Men Women - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[ejcoorf]

I have noticed during my relatively short time at my job that it is like puling teeth to get men to participate. Where I work deals in total fitness with little if any wieight lifting and everyday classes consist mostly (99%) of women. The classes are intense and demanding. Men just seem to be interested in what they consider fitness. Seems to be more impressing other guys weightlifting than anything else. We are not a Ballys or a LA Fitness. Here is a link to where I work:

unicusfitness.com

[Christina]

The 40+ age group doesn't seem to be as caught up in the "muscle head" stuff that the younger guys are. I think as men age they are more concerned about the spare tire around their waist and increasing cholesterol levels. I also think men are socialized to believe that classes are for women. I don't think most guys by nature are quite as social as women so perhaps it's not as appealing. Also, men are afraid of being embarrassed. In our society men are supposed to be big and strong. Almost every man I have trained has been ashamed of how "not strong" he is. If they train with their wives, the wives always give me a heads up that their husbands are afraid I will be critical of them or somehow degrade them for being weak. Of course I would never in a million years do this, but it is a fear that they have.

Christina

[ejcoorf]

and I have to throttle back on my impatience. What are you scared of? Really. You have to start somewhere to build yourself into the vision you have. Pride goeth before the fall. I have to work on ways to get guys to work on fitness and not just looking good but being good.

I was at a networking event and one of the participants pointed out the "you guys (personal trainers) are different from us. You have the determination to endure and reach the goal through the pain and discomfort. We don't". Talk about a eye opener. Despite several more minutes of conversation by me pointing out that there really is no difference, only the perception he was insistent we are different.

[Christina]

Ah, yes, and this gets into the whole "lazy client" thing for me. I cannot stand when people don't try. I don't care if they complain, cuss, grimace... whatever... throughout the workout but stopping when I KNOW they could do more drives me insane. I get very impatient with quitters. I don't show it outwardly but I tend to lose interest in those types of clients. It comes down to drive, determination, and willpower. Some of us have more than others, but we all have it.

[ejcoorf]

One of my biggest problems adjusting to my new job is pulling the reins on my impatience. This man thing is really throwing me for a loop because I am not much on what other people think. Do you want to reach a goal? Do it! Gotta become part time psychologist. Once we get over the "do I or do I not work go for a work out program" I have it made but people talk themselves out of the longetivity gold mine so often. Really doesn't matter what you say men have a litany of pre made excuses ready for presentation.

[Christina]

Yep, welcome to the world of personal training. Now you know why a lot of trainers get burned out. As horrible as it sounds sometimes you have to become emotionally detached otherwise you will drive yourself insane. I suspect you will either need to learn to be patient or you will get burned out very quickly.

One thing to keep in mind, and this is something that I always remind myself of, when someone has a lot of weight to lose, the pain it is going to take to succeed probably isn't worth it to them. That is a large mountain to climb and it is easy to give up before you even get started. (That, and some people are just plain lazy!)

[ejcoorf]

being detached is something I have to work on.

[Joe Cannon MS CSCS]

It can be a challenge to when working with some men. Fortunately you often don't work with men since women make up about 80% or so of the people who hire personal trainers
Joe

[Dave, ElevationFit.com]

During my time working at a college gym where most of the participants were more concerned with how they looked working out than whether it was having any effect, we had the same problem that ejcoorf mentioned. We did start to see a large increase in male participants when we began offering group classes focusing on "functional training". These classes had many of the same aspects as other group X, but were marketed as classes to help people improve sports performance. Like the others have mentioned, we just had to change the image of the class.

When it comes to motivating clients, this is going to be a part of the game for as long as you are a trainer. Its one of the few areas where my BA in Psychology has actually come in handy. Focus on tools, such as rewards calendars and having clients actively track goals and progress. These take the motivation off of your shoulders and save you some of that valuable emotional energy.