How to Spot a Clueless Fitness Trainer or Health Professional and Avoid Their Bad Advice. If you're looking for fitness and health advice, you might be overwhelmed by the amount of information available on the internet, magazines, books, and TV shows. But how can you tell who is giving you reliable and accurate advice and who is leading you astray?
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Unfortunately, not all fitness and health experts are trustworthy. Some of them are just trying to sell you some useless gimmicks and make a quick buck. Others are well-meaning but misinformed about some aspects of nutrition and training. They might be following some myths that have been debunked by science.
Don't get me wrong, most fitness and health professionals are honest and helpful. They have your best interests at heart and want to help you achieve your goals. But even they might disagree on some topics, because fitness and health are complex and evolving fields. Nobody knows everything, and I'm not an exception.
That's why, whenever I read fitness publications, I look for four key things that indicate whether the author or fitness expert really knows what they're talking about. This can help you filter out the good info from the bad info and avoid wasting your time and money on ineffective or harmful advice.
Here are the four things I look for to determine if a fitness pro or trainer is clueless or not:
1. The type of exercises they recommend
One of the first things I notice in a fitness routine is the type of exercises they include. If they mostly use machines and single-joint exercises, such as leg extensions, leg curls, bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, pec decks, leg press machines, shoulder raises, etc., then I'm skeptical about their knowledge and experience.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing inherently wrong with these exercises. They can be useful for some purposes, such as isolation, injury prevention, or rehabilitation. But they shouldn't make up the bulk of your routine, because they're not very effective for building strength, muscle, or burning fat.
The fitness pros and trainers who know their stuff will focus on free weight multi-joint exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, presses, rows, pull-ups, dips, etc. They might also use bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups, planks, burpees, etc. These exercises work multiple muscle groups at once, stimulate more muscle fibers, burn more calories, and improve your functional fitness.
They will also use machines and single-joint exercises sparingly, as a supplement to the main exercises, not as a replacement. They will use them for specific goals, such as targeting a weak point, adding variety, or finishing off a workout.
2. Their opinion on cardio
Another thing I look for in a fitness pro or trainer is their opinion on cardio. If they think that cardio is the only way to lose body fat, then they don't understand human physiology and metabolism.
Don't get me wrong, cardio is a great form of exercise. It has many benefits, such as improving your cardiovascular health, endurance, mood, and energy levels. It can also help you burn some extra calories and fat, especially if you do high-intensity intervals.
But cardio is not the only way to lose body fat, and it's not even the most effective way. You can lose body fat without any exercise at all, as long as you create a calorie deficit. That means you consume fewer calories than you burn. Of course, I don't recommend that approach, because it's not healthy or sustainable.
You can also lose body fat with resistance training only, without any cardio at all. Resistance training builds muscle, which increases your metabolic rate and helps you burn more calories and fat at rest. It also creates a hormonal environment that favors fat loss and muscle preservation.
The best way to lose body fat is to combine resistance training and cardio, along with a balanced and nutritious diet. This way, you get the best of both worlds: you build muscle, burn fat, improve your health, and enjoy your workouts.
3. Their attitude towards saturated fat and cholesterol
One of the most controversial topics in fitness and health is saturated fat and cholesterol. If a fitness pro or trainer believes that saturated fat and cholesterol are bad for you and cause heart disease, then they're following outdated and flawed science.
Don't get me wrong, eating too much saturated fat and cholesterol can be unhealthy, especially if it comes from processed and low-quality sources, such as fast food, junk food, or factory-farmed meat and dairy. These foods can raise your bad cholesterol, lower your good cholesterol, and increase your risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases.
But eating moderate amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol from natural and high-quality sources, such as grass-fed meat, eggs, butter, cheese, coconut oil, etc., can be beneficial for your health and fitness. These foods can provide you with essential nutrients, such as protein, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K2, and omega-3 fatty acids. They can also support your hormone production, brain function, immune system, and metabolism.
The most unhealthy foods in our food supply are not the ones that contain saturated fat and cholesterol, but the ones that contain processed refined vegetable oils, hydrogenated oils (trans fats), deep fried foods, refined grains, refined sugars, and other boxed packaged "mutilated" foods. These foods can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome, which are the real culprits behind heart disease and other chronic diseases.
4. Their use of artificial sweeteners
The last thing I look for in a fitness pro or trainer is their use of artificial sweeteners. If they use artificial sweeteners to save on sugar intake, then they're trading one evil for another.
Don't get me wrong, sugar is bad for you. It has no nutritional value, it spikes your blood sugar, it messes up your hormones, it makes you crave more, and it can lead to obesity, diabetes, and other health problems.
But artificial sweeteners are not the solution. They are "franken-foods" that are even worse for you. They are made from chemicals that can have negative effects on your health, such as headaches, nausea, mood swings, anxiety, depression, insomnia, allergies, and even cancer.
They can also trick your brain and body into thinking that you're consuming sugar, which can cause the same problems as sugar, such as increased appetite, cravings, insulin resistance, and weight gain.
The best way to sweeten your food and drinks is to use natural sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, stevia, monk fruit, or erythritol. These sweeteners are less processed, have fewer calories, and have some health benefits, such as antioxidants, minerals, and prebiotics. They can also satisfy your sweet tooth without causing the negative effects of sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Conclusion
In this blog, I showed you four ways to tell if your fitness trainer or health professional is clueless or not. These are the type of exercises they recommend, their opinion on cardio, their attitude towards saturated fat and cholesterol, and their use of artificial sweeteners.
By looking for these four things, you can filter out the good info from the bad info and avoid wasting your time and money on ineffective or harmful advice. You can also find reliable and accurate fitness and health experts who can help you achieve your goals.
But remember, fitness and health are complex and evolving fields, and nobody knows everything. Even the best experts might disagree on some topics, or change their minds as new evidence emerges. That's why you should always do your own research, experiment with different approaches, and listen to your body.