Yeah, you read that right. I’m sick of the fitness industry.

It’s full of elitists who think their shit doesn’t stink…

…and that it’s okay to make fun of people who don’t know what they’re doing in the gym.

But, do you know what the ironic thing is? Some of these people they’re making fun of, are people they’re trying to market to and attract as clients and maybe even sell their ebooks to. If they only knew how trainers were thinking of them…

Take this picture for example:

squat bosu

It’s been shared all over Facebook as if the Share button was clicking itself.

To someone who’s not familiar with working out, this looks difficult and perhaps very risky.

To someone who’s familiar with working out, this looks stupid (which justifies trainers and trainees to make fun of him, right?).

Why don’t they let this guy worry about what he’s doing and leave him alone? Does he affect you in anyway? If he gets hurt, what’s it to you? And does it really matter what he’s doing? Why don’t you just worry about your form and let this guy worry about his?

And the examples don’t end there. There are tons of videos on Youtube from trainees and maybe even trainers secretly filming someone dancing on the treadmill or using a piece of exercise equipment different from its intended use.

Do you know what kind of message you’re giving to your social network? People are going to be too damn scared to workout because they fear getting filmed and made fun of on Youtube. And people will surely not hire you to train them because you come across as a pompous asshole who doesn’t have time or the patience to work with beginners. If that’s the kind of image you want to portray, keep hitting that Share button.

I could care less about trainees taking videos because they’re not trying to get clients, but if you’re a trainer, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Also, people love to make fun of others with different training philosophies, especially if it’s different from their own.

For example, people love to hate Crossfit because they think it’s stupid. Yeah some people get injured doing Crossfit and some things that Greg Glassman says doesn’t make much sense. But other athletes like hockey players, football players and MMA fighters get injured too. And I hate to break it to you, but the system of Crossfit, which is glorified circuit training, gets their clients and participants results. I’m not saying I’m a fan of kipping pull ups, but you get my drift.

Trainers seem to have an opinion on every aspect of training under the sun, saying curls are a waste of time, functional training is the only way to go, Olympic lifting is dangerous, bodybuilding is useless, cardio is stupid, fasted training is better than fed and blah, blah, blah…and don’t even get me started on Bro Science…

This industry is supposed to be about helping people reach and surpass their health and fitness goals. We should work as a team and help each other, while progressing this young industry. There’s no room for assholes or know-it-alls.

So the next time you see a picture or video of an exercise that doesn’t fit your exercise dogma and want to hit that Share button, take a sec to think about what that action says about you and your business. Also realize its repercussions on the people you’re trying to market to.

Stop being an elitist and only worry about yourself and your clients, period.

Darlene Parrott-Manning

Personal Strength Training by Jon-Erik Kawamoto

Have to thank both Jon and Thomas for their help with my conditioning this past year. After a major injury in 2020, I tried everything. My foot doctor (Dr. D. Sutton) said there was something missing and recommended Conditioning. I then found JKConditioning and it definitely worked for me. Today September 8, 2024 I completed a Half Marathon in 1 hour and 42 minutes and came First in my age group.
Thank you JKConditioning!!!

I’ve always been a gym rat, but was getting tired of the same ol’ routine. My better half was attending JKC and encouraged me to try it out. My favourite part of JKC is that is isn’t a gym – it’s a community. Jon and Thomas are awesome, and I love that every time I go I know who’s working out with me and we can socialize while working on our health. Everyone is supportive, encouraging and genuinely looks out for one another. It’s an upbeat and positive experience and I can honestly say that I look forward to each and every workout.

I’m 29 and I just had my 3rd Liftiversary 🥳 at JKC. I chose to train here because of the great word on the street and the fact that at lululemon, we’re encouraged to support our local community. My day-to-day routine is very busy, and I love showing up and having to think very little about my workout. The vibes are always good, my music choice is usually accommodated, and the bys are incredibly supportive and compassionate, helping me reach my goals (even when I had a broken hand). I also get to be my weird self, and am embraced fully.

I’ve always struggled with both my weight and anxiety throughout my life. As a writer you live a pretty sedentary lifestyle filled with both realistic and unrealistic deadlines, so I needed something to get me off my butt and to get me moving. JK has been a godsend during this past year and a half in particular. The pandemic has been tough, but workouts with both Thomas and Jon have really helped reduce the stress and strain of a global pandemic, and added an anchor of normalcy back into my life — which has been worth its weight in gold.

JKC has created an incredibly inclusive environment that’s filled with all kinds of supportive folks from all kinds of different backgrounds. For folks like myself, being surrounded by people with such athletic ability can be intimidating in most gyms. It can actually be a deterrent, and it sometimes has been for me. But, at JKC it’s far from that — it’s inspirational. Everyone supports one another. Which is something that’s not easily found in this day and age, inside of a gym or out. Not to sound like a total cheeseball here, but it really feels like a family.

I heard really good things about it from my sister, and I could see the positive results she was getting.  I needed to do something.  I was overweight, depressed, and recovering from a back injury.  I had reached a point where simply getting up out of a chair was becoming difficult.  I knew that if I didn’t do something about it my senior years would be very burdensome to the people close to me.  I’m so glad I did!  After just a few weeks my day-to-day pain was drastically reduced, and my mobility increased. I had the confidence to try sea kayaking, and I now play ice hockey twice a week!

The key difference is the expertise.  The trainers know the gym equipment and the exercises, but they also have degrees in kinesiology, and can apply what they know to your workout.  As someone who was in poor physical condition starting out, I was worried about hurting myself.  Previously I tried an outdoor weekly bootcamp and injured my knee by pushing too hard.  The trainers at JKC constructed a program that started at the right level for me, evolving it as I grew stronger and more fit.  I feel well looked after.

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