Exercises Are Like Drugs
Boy I got you with that catchy title, didn't I?
Exercise selection is by far one of the most important soft skills that any coach or trainer can have. If I know that a client can't hinge and pick up a weight without back pain, I need to have six or eight different variations of exercises that still hit the same muscles and not trigger the back pain.
Of course, a lot of this comes with experience. Newer trainers are going to have a harder time crafting the right recipe without a robust ingredient list. That’s okay youngblood, it just comes with time.
And beginner or intermediate gym goers are going to have an even harder time finding things that don't aggravate their old injuries. Too often though, they will go down the rabbit hole on YouTube and develop a 10 page list of exercises they think they should be doing. While some of them may have merit, and really I think moving your body in any capacity has merit, they may not be the exercises that you need. And rarely do people do them with enough consistency to see meaningful results.
It's why I always use the analogy about the drugstore. When you walk into Walgreens and you see 40,000 different vitamins, which ones do you take? Sure, you could take all of them. That could be fun. Not for your kidneys, but fun nonetheless.
Y
ou could rely on WebMD or YouTube to help you figure out which supplements and vitamins you might need. Now you're getting a little bit closer to the correct regimen.
Or you could walk to the back of the Walgreens and talk to the pharmacist about your specific needs.
That pharmacist is going to not only be able to recommend the right vitamins for you, but also know whether any of those recommendations have negative interactions with anything else you're taking. (for example, did you know calcium can inhibit iron absorption?)
After consulting with the pharmacist you're going to have a short and sweet list of exactly what YOU need for YOUR health.
Now am I saying that I, as a personal trainer, am as knowledgeable as a pharmacist? Yes, we're basically the same. That's sarcasm, folks.
What I will say is that an experienced coach has a litany of backup exercises waiting for you in the event your back acts up.
But what if I don't want to pay for a personal trainer?
I get that. Training can be expensive. And if you're already a self-starter who just needs some information, why not hire a trainer as a consultant? You can retain your autonomy, operate on your schedule, and have all the information you need quickly. Hell, I'll do it for free.