I think I'm ranting tonight

Ok, I hate to sound like somebody's miserable, quarrelsome mother looking to pick a fight with the world, but since my chronicles as a gym instructor began in June 2010, I've seen the really, really good and the really really horrible in strength training, health and fitness. And I have heard people tell me of advice which other trainers have given them and some of them I've had to shake my head at. I really don't have time to go through all of the mess but I'll take some time in this blog to give my opinions on them.

Safety

Now, anyone who has trained under my guidance for any period of time knows that I put a great deal of emphasis of doing the lift safely. From my own experience, injuries are not nice to deal with, so the safer one does a lift, the likelihood of an injury happening is reduced. Now, burn this in the back of your minds: NO TRAINING METHOD IS 100% SAFE!!However, this is no excuse to not do strength training. The only time when you are totally safe is when you are in heaven. Food for thought.

However, there are certain things that one can do to make an activity safer. In my limited knowledge of strength training, one of the tips that I give to clients whenever I am teaching them a compound lift (squat, deadlift, bench press, military press etc.) is to keep your weight on your heels i.e. drive your feet into the ground through your heels. This establishes a firm base for whatever lift you are doing. Which is why I'll NEVER tell you to do this:



Now seriously...(SMH). All I'll say is that if your personal trainer is telling you to do this...I'll seriously advise you to get another personal trainer. How much of your life do you spend on an unstable surface like a swiss ball or a bosu ball? I rest my case.

Long and short is that while no training method is 100% safe, it is dumb to put yourself at risk by doing stuff that is dangerous. This is why whenever you are training, you SHOULD get guidance from someone who is knowledgeable about training. And if you in the unfortunate case of someone who is supposed to be knowledgeable is actually putting you at a greater risk, don't be afraid to ask questions or get a second opinion, because at the end of the day, it's YOU who will get injured, not your personal trainer. True, you may sue or whatever, but YOUR life will be hampered by the injury. Your personal trainer will just train other people and go home with the $$$.

So to all who are reading this, keep safety in mind, both in training and in life.