Does Your Personal Trainer Work Out?

Before you go thinking that this question doesn't make sense, take a moment to think it over. You would be surprised at how many assumptions we make and how many things we take for granted. If you work out with a personal trainer, this is a question you should ask yourself and your trainer.

Don't feel bad. I also used to take it for granted that trainers worked out until my junior year at The Ohio State University in the Exercise Science program. We were sitting in the middle of a lecture from Dr. Steven Devor, one of our most brilliant professors, when he suddenly changed the subject.

Until that moment, I remember very clearly that the lecture was about kinesiology, but then he started to lecture us about lazyology (yes, I made that word up). He was pointing out the fact that he was dumbfounded by how many Exercise Science students didn't exercise. Most of us would some day become physical therapists, cardiac rehab professionals, personal trainers and the like. The air in the room suddenly got quiet and thick enough to cut with a butter knife.

In all fairness, this man works out religiously every day, running for miles, and he has the lean physique to show for it. Most of us probably still don't run as much as he does but that little tidbit just paints a better picture for you. Incorporating exercise into your life doesn't mean you have to make it your life but you should at least do it regularly.

Still, he was right. I observed this more as I began to work in my field. I was surprised at how many Exercise Physiologists and Personal Trainers didn't work out. And it wasn't as if all of them looked fit on the outside, either. In that case I can understand how people might assume they exercise. Yet, I can remember working with people that were downright obese and had no plans on working out.

To this day, I wonder how any of the ones that went into personal training got or kept any clients. Nevertheless, let this serve as a word to the wise. If you have a trainer, don't take it for granted that they're instructing you based on what they've experienced. They may just be telling you what they learned from a book.

While a good personal trainer needs to have a solid foundation of knowledge, it's equally important that they be able to draw from a well of experience. After all, sometimes it's what you learn from doing that is the most valuable thing you can pass on to someone else.