Creating Chaos - For Fitness & Sport Professionals

I worked away this week and at times where travel is extensive, you have to be quite disciplined to squeeze in the chance to do some exercise. The irony being that when driving a lot, your body is in a greater need of movement with the sedentary nature of travelling yet often, there is less time than normal to fit it in.

However, I managed to find out where the nearest gym was and just about had time for 30 minutes of exercise which is enough time to fit in a decent session. Without naming this large commercial gym, their name claims to put fitness before everything else. Well, after Wednesday's visit, I'm not completely sure that I agree.

On stepping into the gym, I was pleased to find out that I could just pay for a one off session without being a member. £10 seemed on the pricey side for a single visit but that could be just my yorkshire-ness. I was pleased just to make the most of the time. However, I was rather surprised that I didn't have to complete any health forms, waivers or sign up documents, simply pay £10 and hand over my car keys in exchange for use of a locker.

Now, this particular chain isn't known for it's lavish facilities so I wasn't expecting to be stepping into the training arena for the GB Olympic team. But paying £10 for a single visit, you expect there to be a certain level of facility to justify the cost.

The club itself was a peculiar set up, the main gym area immediately ahead as you walk in, the weights area in a hidden room that I almost missed and a studio to the far side of the gym area. With little time available, I had a quick scout about to orientate myself and see what was available. Stepping briefly into what was an extremely crammed and busy free weight area, the level of hostility as a young male struck me immediately. As I opened the door and walked in, every single testosterone-fuelled guy turned and looked at me with little if any facial expression, not the most welcoming response.

I decided to warm up on a rower. 3 were available and my first choice seemed to have a poorly oiled chain making it awkward to get a good rhythm so, with the neighbouring rower being free, I jumped across. Oddly enough, the same issue remained, I'm not sure entry fee was used heavily on maintenance or equipment replacement.

As someone who trains instructors, even without trying to, I found myself taking note of what the gym instructors were doing. It was of no great surprise that these instructors had their t-shirt sleeves rolled to reveal a little more upper arm and spent most of their time chatting up the opposite sex.

I ended up putting myself in a little corner of a matted area and piecing a circuit together with a couple of dumbbells and a few other bits that had seen better days. The matts weren't particularly clean but generally training outdoors, a little dirt tends not to bother me. Half way through my circuit, a group of anteriorly focussed and rather oddly shaped men came and did some sort of 'ab' blast next to me. Whilst not eavesdropping, it was clear that their crude and very audible conversation was aimed at a number of females  nearby on cardio-based equipment. If I could hear their comments, I was sure that many others, including the subjects of the conversation were aware of this. Yet somehow, it seemed to be the norm and was almost acceptable.

I tend not to visit gyms very often, mainly as and when I'm teaching courses or running events. Having started OutFit a few years ago, this less than satisfactory experience left me feeling rather smug which may come across a little odd.

Whilst OutFit may not be taking over the world anytime soon, I know for certain that our members feel comfortable and at ease when they come to sessions. I know that our instructors are all helpful and put members' needs first. I know that we always welcome new members and don't intimidate or present an image of superiority. I know that our session area is always free from litter and our equipment is in good working order. I know for certain that we don't tolerate sexist behaviour.

 In an industry where constant research and headlines highlight epidemics of ill-health, you'd think we had a moral obligation to breakdown any and every barrier that could potentially stand in the way of someone participating in physical activity. However, it still appears that some organisations are concerned with celebrity endorsements and attendance metrics.

Q - How can the industry move forwards without listening to our customers?

A - We can't!

by Paul Swainson, Functional Master Trainer


That’s a pretty disheartening statement if you’re a Personal Trainer. It’s also one of the common reasons PTs (especially those new to the industry) give when they’re struggling to find clients. What’s even more disappointing is that it’s true - most people really don’t want Personal Training, because very often they don’t understand what it is, and when people don’t understand something, it’s very unlikely they will buy it.



So what’s the solution? As with many things in our industry, a change of mindset is required – if people don’t want PT, offer something they do want!

Think about what the average person understands by ‘Personal Training’. They probably think of military style instructors making people sweat, or perhaps celebrities being put through their paces in a glossy magazine. Or maybe if they go to the gym they have seen the trainers there doing fancy, complicated exercises with their clients. These ideas are all focussed on the process of training, but is this what people want? Or do they really want a flatter stomach, or more toned arms, or less flabby thighs, or to have more energy? These are the results of training and have emotion and therefore motivation attached to them.

Think about the common headlines you see on the cover of fitness magazines – “get big arms in 4 weeks”, “the 3 best moves for a six-pack”, “melt away fat in 10 seconds a week” (okay I made that last one up, but it wouldn’t surprise me to read it somewhere). They are all carefully written to appeal to what people desire: quick, simple RESULTS.

Now I’m not suggesting you make outrageous claims like those above, but if you can find out what result someone is seeking, and can provide a specific solution to achieve it, you have something people actually want.

So imagine, or better still, go and talk to, your potential clients. Find out what they want, what they need, and why (this market research then doubles up as a perfect rapport building exercise). Then structure your services and marketing around what you discover. For example, male clients may want to ‘bulk up’ in order to look better. So you could offer 'effective mass gain' training. Female clients may want to lose body fat so how about designing a 'body sculpting' programme. You could even market yourself as a ‘body transformation coach’. If your clients are simply looking to take an hour out of their
 day to de-stress, put together a ‘chill out’ package involving gentle exercise, stretching and relaxation techniques. This way you’re not selling Personal Training, you’re selling the results people are looking for.

Is CrossFit at risk of harming?

The purpose of this blog is to simply ask questions and generate discussion, not to slate a mode of exercise. It's worth me pointing out that personally, I think the type of training that cross fit tend to prescribe is fantastic high end stuff that, for someone in great condition without injury, is ideal for high intensity days. Predominantly compound movements, Olympic lifting, kettlebells, suspension conditioning, bodyweight and a lot of 'on your feet' training. The question is more over how much of a well balanced conditioning programme should this type of training make up?

I think that before being able to answer this question, there are some key considerations to look at:

Recovery process - recovery is an individual thing and generally, the more conditioned your body is, the better able it can recover from exercise. We're all familiar with DOMS and this can be a useful indicator for how your muscles are repairing post-exercise. However, the are some more subtle recovery processes that the body must go through that are vital for repair and progress. Sympathetic and parasympathetic response to exercise aren't as apparent and overload of the nervous system can be extremely dangerous leading to chronic fatigue syndrome.  Yet initially, early symptoms can appear as temporary and deceivingly positive improvements in both performance and resting health. Read here for more about some thing you may find rather interesting.

Technique - Many of the exercises used are technique based and whenever this is involved, it can often mean that performed well is full benefit and performed badly is destructive. Technique should always be mastered prior to putting the exercise into a challenge based setting where people will be pushing themselves to the limit, often resulting in quantity prioritised over quality. Due to the sheer variety of methods used within cross fit, a lot of expertise and experience is required. In essence, an experienced strength and conditioning coach is needed at each cross fit gym yet to become a level 1 coach, only a 2 day course stands in your way. Furthermore, some of the suggested form on exercises is rather questionable - watch this kettlebell swing video for example:



Competition - Motivating a work ethic within a training session is generally a positive thing and I'm sure that you agree. However, competing to be quicker or lift heavier or beat others in every single training session is not just counter-productive, it's mentally and physically draining. Training in the very sense of the word is preparatory and should be gearing towards something or heading in a certain direction. Each session should be piped with focus but performance is only one component. Constant demand of competition can have severe long term psychological repercussions. Most high level performance athletes have sports psychologists as well as coaches, managers and team mates at their disposal. This support network is not only critical for their success but also vital in terms of managing the psychological demand of performing again and again.

Cult culture - This point isn't really aimed at Cross Fit itself but the way in which people follow it and it seems to be a common theme within fitness. Maybe a reflection of how we as people commit heavily to things when they become part of our belief system. There are some fantastic philosophies within cross fit and the way the system operates but to enjoy these, it isn't necessary to become a cross fit monk or a disciple. Whilst creating exclusivity, cults tend to become detached and intimidating from an external perspective which isn't the most welcoming from those contemplating.

So, returning my original question, is cross fit at risk of harming? 

Every now and again I like to up the ante when it comes to training. One of the those sessions where a third of the way through and your starting to question your own sanity and wonder whether it's actually possible. Yes, even trainers get those sneaky demons of doubt, we just know that feelings can often be little porky pie merchants and no-one likes listening to pork pie merchants.

Anyway, enough of the classic British Meat Pie. Although incidentally, you deserve one if you complete this circuit and it won't undo all the goodness you've done (as long as it's not a ginsters)

Instruction: 7 sets of 7 exercises with 7 reps per exercise (7 each side if unilateral exercise)
Equipment: 2 x Kettlebells (ideally 24's for men / 16's for ladies but go with what you feel comfortable with), pull up bar

Exercises:

1. Reverse Lunges (2 x kettlebells with farmers grip)
2. Pull Ups (Body-row if unable)
3. Double KB swing (2 x kettlebells)
4. Burpees (with a press up)
5. Front Squat (2 x kettlebells)
6. Roll back to stand
7. Double push press (2 x kettlebells)

Last week, I was given the chance to go down to London and take part in a photo shoot for the Mail on Sunday. Sadie Nicholson, a freelance journalist wants to help the masses understand how useless Body Mass Index (BMI) is and is running a column showing a number of individuals and how their BMI doesn't really correlate with their state of health.

It really got me thinking, are we doing enough to challenge the validity of BMI?

Personally, I'm average height for a male and I weigh around 80kg. Based on this, I come out at 25.5, which according to the BMI scale, makes me overweight. All this despite me having body-fat of 10%.

This is very common place for active individuals with muscle weighing more than fat and it seems that within the sport and fitness community, the shared opinion is unquestionably against BMI and any sense of validity that it brings. Whilst my predicament of being "overweight" doesn't leave me having sleepless nights, it may well cause someone else considerable stress and concern.

The challenge is, it is still embedded within the syllabus for many courses bringing people into the fitness industry, BMI still proves of great importance in the medical world and the surgical world with often substantial implications based on the score. How can this be if the measure does not take body composition, skeleton shape, muscle mass, physical disfigurement or body fat into consideration?

So, my question is, is there anything else that you can be doing to help educate clients or your circles how BMI simply isn't valid? Interestingly, it doesn't actually tell us anything about Body Mass at all.