Should I say something?(dogcrap personal trainer at my gym)

[Counterweight]

I've been going to this gym, or as they like to call it "wellness and fitness center". Nonetheless, I go there because I can't go to my school weight room because it's summer. I go there 3/4 times a week depending on how tired I'm feeling after HCT-12. I'd say twice a week I see this wunder trainer named Laurie Caw doing exercises with her "elite athletes" that IMO anyways are pretty lame. Most of these kids have been with her for several years, none of them have gotten any larger or even faster or more flexible. They always complain about how hard she works them, yet they don't do anything super hard or intense.

Anyways, I have digressed. A kid I know named Alex is working with her, and threw out his back. Alex is a hockey player, and I suggested maybe doing some GHR's and/or good mornings to make his posterior chain a little less weak. After explaining to him what they were, he said she doesn't like doing exercises with a lot of weight because it stops them from being "fast and flexible". Sort of sounds like crap to me, but hey I'm just a teenager. So the question basically is, should I tell Alex that she's a garbage trainer, or am I being affected by the arrogance of youth?

[chevelle2291]

I've been going to this gym, or as they like to call it "wellness and fitness center". Nonetheless, I go there because I can't go to my school weight room because it's summer. I go there 3/4 times a week depending on how tired I'm feeling after HCT-12. I'd say twice a week I see this wunder trainer named Laurie Caw doing exercises with her "elite athletes" that IMO anyways are pretty lame. Most of these kids have been with her for several years, none of them have gotten any larger or even faster or more flexible. They always complain about how hard she works them, yet they don't do anything super hard or intense.

Anyways, I have digressed. A kid I know named Alex is working with her, and threw out his back. Alex is a hockey player, and I suggested maybe doing some GHR's and/or good mornings to make his posterior chain a little less weak. After explaining to him what they were, he said she doesn't like doing exercises with a lot of weight because it stops them from being "fast and flexible". Sort of sounds like crap to me, but hey I'm just a teenager. So the question basically is, should I tell Alex that she's a garbage trainer, or am I being affected by the arrogance of youth?

At first I thought this was going to be about a crappy DC trainer at a gym haha..

[ryuage]

ya, i thought it was referring to doggcrap training.

she must be doing something right if she gets new clients and keeps the ones she has for years like you say.

[Todd Gack]

Wait, there are guys out there who agree to be trained by women? That just strikes me as odd.

[Counterweight]

ya, i thought it was referring to doggcrap training.

she must be doing something right if she gets new clients and keeps the ones she has for years like you say.

She trained Matt Duchene, who was already gifted and his success came from his own genetic gifts and amazing work ethic. Not her backasswards training.


People think they will become Matt Duchene if they train with her, not realizing 99.99999 percent of his success wasn't her. They also have a gross stupidity problem, that coupled with lots of money=clients.

[f=ma]

part of being a teenager is making poor decisions. do what you find to be effective and leave the idiots to the idiots

[method115]

If the situation was reversed would you want to be told? I know I would. I hate that I worked out for a year not doing it the right way. I got results but they were nothing compared to the result I got once I knew what to do.

[wags]

So the question basically is, should I tell Alex that she's a garbage trainer, or am I being affected by the arrogance of youth?

Hard to say knowing only your side of the story (and not knowing the full regimen she is running), but if what you say is true, then she sounds awful.

[Counterweight]

Hard to say knowing only your side of the story (and not knowing the full regimen she is running), but if what you say is true, then she sounds awful.

she makes her athletes buy Vibram 5 toes. That should tell you.

[chevelle2291]

she makes her athletes buy Vibram 5 toes. That should tell you.

Those are great shoes for general weightlifting. I use them on a daily basis and the amount of feel and stability I get from them is unmatched by anything else I've ever trained in.

[Counterweight]

Those are great shoes for general weightlifting. I use them on a daily basis and the amount of feel and stability I get from them is unmatched by anything else I've ever trained in.

I've always found taking my shoes off works just as well, maybe even a bit better..considering it's free.

[Deuce]

I've always found taking my shoes off works just as well, maybe even a bit better..considering it's free.

A bunch of athletes running around barefoot, using the same equipment and sharing the same space? There is a reason you wear shower shoes in public showers...

[HomelessTrainer]

A bunch of athletes running around barefoot, using the same equipment and sharing the same space? There is a reason you wear shower shoes in public showers...

I see the point, but I think he was referring to working out in a home gym. Unless you're an Olympic Weightlifter there shouldn't be a need to buy hardcore lifting shoes. I wouldn't by **** from anyone that recommended to me.

[method115]

A bunch of athletes running around barefoot, using the same equipment and sharing the same space? There is a reason you wear shower shoes in public showers...

Not sure what your trying to imply here. I train in BJJ and were all barefoot on the mats stepping in each others sweat sometimes. I don't see how it could be any different weight lifting but maybe I'm missing something.

[Deuce]

Not sure what your trying to imply here. I train in BJJ and were all barefoot on the mats stepping in each others sweat sometimes. I don't see how it could be any different weight lifting but maybe I'm missing something.

Yeah I guess you're probably right, I was just thinking of increased chances of foot fungi or infection like staph with every body running around barefoot.

[Astreocclu]

A bunch of athletes running around barefoot, using the same equipment and sharing the same space? There is a reason you wear shower shoes in public showers...

I have never seen this (though i am young i have been in public showers often before). I imagine if someone my age did that, he would get rideculed quite severely.

[chevelle2291]

I've always found taking my shoes off works just as well, maybe even a bit better..considering it's free.

Besides the mentioned sanitary issues, and the fact that many gyms do not allow barefoot or even socked feet, the shoes are also great for running outdoors where your feet can get torn up. That's originally why I bought them. Overpriced? Yes. Great for exercise in general? Definitely.

Anyways, I don't really think you should say something to the trainer. I mean, who really cares if she's ripping people off? Her customers will either get smart or keep wasting money if she is in fact a bad trainer.

[Astreocclu]

Well if people are getting injured, then i think someone needs to say something to someone (whether it be the coach or the trainees). Really the problem is that i am unaware of many if any viable alternatives in this town.

[mrelwooddowd]

It sounds like they may be doing some kind of Crossfit-inspired workouts. Several members at my CF affiliate wear the Five Fingers shoes and I'm told they're 100% worth it. I wear Nike Free 7.0's but I think the FF will be in my life soon.

So anyway..this lady is probably certified and has a lot of experience. And you said yourself that you're just a kid and there's nothing wrong with that either. The thing is..we (myself included) tend to get an eliteist view on the fitness world after all our reading and informational exchanges. We think we know what will work and what will NOT work, and what's smart and what's stupid, and what's useful/useless, etc.

So, armed with that "knowledge," we get critical and judgemental of what we see around us. When I was more in that mindset, it seemed like EVERYONE was doing it wrong. Everyone was using bad form. Everyone was incorporating useless movements into their workout. Everyone's workout made no sense to me because it wasn't a regimented, structured routine with the goal of hypertrophy. I thought cardio was mostly useless as a tool for physical goals (in certain situations or whatever), and so on and so forth. And while I'm sure some of that was true, I've come to realize since then that a significant portion of what I learned on WBB was either incorrect, or just not the all-encompassing answer that it was conveyed to be. That's not a knock on WBB or its contributor content, but just an effect of having thousands of opinions from members that may or may not be correct.

So...you should probably just stay out of it. The harsh reality is that she probably knows what she's doing and although her methodology may not make sense to you it still has a legitimate purpose. Without even knowing what exercises you're seeing, I can tell you that it's probably a lot of the same stuff we do at Crossfit. And if I had seen people doing those movements a year ago I'd have laughed and silently thanked myself for knowing "the truth" about what does and doesn't work.

The fact is, though, that I had no idea what fitness, strength, agility and stamina were until 3 months ago and I've made more gains in those 3 months of CF than I did in the 5 years prior. And armed with that knowledge, I've basically thrown out most of what I held as "absolutes" with regard to fitness and the body's response to challenges.

[Counterweight]

It sounds like they may be doing some kind of Crossfit-inspired workouts. Several members at my CF affiliate wear the Five Fingers shoes and I'm told they're 100% worth it. I wear Nike Free 7.0's but I think the FF will be in my life soon.

So anyway..this lady is probably certified and has a lot of experience. And you said yourself that you're just a kid and there's nothing wrong with that either. The thing is..we (myself included) tend to get an eliteist view on the fitness world after all our reading and informational exchanges. We think we know what will work and what will NOT work, and what's smart and what's stupid, and what's useful/useless, etc.

So, armed with that "knowledge," we get critical and judgemental of what we see around us. When I was more in that mindset, it seemed like EVERYONE was doing it wrong. Everyone was using bad form. Everyone was incorporating useless movements into their workout. Everyone's workout made no sense to me because it wasn't a regimented, structured routine with the goal of hypertrophy. I thought cardio was mostly useless as a tool for physical goals (in certain situations or whatever), and so on and so forth. And while I'm sure some of that was true, I've come to realize since then that a significant portion of what I learned on WBB was either incorrect, or just not the all-encompassing answer that it was conveyed to be. That's not a knock on WBB or its contributor content, but just an effect of having thousands of opinions from members that may or may not be correct.

So...you should probably just stay out of it. The harsh reality is that she probably knows what she's doing and although her methodology may not make sense to you it still has a legitimate purpose. Without even knowing what exercises you're seeing, I can tell you that it's probably a lot of the same stuff we do at Crossfit. And if I had seen people doing those movements a year ago I'd have laughed and silently thanked myself for knowing "the truth" about what does and doesn't work.

The fact is, though, that I had no idea what fitness, strength, agility and stamina were until 3 months ago and I've made more gains in those 3 months of CF than I did in the 5 years prior. And armed with that knowledge, I've basically thrown out most of what I held as "absolutes" with regard to fitness and the body's response to challenges.

What are the principals of Cross-fit?

What sort of things do they emphasize?

[mrelwooddowd]

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/what-crossfit.html

There's a description of what you asked about, as well as some videos and such. Most of the WOD's are really tough, and some of them are absolutely brutal. The workout "Fran" that is linked for a video looks so simple and easy, but you're basically going all-out for the whole thing. The last time I did it it took me 11min. The first time, 24. The elite can do it in under 5.

http://crossfitthunder.com/

That's my local affilliate. You can see our workout for each day. We also incorporate a lot of olympic lifting and strength stuff.

[BigRic]

I have never seen this (though i am young i have been in public showers often before). I imagine if someone my age did that, he would get rideculed quite severely.

Ridiculed for wearing sandals in the shower? I've been in quite a few locker rooms (Football) and a lot of guys were sandals in the shower. Like someone said being barefoot and sweating a lot is a good way to past athletes foot, other fungi, and staph infections.

[McIrish]

It sounds like they may be doing some kind of Crossfit-inspired workouts. Several members at my CF affiliate wear the Five Fingers shoes and I'm told they're 100% worth it. I wear Nike Free 7.0's but I think the FF will be in my life soon.

So anyway..this lady is probably certified and has a lot of experience. And you said yourself that you're just a kid and there's nothing wrong with that either. The thing is..we (myself included) tend to get an eliteist view on the fitness world after all our reading and informational exchanges. We think we know what will work and what will NOT work, and what's smart and what's stupid, and what's useful/useless, etc.

So, armed with that "knowledge," we get critical and judgemental of what we see around us. When I was more in that mindset, it seemed like EVERYONE was doing it wrong. Everyone was using bad form. Everyone was incorporating useless movements into their workout. Everyone's workout made no sense to me because it wasn't a regimented, structured routine with the goal of hypertrophy. I thought cardio was mostly useless as a tool for physical goals (in certain situations or whatever), and so on and so forth. And while I'm sure some of that was true, I've come to realize since then that a significant portion of what I learned on WBB was either incorrect, or just not the all-encompassing answer that it was conveyed to be. That's not a knock on WBB or its contributor content, but just an effect of having thousands of opinions from members that may or may not be correct.

So...you should probably just stay out of it. The harsh reality is that she probably knows what she's doing and although her methodology may not make sense to you it still has a legitimate purpose. Without even knowing what exercises you're seeing, I can tell you that it's probably a lot of the same stuff we do at Crossfit. And if I had seen people doing those movements a year ago I'd have laughed and silently thanked myself for knowing "the truth" about what does and doesn't work.

The fact is, though, that I had no idea what fitness, strength, agility and stamina were until 3 months ago and I've made more gains in those 3 months of CF than I did in the 5 years prior. And armed with that knowledge, I've basically thrown out most of what I held as "absolutes" with regard to fitness and the body's response to challenges.

I absolutely agree with this post. Well said, MrEl - I would've laughed my ass off at a bunch of crossfit goofballs swinging all around a pull-up bar and would've thought "why don't those fools just do strict pull-ups and deadlifts?", but I've made such stupid FITNESS gains in the past year at my Crossfit affiliate that I will probably never go back to a strict PL routine. Don't get me wrong, I might take a month off of Crossfit here or there because it isn't easy on the wallet, and sometimes a man's just gotta GOMAD, but overall, I'm a changed man.

When I say overall fitness, I mean first that my big three haven't appreciably changed (they were never spectacular before, but better than the average joe), but get me doing something like running/swimming/lifting odd objects and I am a hoss compared to what I used to do. When I play pickup ball with my friends now, I'm routinely the first down on every fast break. I can also get more ups than I did before. My mile time has hit a lifetime PR, and I've hit a lifetime PR on 5k runs... and we hardly ever train running!

In addition, I broke down and bought some VFF shoes... try them once on a field or a track and you will feel like you are a kid again, absolutely flying across the ground. It's absurd compared to clunky running shoes. Don't knock it til you've tried it.

Also, for the uninitiated, a lot of the crossfit workouts incorporate heavy PL and OLY movements, so you don't need to feel like you're cheating on the iron. Hell, my favorite workouts at our affiliate are moderately-heavy deadlifts (225, usually, which I scale down because that's too much for the intensity of the rest of the workout!) paired with ring-dips or handstand pushups or something. They look deceptively easy... but try doing them all out without rest. Your overall fitness will absolutely EXPLODE.

[ThomasG]

Wow a trainer that knows about DC training? I'm impressed.

[mrelwooddowd]

I absolutely agree with this post. Well said, MrEl - I would've laughed my ass off at a bunch of crossfit goofballs swinging all around a pull-up bar and would've thought "why don't those fools just do strict pull-ups and deadlifts?", but I've made such stupid FITNESS gains in the past year at my Crossfit affiliate that I will probably never go back to a strict PL routine. Don't get me wrong, I might take a month off of Crossfit here or there because it isn't easy on the wallet, and sometimes a man's just gotta GOMAD, but overall, I'm a changed man.

When I say overall fitness, I mean first that my big three haven't appreciably changed (they were never spectacular before, but better than the average joe), but get me doing something like running/swimming/lifting odd objects and I am a hoss compared to what I used to do. When I play pickup ball with my friends now, I'm routinely the first down on every fast break. I can also get more ups than I did before. My mile time has hit a lifetime PR, and I've hit a lifetime PR on 5k runs... and we hardly ever train running!

In addition, I broke down and bought some VFF shoes... try them once on a field or a track and you will feel like you are a kid again, absolutely flying across the ground. It's absurd compared to clunky running shoes. Don't knock it til you've tried it.

Also, for the uninitiated, a lot of the crossfit workouts incorporate heavy PL and OLY movements, so you don't need to feel like you're cheating on the iron. Hell, my favorite workouts at our affiliate are moderately-heavy deadlifts (225, usually, which I scale down because that's too much for the intensity of the rest of the workout!) paired with ring-dips or handstand pushups or something. They look deceptively easy... but try doing them all out without rest. Your overall fitness will absolutely EXPLODE.

Ha..everything you just said describes the last 3 months of my life. It's wild how much your performance can change in everyday life. One example I use is that I can get an in-the-park homerun in my softball league (i'm not that good. they're just easy to get) where I sprint full-blast around the bases. I get back to the dugout and my breathing has barely increased..not much more than rotting up a flight of stairs. Meanwhile..any of my teammates does the same thing and they're bent over trying to get their breath back. I had no idea how much my overall strength/conditioning/physique could improve using crossfit. It's just...amazing.

We're on a busy road, too, so I often wonder what people think when they see me running with a stack of fire hose, or running 400m backwards, or doing burpee broad jumps as a team..lol