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Summary
On episode 84 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan breaks down when it is time to fire your personal trainer, even a good one, because the relationship is not delivering what it should.
He walks through five warning signs: a trainer who is not listening to your goals or your body, one who is not talking to or coaching you, one who asks for referrals before you have gotten results, and the simple case of outgrowing a trainer’s expertise.
Allan frames the whole conversation around one idea: you are the client, it is your body and your money, and you are allowed to make a change when the fit is not right.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- You are the client, and you set the goals. A trainer who does not ask what you want to accomplish and instead programs based on their own assumptions is not serving you. Allan gives the example of a runner training for a marathon who gets put under heavy weights instead of gait and running-efficiency work.
- A good trainer assesses your body before programming anything. Allan has every client squat so he can see balance, gait, and movement patterns before deciding what they need, whether that is technique work or targeted strength training.
- A good trainer asks about your concerns and your history. New clients are often intimidated, so a trainer should ask what worries them and what they have already been doing, then build a program around activities they already enjoy instead of starting from zero.
- Counting reps is not coaching. A trainer who just puts you under a weight and counts is not teaching you the movement or why you are doing it. A real coach teaches the exercise, gives cues to help you improve, and encourages you like a teammate.
- Language and tone have to match you. Some people respond to a drill-sergeant style, others need something calmer. If a trainer is not teaching, coaching, and inspiring you in a way that resonates, that is a sign to move on.
- Burnout shows up as disengagement. Trainers at big-box gyms are often overworked and underpaid, which can lead to generic, copy-paste programming. If a trainer seems to be talking to someone else instead of you, they may be burned out rather than a bad coach.
- Referrals should follow results, not precede them. Trainers depend on referrals to grow their business, but Allan says the order matters: give great results first, then ask for a referral. A trainer asking for referrals before delivering results, especially with incentives dangled up front, has the priorities backwards.
- Outgrowing a trainer is normal and expected. A good trainer teaches you to build your own programs and knows their own limits, referring you to a specialist (a swim coach, a nutritionist) once you need expertise beyond their scope, the same way athletes move up through levels of coaching.
- Firing a trainer does not have to be dramatic. Allan says it is as simple as telling them you are ready to move on, or asking a gym manager for a different trainer, and not being afraid to ask for a refund if you have not gotten the service you paid for.
“You are the client. This is your money. This is your life. This is your body.”
Coach Allan Misner