I came across this article posted on the DD Forum by Marty Gallagher who wrote the, "Purposeful Primitive." This is exactly what we, "trainers" do and we sometime don't realize it. I just pasted the article below. Think about how you train your clients, Is this you?
The fourth lever of progress is the psychological element and my interaction with the client/student is a case study in applied psychology: I get a sense of the trainee and become attuned to their situation.
The biggest mistake made by personal trainers nationwide is they try and jam square pegs (their clients) into round holes (their system) and the end result of this one-size-fits-all approach is that a very small percentage of their clients reap the results they sought or had come to expect. Most clients drop out within the first month. They quit because they are unable to adapt to the stringency and inflexibility of "The System."
I too have a system. However an integral part of my system is a strategy called 'creeping incrementalism' wherein the trainee is initially taught a sound technical base using light weights and high reps. Cardio modes are simplistic; duration is short, intensity is mild and overall the trainee is encouraged to develop a 'feel' for the movements and the techniques before we push the intensity accelerator to the floor.
Modern Personal Trainers basically have one speed and one system and typically throw their clients into the proverbial deep end of the pool in session one on day one, allowing no gradual acclimatization. I am flexible, pliable, mobile and nuanced. In our initial nutritional strategy we start broad and easy before becoming narrow and focused. Zen Master Suzuki was once asked, "What is the best way to train the mind?" He replied, "Give your cow a large pasture to graze in." That sums up my initial approach towards an "eating strategy." All things fitness-related will become increasingly more intense and focused over a protracted period of time as we delve ever deeper into the process. Once easy benchmarks are established we stair-step our way ever upward, using innovative periodization tactics applied to all three disciplines.
The biggest mistake made by personal trainers nationwide is they try and jam square pegs (their clients) into round holes (their system) and the end result of this one-size-fits-all approach is that a very small percentage of their clients reap the results they sought or had come to expect. Most clients drop out within the first month. They quit because they are unable to adapt to the stringency and inflexibility of "The System."
I too have a system. However an integral part of my system is a strategy called 'creeping incrementalism' wherein the trainee is initially taught a sound technical base using light weights and high reps. Cardio modes are simplistic; duration is short, intensity is mild and overall the trainee is encouraged to develop a 'feel' for the movements and the techniques before we push the intensity accelerator to the floor.
Modern Personal Trainers basically have one speed and one system and typically throw their clients into the proverbial deep end of the pool in session one on day one, allowing no gradual acclimatization. I am flexible, pliable, mobile and nuanced. In our initial nutritional strategy we start broad and easy before becoming narrow and focused. Zen Master Suzuki was once asked, "What is the best way to train the mind?" He replied, "Give your cow a large pasture to graze in." That sums up my initial approach towards an "eating strategy." All things fitness-related will become increasingly more intense and focused over a protracted period of time as we delve ever deeper into the process. Once easy benchmarks are established we stair-step our way ever upward, using innovative periodization tactics applied to all three disciplines.
