Let me preface this article with saying that these are my own, Personal Trainer in Newington Connecticut’s opinions and in no way reflect the opinion of any other major organization. There is one glaring issue with this health and wellness industry: BEACHBODY! Yes! I said the company known as beach body is slowly destroying this industry and probably you as well! If you don’t already know, Beach body is the company responsible for: Insanity; P90x; shakeology; PiYo; 21-day Fix…. Now you may be saying: “how I’ve heard of all of those, my friend loves that!”. And yes, it is undeniable the Beachbody marketing machine is completely undeniable. They have done a great job in making people think they are the “Most Trusted Brand in Fitness”. Have you talked to any other personal trainers in Newington to hear their opinions?
But why are they the “most trusted brand in fitness”? What have they done to earn that title? I don’t trust them and neither do any of the professionals that I know. Where is their scientific and educational basis that their DVD’s can provide more than what I (a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Personal Trainer in Newington, CT) can?
Now, workout DVDs (VHS for some of you out there) have been around forever. We all remember Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons, and Jack Lalane (who I still believe is one of the pioneers of this industry and I have the utmost respect for). The difference now is, back then the motivation was to just get people to get up and move, because something was better than nothing! And there is some accuracy to that belief. I whole heartedly believe that if you have 2 options and one is sit on the couch and watch tv or get up and follow along to a dvd or tape…. Absolutely the second option is the greater one! But what Beachbody has done is create Beachbody Coaches. This is where I get really annoyed!
Newington Personal Trainer vs the Supplement Company, no, but read on
What is a beachbody a coach? Are they Personal Trainers in Newington too? Good Questions. Well, a beachbody coach is somebody who has purchased and bought into Beachbody’s multi-level marketing system. Now this is great for their business every house wife and stay at home dad can get on Facebook and spew out the falsifications of the Beachbody message. Now here is where it gets interesting, what qualifies you to be a coach? Well it’s as simple as paying a onetime fee of $39.95 and a monthly fee of $15.95. Greatest part…. The more people you sign up the more money you make, the better coach you are! Is that what really qualifies you as a coach? Because if so that is BULL****. Wouldn’t you want a qualified personal trainer in Newington to teach you how to reach your goals?
I am qualified personal trainer in Newington and I call myself a coach. I earned that title, I am a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. People with my certification are referred to as Strength and Conditioning COACHES (or Strength Coach for short), and in this industry, are the only ones who should be referred to as coaches! To earn this title, I earned a bachelor’s degree; took a 500-hour course to learn the ins and outs of personal training; did a 16-week mentorship to gain practical experience; studied for 6 months; and Finally took a test (that you need to have a bachelor’s degree just to sit for, and has a fail rate of 50%). I EARNED the title of Coach, and am a qualified personal trainer in Newington, I didn’t just pay my monthly fees to become the “top beachbody coach”.
Difference between a qualified Personal Trainer in Newington and them?
Now the real question is what’s the difference between a personal trainer in Newington and a coach? What can you get out of a real strength coach that you can’t get out of a Beachbody coach? Well let’s start with the basics. A Beachbody coach is well versed in Beachbody’s library of videos…. But can they right you an individualized workout that suits your specific needs? No, because Shaun T already wrote the workout. What a strength coach or certified Newington CT personal trainer can do is write you an individualized program based on the scientific principles of Biology, Anatomy, Physiology, Kinesiology, and Nutrition. Sounds a little different, doesn’t it? What if you have an injury? Well a quality strength coach or personal trainer in Newington can work through, and around any injuries to ensure you still get a quality workout and obtain the results you are looking for! What can a beachbody “coach” do? They can tell you fast forward your DVD to 22:15:03 cause maybe that won’t bother you.
Beachbody also loves to bastardize, and in some cases, blatantly ignore the standard principles of exercise science.
1st: Periodization – In the most rudimentary and basic explanation, periodization is they act of changing workouts up to stimulate muscle growth. Periodization will generally provide training in multiple energy systems and ensure that the body does not adapt to a specific workout and plateau. No Beach Body proponents will say “but that why we have 2 DVDs ‘level 1 and level 2’” to which I respond: “HOW MANY TIMES CAN YOU PLAY THE SAME DVDs BEFORE YOUR BODY ACCLIMATES!?”. A true periodized workout might have a macrocycle that takes a FULL YEAR to complete!
2nd: Plyometrics – Now this one really irritates me! There are very strict and standardized guidelines for preforming plyometrics. These guidelines have one main goal in mind: SAFETY! Some of these guidelines are as follows:
- ‘Plyometrics are max effort exercises THAT SHOULD NOT be performed as cardio’. These are designed to build power in athletes and that is it!
- Plyometrics should not be performed on a slippery surface that will give to much. Yet where do the majority of beachbody clients perform their ‘workout’? On carpet, on a unforgiving surface that will slide from underneath you as you are trying to land that high-level squat jump that Tony Horton just motivated you to do!
- Plyometrics have a set number of “foot contacts” that are deemed safe. For a beginner that number is 80-100 but could be as little as half as that. That means every time one foot contacts the ground is one contact. I’m pretty sure that Insanity exceeds that in just the warm-up!
Does your coach or personal trainer in Newington know this content well?
3rd: Individualization: Proper personal training and Strength and Conditioning are designed on the principles of individualization. Meaning every client is COMPLETELY different and should be treated as such. Beachbody is in the business of making money and will send out their dvds to everyone: young, old, injured, in shape, obese…. Doesn’t matter as long as they have obtained that almighty dollar. A proper, safe program, will take into account all of those factors as well as your specific goals and design a program that is right for you!
I could continue but I think the point is clear.
This where I will end my rant, but hopefully the next time you see that facebook post from that friend who is “Killin’ it with Beachbody”, just ask yourself…. Do you want to do it the right way, the safe way, the effective way…. Or are you going to let an unqualified, unsubstantiated, bought-in ‘coach’ lead you down the path of mediocre results and possible injury? I’ll let you answer that yourself! To learn more about we your personal trainer in Newington, CT suggests about supplements, read on!
