Oct 23 / John Hardy MSc

Personal Training Imposter Syndrome - Evidence Based Training

Continuing my blog series on Exercise Programming for Personal Trainers, this blog goes into details about building an “evidence-based” programme.

Every trainer is evidence-based, but not all evidence is equal. Below is a hierarchy of evidence that can help guide decision-making when designing a program, including some common sources trainers often rely on, ranked from highest to lowest quality:

Level of Evidence

Rank	Level of Evidence	Description
1	Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses	Highest quality. Summarises multiple studies.
2	Randomised Controlled Trials	High-quality trials with control groups.
3	Cohort Studies	Observational studies with follow-up.
4	Case-Control Studies	Observational studies comparing different outcomes.
5	Professional Bodies	Recommendations from reputable organisations.
6	Expert Opinion & Experience	Valuable but less rigorous.
7	Social Media from Researchers	Insights from researchers shared online.
8	Social Media from Experts	Practical advice from seasoned professionals.
9	Word of Mouth	Information passed between trainers.
10	Gut Feeling	Intuition-based, least reliable.

Understanding the quality of evidence can help trainers make better decisions and build confidence in their program design. In Faster courses we try and look at each level of evidence, however, when making decisions for client’s workouts, we make sure to set our level of acceptable research and stick to it.

Research and Asking the Right Question

Finding the best research involves asking the right questions and avoiding common fallacies. For example, you need to be cautious if you're looking for research on preventing injuries. Searching broadly for 'preventing injuries' might indicate a bias—it assumes that injury prevention through exercise is always possible, which might not be true for every type of injury. Instead, be specific about the type of injury or context you're interested in. This approach helps find relevant, reliable studies without falling into the trap of confirmation bias. Essentially you will find that if you load a question with the answer you want, you will find the research you want.

Look out for a specific blog on research later. It is important that you do this right, and so we teach this on our specialist courses. You do not have to be an academic to be able to research, and Faster can teach you how to do this.

Here is a list of fallacies that might influence your question and result unfairly, see how many you see in the industry now:

Fallacy	Description	Example from Fitness Education
Confirmation Bias	Focusing only on evidence that supports your preconceptions.	Searching only for studies that say a specific exercise prevents injury.
Appeal to Authority	Believing something is true because an authority figure says so.	Trusting a popular fitness influencer without questioning their claims.
Hasty Generalisation	Drawing conclusions from insufficient evidence.	Assuming all clients will benefit from HIIT because a few have improved.
False Cause	Assuming a cause-and-effect relationship without proof.	Believing a new exercise caused progress without considering other factors.
Bandwagon Fallacy	Assuming something is good because it's popular.	Recommending a fad diet because everyone else is promoting it.
Circular Reasoning	Using the conclusion as evidence for itself.	Saying an exercise works because it’s effective without further proof.
Appeal to Tradition	Assuming older methods are better just because they've always been used.	Using outdated training methods because “they’ve always worked.”
Slippery Slope	Arguing that one step will lead to an extreme, negative outcome.	Suggesting that missing one workout will lead to complete failure.
Ad Hominem	Attacking the person rather than their argument.	Discrediting a coach's advice based on their appearance, not their knowledge.
Ambiguity	Using vague language to mislead or misrepresent the truth.	Claiming a program is “scientifically proven” without specifics.