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Sam Pitcairn
By Sam Pitcairn
The barrier to entry in the personal training industry is effectively zero. If you have a pulse and $400 for a weekend online course, you are now a "Certified Personal Trainer."
This is why 90% of the population sees zero results. They are being led by the blind.
I have spent decades in the trenches of high-performance. I have hired mentored (and fired) more coaches than most people know. I have learned that there are only two types of trainers: Coaches who engineer results, and Entertainers who count reps and make themselves the center of attention.
If you are serious about your results, you need to know the difference. Here is your checklist. If your current trainer fails any of these, fire them immediately.
This is controversial. I don't care.
You would not hire a broke financial advisor. You would not hire a dentist with rotting teeth. Why would you hire a trainer who looks like they don't practice what they preach?
A strength coach must be a walking billboard for their methods. If they are frail or out of shape, their methodology is obviously flawed. They cannot lead you down a path they haven't walked themselves.
At Essential Strength, we practice what we preach. We don't just "exercise." We train.
If your first session consisted of "jumping right into a workout," walk out.
How can you write a program if you don't know the inputs? That is malpractice. It is like a sniper shooting blindfolded.
A real coach starts with a Structural Balance Assessment. We need to know:
If your trainer doesn't know what a Klatt Test is, or if they have never measured your hamstrings-to-quads strength ratio, they are guessing with your joint health.
Ask your trainer to see your program.If it says: Bench Press: 3 sets of 10, fire them.
"3 sets of 10" is the universal sign of a lazy, uneducated trainer. A professional program dictates Loading Parameters with surgical precision.
Example:
Most trainers are paid to be your friend. They count your reps, ask about your weekend, and hand you a towel. They are glorified rent-a-friends.
A real coach is a teacher.
You aren't paying us to be your buddy. You are paying us to be the architect of your physical potential.
The industry is full of clowns standing on Bosu balls.
If you are tired of "workouts" and want a Training Program, look at the credentials. Look at the results. Look at the physique of the person telling you what to do.
If you are in Pittsburgh and want to be trained by a Master's-level team that treats this like a science, book your assessment.
After you submit this form we will be in contact within 24 hrs to set up an appointment to come into our East Liberty location for a performance assessment.
