The danger of ‘friendly gym advice’

Poor Gym AdviceHealth, fitness and nutrition have boomed in popularity of recent years. The local gym, the 24 hour gym and the outside bootcamps have never been so popular. This is all great news. It’s great for public health, wellbeing and the fight against obesity.
However, as with any fad, trend or sport, there are always people who are willing to give you their advice, thoughts and feelings on what you are doing and why it’s wrong for you. At FitAsylum we understand this is all done out the goodness of their hearts, but in some cases that advice could be misleading or even dangerous to your health.
FitAsylum and our team of tutors are widely considered as some of the best in the industry. Our team of tutors have come across a number of different fads and nonsense over the years, but, it never ceases to amazes us what rubbish and outright dangerous advice some of our students have been given from that ‘know it all’ member down the local gym.
The human body is an amazing machine and in most cases if you place it under stress (not distress) then it will adapt and hopefully become stronger. However, each body is different. So with that in mind when the local ‘fitness guru’ who has no formal qualification is giving you advice on what has worked for them, this may not work for you or even worse put you in harm’s way.
During the delivery of our personal trainer courses in Manchester and Blackpool we discuss the importance of backing up all the advice our students give their clients by referring to the source of that information or research. It’s important for clients and customers to realise that you are well educated and won’t put their health at risk.
Below are some of the best myths and ‘advice’ which our students have had over the years from the local gym guru:
  • You don’t need carbs. I’ve not had ‘a carb’ in 5 years and I feel great. (Ketogenic diets provide us with energy and there are arguments that it’s sustainable – however no carb or low carb are not good as your metabolism will slow down and down regulate).
  • The only way to grow muscle is with steroids. (Not true. In fact beginners will grow more muscle naturally than anyone else)
  • Pregnant women should not exercise. (This is one of our favourites and we always refer learners to this article http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/05/14/health-selfish-cow-jogging-mum-baby_n_1514920.html) (Exercise is vital for the health of the baby and the mother)
  • You shouldn’t squat below parallel because it’s bad for your knees. (we were designed to do this but because of our sedate lifestyles we’ve become tight and range of movement is compromised)
  • When women diet it’s normal to lose their menstrual cycle. (No! This is definitely not true and shouldn’t happen!)
  • Women shouldn’t deadlift or squat heavy because they’ll develop big bums and their hips are not designed to squat so they’ll develop an injury. (Really?)
As you can see, some of the advice and guidance our students have received from other gym members is questionable at the very least. With this in mind our advice to you is; no matter whether you are an avid gym goer or a beginner starting out on your fitness journey, for advice regarding healthy eating and fitness we strongly advise that you seek an Fitasylum qualified personal trainer.

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