Watching the person you are training in how they move is often far more important than what they have to say.
Anyone I train will know I often ask excessively “how they are feeling” and how was that movement they just did.
Did it work for them? Was there any pain? Was it too much?
When anyone I train doesn’t know me too well, they will often tend to agree with everything I say. Then when they get to know me, they will tend to answer me back and question a lot of what I say-THIS IS A GREAT SITUATION!
Take a movement that’s causing you pain for instance.
When I get someone doing a new movement for the first time, there is a small chance that this new movement may cause them some discomfort.
The person I am teaching may say they found it “fine” but may walk away rubbing their shoulder. This is a clear sign that everything wasn’t fine and that movement we tried was a problem for them.
This is when observation of the person I am training is vital. The person I am training for years will always tell me straight if something was causing them discomfort, and they know I would stop right there.
When new people come to the gym, I always explain how your body works and is supposed to move, and avoiding pain is key for us. Their past experiences of exercise though have often not included this philosophy.
PAIN DURING EXERCISE AND NOT BEING ABLE TO WALK AFTERWARDS ON A REGULAR BASIS IS WRONG, DAMAGING AND IS GOING TO CAUSE LONG TERM PROBLEMS FULL STOP.
There is said it!
This is why how people move often gives more tell-tale signs than what they say.
The potential for new members to make mistakes in their training early on is huge, this is why I need to spend so much time developing them and not leave them after just one session left to their own devices.
