Pushing Clients too hard? - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[jul3313]

My boyfriend is a personal trainer and he asked me to find out some signs and symptoms of when you’re pushing a client too hard. He's looking to monitor his clients a little better so they are less likely to run to the locker room to throw up or pass out on the floor. Are there any exercise programs he should be following to insure that this doenst happen? AND what are some signs and symptoms that he's pushing too hard that you can think of?

:thanks:

[Christina]

Hi and welcome. If his clients regularly pass out and throw up he won't be a trainer for long! LOL!

I've never had a client pass out but occasionally one will feel nauseous. I gauge my clients by facial expressions, rapid breathing, fatigue, and loss of form. Weight training is easy to gauge. I know I'm working my clients hard enough when they are pretty darn tired by the last repetition of the set. (We usually do 8-12 reps.) Sometimes I will have my client wear a heart rate monitor when we do cardio to ensure they are working hard enough. I might also have them use the RPE scale (Rating of Perceived Exertion).

I'm surprised his certification did not cover all of this. Who is he certified through?

Christina

[kaiserS]

Hi and welcome. If his clients regularly pass out and throw up he won't be a trainer for long! LOL!

I've never had a client pass out but occasionally one will feel nauseous. I gauge my clients by facial expressions, rapid breathing, fatigue, and loss of form. Weight training is easy to gauge. I know I'm working my clients hard enough when they are pretty darn tired by the last repetition of the set. (We usually do 8-12 reps.) Sometimes I will have my client wear a heart rate monitor when we do cardio to ensure they are working hard enough. I might also have them use the RPE scale (Rating of Perceived Exertion).

I'm surprised his certification did not cover all of this. Who is he certified through?

Christina

Yup this is how I do it too - very subjective, but all I can say is that as a trainer, you just kind of get a feel -

For certain exercises, and as the client gets better conditioned, you are always free to push them BEYOND the breaking point - a good routine needs a little bit of that on occasion - but you get a feel for that too -

[Joe Cannon MS CSCS]

your boyfriend needs to know about rhabdomyolysis. it happens when people exercise too much. it has shown up in fitness centers

signs can include
heart attack
kidney failure
really really sore muscles (they hurt when people are not moving)
urine that looks like coke-a-cola (they are peeing blood now)

I teach /certify personal trainers. most are not aware of rhabdo. All of the personal trainer books I have never mention it either. Ive written a book on personal training (Personal fitness training beyond the basics) to show trainers what they need to know in the real world. I discuss rhabdomyolysis in the book.
I dont mean to make this a shamless plug for my book, but I think it would help him. its at my website if you/he ever wants it
hope this helps
joe