Gyms are location specific, since not everyone can train in our Glasnevin gym, we get asked quite a lot about how to chose a gym.
After all, most of the time…
Choosing a gym (a real one where you get coached at least) is a pretty big deal and a pretty big investment.
Personally, I’ve paid between €200 and €500 per month for coaching and personal training to get solve problems I’m having in the gym or with my body.
That’s 2.5k – 6k per year.
So it’s safe to say, you don’t want to be making mistakes when you’re giving YOUR money to a personal trainer or gym owner without doing your research.
Want to know the biggest mistake I see every day?
Thinking how good your “trainers” body is is a good indicator of how likely they are to help you get there too.
…I know what you’re thinking – if they’re in shape, they must know what they’re doing right?
It makes sense on the surface, but given my position in the industry, I get to see the dirty side.
And I’m not talking about steroids, though there’s a large amount of trainers (male and female) shooting up and popping muscle pills to get in shape so they can fool you into parting with your money.
They call it a cost of doing business.
Worse tho, is the “one dimensional #fitfam douchebag”.
The personal trainers who train twice a day, every day, and bring their tupperware with them everywhere.
They eat nothing but boiled chicken and steamed broccoli (unless they’re binging on pizza and chocolate on the weekend) and have NO life outside the gym.
The only reason they’ve managed to get in shape is an unhealthy obsession with their body, 24/7 access to a gym, eating disorder tendencies and because it’s’ also their job.
Do you think THAT’S going to work for you? Because normally, that’s all they know.
I’ve been there tho – thru college I was a one dimensional douchebag. Everything was about training and competition. I did pretty well as a result, but the REST of my life was a complete mess. I still look back and think about what an asshole I was to people around me then.
Anyway…
Your health, your fitness and being able to spend time with friends and family is much more important than a six pack. Believe me there. A six pack will not make you happy.
The problem with the 1-D-Dbags is that they’ll lead you down the same path.
They’ll tell you carbs are evil, you gotta do fasted morning cardio AND an evening strength workout. And if you’re not bleeding from your ears after a training session – “you don’t want it bad enough”.
Yes, being in shape is important.
But never, ever, EVER forget that when you’re upset, or when you’re in a hole – your six pack ain’t gonna dig you out of that. Your friends and family will. Relationships will. YOU will. Your resilience. Your creativity. Your ingenuity.
Not your biceps or shoulders.
So, in closing this rant out (and thank you Paul for the inspiration)…
When you’re choosing a gym or a personal trainer,
LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE
Not just their abs and how happy they look in their photos.
Do they get to travel.
Do they have good relationships.
Are they doing something they love.
How much time do they spend helping people other than themselves?
(…btw “helping people” is not “training them for money”, that’s work)
Choosing a coach or personal trainer is far more important than you realise because they’re probably going to have one of the biggest impacts on your life since your favourite school teacher.
If they’re fucked up and lead you down the long path… well…
…we’ll politely call that “a waste of money”
…and impolitely – “a clusterfuck of destruction to your life”.
ANYWAY, if you wanna see what it should be like – how you can work on your health and fitness, get in shape, get stronger, fitter and make some new friends WITHOUT it taking over your life, come in and spend a free week with us.
We’ll hook you up with one of our expert trainers, do a private introductory session and show you what to expect, help you set some short / medium / long term goals, give you a timeline to success and teach how we’ll get you there 🙂
Just head over here and you can book your session today:Â https://revolutionfitness.ie/pt-intro/
TL;DR – if your trainers ENTIRE life is the gym and their abs, they’re probably a one dimensional douchebag who’ll lead you down the same disruptive unhealthy path