These Are the Things Personal Trainers Wish You Knew About Getting Fit

In a thread on Reddit, personal trainers have been sharing the things they wish more people knew about fitness, and busting popular myths around weight loss.

First up were some home truths about the fitness industry itself, and the people spreading misinformation or taking advantage of people’s lack of knowledge. “The majority of personal trainers don’t have enough physiological, anatomical or nutritional knowledge to actually be personal trainers,” said one comment. “The majority of YouTube / Instagram fitness gurus are also, mostly, full of poop.” The commenter isn’t necessarily wrong—but there are some top-notch professional who have used social media to spread their knowledge and grow their practice. Check out our list of the top trainers online to see who’s profile lives up to the hype.

“The industry is focused on fat loss and body image,” said another. “In my gym, there is a notice board with about 15-20 personal trainers details. Only one didn’t mention weight loss.” Another bemoaned that the fitness industry is more about “who has the best Instagram profile” than anything else. Somebody else pointed out that “the majority of fit people you aspire to look like are on performance enhancing drugs.”

So people need to do their research when finding a reputable trainer. And when you do, you have to know your goals—and be realistic about them. “If you’re expecting to change 20 years of zero exercise and eating pizza/beer/fast food every day with 10 personal training sessions… we’ve got a long way to go buddy and most of the effort is on you,” said one trainer. “There are no quick fixes. Make changes, and do them consistently. For a long time. Not just a few days.”

“70% of your goal body starts in the kitchen,” said another, with plenty of comments backing them up and agreeing that what you eat is just as crucial as exercise, saying “Nutrition is the most important,” and “Exercise does not compensate for eating like shit.”

Finally, “people need to learn that it’s not possible to control on which body part you get rid of fat,” said another comment. “Like all those exercises saying ‘do this exercise and lose your belly fat.’ That does not work. You can’t control where you lose fat. Only where you gain muscle.”

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