Big Gov't targeting Personal Trainers

[RaginCajun]

Just thought I would share the article

Pumping up government: Washington DC may regulate personal trainers | Fox News

[jimmyinkedup]

What a crock of shit.
I am so tired of Government spending time, resources, and money on things that in the grand scheme arent even problems when you look at the REAL problems we are facing in our society today. We are legislating oursself deeper and deeper into this bankruptcy hole and its pissing me off.
In this case even what the are proposing is asinine. It is not a necessary qualification to be a personal trainer. SO stupid.

[Hazard]

Te shooting in ferguson happens..... Obama says the federal government shouldn't get involved in local police matters but on a personal level makes comments regarding the kid who was shot.

NOW the federal government wants to step in and get involved with private business. Makes no sense.....

[GirlyGymRat]

What a crock of shit. I am so tired of Government spending time, resources, and money on things that in the grand scheme arent even problems when you look at the REAL problems we are facing in our society today. We are legislating oursself deeper and deeper into this bankruptcy hole and its pissing me off. In this case even what the are proposing is asinine. It is not a necessary qualification to be a personal trainer. SO stupid.

Amen!

[lovbyts]

Te shooting in ferguson happens..... Obama says the federal government shouldn't get involved in local police matters but on a personal level makes comments regarding the kid who was shot.

NOW the federal government wants to step in and get involved with private business. Makes no sense.....

In other words it makes perfect sense because he always does the opposite of what he says. Why is that hard for people to figure out and see?

[bigdil511]

In other words it makes perfect sense because he always does the opposite of what he says. Why is that hard for people to figure out and see?

I couldn't agree with you more.

[btpolak]

Seems like they are trying to reach into everyone's pockets more and more for anything.

[APIs]

Meanwhile this so-called "obscure regulatory panel" will consist of fat-fockers that have never seen the inside of a gym...

[Honkey_Kong]

Maybe the government is just going to go after crossfit?

[Hazard]

Next the government will go after the Mr. Olympia. They'll implement mandatory drug testing for any IFBB show within the US.

[Mitch535]

I don't agree with licensing or regulation in most senses, so let me preface what the following with the simple statement that I don't agree with what they are trying to do. However, this looks like a local government issue that likely won't be rolled out elsewhere for a while, if ever. I can understand the concern about having non-accredited personal trainers in the marketplace putting people at risk. Not all clients are wanting to be bodybuilders and not all clients are in great shape. When I was training regularly, a great majority of my clients were in horrible shape, most had strict instructions from their doctor regarding the limits and abilities of the client, and there could have been catastrophic consequences had I not followed these instructions from the doctor or been educated enough to handle these clients. There are tons of gyms out there that employ young guys and gals that are in decent shape, put them out on the gym floor and call them personal trainers. Maybe they send them through a weekend course on how to not kill or injure someone. I can see the concern for having the uneducated training the uneducated. I don't think that is a regulatory issue, though. I think that's a you get what you pay for issue, or an issue of doing better homework on what you spend your money on. If you go to an unaccredited college and get a degree that isn't worth the paper that it is printed on because you didn't take the time to research what you were spending your money on, who's fault is that?

I certainly don't see the need for a four year degree in kinesiology or sports medicine to be a personal trainer. Why make peanuts as a personal trainer with a four year degree when you could be a physical therapy assistant, or just push your degree on out to be a physical therapist? I'm sure there's a pusher behind the legislation. Someone out there is losing money.

[kelkel]

Meanwhile this so-called "obscure regulatory panel" will consist of fat-fockers that have never seen the inside of a gym...

Yep. Remember, obesity is a disease per the FDA........

[GirlyGymRat]

Yep. Remember, obesity is a disease per the FDA........

That plain BS!!!!!! It's a lifestyle. A behavior. A choice. Total garbage!!!!!!!!!!!! How's that for exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GirlyGymRat]

Rubbish too!!!!!!!!!

[212OlympiaBound]

It is pretty obviously that the feds will keep grabbing power until something major happens to reverse/reset this.

I really wonder what and when that will be

[Bonaparte]

I don't know about a four year degree (IMO, an associate's degree would be fine), but I agree that personal trainers need to be better trained and more regulated. I can't believe the number of dumbass 18 year olds who charge suckers money for dangerous and inappropriate (or just useless) workouts. Raising the industry bar would keep all the riff raff out and allow legit professionals to make a decent living. This applies to any industry.
Would you be ok with mechanics, electricians, or even nurses just passing a single online test, getting a meaningless cert, and going to work with no oversight? Hell no!

[RangerDanger830]

Maybe it's just me but I would want to know the certification level of my trainer. It's my responsibility to pick one that will benefit me. If I want to pick the said 18-year old with no cert then I must realize I'm picking potentially terrible advice that could lead to injury and no gains. I think the system is fine as it is, no government needed. It's the suckers who don't research trainers and will listen to anyone in a tank top that have the issues. That's what natural selection is for when it picks them off from the gym with an injury.

[Bonaparte]

Maybe it's just me but I would want to know the certification level of my trainer. It's my responsibility to pick one that will benefit me. If I want to pick the said 18-year old with no cert then I must realize I'm picking potentially terrible advice that could lead to injury and no gains. I think the system is fine as it is, no government needed. It's the suckers who don't research trainers and will listen to anyone in a tank top that have the issues. That's what natural selection is for when it picks them off from the gym with an injury.

If one knows nothing about the personal training industry, how are they supposed to judge one's training/certification level?
Most people (especially beginners) are just going to hire whoever is available at their gym and/or looks the best. And that person could be some moron who leads them to injury or even rhabdo (as is surprisingly common among Crossfitters).

[bigdil511]

If one knows nothing about the personal training industry, how are they supposed to judge one's training/certification level? Most people (especially beginners) are just going to hire whoever is available at their gym and/or looks the best. And that person could be some moron who leads them to injury or even rhabdo (as is surprisingly common among Crossfitters).

I can't tell you how many times I've heard from friends "well he looks good so obviously he knows what he's doing". I've seen these people workout and its just atrocious bad form bad routines etc etc. it aggravates me that you'd take advice from someone based on how they look. Most of these guys are doing curls for the girls and chest and don't do any lower body work at all.

[APIs]

I don't know about a four year degree (IMO, an associate's degree would be fine), but I agree that personal trainers need to be better trained and more regulated. I can't believe the number of dumbass 18 year olds who charge suckers money for dangerous and inappropriate (or just useless) workouts. Raising the industry bar would keep all the riff raff out and allow legit professionals to make a decent living. This applies to any industry.
Would you be ok with mechanics, electricians, or even nurses just passing a single online test, getting a meaningless cert, and going to work with no oversight? Hell no!

IDK, if you begin to regulate it you lose jobs for many younger people who are only there to supplement their income while in school etc. While some trainers are genuinely good & concerned about what they do, the majority have no clue and only direct their clients using the latest exercise fads. 90% percent of the clients only show for 3 training sessions and then they disappear anyway. That's what happens when an unrealistic trainer forces a 300 lb fat-guy to bounce on a ball or play with ropes in front of everyone. This fact requires a certain number of bodies (trainers) the gym must continually employ to sustain this revolving-door business model. If you regulate, it will make the cost-per-head too expensive for the gym to sustain. Once again, small business only gets hurt in the end when the govt tries to regulate something...

[212OlympiaBound]

I don't know about a four year degree (IMO, an associate's degree would be fine), but I agree that personal trainers need to be better trained and more regulated. I can't believe the number of dumbass 18 year olds who charge suckers money for dangerous and inappropriate (or just useless) workouts. Raising the industry bar would keep all the riff raff out and allow legit professionals to make a decent living. This applies to any industry.
Would you be ok with mechanics, electricians, or even nurses just passing a single online test, getting a meaningless cert, and going to work with no oversight? Hell no!

free enterprise man. Maybe the clients should research who they hire and not depend on the government????? Just an idea. I don't enjoy paying extraordinary tax rates for Obama to babysit me, personally.

[RangerDanger830]

If one knows nothing about the personal training industry, how are they supposed to judge one's training/certification level? Most people (especially beginners) are just going to hire whoever is available at their gym and/or looks the best. And that person could be some moron who leads them to injury or even rhabdo (as is surprisingly common among Crossfitters).

I just said know the certification level because that's all the typical person can do who has no specific education. Not judge ones training or certification, just be cognizant of what certification they are at and pick one with some semblance of a certification. Any person with any level of certification could be a moron, but if you know they have a certification it at least lowers the chances a little bit.

[Bonaparte]

IDK, if you begin to regulate it you lose jobs for many younger people who are only there to supplement their income while in school etc. While some trainers are genuinely good & concerned about what they do, the majority have no clue and only direct their clients using the latest exercise fads. 90% percent of the clients only show for 3 training sessions and then they disappear anyway. That's what happens when an unrealistic trainer forces a 300 lb fat-guy to bounce on a ball or play with ropes in front of everyone. This fact requires a certain number of bodies (trainers) the gym must continually employ to sustain this revolving-door business model. If you regulate, it will make the cost-per-head too expensive for the gym to sustain. Once again, small business only gets hurt in the end when the govt tries to regulate something...

You just made my point for me. Get rid of the part timers and students (they can deliver pizza or something) and actual career trainers will have less competition. They wouldn't necessarily cost any more, because they'd make more money by actually having clients booked all day, rather than standing around the gym waiting for some business like they normally do.

free enterprise man. Maybe the clients should research who they hire and not depend on the government????? Just an idea. I don't enjoy paying extraordinary tax rates for Obama to babysit me, personally.

Would you say the same for chiropractors or other medical professionals? Or should we allow anyone to just start charging people for medical advice/treatment because they seem to know what they're talking about? For ****'s sake, all I'm asking for is a few semesters of schooling and a cert that they actually have an incentive to protect (by not doing stupid shit like selling steroids to their teenage clients or pushing people through workouts that they can't yet handle ).

[212OlympiaBound]

^^ I would be fine if medical professionals weren't government regulated. I can do my own research and find out the doctor's background before I go into his office.

Like I said, I don't really feel like I need a babysitter anymore.

[Bonaparte]

^^ I would be fine if medical professionals weren't government regulated. I can do my own research and find out the doctor's background before I go into his office.

Like I said, I don't really feel like I need a babysitter anymore.

Think about what you just said. You really want to have to do your own research on EVERY professional you seek out, just to make sure that they have the proper training needed to do the job and aren't just some guy who stayed at a Holiday Inn last night? This is one of the important duties of a government: to regulate shit and keep the public safe.

[Strongblood]

Our government is getting way to big! Good God everything today is regulated to the hilt! I agree regulations are important for large corporations and most medical professionals. But occupations like being a personal trainer should require some type of formal certification and that's it. As far as how good they are depends on how much they put into it. As consumers we have to be proactive and do a little homework to make sure who we hire knows what they are doing. If things continue like they are the government will soon be trying to tell us what to do and when to do it! Live Free Cabrones!

[212OlympiaBound]

Think about what you just said. You really want to have to do your own research on EVERY professional you seek out, just to make sure that they have the proper training needed to do the job and aren't just some guy who stayed at a Holiday Inn last night? This is one of the important duties of a government: to regulate shit and keep the public safe.

There are private regulatory agencies. An business like "benefis heathcare" could certify their own doctors and make sure they have adequate training and experience.

To me this is like saying -why doesn't the government take all the bad foods off the shelves at grocery stores, so I don't need to read every label before I make a purchase-

Again, i'm an adult. please don't babysit me. I can look out for my own safety and health without Obama looking over my shoulder

[Hazard]

Think about what you just said. You really want to have to do your own research on EVERY professional you seek out, just to make sure that they have the proper training needed to do the job and aren't just some guy who stayed at a Holiday Inn last night? This is one of the important duties of a government: to regulate shit and keep the public safe.

Angie's list :-) lmao

[Strongblood]

There are private regulatory agencies. An business like "benefis heathcare" could certify their own doctors and make sure they have adequate training and experience. To me this is like saying -why doesn't the government take all the bad foods off the shelves at grocery stores, so I don't need to read every label before I make a purchase- Again, i'm an adult. please don't babysit me. I can look out for my own safety and health without Obama looking over my shoulder

Absolutely!

[btpolak]

To be honest, if you wanted your trainers to be educated in kinesiology, nutrition, and etc., that would have to be an industry standard. If you wanted to create your own gym with team members that had more than certificates to be a pt, you could, but it seems as though the cost would be high. Now, I know there are some trainers that make very good money, however could you imagine the rates of every pt that now hold hold degrees? It would have to be competitive compensation to other fields that those degrees can be used in. I personally don't mind holding degrees that allow me to make more than the average American, but I would not pay to earn something that was more or less a gamble because there are too many variables to determine what kind of income you can make. Just my thoughts.

[RangerDanger830]

You just made my point for me. Get rid of the part timers and students (they can deliver pizza or something) and actual career trainers will have less competition. They wouldn't necessarily cost any more, because they'd make more money by actually having clients booked all day, rather than standing around the gym waiting for some business like they normally do. Would you say the same for chiropractors or other medical professionals? Or should we allow anyone to just start charging people for medical advice/treatment because they seem to know what they're talking about? For ****'s sake, all I'm asking for is a few semesters of schooling and a cert that they actually have an incentive to protect (by not doing stupid shit like selling steroids to their teenage clients or pushing people through workouts that they can't yet handle ).

I would feel better if they were government regulated to a reasonable extent. You have to understand that I see guys supposedly training people in my gym. Anyone who has half a brain can pick out flaws left and right.

Just this morning I watched a guy use calipers on a girl and he pinched two places once each and called it good, yeah ok. Never mind the majority of the trainers that I see who are in terrible shape.

You're giving complete strangers, most of which have the potential to work as a trainer and know nothing, the power to tell some oblivious, eager to learn person how to be fit. It's a recipe for injury and for draining your pockets for less than optimal results.

[lovbyts]

free enterprise man. Maybe the clients should research who they hire and not depend on the government????? Just an idea. I don't enjoy paying extraordinary tax rates for Obama to babysit me, personally.

Oh forbid, dont even suggest personal accountability. I mean what would happen to all those poor lawyers and judges if they didnt have frivolous lawsuits to handle every day and get millions for a client who walked past 2 warning signs, through 3 layers of caution tape and fell over a guard rail while texting.

[Shol'va]

I paid my last trainer very well and got a damned good workout... now on to the gym....