Quote Originally Posted by PinkBike View Post
NoNo - you can catch it on nbc.com I think.

About personal trainers - what DOES it take to get licensed? I just joined a gym and after the 2nd freebie training session the guy turned into a salesman, and when I told him I just couldn't afford my own personal trainer he dropped me like the proverbial hot potato. He was a pup anyway so I don't know what he knows about training and nutrition for women my age.

So I'm going to this gym and doing a program I invent as I go along - mostly a compilation from weight training books.
Commercial gyms are in business to make money, period. They want to sell personal training and the competition is huge. At my gym, I see trainers cycle in & out constantly. Some are good, most of them stink.

Some certifications are quite stringent & others are candy. My wish is that every cert required a hands-on test. You can read a book, take an on-line test & presto - you're a trainer. But how do they know that I can correctly teach somebody to squat? It's like swimming - you can't learn it reading a book.

Spinning - I was certified through Maddog (I always flub the spelling) and they, too, are quite stringent on the do's & don'ts of spinning. I also see certified Maddog instructors do contraindicated moves like push ups on the handlebars, spinning at crazy fast RPM's, etc.