We’ve all seen Bubba at the gym or on TV. Bubba is 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs 205 pounds, has a 30-inch waste, 22-inch biceps, a brain the size of a pea and his formal education was Football 101 in high school.Bubba can hurt you! Bubba will promise you that when he (or she) is done with you, you will be able to run faster than a locomotive, leap tall buildings in a single bound and lift a tank with one arm.Bubba can hurt you! Bubba will tell you that he (or she) is a PT, and in their world, PT stands for personal trainer, not physical therapist. Yet, Bubba will try to convince you he can evaluate injuries and design a rehabilitation program for you. Please run from Bubba, because Bubba can hurt you! Bubba will put a heart rate monitor around you and tell you that he is reading an EKG and that you are in very poor physical health, Bubba also thinks he is a doctor.So, how do you choose a personal trainer? Most of us have heard about or seen the show “The Biggest Loser,” where the personal trainers are pushing the contestants to the limit, but how many of us have paid attention to the disclaimer that the contestants are under direct supervision of a physician. This is the first step you must take on the road to fitness and overall wellness – see your doctor for a complete physical. The physical should include blood work and an EKG (read by the physician, not Bubba).Next, decide your goals: weight loss, running a marathon, climbing Pikes Peak or keeping up with your children. Now you are ready to choose a personal trainer.You want to find a personal trainer who will best fit your needs and help you attain your goals. Credentials mean everything; testimonials mean nothing. Choose someone preferably with a four-year degree in health science, exercise physiology, exercise science or other health-related fields. Look for certifications, such as certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) – all considered gold standards for trainers, although a four- year degree with a lesser certification will suffice.Realize when you first start any exercise program, you will be sore. If your soreness lasts more than two days, you have overdone it and must give your body a chance to heal. If Bubba continues to push you through the pain, say goodbye to Bubba. “No pain, no gain” is a myth. There is a time and place to push through the pain, and a good trainer will know the difference.Personal trainers are limited in what they do. Generally, personal trainers work with healthy bodies and tissues. They are not health care providers, and are not trained to assess injuries of any kind (Bubba can hurt you). If you are injured during training, see a health care professional, such as your primary care physician, physical therapist or chiropractor, to assess the extent of your injury – not Bubba.If you have any questions or need a recommendation for a personal trainer, call Falcon Physical Therapy at 495-3133.
