Should I always do what my trainer tells me to do?

[rachel5280]

Hi! Thank you to anyone who reads this entry, and even bigger thanks if you respond...

I am currently in a growth phase for my legs; specifically glutes and hamstrings. My current trainer has helped me develop in these areas already, but I've really yet to grow that perfect set of curved hamstrings. I am extremely quad dominant. I have seen improvement in the last 7 months, and now I'm preparing for Nationals in November. I'd really like to see more than just double what I've got now by then.

Here's the question: Should I stick to what he's planned for me, or try to slightly modify what he's given me on my own? Another competitor recommended Smith machine squat sitting/leaning back a bit to put the extra emphasis to the glutes/hams. Right now, I do up to 9 sets of free-standing squats in narrow and sumo style.

I see my trainer at the gym all the time, and he WILL come up to me to correct what I'm doing. He's not a jerk, but pretty stern. I'm his only team athlete that does exactly what he says to do, and I've never really thought about going outside the lines until now.

Is this a no-no?

Thank you,
Rachel5280

[The Prodigy]

Have you brought your concern to your trainer's attention? Have you asked him about trying other "methods" to bringing up your hams?

[sassy69]

It is always very easy to start questioning your path when you're trying to project where you'll be when it matters. If you're off-season right now, then ABSOLUTELY ask the question and further ask if you can sit down and get more insight into the plan. I personally like to know what directly I'm going because I've been left in a position completely and utterly dependent on getting my next update from my trainer - literally having no idea what he might do next - and then he disappears for a while. For my money and time, don't leave me completely lost if you're not going to be there ALL THE TIME for me on the scheduled updates.

That said, when I've asked for that sort of detail, frequently the coach will say that they can't tell you exactly what the update schedule will be, because they will tweak as things progress. If you are feeling doubt or have questions, absolutely raise them. If you have thoughts about adding something or changing something, bring it up. A good coach will have that discussion and give you legitimate reasons for why or why not to do something. If he won't or can't, then IMO he's full of shit and doesn't know what he's doing.

Along with that, if you start deviating from the program on your own, it may actually negate something the coach has planned for further down the line. So back to my previous statement - DISCUSS IT. If you feel scared to ask, again, you don't have a good relationship w/ your coach. I always feel for your time, commitment & money, you are also adding to your knowledge and experience so you should be able to ask things. Being asked to blindly follow and ask no questions puts you in a completely dependent position on someone who has whatever qualifications in a completely unregulated industry. That's just a great way to hand over all of your common sense as well as potentially your health & well-being if you can't ask questions and make informed decisions for yourself.

At least that's my stance on it. I've had coaches who will deflect my questions and turn it into a power thing where they expect me to just do what they say. Ultimately I felt that particular person was just full of shit. I got a few tidbits out of the experience, but his "power" (i.e. the appearance of being all knowing & all-seeing and will always give me the best advice) was gone because I'd gone thru the whole process once and it was "ok" but not so spectacular that this guy's shit don't stink. I've also had a coach completely fall off the planet at my 8-10 weeks out where I was supposed to be switching into deep cutting mode, except I had no idea what he actually was planning to do. So I was stuck midstream, a lot of money already committed to my target show, and a coach who won't respond to me. So these are the rules I operate by.

A last rule of thumb is to avoid making panic decisions if you start doubting your coach's process, particularly when you are close to show day. Chances are you're just going to screw up everything you've accomplished to that time and not have enough time for your body to accommodate any sudden changes or the rebound from it. And if you doubt your coach, that means you've just compromised the success of your prep. Its a balance between keeping control of your own stress-driven doubts as you come into show day, and keeping the communication going w/ your coach (and equivalently, your coach's patience in responding to you - this is very common w/ anyone going thru their first show as well because it is such a completely foreign process to go thru) to alleviate the urge to make panic decisions.

Competition prep is definitely a very physical process, but it is also a very mental process and really makes you pay attention to your behavior under these stresses. Its a great exercise in learning to manage your stress and behavior, and to remove the emotional parts of it and getting back to common sense and logical context for everything. And while I'm at it -if you can't tell, I'm a very methodical person in my prep process - it doesn't hurt to step back and not get too cerebral about it as well. That' can produce more emotion & stress as well.

[swingslammer]

Sassy always has the best answers. I will add this.........you're paying HIM.....right?

[IslandGirl]

Excellent answer Sassy!!!

Since you see your trainer in the gym. Ask him what he thinks of you trying out that approach on the smith as suggested.

Never be afraid to ask your coach any questions you have.

[rachel5280]

Thank you ALL so much for the input!
I've only had two trainers, and I much prefer my current one. He is a total information junkie; loves to learn and absorbs everything he reads. I feel and have seen with others that he makes sound decisions and builds great workout plans with a diet to match.

He helped me recover from a horrible metabolic crash after my first show, because my first trainer was too much bro-science. I hope this doesn't sound annoying, but I'm in bikini, so I guess he thought I just needed to starve. I'm already stringy naturally, so it was a weird recovery, as eating carbs became difficult. My current trainer slowly re-introduced them, and even allowed it during prep with proper application.

Anyway, I have always felt comfortable speaking with my trainer. I trust him. He is smart, kind, and very encouraging. At the same time, he can be non-understanding if you don't just pick up and do what he says, since his instructions come with lengthy explanations. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm the only one who's done everything he told me to do, and with good results. I know its smart to keep the momentum going and employ more patience than anything.

He has quite a few athletes on him newly formed "team," (which I have my druthers about...different post), and like was mentioned by Sassy69, sometimes I feel if I'm not the one doing a show, or shit, even when I was a few weeks out from prepping a show, he was uber busy with my teammates. I've heard him say before he'll never prep more than a few athletes at a time, but he's doing 12 right now for July 13 show!
Ehhhh, sometimes I see this getting easily convoluted, so I'm going to take all of your advice and:
-Talk to him about the specific workout
-Do what he says
-Try to be a supportive team member

Thank you all again for taking time to think this through!
-Rachel5280

[AnglicanBeachParty]

To me, it's a simple test: If you are still paying the trainer to train you, you do exactly what he/she says. You only get to stop doing this when you find a different trainer or go out on your own. It makes no sense to hire someone and then do only part of what they tell you.

[The Big Sexy]

Who is this coach of yours. .. they sound oddly familiar to someone I know

Sent From Mt. Big SEXAH