The new grey area awaiting a deluge of new experts has been pushed out into social media. It is a newly discovered organ called interstitium, in reality, the scientists have not identified what it does, how you change it, if it needs change, if it is an organ, if it is relevant. All they have determined is that you need to stay hydrated for it to be efficient.

Despite no detail to the research, this has not stopped people claiming,

– they knew it existed

– they had found it and named it something else

– they know about it, but that they are ahead of science this is why you should believe them in everything else they claim

- this finding in some way validates all of their claims around their techniques

Although the above is ludicrous and something that seems to be very specific to our industry, the following is also some of the topics that experts gravitate too and tell you without wavering, how important their one is.

One of the biggest frustrations I have with this industry is that we have stopped asking the questions that are important to our clients, and because of this we have stopped answering these questions.

The reason this happened is that the power in the industry is in the hands of the big companies, and not the gym floor based trainer or the client.

If you look at the industry conventions, then you will be able to see that the lectures are all sponsored, and these sponsors are equipment or education companies. The organisers are usually equipment or education based companies as well, and so the net result is that the industry narrative is being guided by the more prominent businesses which are causing the real questions to be buried.

Even if you look away from these conventions and you start to look at social media, the big company sponsorship is following and influencing the social media influencers.

One of the most regularly cited journals in our industry is owned by the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association), where they have a natural focus on Strength and Conditioning based solutions to exercise.

Presentations at IHRSA and IDEA, based on exercise, come from companies that sponsor presenters to present on their equipment. Very rarely are these presentations made by the trainer behind the product who designed the product for a specific result.

It is my goal to get trainers into the industry who can do the following –

Hey but don’t you back exercise equipment? The CMT and the GRIPR for example?

The truth is that we do. I have personally written course content on the CMT and GRIPR for Escape Fitness, however, for those who have been on the course, I believe that a different approach is apparent immediately.

For example, I coined the term Rule the Tool for the FASTER courses, and this is something I stand alongside. It means the choice of resistance and how it is applied, should be the choice of the trainer and not the training tool manufacturer.

On a FASTER, tool based course, initially, you are taught about movement and training systems, based on the research behind coaching, skill development and performance enhancement training.

Secondly, you are shown applications that are underserved by most resistance or environment changing training tools. Finally, you are allowed to use the equipment that we are teaching about, learning if you need or do not need it, to achieve the goals of your client.

Last, of all, the course shows how FASTER use the product and why it is something we like.

The goal in the industry should be to deliver the result that your clients request, within your scope of practice and using the science-backed techniques and systems. To do this, you need to let your client dictate your narrative, your research and eventually as you hit a niche, your marketing and brand.