I had my boot camp class this morning. When I woke up at 4:15 am, I just knew not to do anything today. My body is screaming RECOVERY! So I did the demo's and about 25% of the workout.

My new friend is a client in that class. She told me later that the usually grumpy older woman (who totally rocks, btw) said to another client during the peak part of the hour, "Why isn't she doing this??"!

I teach and participate in 6 hard fitness classes a week along with my other activities, for crying out loud!

Part of me feels totally hated! The reality is, though, I would feel like a failure if she had said, "She calls this a work out?".

Tell your worst trainer or fitness class stories here.

My instructors always 'fess up at the beginning of class if they are going to take it easy for (whatever) reason. It reminds us she is human. Just like the rest of us. Then there is no reason for the behind the hand comments.

I strongly dislike grumpy people. I don't care how fit they are.

Sorry you had this experience this morning. Seriously, you are their trainer, not their workout partner. There. is. a. difference.

She and everyone else should be expressing gratitude that you are there for them...getting up at 4:15am to d this....I don't know if many people really take into consideration the lifestyle adjustments that are necessary to do this.

My experience has been more with small group training (three to five people) at one time. I did not teach aerobic type classes which are different. However, when I worked with my group my focus was totally upon them. I had my eye upon their movements, correcting alignments, watching for inefficiencies etc. Granted, these women were learning how to lift for the first time so again, a little different. But my workouts were always separate from the time I spent with my clients.

Come to think of it, the other trainers I've observed doing small group did the same as I. Demo, observe, make adjustments, take notes, "motivate" etc. The exception would be if they were actually "taking" the class for themselves.

Don't sweat it. Your fine. If she confronts you directly, invite her to shadow you for a day.

Candy. Just saw your post. You absolutely deserve a leader who will guide you with respect and encouragement. We ALL start somewhere and keep moving on. Surround yourself with people who are more in tune with those around them rather than themselves.

My problem is always balancing my personal fitness goals with the very real personal liking that I've developed for all my instructors at the gym.

I don't feel at all close with my primary care physician, and I wasn't the type to always become friends with my teachers through college, but I seem to have forgotten any kind of emotional distance where trainers are involved.

There's my Monday night instructor, whom I like very much, but whenever I have to miss his class -- I'm traveling, or I decide to take a different class that overlaps the time slot-- I feel apologetic, as if I have to assure him it's nothing personal. And it's not my imagination: Others have told me he DOES take it personally when his longtime regulars don't show up.

There's my Pilates instructor, a talented, energetic, expressive, highly emotional person, who's great at pushing me to try harder. But she's become enamored of the Tracy Anderson Method lately so she's incorporating that into our classes, in addition to the pure Pilates, and I'm not crazy about it. So I'm torn on her classes. (Still I feel guilty for missing last night's because of my mother visiting me.)

And there are three spin instructors, all of whom teach slightly differently. Lately one has been somewhat off her game; I've heard that she may be leaving the area in a few months. I used to prefer her above the others, but her class is not as focused as it used to be & the routines have become predictable. While another one, who seemed on automatic pilot, suddenly had a vision of making her class harder & started incorporating new moves & sequences & adding hand weights. Now her class has become my favorite. Still, I feel badly for deserting the first one's class for the second one's class.

I really wish I did not make it so personal in my own mind.

ETA: I should mention that my gym pays some instructors by attendance (this may be on top of a base fee) so they definitely have an interest in ensuring their regulars always show up.

Very interesting. The grump is a regular and has been taking this class long before I even moved here. She has gone thru the revolving doors of instructors who are willing to get up that early. I do know she holds me up in high regard, but I'm still not her fav. Her fav is this other trainer who totally rocks. In fact, when I took on this class and the clients suggested things that the other trainer would do, I told them, "I can't be xxx nor do I strive to be her. We each bring our own uniqueness to the class and to feign what xxx is like would be disingenuine." They agreed.

I think the comparison is unfair, too. They're remembering their favorite classes over a period of 3 years versus being with me since January. They do say thank you after every class.

I encourage form, safety, intensity, etc. I do the work outs to make sure they're challening enough and balanced. I ask a lot of questions like, "is there an area you'd like me to target today?" or "were you sore from last time?".

IDK, maybe it's the predawn hour that has that client grumpy. For months I came up with excuses other than moi why she seemed grumpy and today was the first time I heard her grump directly because of me.

Like I said before, though, at least she wasn't grumping about me not providing her what she paid for. I'm pretty sure she's gonna be sore or tired tonigh. In a good way.

Ok, still feeling self conscious. I went to a movie with 3 friends and after, walked across the street for one drink. The woman the grump complained to was there. I went up to her and chatted.

She was not warm to me. I told her how I was experimenting with new TRX band exercises and how I knew she would rock at doing it and she, IDK, she just kinda smiled and her body language told me to go away. So I did.

I just don't get it. I don't wanna be friends with my clients but i just kind of thought her seeing me have a drink with my friends would suggest to her that I'm human. Im not the live fitness at the cost of living life with friends and having fun person I may be perceived to be!

More importantly, why do I have a conscience about this??

Hi fitness4life ...

I'm a high school teacher .. and its part of a teacher's job to face comparisons (both negative and positive) ... you have to develop a thick skin ... I just try to do the best I can and try to not let it bother me ...

All relationships are complex and some people just click with some teachers and not others ...

Silly question - when you ran into your client, was she drinking? Had she possibly just ordered something fried? Was she with a big group of friends?

The reason I ask - it may have had more to do with her being uncomfortable doing whatever she was doing in front of her trainer (drinking, eating high fat foods, etc...some people would fear a lecture). Or maybe her friends don't know about her bootcamp and they've been asking for years for her secret, and she had been giving the movie star answer of "Oh, I just have a fast metabolism, I guess". My point is that there are 10 million reasons she might have been uncomfortable, and only a subset of those involve YOU at all except in the general capacity of "trainer".

Thanks, guys. I'll just keep doing the best I can and they can take it or leave it.

Hi F4L,

When I trained, I did NOT do the workout with my clients. I demo'ed, then corrected form, encouraged (as opposed to screaming!), hopped in for the transition to the next movement pattern...but I did my workout at a different time. I don't think anyone ever resented me not doing full workout. No other trainer did either. I don't understand why grumpy lady expects you to do the workout if you are there to teach and lead.

My worst trainer story is a guy who only thought he was successful if his clients either puked or were literally crippled the next day He was not a real favorite and couldn't keep clients very long. Gee, wonder why!

Mel

Yeah, Mel, you'd think they'd appreciate the extra attention and encouragement I was giving them that not doing the work out allowed!

The truth is, this is a seasoned group. They've all been doing this stuff for years. They have excellent form so when it's a workout they've done before, I spot check form and put the emphasis on intensity and encouragement and work out with them.

But I do feel I have to work out with them. It's the only way to get accurate feedback because you can't judge someone else's effort or go by their perceived exhurtion. I can only trust that if it was hard enough for me, it was hard enough.

The last thing I want to happen is that they paid their money, woke up early, and didn't get what they came for.

I agree that you don't want clients puking and crippled, but sometimes it happens (not with this particular class, but with new clients) because the client has not been honest with themselves or with me how terribly unfit they are. Just like you can't judge by one's larger size that they can't run a 5K, you can't think that a smaller person won't feel nauseated after lifting weights. Ya just never know until sometimes it's too late.