Earlier this week, a colleague sent me a very disturbing video. Here it is…
One of his clients had been asking about a so-called “revolutionary training technique” that was apparently all the rage. The method? CrossFit. His client was eager to try it.
Now, this particular client had a history of jumping on the latest fitness fads. He would go as far as clipping newspaper articles about the newest “flavor of the month” to show my friend—which drove him nuts!
To make matters worse, this client also had a history of training-related injuries sustained before working with a trainer.
As the story goes… one morning during their training session, the client announced that he had signed up for a Groupon deal on CrossFit classes—just to “see what this revolutionary system is all about.”
Despite my colleague’s warnings and reminders about his injury history, the client went through with it. He attended his first CrossFit class the following week.
He made it through a third of the workout before straining his quadriceps.
The injury occurred during box jumps, a staple in many CrossFit Workouts of the Day (WODs)—which often seem like a random mash-up of exercises thrown together in hopes of producing some kind of training effect. In this case, the effect was injury.
I’ve seen this gung-ho style of training attempted far too often lately, and it serves as a reminder that many personal trainers lack a fundamental understanding of program design. They fail to grasp essential principles like progression, intensity, volume, and periodization.
It doesn’t take a genius to recognize that someone with a history of injuries should not be performing repeated 24-inch box jumps for time. That’s not just bad programming—it’s bad business!
As a trainer, your #1 concern—aside from achieving results—should be keeping your clients safe. And to do that, you must have a firm understanding of effective program design.
If you ever doubt:
- Your ability to create safe and effective programs
- Your capacity to get real results for paying clients
- Your understanding of training fundamentals
Then do yourself—and your business—a favor: invest in your education.
I recently released a book titled The Elite Trainer. It’s a comprehensive strength training guide designed to teach you how to write effective, results-driven programs—while keeping your clients safe.
Pick up the book today, apply the principles, and watch your programming—and your clients’ results—transform.
The Elite Trainer: Strength Training for the Serious Professional
The Elite Trainer is a synthesis of the very latest thinking in strength training and a comprehensive guide to developing individualized programs for your clients.
Intensity, volume, density, repetitions, sets, tempo, time under tension, rest interval, exercise selection and sequence, load selection, duration, and frequency are all covered in detail in easy-to-understand language. Whether you are a seasoned professional or a beginner, The Elite Trainer provides a wealth of information you can put to use immediately.
