Throughout their career every coach, sports nutritionist, PT, or gym owner will come into contact with ‘the latest fitness theory’. Whether its members, clients or just friends it seems everybody has the new secret to reaching ultimate fitness. It’s important to note here that the people who pass on these theories are not to blame, nor accept any responsibility for the their origin. They’re often pretty new to the whole ‘fitness thing’ and will have spent a relatively small amount of time in a gym or sports club before wanting to seek professional help in the form of a trainer or a coach.

The blame for these theories lies unequivocally with ‘Gym Jeffs’, or, ‘The Hench Guy In The Gym’ who likes to tell you everything you’re doing is wrong and that they have the magic answer to all your gym going problems;

‘Gym Jeff’. Adjective meaning, “that guy in the gym who is a complete and utter arse. He walks around in a ridiculously low-cut tank top with the most aggressive tan you’ve ever seen. His ability to watch himself in three gym mirrors, produce sharapova’esq noises, and do his hair all at the same time is breathtaking. He will often suffer from a severe case of ILS (Imaginary Lat Syndrome), and is unperturbed in his failed attempts to hit on anything remotely female in the gym (including the Puma fast class posters). Approach with extreme caution.

There is no denying that every gym has a Jeff, and that they are a real problem. They provide misinformation to people who don’t know any different, and this can be a dangerous thing.

Common things to come out of a Gym Jeffs mouth;

– Bro, toning is all about low weight high reps

– Want to lose fat?… Treadmill, 10% Incline, Walk at 5kmph for 4 hours!

– Legs weights are for egg chasers

– Want to improve your core strength?… 1000 Crunches

– Want lean gains brah?… up your protein intake by 1200%

– I’m doing the Mens Health Cover Model Challenge

What you should hear come out of their mouth;

– Why are my legs the size of an 8-year-old girls when I have 22inch biceps?

– Why can’t I run for more than 30 yards without needing a fourth helping of Jack3d?

– Under no circumstances should you listen to anything I say, copy anything I do, or wait for me to finish my curls in the squat rack before you can use it.

Although this has been mostly tongue in cheek so far, there are some serious issues that need to be addressed here, that really explain why you shouldn’t listen to these guys in the gym.

First of all, you need to understand that for all the ‘Jeff Bashing’; these guys are obviously doing something right, as they do tend to look like they want to, even if that is truly ridiculous. But appreciate that you might not have the same goals as them, and this is the first reason why you shouldn’t listen.

No.1) People who think they look amazing will tell you that what they do is the best for you. They cannot conceive that you wouldn’t want to look exactly like they do so will disregard any of your goals (that could be quite different to what they have achieved), and tell you what you’re doing is wrong and that what they’re doing is right.

If you do listen to them and accept their training methods as gospel, then you might want to stop there, because… they might be lying to you. Quite an interesting observation about people is that when they see an opportunity to give advice, they will use it as a chance to brag. Giving advice becomes a way to show off how much they know, or how well they’ve done, it is seldom ernest. So in our ‘Gym Jeff’ case… about how good they are, and how they’ve done everything naturally and it hardly took them any effort at all. So, when you hear ‘Gym Jeff’ try to tell you that all he’s does is 3 runs a week and some sit-ups, this may well be a lie; and know that he’s more than likely taken every muscle-building and fat loss supplement available on the market, been unable to sleep or stop sweating for months, and does in fact train (/curl) 3 times a day. So the second point…

2) Don’t believe everything you’re told by other gym users as their reason’s for telling you may well lie with their own arrogance rather than your progress.

If you go even further, and take up these magical training methods for a few weeks then this is where the real trouble starts for you. If you’re ‘Gym Jeff’ has told you the correct exercises and, more importantly, the correct form then you’re in luck, and although you may be doing the wrong workouts for your goal, you might not be causing yourself any long-term problems. However, if you are taught the wrong technique, and this becomes a habit, you’re in some trouble. It will take roughly 300-500 repetitions to form a new habit… It will take roughly 3000-5000 repetitions to break a bad habit. So here is the third point…

3) Understand that what your guy in the gym is telling/teaching you might be incorrect, both for your goals and for your form. If you listen to them and go ahead with learning an incorrect technique then it will be a much harder road to recovery and ultimate success.

Finally, there is a reason why most trainers are trainers. They have to have passed certain test or exams to get their status. This gives them the basic knowledge and understanding that they need to help you achieve your goals. This doesn’t mean that anyone with a level 3 personal training qualification is some kind of fitness guru, but it does mean that they should have a basic level of understanding that puts them in a position to give you advice. Your guy in the gym doesn’t have this, maybe because he thinks he doesn’t need it, or maybe because he doesn’t want it. But whatever the reason, the truth is that he can read all the blogs, forums, and magazines he likes; but this doesn’t put him in a position to tell you what you should be doing.

Go to a professional coach or trainer who has some credibility and accreditation to their name. Go to someone who is recognized as a reputable trainer, and who other people have used to get where they want to be. They should have no other agenda, and no reason why they wouldn’t help you in the best way they can to reach your goals. This could be the difference between you reaching your goals, or never achieving them.

This is a contentious topic so if you have a view then please write us a response, we’re interested to know what you think.

Until Next Time

Rigs