body safely in clients wanting to maximize their physical condition at these older ages.
Yeah seriously or does he still want to push them on 1 minute rests only until they throw up? LOL!
Anyone who will stick around for hard training is a gift. I wish everyone was like this. But if you want to be able to help the most people possible, you must realize there are many instances where this is not something that will retain the client. Older individuals, individuals who absolutely loathe working out, people with high blood pressure who get dizzy with many compound movements, these are people that will not stick around if you are exhausting them every workout. I used to work everyone to what I saw as reasonable limits and lost many early on and lost these clients for specifically that reason. I’d rather them do a suboptimal workout than nothing, which is what will happen if they are afraid of the workout I will put them through.
For these people it’s important they like you. This will keep them coming and you can ease into harder workouts as time goes on, say things like “yeah it’s hard, it’s supposed to be hard”, but the most important thing you need from a client early on is to KEEP THEM COMING. Bottom line. Don’t be so quick to judge trainers that seem like they’re going too easy on their clients because you likely don’t have the full story
At my gym there's a kid that's been working with a PT for at least two years now and the kid has made no progress :/ I've noticed crazy volume, absolutely no progressive overload and no attempt at correcting his form :/ I feel bad for that kid and his parents spending 50 bucks each session and get nothing out of it.
Tell him
If I were you, I might say something. It's probably starting to bother the kid if there's no result in 2 years..
I agree with fellow commentators, OP - attempting to make small talk with the kiddo (about seeing him around, joke that if you did so much volume you wouldn't be able to crawl out of bed, asking if he's training for a particular sport, asking jokingly if he's perhaps not allowed to use heavier weights - I suck at people..) and helping him out would be an incredible kindness. There's high likelihood that trainer sucks and the kiddo isn't eating enough either. It would be horrible if lack of perceivable progress made him loose faith in himself, give up on self improvement and start avoiding gym. The fix is probably ridiculously simple and I bet one of the issues is that he's not eating enough which is something his "trainer" should have long noticed and corrected. Teenagers are in such a volatile, difficult state emotionally that it's not difficult to imagine how it could affect him negatively, even for the rest of his life, especially if his friends are seemingly gaining muscle from nothing - as teens often do. Reaching out to him out of kindness and providing him with good advice and good resources can potentially change not only his fitness but potentially - outlook on people.
Aand I know that because looong ago, I was that kid - only my trainer was an old copy of German bodybuilding magazine. I would have likely hurt myself sooner than later. And instead of ridiculing me, one of the biggest ironheads there took pity on me and took his time to show me the basics and write me a rudimentary starting program. He shaped me not only as a lifter but as a human being too.
Aaanyway...
Even if by a tiny, tiny chance you end up being somehow wrong about his trainer/training just the fact that someone noticed him and cared enough to take time to try to help him out without judgement or condescension will mean a lot to this young dude.
Go for it, dude. You have good heart.
You guys are right, unfortunately I haven't had a chance to talk to him one on one yet. It's a small gym and that trainer is always around when the kid is here.
Is he actually a PT?
That was very helpful - thanks! I superset and also walk from the bench/machine to record what I’ve done in a workout log I deliberately have on the other side of the weight room. No need for rests this way.
biggest mistakes I see these other rookie personal trainers make is they don't have any butlers. I have not 1, but 3 butlers (1 at each mansion). Without a good butler how on earth do they expect to have their clients see gains??!?!
Aren’t they supposed to get lambos first? I thought that was the whole point of need for butlers 🤔
@@ryandalessandro4139 How are you supposed to get Lambos without having butlers to get the Lambos for you? The butlers have to come first
When I first started training 30 years ago, trainers were usually jacked. Now many don't look much if at all better than the clients they are training. This is even more true for most typical large chain gym trainers.
As an exercise scientist, I can't do, so I teach. Don't knock people for looks. A fat lady is the best skateboard Slolam champ and Steve Smith was one of the best NFL receivers. And just cuz someone is SWOL doesn't mean they know anything other than to train themselves.
THIS is the biggest issue with exercise science and training in this day and age. The paradox of looking the part vs knowing the part. And it's so rare to have a Dr. Mike or Jeff Nippard, who knows it and does it. Particularly without roids, or honest about em.
Not my experience. When I started training mid 90's most trainers were short angry guys who yelled a lot or ENORMOUS ex linebacker types.
@@morsumbra9692 i saw an obese woman training this guy at a chain gym and not correcting his form on tricep extension, if youre obese then ya you better know what youre talking about otherwise how the hell are they a trainer n getting business. hes right you should have to look the part for the job at least be in shape n healthy
@@morsumbra9692 i agree i have a class i teach of how to get rich, i myself am not rich, why? because i just love seeing other people rich. its totally believable
All the jacked trainers are now fitness influencers.
I've recently been enjoying a lot of your content and find it very informative overall. I apologize, and you may think I'm way off base here, I think you misspoke regarding shorter rest periods resulting in a weight training session taking on the qualities of a cardiovascular training session by maintaining an elevated heart rate throughout the workout period. You referenced using supersets based off pairing opposing muscle groups through various resistance training exercises. This doesn't appear to have the effect of improving cardiac output, cardiac power, or peripheral capillary density - unless you are using a specific tempo lifting fashion with continuous breathing throughout the movements. In fact, what you are describing sounds a lot more like anaerobic lactic intervals which, as far as I understand it, can result in reducing peripheral capillary density. I'm not suggesting it's a bad way to train. It doesn't generally result in the specific adaptations one would expect from cardio training. A more effective way to incorporate cardio into a workout session might be through 5-10 minutes of steady state as a warm up or cool down.
I have recently started watching Dr. Mike's videos, and am becoming a fan ($50Aus says i dont get a reply to this comment). I have recently started getting PT sessions with very specific goals as a hobby athlete, and the most motivating thing my coach does is say before a last set is "oh, you look tired, maybe skip this set..." and i know what he's doing, but it always fires me up to finish strong and sometimes i even get an extra set in lol
the way he says "cause your muscles are so small" @14:20
that got me too hahaha
Lmao
As a female with high cortisole I absolutely hate short resting periods. I CAN do it, yes. But that would do me in for the rest of the week. So I'd be training one a week for 30 minutes and feel like shit for the rest of the week, hating working out, dreading the next session, stuffing my face with food, because I feel so weak and depleted. Yeah, that's about it. And a lot of woman think that's what working out feels like and should feel like. Honestly I'd rather go to the gym 3-4 times a week, do strength training with 3 minutes rest between sets, not do too many compound movements that completely fatigue me and actually enjoy it. Also, the stressful training never made any changes to my body. I probably just got fatter from trying to combat the fatigue. The slower strength training sessions ACTUALLY gave me some shape for the first time in my life.
Exactly, women need their own training plans specific for them. Too many outside factors are affecting our bodies for a one size fits all approach.
as a man I also like longer rests. 3 minute rests between heavy sets of 3-5 end up being MUCH more work at the end of a 45-60 minute session than 1 minute rests but I can do a fraction of the weight just to hit those same 3-5 reps.
Yeah, did that guy really say he wants people nearly throwing up? Eff that. I have done that to myself a few times and yep, once the body gets to that shocky and barfy place, it's a slow recovery, you will feel crappy for some time. The trick is to work out hard but NOT reach that level which is basically you being ill from working out too hard. I'm not training for the Navy Seals, don't be an ahole if you are a trainer please.
I need that clip of Dr Mike saying, "Because your muscles are so small," to play for myself when I'm resting between sets.
So glad I found your channel, amazing stuff!
I’m just beginning a career in personal training while I pursue a degree in Kinesiology as well as nutrition and this content is extremely helpful for someone like me! Watching this gives me tons of confidence as I already well understand these fundamental concepts! Thank you Papa Mike!
10:45 Reminds me of that Kitchen Nigtmares episode where they were referring to the restaurant's microwave as "Chef Mike"
Hello, my name's NINOOOO!
13:06 Gary, Indiana is legit the worst place I ever been through. It looks like where they film every post apocalyptic show/movie, but they edit the movie to make it look more livable.
I was in Illinois and thinking how awful it was there were so many abandoned buildings. Then I gasped in horror that people actually lived in them
😂😂😂
So much good stuff in here! You nailed it with the why I use a personal trainer. When I workout on my own I simply don’t push as hard, rest longer (negating any cardio), and sometimes I don’t show up at all. 😆 better to have someone waiting for me that also pushes me.
Not ramping is also one of the biggest mistakes I see in people training themselves too, and is one of the best pieces of advice I give to new guys, I see so many people come in amped up, ready to go, talking about how they're gonna look in a year, and they go balls to the wall, right off the bat, then can't walk or move their arms for a week and never come back!
Dr. Mike I needed this, dude! I always learn from shit like this. Always find a way to be better for my clients. Thanks!
I am a trainer and I see this many times in the gym what you mentioned. Clients I have twice a week i do full body functional training and they got some really good results.
@@tiaanlaubscher3382 I see my trainer twice a week, but he programmed a 5 day workout week, split over 2 upper & 2 lower days (alternating), and 1 active recovery day. So, I'll go into the gym, even without him training me, and get those sessions done. It's helped my gym discipline out wildly, and has driven my passion for getting the work in and knowing I can do it on my own.
Full body is excellent for most people. It can be great for advanced even if you know what you’re doing, but at that point it’s easier for most to split their workouts.
Thank you for doing a video on my recommendation in the previous video
Dr. Mike is GOATed but I'll play contrarian on over-leaning on short rest times for all personal training populations:
1) This definitely works best in terms of antagonistic pairings, where possible, but this is awkward to pull off in commercial gyms. Where it is possible it's one of my favorite, time economic ways to train.
2) Short rest times in the context of repeating the same exercise are fine, particularly for machine based exercises and with relative novices, but if you're talking longer term (somebody training months to years) and you include more technique-sensitive exercises (any form of barbell squat, RDL etc.) I think you are substantially increasing risk of form breakdown by making something other than their muscular strength the limiting factor. The average person struggles mightily with form, and making them do set after set while being distracted by heavy breathing and being otherwise exhausted is not an ideal way to cement good form, I'd argue. This is why Crossfit is a notoriously terrible way of introducing people to technique heavy exercises (barbell slow lifts, oly lifts etc.), because high fatigue and great technique acquisition stand in direct opposition to one another.
3) I don't love the idea that personal training clients need to be segregated into a completely different category from other training populations. The average, lifetime lifter is not going to be arbitrarily enforcing short rest times for most of their work, nor should they. The overwhelming majority of successful lifters (including Dr. Mike himself) do not train this way in the long term. To the extent that the job of a personal trainer is to empower a client to develop lifelong habits, you risk not training them how they'd probably be training in the long run on their own. If the goal is to make them permanent clients, this makes more sense, but I think that's not totally awesome, either.
Playing a friendly contrarian to your 3rd point:
The PT clients *are* unique in that they probably have very limited time with their trainer and are probably less likely to be bothered to research and learn about stuff on their own. It makes it much more incentivized to make the most of it by choosing time-efficient strategies. The goal should be to give them a reason to want to continue training and 2 of those are results and doability. If they set up a training program that gives them slower gains costing more time, that risks having them fall off the wagon. You need to get them hooked and during that time, they'll have developed fitness, familiarity and autonomy to take more control of their training and set it up as it serves their now-refined more internalized goals.
@@canererbay8842 "The goal should be to give them a reason to want to continue training and 2 of those are results and doability. If they set up a training program that gives them slower gains costing more time, that risks having them fall off the wagon."
I would argue "adequate rest" better fulfills this criteria than "arbitrarily short rest." There is definitely a good chunk of trainees who want to be punished, but a high percentage of personal training clients are middle aged to older adults with extensive medical histories, including orthopedic limitations. Training in a way that maximizes fatigue probably jeopardizes their long term gains in multiple ways, including inadequate technique acquisition, increased injury likelihood as a result, and a generally less pleasant experience where focusing on strength progression (the actual thing that most benefits them imo) can be made awkward. If we're talking 20 or even 30 something trainees with no medical history and a want to be punished, go crazy, and obviously all training should be geared towards people's actual goals.
I'm not saying people need those 3+ minutes on average, but I do think "adequate rest" is often warranted. Out of the gates, if you let people self-select rest and start them appropriately light so you can enforce good technique and full for them range of motion, 1 minute actually is pretty reasonable. In the longer term, if you have them doing their squats, RDL's, heavy leg presses, bench press variants and the like, I think drifting towards ~2 minutes plus is very easily warranted. I think the biggest possible favor you can do a client is get them globally stronger, safely, and set them up for the ability to train themselves when they inevitably fall out of personal training as the vast, vast majority eventually will.
Honestly some of the best advice I have found anywhere .... for everyone!!!
appreciate the perspective i’m a newly hatched personal trainer and any and all tips are appreciated mr Bald Megamind
Dude, I have been watching you for almost a year now, and I have learned a great deal. I am in school for exercise science and I appreciate your information because it is true. I also love your no bs attitude. Would you mind doing more videos showcasing possible workouts that save time while getting "it" done, please?
When they aren't even paying attention to their client. I've seen them on their phones or worst yet jut checking out someone in the gym. When they don't adjust the equipment settings and explain to them how to know if it's adjusted correctly for their size or not. When they're just chit-chatting instead of discussing their goals, what they're feeling, teaching why they're picking certain exercises and what they're good for, etc. Too many people get into personal training just because they like their own fitness and not because they're good with people, coaching, or teaching.
I see this all the time at my gym. The trainers (not all, but most) are chatting, not taking notes so they can track reps and weight or time in the case of timed cardio. They're just shooting the shit.
I have a trainer and she is GREAT! She always asks if I'm okay with current weights but once in a while tell me to grab more and do "just 2 more reps". After 2 weeks not only i boosted my muscle endurance, but also working weights got increased!
I love watching this guy in the background while playing Minecraft. Your voice is just so soothing😮💨
Yesss!! As a trainer, this is reassuring as hell to me that I am doing my job correctly. Thank you for making this!!
As an Indiana resident I approve all statements and implications made in this video
As a guy who hired a not so great personal trianer, I agreed heavily with pretty much all your points. I remember being frustrated with how slow the progression was and my trainer demanding long rest periods between sets when I was fully recovered.
I started in the gym at 30 after a decade of construction work. Hadn't lifted since high school. My trainer wanted me to do 10 body weight squats with a 3 minute rest. On the third session we were up to bar. I fired him after that and found a much better trainer. He was had me doing a 5x5 program with squats, dead lift, bench press, overhead press, and barbell rows. They were all super setted. In a half hour three times a week, I was able to get my bench to three plates, and my squat and deadlift over four plates in just six months.
I chose the personal trainer route early on because I needed direction. I was 30, getting a little fatter, and too dumb to try and copy form and technique from youtube. A bad personal trainer nearly got my stuck as a dumb fat 30 year old. A good personal trainer made me into a dumb fat and pretty strong 33 year old. That had to be worth thousands of dollars worth of my hard earned money right?
This video was posted the exact time of my first shift as a PT. thanks!!!
Good luck!
I don't use trainers, but I know some people who use trainers.
The reason they use trainers is so they can tell people they use trainers, and then when they stop progressing they stop training because they believe they can no longer progress. They themselves don't feel they can push any harder and in turn they give up.
Sometimes it's not all on the trainer to push you. They can show you the way but you have to be willing to be pushed. Trainers can only push you as far as you allow them. It's their livelihood, and they cannot afford to push so hard that you leave.
I've been a trainer for about a decade and am also a training department manager. My rules are simple: 1. Always be willing to learn and grow. 2. Always have your eye on the goal 3. They don't pay us for fine, they pay us for great.
Anyway, my biggest two are training the clients for your goals instead of theirs and doing the hollywood "random shit thats hard." I'm happy to say my current staff are past those now!
I hate "random shit that's hard". I don't want to pick on female trainers but they seem to love that stuff. Or compound moves that make no damn sense (bicep curl to shoulder press). I've got into arguments with other trainers over that stuff.
This. Trainers should always be learning. There’s a trainer at my gym who insists that you should only squat if your knees don’t go past your toes and if your back can be perfectly vertical. His clients squat depth is about 3 inches.
As a trainer, I already apply everything Dr. Mike is saying but I disagree when he says most clients want to feel exhausted at the end of the workout. Yes, you have that kind of client but you also have the type that needs to be handled so carefully or you wont see them again. In a few sessions you can see what type they are. When it comes to talking, if they want to talk, I will talk. If that means 4 minutes without doing a set, let it be. If you have good conversation skills, you are a step ahead of everybody else as a trainer. I really believe if you just want your clients to workout, you're missing on something. Also, there's always variability within the same person. One day they may want to talk, the next session, not so much. My experience tells me that a good PT must be very adaptable!
💯 per cent dude… some of my clients only do 3 exercises in a 1hr session they literally are pretty lonely and I’m the only person they see that day. Pt is so much more than hammering a client for results I’d venture to say most of my clients have little interest in the training and more the banter we just have! 😂
@@rory644 Totally! 😆
yeah this. trainers are for two types of people. Those who genuinely want someone's help getting to their goal body, and people who think they can just throw money at someone and wake up jacked.
THere's probably something important here in your statement. Part of why I keep my current hair stylist is that she's fun to talk to, but there's probably other stylists that will cut my hair a bit better. I even had one like that but he was a jerk so I just didn't like going there and so I got my current one instead. Maybe if I was a Hollywood star, I'd care more about that extra 5 percent of skill that jerk stylist has but since I'm a normal person, I'd rather have a pleasant experience for that hour. The point is that if you want to keep your clients, you don't have to pick only one thing to consider to the exclusion of all else, there is mental health and having someone to talk to that also makes the hour pleasant in other ways, you can spare a few minutes of chitchat here and there if the client is not trying to become an Olympic champion.
You've obviously been watching me train people because I do EVERYTHING you recommend😆. Love your content. Great mixture of informative and funny. Keep it up!
When I first started training people(just cause people would ask me too, I wasn’t certified or anything),
I had to learn the first part, cause I would make them go hard…they loved it, but they would hide from me after that.
I had to learn to let them get used to it. Focus on form first, let them get used to the mechanics…then eventually push them.
Generally from a beginner standpoint most Personal Trainers I've encountered do not take adequate time to teach proper form/range of motion on exercises and rush that part of the process too much. Great video btw!
10:35 reminded of an "old" video of urs, prepping some trifecta chicken and some slaw 😆
i totally agree that clients value you more by how sweaty/exhausted they are at the end. only clients who truly understand the science and reasoning behind things want "optimal training". everybody else just wants to FEEL like they trained hard.
I always start with new people with the absolute minimum volume then gauge the next sessions based on their self-reporting.
For the average client (ones trying to train 30-60 minutes max) I strongly believe in compound movements and antagonist supersets.
Great stuff here. I hope a lot of trainers watch this!! This is exactly how I train my clients that purchase 30 minute sessions.
After a check-up at a personal trainer, he said, you don't need a personal trainer.
Now I'm my own trainer and all the topics you raised cover my way to train.
And yes I like to "suffer" and seemingly I like to make myself "suffer".
But I like to realize to step further, even if I'm not lifting weights, but swing them.
Reaching "milestones" is a good feeling, like swinging a 10kg clubbell one handed and realizing, that the stability and endurance in the whole body, the feeling for counter balance increase.
One problem I see for me training myself is to keep getting gains, if the equipment get's too light weighted or the space for equipment is limited.
I've been a personal trainer for 30 years. I have a degree in exercise, CSCS. I have had the NASM, ACSM and ACE certifications. My biggest problem with trainers and the profession is that you can get a "certification" in a few days. The ACE certification is such a joke. So many trainers have no idea what they are doing. They don't get thorough health histories from their clients. They put middle aged people that have never exercised through hard workouts on day one after asking only one question. "What are your goals?"
Meanwhile the client just had a stent placed in his LAD three days ago, smokes three packs a day and is obese.
Grateful that at my gym, all trainers have degrees - kinseology or related. And all are certified medical exercise specialists. These people are underrated and underpaid.
This is good stuff. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos. My son is turning 14 in a few months, he is 6,3, and 230 pounds. He wanted to start training, and we have, thankfully, because yeah, it's near 50 pounds over weight. Anyway i live in butt fuck nowhere northern Canada where it's hard to find a good gym let alone a decent trainer. Found your channel, maybe a week ago. It has given me lots of knowledge i have been able to apply to my sons and my own workouts. Thanx again doc 🍻
All this personal training content is getting me excited for the RP trainer course
I work out with a trainer for 6 months take a break from him for 6 months then back again watch your videos regularly I go back to him as he does most of what you advise
The section on not going hard on isolation was great. Going to get my wife on RP and this will definitely make her visits more effective and enjoyable
I saw a group of personal trainers when I was first getting into weightlifting (they all kind of worked together, it was an interesting setup, sometimes you’d train with the same person sometimes not). I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing and I have a very significant back problem to work around. I went because I was worried about learning good lifting technique, not for any other reason.
Some of the trainers were great. They really focused on me and what I wanted and taught me a lot. Some kept going off on tangents about things I’d expressly communicated I was not interested in addressing at that time (weight loss, nutrition generally, etc.). it was really annoying and took up time at my training sessions that I would’ve rather used in pursuit of my goal (learning how to lift).
I have a long history of disordered eating and body image issues, sometimes I can handle that sort of thing and sometimes I can’t. At that time I wanted to focus on building my confidence at the gym and making it part of my lifestyle. I didn’t want to muddy the waters by pulling it into other things and some of the trainers just didn’t seem to either respect that or believe me when I told them what I wanted.
Fantastic video. Thank you.
this made me more sure about my hard training, I have no trainer. Also made me shorten the rest times by 25-50%. that bumped up my average heart rate though from 110 to 140 (with me being 47 years old begginer).
great video even if you are not a trainer and dont have one.
I really like your videos, Mike. I appreciate the amount of detail that you present. It is very helpful. Looking forward to more videos
Thank you so much for this. I'm starting as a trainer and this video has helped me a lot.
Great info! Glad to hear I’m doing more things right for myself than I thought. I felt like a basic newb favoring the compound exercises over specific isolation ones, but that’s better for my goals. Also thought I botched the workout if I put volume I couldn’t complete onto the next attempt when I’m more rested but turns out that’s valid. I alternate the push/pulls to avoid the rest times and boredom, but I’m an endurance athlete so it’s better for me to have the cardio component in there as well.
I hired a trainer who was pretty expensive. It was like 80-100 bucks a session. First couple were solid, but then he started stacking sessions with other clients. Never went back to him, lol.
Like group sessions? Was the place really busy? You get that with pilates, yoga and cardio a lot. I've never seen a weightlifting group sesh.
@@HeadCannonPrime just weight lifting, and wasn’t group sesh style either. He just double booked clients, and we were at wildly different levels doing completely different exercises. He’d come back, nod his head, and then disappear. Replaced him with UA-cam. Would still love to try out a good personal trainer
I can't fault anything in here. I don't ever yell or get in client's faces, that isn't the type of client I deal with.
The thing with rest, especially older people, and PT, their breathing may normalize before the muscle is ready to go again. I use a minimum rest of 1 minute.
I have used antag supersets. It's great for experienced clients. I've used it with teens who can handle the cardio load.
For newbies who are learning proper form, you just have to go slow. If the client is out of breath and you are trying to explain how their form was janky, all they hear is Blah Blah Blah.
One note about your example plan, you have upright row and barbell row in the same workout? Seems like a very similar movement back to back. I prefer antagonistic supersets of squat and a hamstring/glute exercise like RDL, or bridges.
Last point about isolation training, men ALWAYS want to do a bicep curl at least once a week. It's a dude thing even when they are 80 years old. Just put one in even if it's not the most optimal. Never had a client say "yeah my biceps are just too damn big".
The beeest content! Love everything u guys do! You guys have completely changed my physique🙏🏽🙌🏽🥹🫡 F*** i wish i had these videos/info 20 yrs ago lol.. also love all the podcasts your in. Thank u mike and RPstrengh crew!!!🎉
Cool video and great tips. App suggestion….. have you considered having a PT version of the app where the PT pays a larger subscription but has the ability to store and manage multiple clients?
Great video - random, but man would be so cool for you to jump on rogans podcast - feel like that would blow the channel even more into the mainstream and he would eat up your style of conversation.
he's been trying from what I've seen, it'll happen eventually
I think Dr Mike is on level above the average Rogan's listener and frankly, Rogan himself lately. Seeing him nod in awe and agreement when Terrence Howard vomited his science-sounding world salad gave me so much second hand embarrassment I cannot treat him seriously.
Single arm dumbell extensions are incredible and go great with decline curls in super sets.
Reassures me that I've got a good trainer, just over 2 years at twice a week starting from never been in a gym in my life, progressed steadily if you discount some injuries (not gym-related) that had to be adjusted for. One of the other trainers has commented a couple of times that my consistency is probably the single biggest factor, that PT seems to get a lot of young guys, who just want to get jacked now and do show-off stuff because their mates are around. I do maybe slightly want to intersperse some 'penance' sessions though -they kinda sound fun and I probably need the cardio
Not a trainer, learned a lot. Love your humour infused teaching Dr. Mike.
My wife wanted to jump into fitness, and she doesn’t want a trainer so I’ve just been training her. She’s a real dainty princess type person, so I was worried about pushing her too hard, but she’s really been giving it her all. I didn’t expect it to be the case but it seems the hunger for soreness and working harder than you ever thought you could is a pretty ubiquitous experience, we WANT to hurt and adapt to get stronger, even the royalty.
I got a question. I have a client who is over 400lbs (lost 5lbs last week🎉) and I put him on minimum compound lifts for a few reasons:
1. He goes to PF and I don’t like how smith machine can put your joints in a uncomfortable position when squatting, bench press, and DL
2. He wanted more dumbbell workouts so I made sure to give what he wants
3. He has lack of mobility in his knees at the moment so for his leg day I gave him something special that involves lunge holds and fire hydrants
I want to make sure he gets everything he can out of his sessions but I don’t where to start. Any advice?
Surely having him just stand up from sitting on a bench a few times will be a leg and cardio work out. Call them unweighted box Squats if it makes him feel better. Or leg Press with minimal (or zero) load. If he can't do 10 parallel bodyweight squats he has no business lunging.
At that size, unless he was athletic when younger and has a bit of muscle and coordination, this is a basic movement/rehab job so you will have to start with bare basics.
I've seen videos of 600lb+ people *clapping their hands* to get a cardio workout due to the level of unconditioning and the effort required to move their arms. Basic rules do not apply in this case.
On the plus side, once people that size do make a commitment the weight will drop of rapidly, and you, naturally, will get to take full credit for it!
Amen. So many people injure themselves in muscle isolation exercises too. Functional movements are much more safe to the joints. Do no harm.
As others have mentioned, I, too, have just finished up my NASM certs in PT with a PBC, CEC. This is not to be braggadocious but more so to explain how much I needed this because of the clients I will be working with. The people i will work with, odds are, will be way more experienced, therfore I can not to be atypical. I know I am small fry and almost guarantee Doc does not follow me...not out of malous in sure. Saying that, I swear this guy talks about topics at the exact moment I will or need to start putting into practice. I never started my Hypertrophy journey to be a PT, it was all personal but watching Doc over this last year has pushed me further than I knew I could go. Thank you so much for looking out for the little guy. I think a lot of us try not to be the average gym bro or be that cliché trainer. You are making these things possible for a lot of us. You have my unwavering gratitude.
I am not a personal trainer, but this is my favorite video that you’ve ever made.
Awesome and inspiring video! At the end you mentioned a very cool full body super set 30 total set workout example. How do you feel about training with bro splits, while still using compound lifts? Assuming the client is working out with you 3 days a week.
I'm not a PT but I coached under 18 (my kiddo's) at my rowing club together with a bunch of other coaches. I always made them go hard on the rowing machines but never destroyed them. And I was always busy correcting form/technique, something which the other coaches rarely did and that always drove me crazy... Better to learn it properly when you start than having to unlearn bad form.
More personal training takes please, that was awesome 💯
I've started my own 30-45 min training program, based on a previous workout that was "9 round." I loved that workout, btw! 30 minutes 4-5 times a week, I actually started to get muscle definition. I never thought was possible! Then signed up for a class, and it worked me, but I felt no pain afterward. My program alternates 2 exercises for 3 reps of anywhere from 8 to 12, 30 seconds, "rest" aka toe touches, butt kicks, etc. For 9 rounds. Hold plank for 30 seconds at the end. It is killer, and I do a lot of core exercises, lunges, push-ups, and dips. I try to keep my heart rate up. That way, I maximize my workout in a short time span. I do it 3-4x a week.
One of my biggest pet peeves that seems so common, is when trainers switch up their exercise selection every session with complicated or flashy movements as a way of enticing their clients, under the belief that novelty and creativity somehow exudes superiority and thus impresses the client. It works until the client realizes they haven't made a single gain and have been doing renegade rows, turkish getups & mountain climbers needlessly.
I had a client one time that was just straight up honest from the get go he says I'm not trying to get bigger or in super great shape I just hate cooking and love ordering DoorDash and I just don't wanna get fat, that's all I'm after, at least he was honest, and i still put some muscle on him even though he wasn't after it. I just thought that was funny, and we're still really good friends to this day and it's been about six years.
Problems I've had with my one and only trainer, some included in your video:
-Starting me off really easy was great and got to know my level. Though I could been pushed in some muscles but was really bad at others. Asymmetric like my shoulders / torso. I didn't even have level shoulders doing bar curls.
-Ramping me hard, pushing me was good at times. Pushing me on leg day where I was about to pass out was new. I admittedly didn't have much to eat that morning and until that point had thought it's not been intense. Also myth of working out on empty.
-Leaving things open to interpretation or not at all. I was a beginner in a lot of ways. Looked up what I could. I know they were there for training but vaguely talking about getting some good protein meal or not like getting the education part of his job.
-No plan. It was always a guess on what I was doing sometimes it was only chest or back a couple sessions and maybe get to legs. I come in trying to do upper / lower split and the next day I'm reworking what I had planned before rest day.
-Worst of it all was inconsistent. I would have a set work schedule. He rescheduled or cancelled on me while I still showed up for the night. Also broke my own consistency because I was planning on just being a dumb dumb and try to learn what I should be planning.
-I think they were not in it for me to succeed. They made it sound like to me their training job was not a full or part time job.
I wasn't their prime client. They would rather worked with an upcoming pro so they could work in an easy extra set of their own. Just a terrible trainer overall. For that I wasted time, money, and ultimately fell off anyway because the person I paid to set me to fitness goal.... let me fail hard.