Stress vs Strain

Stress your system, don't strain it. But do stress your system. On the one side we have the trainers who fancy themselves as physiotherapists endlessly fixing "muscle imbalances" without ever actually getting anyone strong, on the other we have Crossfit laughing fondly wetting yourself during workouts. 

Some stress on the joints and muscles is not actually a bad thing. Stressing the joints and muscles is the whole fucking point of resistance training. We stress them, they adapt, we get more better faster stronger. Trainers who choose to avoid stressing the systems of their clients had better at least have charming conversation, since they won't be getting their clients results.

Stress, not strain. A stress causes an adaptation, a strain causes an injury. There's a difference. Commonly timid newbies will assume any stress risks serious injury, while macho idiots assume even a strain is good for you.

If we assume that all stressors are strains, we never make our clients more better faster stronger. We peer at our clipboards as we ponder whether anyone ever gets more than a "1" on the overhead squat portion of the Functional Movement Screen, and wonder why our only remaining client is that slightly smelly guy nobody else in the gym talks to. 

If we assume that all strains are stressors, we go the Crossfit way. We end up pumping our fist saying PROGRESS HURTS!, then less than a week later say, I'm injured, how did that happen?

Both approaches, like all extremes, are wrong and stupid. Sensible middle ground, boys and girls. The truth lies in the muddy shell-cratered No-Man's Land between the two warring armies of Gray Cook and Greg Glassman, like some wounded soldier screaming in pain and waiting for any caring person to go pick him up. Let's declare a ceasefire and go rescue him. Or you could stay in your trenches.

"I want to be a personal trainer"

We get a lot of people doing their practical placement at the gym. I give them good advice, most look over my shoulder at the hot chick or guy across the room instead, or examine their nails. I've personally supervised the placements of about 30 students, there were only 3 who I trusted to do a health consult or programme showthrough, most were clueless and not very interested in what was happening around them. One of the ones who paid attention is now working at our gym, I'm not aware of any of the others being employed anywhere. This is a normal ratio, in a class of 20 you'll find 1, if you're lucky 2, actually go on to jobs in the industry. Most people doing the courses just don't know what they want to do, almost none have ever hired a trainer, etc.

In fact recently that has been my first question to the work placement students, and it will be my first question to people asking here about becoming a PT. 

"Have you ever hired a personal trainer? or even got a programme from a gym instructor?"

In most cases the answer is "No, PT is expensive, and a programme, well the instructors at my gym are idiots."

"Right... so you think it's not worth paying for personal training, yet you expect other people to pay for personal training with you? You don't trust the expertise of people who've been doing this for years, but you expect other people to trust your expertise? Do you think PT has value, or not?"

It's okay if you don't think it's worth paying for something. I know guys who never pay for a haircut, they just buy electric clippers and get a #2 all over. But these guys aren't trying to become hairdressers. If you don't value what you're offering, why should anyone else?