Who are these amazing personal trainers that work with movie stars, professional athletes, musicians, and the rest of the rich and famous? Research into exactly how one becomes a celebrity personal trainer reveals that, like the rest of the personal training industry, no formal requirements exist to become one of these trainers to the stars who charge $300+ per hour. Most celebrity trainers simply happened to be in the right place at the right time.
An unknown trainer visited a chiropractor following a car accident. During the first few visits, he and the chiropractor hit it off and got to be buddies. The chiropractor happened to know some celebrities, and just by knowing him, this trainer got a gig working with a star. Fortunately for his new celebrity client, this particular trainer had a good knowledge base and great people skills. And there was something in it for the chiropractor, too, in that he got a cut for recommending this trainer to the celebrity.
Celebrity managers would help their star clients hugely if they used more caution when recommending personal trainers. As with any referral, a thorough background screening is in order before simply hiring a trainer on another celebrity’s recommendation. The endorsement by another famous person is often all it takes for an unqualified musclehead to get in the door.
Just Because They’re Famous Doesn’t Mean They’re Knowledgeable
Although you always want to hire the trainer with the best education, experience, and certifications, the people with the best qualifications are not necessarily those with the best marketing skills or the biggest mouths. However, just because someone is good at getting attention does NOT mean they know the first thing about training. In this unregulated field, people don’t have to be well-qualified to work in the industry. Anyone who is good at conveying confidence about their abilities as a trainer will succeed in the business, whether or not they can actually deliver on their promise.
A quick look at the training industry indicates that anyone who even smells like a celebrity now has a celebrity trainer. All the biggest stars – Britney Spears, P-Diddy, J-Lo, Oprah, Madonna, Tom Cruise – have personal trainers. And the trainers themselves are now riding their clients’ fame into their own spotlights. Two of the most celebrated personal trainers are Bob Green, who works with Oprah, and Gunter, trainer to many celebrities.
Many celebrity trainers are featured on news and entertainment programs, offering diet and nutrition advice. Turns out their biggest gift is their ability sell their products in front of a camera, because their advice is questionable, at best. Still, no one can argue with their ability to generate millions of dollars because of their proximity to the rich and famous. Sadly, though, they’re making a lot of that money by exploiting uneducated people, playing on their unrealistic desires to look like the next big-screen celebrity.
We’re Not All Going to Look Like Supermodels or Professional Athletes
Say you’re in the best shape of your life, but you still don’t look like your idealized image of the perfect man or woman. That’s just reality, folks. Not everyone is going to look like Pamela Anderson or Brad Pitt, regardless of how hard they work. Genetics play a big role in our looks, not to mention the cosmetic enhancements, air brushing, and camera tricks. Being healthy and fit doesn’t mean you will never have a little fat on your body. Looking great and feeling great without using drugs, cosmetics, and surgery will make you happier than any amount of fame ever will.
Before you decide you want to look like a covergirl or a superjock, you must be comfortable with yourself exactly as you are. You are going to feel better as you lose weight and build muscle, but the you inside will still be the same. Your shapely new build may inspire confidence, but the raw materials of your personality will remain exactly the same. Are you fundamentally happy with your life and who you are now – or are you waiting for external improvements to make you feel better? They won’t, because they can’t. Just as the roots of a plant determine the quality of its fruit, the invisible, internal stuff determines your happiness in life.
The Results of Quick-Fix Shape-Up Programs Never Last
It’s often scary to hear celebrities and their personal trainers promoting new diets and/or nutritional products. If these alleged “professionals” don’t really know how the body functions (and far too many of them don’t), it’s no wonder our nation just keeps getting fatter. Two significant problems exist with quick-fix training and nutrition programs. First, these extreme exercise/diet regimens that quickly get stars in great shape are terrible for the body. Yet many celebrities follow them because they know their jobs could be on the line. Secondly, regular people who try to follow the celebrities’ exercise/diet programs often wind up failing because they cannot keep up the extreme regimens and because the programs are impossible to sustain for any length of time.
Remaining super-lean all year is challenging, especially if you used a program that slimmed you down in just 8 to 12 weeks, like a bodybuilder’s exercise/diet regimen. This process can get you looking phenomenal for a day or two, but the effects won’t last much beyond that because our bodies simply cannot function at that level for any sustained period. However, you can achieve these results and stay super-lean year-round with a lifestyle change that incorporates healthy meals and regular exercise. A quality program can burn fat, as opposed to primarily building muscle, unlike the regimens the stars often follow with their celebrity trainers.
Short-term training programs to get in shape for a one- or two-day event (like a bodybuilding contest) do work, but because they proceed at an unnaturally rapid pace, they cannot be sustained for any real length of time without seriously harming your body. However, many celebrity training programs utilize this quick-fix process because so few personal trainers really understand anatomy and human kinetics, the physical sciences related to human body function. Well-educated trainers exist – they just happen to be unfortunately rare. Few trainers have degrees or quality certifications, let alone do they continue their education or expand their knowledge about human function and performance. In this unregulated industry, no one is checking to see if personal trainers are pursuing any education updates – and most of them are not.
This does not mean you should not hire a personal trainer. Hell, even personal trainers with very little training about how to create a quality exercise or nutrition program can still provide an environment where you can get fit. They also can motivate you to achieve better health and make much quicker progress than you would likely ever achieve on your own. Almost any personal trainer is better than no personal trainer. Almost.
Scott White is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist located in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information about nutrition and fitness, reach Scott at swhite@personalpowertraining.net. Also: www.personalpowetraining.net.
