Ten Things Personal Trainers Wish More People Knew

I've been in the fitness and nutrition industry for more than ten years, and like any field, when you're in it for awhile, you sometimes forget what it's like "on the outside."

Things that make perfect sense -- or that seem perfectly ridiculous -- to me and my colleagues are taken as truth by a lot of people who don't have the same background.

I remember how easy it was for me to fall for misinformation and marketing ploys before I had the education and training I have now, and that's why it's so important for me to keep sharing basic, practical information.

In last week's email, I explained the problems with celebrity and fad diets, and today I want to pull back the curtain on some concepts that are pretty basic to most trainers but that many people don't know.



1. You're making it too complicated.

Cardio or strength first? What kind of cardio? What kind of strength? What time of day?
What about eating? Before? After? How much? What diet is best? What supplements do I need?

Y'all.

Just move. Move your body in a way you enjoy most days. Moving more frequently is going to get you further than following the exact right plan once or twice a week, if that. Move.

When it comes to food, eat protein, eat vegetables, eat carbs, drink water. If you are not consistently giving your body the basic nutrients it needs, all the expensive diets and supplements in the world will not help.

Focus on The Basics. If you can do those consistently, then you might be ready to fine-tune your regimen. But if you're not doing those things regularly, THAT'S where you need to focus, not on whatever flashy thing popped up on your social media feed.


2. Cardio isn't king. Strength training is even more important.

If one of your goals is a lean, toned, physique, you should hit the weights, not just the treadmill.

Remember, muscle tone is just muscle. To build muscle, you have to lift weights.

Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than adipose, or fat, tissue; therefore, increasing lean muscle can help increase metabolism.

This isn't to say that cardio is useless! It's important for building and maintaining cardiovascular health, and improving cardiovascular performance can also benefit strength training.

Cardio just shouldn't be anyone's sole focus, especially if their goal is to build muscle or change body composition.


3. The most effective strength training is more boring than what you see online.

Squat. Hinge. Lunge. Push. Pull. Carry.
Those are the basic movement patterns we all need. Most of your favorite Instagram influencers make it look a lot more fancy and complicated than that.

The truth is effective strength training includes a lot of the same movement patterns, done repeatedly, for years. The amount of resistance might vary. The pace of the movement might vary. The stance or grip might vary.

But I -- and most trainers I know -- have been doing squats, deadlifts, rows, presses, etc. for years.

A solid training program shouldn't be too complicated. That doesn't get as many views on Instagram and TikTok as other things, so many people think it needs to be a lot harder than it actually does, but you can't go wrong doing basic movement patterns really well.


4. The amount of weight you're lifting is less important than the technique.

Yes, to see noticeable increases in strength and lean muscle, you need to lift challenging weights.

The other piece of that is you need to lift them well.

Lifting super heavy, or continuing to increase weight, with poor form or range of motion just makes you stronger in that poor movement pattern or range of motion.

If you can't lift a certain weight without your technique breaking down, you're probably not ready to increase.

There can be a lot of ego when it comes to strength training (just take a quick spin around the weight room if you don't believe me 😜).

Let that go. Check your ego. Work towards lifting the weight well. Don't be sloppy. That's how you get stronger and learn to move better.



5. It might take longer than you think.

When you see someone online doing a certain move really well, or lifting a certain amount of weight, or looking a certain way, it did not happen overnight.

You don't usually see all the time and effort that people put in behind the scenes. You don't see the years of hitting the gym almost every day (I've been at it for almost 18 years, consistently.) You don't see weeks of training the same movements over and over to get really good at it. You don't see years of eating well, prioritizing protein and veggies, and choosing water over alcohol.

You just see the end result.

It doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't happen in a 14-day reset or a 21-day challenge or a 30-day program or even a 6-week group.

It takes time, consistency, and commitment, and that sounds intimidating and way less enticing than whatever those short-term programs promise.

But if you want to create lasting change, you've gotta be in it for the long haul.


6. Eating less and exercising more is not always smart.

If weight loss is a goal (and it does NOT have to be!), it does come down to calories in vs. calories out.

That being said, slashing calorie intake and ramping up exercise is not always the best play.

Physique changes require lean muscle. It's tough to build muscle in a significant deficit. To build muscle, you have to feed the muscle.

Conventional diets that restrict calories down to 1200-1500/day for grown adults are generally far too low.

If you've been dieting for a long time, your metabolism might have adapted in such a way that your body is not burning fat efficiently.

To address that, you'll need to adjust your training and your food intake gradually. Training should include a mix of strength and cardio and include adequate recovery. Food intake should increase gradually so you can begin to increase your metabolic rate.

Move your body. Train hard and smart. And fuel, aka eat, for performance.


7. Personal trainers are not nutrition experts or physical therapists or doctors.

Personal trainers are NOT one-size-fits-all health and fitness professionals. (I have a post on this here.)

Personal trainers are certified in movement and exercise.

They are not certified in or qualified to discuss more than the absolute basics of nutrition unless they have other certifications. (I'm also a Fitness Nutrition Specialist through American Council on Exercise and a Level 1 Coach with Precision Nutrition.)

Personal trainers are also not experts in pain, injuries, or rehab. They cannot diagnose or treat physical ailments, although they can collaborate with other health professionals like physical therapists and orthopedic specialists after they've evaluated and diagnosed an issue.

Many people providing fitness and nutrition advice on the internet are not qualified. Like at all.

And many of them who have qualifications are providing information and services that are outside their scope of practice.

You deserve better. When learning from or working with someone, make sure they have appropriate qualifications (mine are always at the bottom of my emails!) and they're not operating outside their area of expertise.


8. You don't need a meal plan. Stop asking.

First, personal trainers are not qualified to provide meal plans. Period. (See above!)

Second, neither are nutrition coaches. Weird, I know, but in most states in the U.S., only registered dietitians who have a degree and clinical experience can provide meal plans. If you think you need a meal plan, you need a dietitian.

Third, unless you have very specific medical nutritional needs, you probably don't need a meal plan. You probably just need to learn how to feed your body properly -- that's what a nutrition coach can help with.

Meal plans don't actually teach you how to change your food intake. They tell you what to eat and when, but not why, or how to adjust when you need to, or how to keep eating well once you're off the plan.

If you don't want to be on a meal plan for the rest of your life, learn how to eat well. (Just don't ask your personal trainer to teach you.)


9. We can't do the work for you.

I know, this part sucks. But you have to put in the work.

You can have the top trainer in the world and you won't see results if you don't put in the work.

We can write programs. We can teach you movements. We can try to hold you accountable at your sessions. But there are 168 hours in a week. We're with you for what? MAX 5? Usually 0.5-1? That's a lot of time that YOU have to do the work on your own.

The best program will not work for you if you don't consistently show up and work. The best trainer cannot help you if you aren't doing what you need to do to help yourself. There's just no way around that.

Often, it's not the programming or the type of workout or nutrition plan that makes the difference for someone. It's the fact that they made a conscious effort, every day, to go after their goals. I can help along the way. You have to do the work.


10. We're human, too. We're not perfect, and we're not judging you.

Personal trainers don't pop out of bed and bounce off to go work out and eat plain unseasoned chicken with their unbuttered whole grain organic toast before a day of snacking on ice cubes and screaming at clients to drop and give them 20.

Some of us don't get enough sleep each night. (Me)

Most of us aren't always motivated or excited to work out.
For us, it's a habit, not a choice.

Some of us struggle with body image, thanks to diet culture and client expectations of what a trainer "should" look like.
We come in all shapes and sizes, too.

Many of us eat normal foods like most other people.
We've just learned how to moderate and balance our intake to fit our needs.

We know (or we should know) that life happens and things get in the way and sometimes things have to take priority over workouts. We also know that skipping the gym too often has negative physical, mental, and emotional impacts, so we show up even when it's hard and we don't want to, even if it's just something quick.

We know (or we should) that everyone is different. You have different goals, priorities, and backgrounds, and good trainers can take that into consideration.

We want you to succeed, which means you need to be honest with us. We won't judge, because we've probably been in a similar situation, so we have knowledge and experience to help you get through it. If your trainer makes you feel judged or shamed so you don't want to tell them that you skipped a workout or ate fries, they might not be the right trainer for you.