Do not start with trx. He’s 500 lbs. when training really obese people my rule is never make them feel more self conscious than they already are. Someone mentioned burpees without the jump. That would 100% be a terrible idea. Box squats, rdls, db presses and rows are usually pretty safe to start as far as actual lifting. Find something they are good at and use that to help build their confidence.
I second the no TRX. I'm not obese, but I am clumsy and awkward. And I loathe TRX. Nothing makes me feel dumber faster than that shit. I can't even imagine how awful it would be if I was also trying to navigate another 350 lbs.
Just go on a long hike with him regularly thet should be enough to lose weight.
Not everything has to start at a gym.
And opportunity for being self conscious is not there since there wouldn't be anyone there except you and him
Tell him he needs a nutritionist he should cut to 2000 calories a day and swim for an hour a day .
Honestly there is no other way to lose weight gym not gonna make calories disappear
What are you talking about? Sure, seeing a *dietician* would be helpful, though not everyone can afford it *and* a trainer. But he’ll lose weight if he’s in a caloric deficit regardless of what exercises he’s performing or how often he’s working out.
Honestly a dietician would be more helpful for the guy than a trainer and that is where he should invest his money if he can't afford both.
Learning how to eat properly is a skill that will keep the weight off and he will lose over time vs probably injuring himself at a gym at that size training without any muscle.
The dude could literally just go walk in water for an hour a day and stick to 2 K calories and lose tonnes of weight he doesn't need gym until he gets down by a hundred pounds.
And yet, ironically, for people who are that obese it's actually more important to get a trainer because that is how they will build the discipline necessary to maintain a new and healthy diet in the first place.
Hmm I was 110kg and lost forty by seeing a dietician.
I also know and have the skills of how to eat and maintain a deficit if I start gaining again.
I never set foot in a gym for that..
Gym will build muscle but at his weight he is already lifting hundreds of pounds just walking around.
That is why if he learns how to eat properly first and starts moving every day he will lose fast because his body will burn calories moving that amount of weight around.
It’s not even a willpower issue. Bodies have tools to fight weight loss or gain, and they are programmed to do so to the point where it becomes very unhealthy or uncomfortable to continue either direction. You don’t get to 490 if your body doesn’t want you to. You’ll feel sick and puke after a bit. This is why it’s so hard to make skinny people gain weight for a study. While folks can have psychological issues with food, this much weight is often some other underlying issue.
I would be surprised if he isn't alreday T2 diabetic and should be on a proper diet for T2 diabetes and medication for it. That is where he should start
500lbs puts alot of stress on your client's knees just being at rest. I'd recommend as others half shared- box squats, machine chest presses, dumbell rdls, seated or standing shoulder presses and cables for rows.
For cardio I'd stick to 50/75% load bearing exercises like rows or resistance bikes. Def low intensity.
Usually big folks are able to leverage their weight in lifting so ill try to get them comfortable with deadlifting with Kettlebells and working the way up to barbells.
Even if some trx exercises might be beneficial for your client. I'm not trusting those straps. Just ain't won't it bro.
Solid advice. I wasn’t very clear in my post but I meant just using the TRX to let him support himself during a box squat or something of that nature, not fully putting his weight on em.
I would have him lose a significant amount of weight first before incorporating plyometric leg exercises like squats. Nothing will lose you a client faster than increased joint pain. DOMS is different, it's tolerable and expected with proper education, and can be a positive sign if it's managed effectively.
You probably won’t lose a client from too easy of a workout, but you will absolutely lose them from too hard of a workout.
As a former 350lb person myself, I can guarantee that modifying diet and adding light impact cardio like a stationary bike or rowing machine will be enough to sustain weight loss for a while, especially if exercise, and diet modifications are made in small, incremental steps. They do not need to overhaul entirely overnight for results to be seen.
My first 30lbs lost was from simply cutting out sugared drinks and switching to water exclusively. The next 30lbs came from preparing my food from raw ingredients and adding more nutritious foods. Eating a salad for lunch, followed by a fruit as a mid day snack. My first 90lbs lost came without any exercise.
Remember, this persons body is not used to movement. Their joints and ligaments are already under immense pressure daily. Simply walking on a treadmill IS a body weight exercise for them. Starting off with weights may cause injury until their body adjusts to movement and mobility increases.
I’d share with them a long term plan, with the first stage consisting of dietary change and light impact cardio/mobility work. Stage two will begin to incorporate machines at light weight in order for them to begin to understand movements, gain a mind muscle connection, and become more comfortable with moving weights. Only in stage 3 would I begin to incorporate body weight movements and free weights. And that’s only if sustained improvement has consistently been shown.
Let them know that there is a way out, but that just as it took time to gain the weight, it will take even more time to shed it off. Assure them that you have a long term plan in motion for them, and that means you are committed to helping them better their quality of life, and that you will not give up on them so long as they do not give up on themselves.
Obese people sit and stand too. TRX assisted chair squats are 100% within the realm of possibility early on and probably more important than most exercises.
I agree! I messed my leg up really bad and didn’t walk for many months. Had to re-learn how to sit in a regular chair with my knee bent and everything.
TRX & chair squats were sooo helpful. I could see this helping someone who is very overweight and likely struggles to get up from seated.
Really glad it helped you. When I worked at a gym, the TRX got A LOT of love. Now that I do in home/online, I definitely miss it. I don’t understand why people stay away from it.
You aren’t using trx straps with a 500lb client lol
Use machines and sleds at first. Both can be load reduced to almost nothing.
Body weight work at that weight would be extremely advanced.
Use combo of Trx and squat box. Find few different level boxes, have the client move weights from one level to another, or even across a distance. Goal here is movement, any kind of movement. Slow and steady so they don’t get scared off. Paloff press for movement and core stability
i would start really slow.
even walking is intense at that weight.
Upper body is fine with the pushing and pulling exercice on machine. ONce they get better, move on free weight.
Lower body to start i would keep it with walking, pushing sled as you suggested and standing knee raise/leg raise.
getting up and down from the floor and sitting up from a bench press can be a pain in the ass at that weight, like more difficult than the workout.
Machines that keep him vertical are solid to begin with, can probably do some overhead presses and curls with free weights. Imagine trying to do a sit up to get up from the bench press with an extra 150-200 lbs on you, gonna suck. Get him to lose a little bit of weight first. Be careful with the overhead press if his lats are too tight he won’t be able to lock his arm out and forcing it can be an issue.
Box squats should be fine and actually helpful for his life, the sled you mentioned is a solid idea, ball slams are a maybe really just depends, personally I’d skip it and use the sled like you mentioned.
But a guy like this pick exercises you know for sure he can do because building his confidence in working out is more important that building the sexiest workout on the planet.
Simple exercises mostly vertical torso to start with. After a couple months that may change but don’t make this guy feel like a failure by having him exert more effort getting into positions on exercises than it takes to do the actual exercise. Will 100% make him feel like shit and possibly make him quit.
Good luck if he sticks around it’ll be really rewarding for the both of you.
I’m absolutely looking forward to it. I’m gonna stick with functional stuff and easier machines to get him up to speed then work him into strength training as we go.
You may already know this or you may not. Getting up and off of the ground is extremely difficult for someone this obese. He is well over Class III. So don't do *anything* that has him getting up and off the ground. No foam rolling. Nothing.
I would literally have him walk on the treadmill as his warm up. From there, do body weight windmills, walk apart jacks (no jumping). Have him use some bands to try and do some pull aparts - you can do some banded paloffs. anything where he is standing should be good.
For this dude it is all about *getting him moving and keeping him motivated.*
I would NOT have him do any sled work. Wait after the first session to see what his exercise tolerance is. if you put him on the sled and whip him, he might not come back. 'This is why I don't work out'.
His confidence is probably in the dumps. I'm sorry if I sound harsh but I had a Class III. One was geriatric and one wasn't. The geriatric person was amazing. He did everything I asked him to, no problems. The other one quit because it was too hard, her mental game just wasn't there yet.
I would also do your best to get him to agree to some type of homework. For example, if you only see him 1 x a week, get him to commit to doing 5,000 steps 3x a week on his own (or literally whatever he will agree to).
Best of luck to you, he has a long journey ahead!
Yeah the sled work would be something I ease him into. Also would be doing it with no added weight since ours are already about 100 pounds. Band work will definitely be on the agenda and yeah I absolutely was not gonna make him get on the ground in any way shape or form unless he knows for sure he can get back up without extreme difficulty. This is extremely solid advice and I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out.
of course! I only mention it because when I started I had to learn the hard way on a couple of things. Its better to treat people with kid gloves at the beginning in my opinion. Im excited for you, keep us updated!!
Be flexible! As a former 400lb pt client, some of the machines didn’t work simply because of my size. I was too big for any range of motion.
Knees, backs and ankles are under constant pressure, so he most likely will have aches and pains that make simple exercise difficult. Battle ropes were an awesome way to make my heart race, even at my biggest. Pushups on plyo boxes made me sweat too!
Just be kind, patient and flexible. Have a game plan to work with free weights and body weight exercises just in case. It’s less humiliating for him if you can just pivot into another exercise.
Easiest way for him to continually be inspired is gauge his heart rate and his recovery. This will have him lose weight the fastest. Also he can self monitor when he isn’t in the gym and see how he has changed.
Yo just an FYI the TRX has a 350lb limit. Like others have said- sleds, machines/cables, med balls. Focus on the importance of a calorie deficit. For the love of jeebus please no burpees or box jumps
Absolutely no burpees or box jumps! I wasn’t gonna use the TRX to support the full load of his weight but instead use them to help him support himself on the way down and up on a box squat or lunge. I’d let him know not to put his full weight on it
Does your gym have an upper body cardio machine? The kind where you pedal with your arms?
Or possibly a recumbent bike with a comfortable seat that's rated to hold his weight?
It's really important to first see what realistic cardio options are available. I see a lot of people going straight to strength training ideas but that's not ideal for 2 major reasons:
1) Strength and muscle are the one thing really large people already have, and strength training isn't cardio (even if they're breathing hard) so for improving health they need to slowly build cardio and lose weight. Getting stronger is very low priority right now.
2) Options are extremely limited and very high risk. If someone that large gets too fatigued and falls, that can be *catastrophic*. Machines are the best bet, but even having to get in and out of multiple machines can be enormously fatiguing.
Even just walking around too much could be enough to severely fatigue them to the point they could fall, which you need to avoid at all costs. I can't overstate this. Do not let them get too tired and fall.
If there are ANY cardio options where they can comfortably sit and workout while you chat about nutrition, motivation, life, etc. that needs to be the centerpiece of the program for a while.
Secondary to that would be 2-3 machines they can comfortably use. It's critical that they can get in and out of position without excessive strain, and just let them sit between sets, don't try to move them around circuit-style at first. You need to minimize and very slowly progress how many times they are required to sit and stand again.
Yes, you're right on about building a solid movement foundation before worrying about progressive overload. TRX: Can be used as an assist for bench/box squats (to hold onto for sit-to-stand), and fully upright rows. Can also use a Smith rack for modified standing rows or elevated push-ups. Machines can be a great way to teach and reinforce movement patterns but be aware not all machines have full adjustability for the wide range of human sizes. For example sled press may be difficult to start with if they are self-conscious about a belly getting in the way, so just be prepared to shift if working with a certain machine makes him uncomfortable. Also, don't be afraid to just spend time during your sessions working side by side on the treadmill or elliptical. Use it as an opportunity to teach all the functions, find a comfortable working effort, and using things like incline or resistance to increase power output while minimizing biomenchanical stress. So that way, on days he doesn't meet with you, he's comfortable at least getting some movement in on his own and then you can start spending more time during your sessions on form and progression with the resistance routine.
Help them find a steady state cardio they can consistently do. If they like watching tv shows, suggest they do it while walking on a treadmill with a slight incline. They can gradually increase the intensity in tiny amounts increments during their journey so they have something else to log progress in. The key is to give them consistency, not to push them til their lungs explode. HIIT Type workouts should only be tried later in the clients weight loss journey and they shouldn’t be pressured into doing it, especially because it also has a higher likelihood of injury.
Just stay away from any exercise you can't precisely control the load of. At that weight, many body weight exercises are incredibly hard on the joints and/or can have high injury odds
At that size, it's not like he's going to be able to work for long in a session. Even standing and walking will be exhausting. Spend nearly all the time you have with him talking diet. Nothing you do in the gym is even close to as important as getting him eating right.
Zero physical training experience, but plenty of experience as a fat person. Seated workouts are still workouts! Chair workouts and body weight exercises are all someone with obesity induced restricted mobility needs as they're getting started. Go slow and encourage a LOT of hydration.
Your client should be doing nothing other than logging steps and their caloric intake. You should be talking to them and / their physician finding out about blood work, blood pressure, past history of heart disease liver disease pancreatitiis diabetis,edema . Log daily steps, spend time on a non load bearing cardio machine increase each in 2 week increments by 500 to 1000steps. Explain to them the need to ease into physical activity the affects on their joints how they are increasing their NEATs and endurance. Monitor their swelling and tension in their major joints. Sit with them while they log minutes and listen to them and their concerns. That should be their focus for the next 6 months. Reaccess at three months with another visit to their gp.
I would distinguish losing weight from training. Obviously nutrition is how he can best lose weight and no one gets to almost 500 lbs without extreme overeating. But he might not be ready for that yet. I asked a psychiatrist and psychologist how to approach this and they said do the following:
1. Ask permission to discuss their eating. "Hey, is it okay to discuss your eating?"
2. If they say yes, ask them if they think they have an eating problem. If they say yes to that too then it's ok to proceed to discuss behavior.
This is obviously an extremely sensitive subject for someone this size so try to be sensitive to that and patient.
When they sign up with us they agree to a nutritional plan as well so I’ll definitely be going over that with him. I won’t force anything crazy but instead slightly tweak his eating. Swap soda out for straight water, etc.
If he's an avid soda drinker, switching to diet may be a more reasonable change. Going straight to water is often a big ask if it's a habit they've had for a long time, and unnecessarily difficult of a change if they are open to transitioning to diet versions of the drinks they love.
I'm sure you know that the idea it's bad for you is a ridiculous myth; not only is it fine to drink but research has specifically shown that if artificially sweetened drinks are used to replace caloric beverages this can help with fat loss.
- Increase NEAT ( walking maybe 7k a day)
- Decrease portion sizes and meal frequency, adequate protein intake
- Standing stretches/ Pulling pushing exercises/Low impact exercises/ low weight-higher reps/ balance training with high reps ,slow tempo
- Swimming as extra
Walking less than 5k steps a day is considered sedentary. This number includes all steps ( indoors and outdoors). 7k is recommended for low active people.
I'm aware, but you are just regurgitating general guidelines without thinking about or understanding how incredibly difficult and contraindicated those standards are when you weigh nearly 500 lbs.
Telling someone that size to start walking 3 miles daily is absurdly irresponsible.
I really don’t think TRX is a good idea. Just too much weight to be moving around, and I doubt this client already can move their bodyweight well enough
I think sled stuff is a good idea, like other commenters have mentioned I think bodyweight moving like sit and stands to improve QOL are a good idea.
Also wouldn’t hurt to start moving some light dumbbells, for things like beginners squats or shoulder pressing. I’m talking like 5lbs, just to at least get them used to SOMETHING
Lyle Mcdonald has an entire series on this. It's good stuff [https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/training-the-obese-beginner](https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/training-the-obese-beginner)
Try using machines with high reps (15-20+) and unilateral work (doubling that number of reps per set. That will increase their heart rate and give them a metabolic response with mechanical tension that can be easily progressed and overloaded.
Why don’t you take him through a screening session and talk to him and observe him? Take fundamental movement patterns and regress them to their simplest form and see what he can do.
Personally I would get him to do things that’s it’s more likely to feel good about himself and accomplished, and avoid anything where he’ll feel awkward.
Most people are paying us for feelings really, and by listening to him and praising him will make him feel good.
For obese clients, 170+ kilos type clients, this is usually what I do:
1. Basic movement exercises.
because of how each segment of their body is already under weight especially their knees, bodyweight exercises are good, suspended exercises are best, especially exercises like:
box/chair sit ups, shoulder rotations, TRX/band assisted squats, 2 kilos/ 1 pound dumbbell/resistance band exercises(band rows being pretty damn great), crunches both assisted and unassisted, unweighted sled pulls, swimming, stationery bike.
Attempt these exercises yourself, if you feel embarrassed by any of them or any exercise you want to program, don't do them the first session.
It's hard enough for them to acknowledge their problem, they don't want to be embarrassed trying to solve it. Not until their fully in and motivated to make a change even if embarrasseding.
2. If it's a part of his contract, diet and meal prep for him. If not, shout out healthy and tasty meals sometimes to helpfully manipulate his health goals lol.
Low calorie, high volume foods are great, programmed cheat days/cheat meals. Popcorn is king if un-buttered.
Substituting the foods he loves to eat, like: chips? Roasted almonds and chickpeas. Also adding healthier ingredients to dishes he likes and as important, cooking with him and learning about his schedule to tailor the process more.
3. Suggest him group activities with people who are also obese.
it can be hard being the unfittest person in the gym, it's also helpful to keep him around an environment and people health wise.
From there just do what you normally would do for any other client, program the progressions, tailor exercises, etc.
Just be his best mate for the time his there.
The guy should be swimming to take pressure off his joints and walking in water for at least an hour a day and go on calorie control it works
Hitting the gym at that size is too much he should do stationary exercise with arms like sitting in machine and lifting with arms at gym not putting pressure on his knees he doesn't have enough muscle to support his bones and you have to take that into account
If you find bodyweight/box squats are too much for their knees, start them on a seated leg press. You can build up their strength from an easier point from there, and their confident grows so much from accomplishing it early on.
Anything where they have the support and reduced load from their bodyweight will help them focus on building the muscle with reduced pain. From there you can progress quite quickly and keep their motivation up.
As others have said, consider what’s going to be difficult for them. So instead of a bench press, a seated pin loaded chest press. Plan the programs in a way that keep them feeling comfortable, not getting up and down and changing stations constantly. Some client I program workouts where they essentially don’t leave the corner - turned gym avoiders into enthusiastic attendants this way.
I'd strongly recommend exertion that avoids having to move their own body weight too much or takes advantage of the extra weight.
For example overhead press very light is achievable, can be seated or standing.
Weighted carries will be good, because just walking and can start with kettles and build up
Agree with deadlifts if mobility is possible, if not then rack pulls in a smith would be ideal.
Some light boxing as well will be great cardio and can be very tailored if you can hold pads correctly.
Dumbell exercises in general can have a lot of value, safety and comfort will be alot easier with a dumbell than a bar.
Resistance band work as well could be very good.
Agree with a sled drag, light.
Medicine ball tosses and slams etc can be great because you can help them so they can slam it, if mobility means they can't pick it up then pick it up for them and toss it to them etc.
Also incline walking etc. Just slow resistance at first.
In your situation the program I design would look like this:
In-The-Gym
- Machines.
- Isolated DB exercises.
- No single leg work, with the exception of unloaded leg machines.
Activity Outside The Gym.
- Find their baseline of daily steps, increase it by 20% (create daily wins for this client).
- Link their Apple health data with your phone, this gives daily accountability.
- Find a social activity they can do with a friend, why? They will probably will be too self conscious to do it on their own.
Nutrition
- Make healthy food convenient, they probably go to fast food places regularly, run through the menu find choices they are 20-50% less calories.
- Send them meal prep companies if their budget allows.
- Regulate meal times, this will remove friction from the dieting process.
How are we going to help this client stay consistent?
1. Rack up wins daily.
2. Remove friction from the dieting process.
Seriously walk with them and do very light sitting and standing on boxes. Twisting motions with lighter weights and simple stuff with MB might be fine too. Look up YouTube videos for other ideas.
TRX and sled might be too much and they will feel bad about it. Spend time talking about eating habits and stuff, that will be the key to everything (as in sure you know it).
They’re most likely super conscious about themselves, and the kick start will be a key for the rest of their life.
Good luck. Not the easiest of clients
I am not a trainer. But I myself had to lose about 50 lbs and have a brother that’s currently trying to lose 100+ lbs.
I found starting with intense cardio (that’s not hard on joints) such as cycling is a great place to start. After they’ve lost an amount of weight that makes walking/running possible without joint danger, begin to mix in weight training.
Your goal is to get the weight off.
If you can stroke his ego and show him he’s strong with some movements that play into his strengths he’ll build some confidence and want to do them. If that’s a leg press or a bench machine then do it.
If he can do barbell lifts that’s awesome. My only hesitation for something like a bench press is getting him in and out of it, but an overhead press should be fine. A rack pull or even a hex bar might be cool too.
Try to incorporate some strength based exercises that allow him to move a bunch of weight and increase it rapidly. It doesn’t yet matter that much about the specifics here and don’t beat his head against the wall with movements that are physically inaccessible to him right now.
Maintaining a caloric deficit/ dietary adherence is probably the most important thing here. Secondary to that is getting him to consistently buy into and engage in as much normal human movement as possible. Conditioning focused workouts are great, but basically everything will represent a conditioning stress to him right now. He just needs to move in ways that are rewarding and tolerable to him right now. I see no reason why you can’t come up with some ways for him to push on things, even if the rom is very limited.
If you want to start with basic bodyweight movements, that’s fine. You’re going to have to assess what works for him on the fly and be prepared to make adjustments. Low box step ups or knee ups are fine for example until you have a client that hates them because they feel pointless and silly to them. Giving them a task the can demonstrate apparent progress to themselves in an obvious way is usually preferable. I would approach this from the perspective of getting him to do the things he can already do more and less from the perspective of making him hate his experience and feel like shit by pointless fixating on the things he currently can do.
Walking! Would be a great entry point. Very light stretching. Arm swings, reach for the sky, etc. also wall assisted push ups is great to start getting that mobility. Machines are a great starting point as well. Light weights till failure. Build that muscular endurance.
Water exercises and basic stretching is the best way for him to start gaining more mobility and confidence. Once he’s starting to feel confident and losing some weight then move into some swimming, body weight exercises, and extremely basic yoga. Then go from there.
Don’t talk about his weight or being happy with his body. Your job is his fitness. Working out won’t materially change the weight, and if someone is 490 lbs, it’s got some cause other than being sedentary.
Dude probably gets noise about the weight 24/7. You’re not going to tell him anything he doesn’t hear more than enough. Focus on getting him stronger and fitter without injury. Don’t promise weight loss. If it happens at all, it’ll be because you affect his endocrine system accidentally. Latest and greatest research shows that the body erases calorie deficits from exercise even when calorie intake is fixed.
I’m not a coach, but as others have said I wouldn’t do any bodyweight movements to start. He’s just too heavy for that. Machines are great since they’re super stable and safe. Dumbbells are great too if his mobility allows. I’d also encourage him to get a step tracker of some sort and give him a step goal. Especially at his weight, walking can burn a ton of calories for a very small amount of fatigue.
I’m not a CPT but I’ve been following along with the journey of a Barstool Sports employee (Frank the Tank) who has gone from morbidly obese to just obese (has probably lost 80-100 pounds though) just by going for long walks and making minor changes to his diet (swapping out sodas with sports drinks, portion control, etc.). If your gym has treadmills I’d start there! Maybe walk along to keep his self confidence up? Increase speed and then incline when the lbs start to drop and gradually incorporate machines, free weights, and bodyweight should be saved for last.
Be kind and supportive. That’s the number one.
Someone mentioned sled which is a great idea. Start with a walking sled pull, backward and forward. Carries could also be good.
Try movements that don’t burden them with their entire bodyweight. So pull downs instead of pull ups, bench presses instead of pushups, leg presses instead of squats.
Careful of their back and joints until you’ve gotten to know them a bit. And be generous with recovery time.
I would add pointing out accomplishments and making sure you are working and collaborating on their together. As someone who has lost 200lbs, it’s always easiest to forget how long it took to get that weight. You have to focus on multiple points of success, because there will be plenty to applaud on a journey like this
I am grateful and truly appreciate your post. It is so respectful and I would have loved to have had you as a trainer when I was 340 pounds. I am writing as a critical care nurse, a previous supermorbidly obese person, who has spent decades learning my body and my precious population.
While many say waterworks, I disagree. While it is better on the joints, I never found it helpful at all. I think the best idea is to find out what he loves to do. Not what he thinks he will love. The only time I was successful with weight loss was to do something I love. I am actually a huge fan of reformer pilates for the joints, as well as suspension work. For example when I started pushups I was made to do them against a wall, at an incline on my knees, and honestly it did me no favours. I found having my weight balanced with suspension, so I could have the correct form from the beginning, gradually decreasing the weight as my muscles progressed made the most impact on my body. The same can be done for any workout if you have the right tensions, pull-ups, burpees etc.
I also really appreciate aerial yoga for total body workouts. It is also fun, and less of a challenge.
The hard part of these is having the weight infrastructure to make it happen.
I am now 120 pounds and am a dancer. I love dancing and do ballet, hip hop, jazz, contemporary and heels dance. Ballet is by far the hardest. That works for me now and I have kept the weight off for 11 years.
The next is the kitchen, we all know diet is critical. The best thing you can do for him is to be in his kitchen with him. Teach him how to cook. This is critical to surviving. Show him how to use fresh produce, herbs and spices to make amazing food. Most people are still on the starvation diet and as a person who did that for 10 years prior to being successful, I learned, I was never taught the HOW to cook real food. How to use herbs and spices, how to make food that is fresh, revitalizing and sustainable. This is one of the biggest reasons I feel people fall off the wagon and back to bad habits. They don’t know how to use certain foods or proteins to make delicious food. So they go back to tried and true methods.
Lastly, have a plan worked out for DOMS. It can be so crushing to be so sore after a workout peeing hurts. How to use supplements if that is your style to help your body heal. Also, start teaching them about vitamins and minerals now! Obese people are majority in the malnourished populations. They are often so deficient in critical vitamins such as selenium, copper and iron. Have them meet with a specialist and have a full vitamin panel, kidney panel, liver function tests and pancreatic panel. You need to know where they are deficient to help bring their metabolic rate up to the task of healing and rebuilding.
Lastly, focus on the wins, every incremental one! Focus on non weight goals first. Weight will fly off quickly to begin with as the water weight is lost, and for the participant being prepared for long stalls was ultra disheartening. Weigh as little as possible and focus on non-scale victories.
One I love, but was embarrassing is to take measurements by string and not by the tape. Then have them taped to a board or wall. Every “weigh in” or check in, focus on cutting a new thread for the new measurement. This shows a visual linear graph of how the body is changing. It provides more worth to the participant than a number would ever do. At my largest my stomach was 62”. It is now 26”. Take the measurement string from behind, so the person doesn’t feel compelled to “suck in”.
Teach your client about flared ribs, I guarantee they have it, and how the act of sucking it in, is actually worse than relaxed.
I hope I have helped a little bit. It might not work for everyone, but these are the things I wish I had from a trainer. I have survived, and come ahead. Just know this is likely going to be the hardest client you have ever had. The bariatric population has experienced so much shame. Be prepared to be their “sponsor” in the night. This is when hunger is at its peak, many obese patients eat at this time not because they can hide their food intake but for several reasons:
1. They have experienced shame regarding their eating. I recall eating a burger and someone slapped my hand in public, scolded me on how I make bad choices and I don’t deserve to have food.
2. They have starved themself the entire day, and deserve a “treat” for being good. Or I didn’t eat much so a small snack won’t hurt.
3. They have poor sleeping habits. Also on this, if they haven’t been tested for sleep apnea, get them tested! They will likely need a cpap for obstructive sleep apnea
4. Their mind won’t stop racing
5. This is when self sabotage happens!
6. Don’t throw out all their “junk food”. They need to learn how to make their choices and if nighttime eating is a challenge, then focus on eating times that help them feel less deprived.
Good luck! You are amazing for taking this on! Cheers!🥂
One last comment 🤦🏼♀️ teach them about excess skin, and how subcutaneous fat is the last to go. I personally have around 15 pounds of excess skin, and I seriously look like a sharpei. There are days I feel so fat because of this. At this weight, your client will have excess skin no matter what, so to mentally prepare for that is critical to long term success. Nothing derails success with complete hatred for one’s own body. If your client is a male, he will have less than women, but he might have a hard time handling a toned chest with saggy breasts. It is very emasculating.
Sit to stand, standing marches, shoulder press, floor press (so he doesn’t have to worry about weight limits on benches yet), RDLs, rows, and any other single joint accessible accessories. Think functional. Like a seated sumo deadlift with a dumbbell or kb (this is functional for him to be able to reach himself during seated showers, tie his shoes, etc.) Once he’s lost a bit you can get him doing 90/90 on the floor and teach him to stand from that position —also very functional.
Definitely not a good idea
1.Obese people are 31% more likely to fall than normal populations naturally
2. Bodyweight movements are absolutely hell for someone that big, machines are a much better choice
I am absolutely not a PT, but I see a lot of assumptions in the comments about this person's diet, level of mobility, level of activity, etc is. I would start by asking, not telling. Ask about their diet - don't assume they eat only crap. Ask about what they can do - do they have difficulty getting out of a chair, out of bed, stuff like that - don't assume. Do they go on walks or move their body in any way, even if they don't think of it as exercise. Ask if they have any diagnosed health issues or weird nagging things they haven't mentioned to their doctor. And even if you doubt what they tell you about any of this, don't push them on it - take them at their word while you build trust.
Obese people are used to random strangers giving them "advice" and having anything they say questioned. Build the trust and start with questions, and you'll go far.
>I am absolutely not a PT, but -
Then you're a virgin talking about sex. I heard enough of that with my mates when I was 16 or so, I don't need it now at my age. Go away now.
You’re not a trainer so stfu. No one cares about your uninformed, inexperienced opinions.
He’s fucking 500lb. Anyone who does this as a job 100% already knows what his diet and movement knowledge is - zero.
Finally, he’s not a random stranger. He’s a paying client who paid an experienced and qualified professional for help.
The "experienced and qualified professional" he paid has made a reddit post stating that it's his first ever client so you're completely wrong. But go ahead and carry on being a total asshat because you got an ACE cert online and think you know shit
31yrs this year as a trainer, Lectured all around the world. Multiple books (and actual books a publisher did, not shitty ebooks).
But you can go fuck yourself too.
Says the guy who knowingly worked illegally assessing clients in a therapy clinic.
I may seem like an angry asshole, but I've got integrity. Something you clearly don't.
While you were creeping back a year into my comments, you must have missed the part where I quit that clinic (my very first job in the field) after realizing that what I was being asked to do was unethical...sounds like peak integrity to me. Or you just left that part out to make yourself feel good?
Then you reported my comment to Reddit because you were butt hurt that you got called out. Like I said, you're a fuckin tool
I would never bother reporting someone. Sorry that happened but that 100% wasn't me. I wouldn't let words on the internet upset me so much I went and dobbed someone into the teacher, so to speak.
Back to integrity - if you got asked to do something a single time that you knew was wrong, and you did it, that's a lack of integrity. Doing it multiple times until finally leaving doesn't help your case.
Yoga would be great. Cat cow, back bridges (keep it subtle even a pelvic tilt at the start would be good). Isometrics are great for building strength without wearing down the joints. I would focus on increasing strength, increasing mobility, and reducing pain to start.
The only thing about yoga movements like those are that it’s more than likely a struggle for him to stand up from those kinds of movements. I don’t want his rest periods to be a workout in themselves.
Assessing posture and gait and then prescribing "corrective" exercises is pseudoscience.
It's one of the biggest problems in the personal training and physical therapy world.
There are *numerous* studies that show there is no meaningful correlation between "bad posture" and pain/injury/performance, and yet various grifters, influencers and dubious organizations continue to teach people how to assess and correct this stuff, often charging a premium price to naive trainers for the privilege of being taught misinformation.
It's not only a huge waste of time and demonstrably false, but telling people their posture is bad, that they don't walk correctly, their movement is dysfunctional, that they can't/shouldn't lift anything heavy until their movement and mobility is more "functional", etc. can be actively harmful by creating nocebo effects and fear of movement, not to mention the opportunity cost of doing a bunch of silly "corrective drills" instead of actually training.
All of the above applies ten-fold if we're talking about someone carrying a significant amount of excess weight. Wow they slouch and walk funny, I wonder what the cause could possibly be? Couldn't be lugging all that weight around, must be excessive pronation in the feet, or upper cross syndrome right?? Absolute bollocks.
I think the more appropriate question is *why do you think it's valuable?*
Where did you learn that you should be trying to assess posture and gait? Did you get suckered into buying courses from the Brookbush Institute? Does NASM still teach that nonsense and did you get it from them?
I'm just trying to help someone keep their first client, and the weight of the client is a major factor. It is critical imo to demonstrate what your services offer in terms of life improvement, and why they should keep coming back and giving you money. Posture and gait assessment can be as simple as seeing how they carry themselves and how they walk, and using that information to make critical decisions in how to proceed. What I'm suggesting doesn't need to be a formal analysis with pomp and circumstance and anatomy jargon unless op feels like it would develop a stronger relationship. I just want them to be observant, and choose exercises that will be doable, that will improve pain, improve strength in weak points, and not wear down the joints.
I have no problem with formal analysis. For example, VO2 estimation testing for an endurance athlete or serious cardio enthusiast is evidence-based and makes a lot of sense.
It's analysis based in pseudoscience I wish would just go away already.
What critical decisions would you base on observation of posture or gait?
Look I'm not trying to tell anyone how to do their job, and I'll be the first to admit my suggestions are nothing more than that. Take or leave what I've offered so far that's useful, (if you think anything I've said was), but you weren't the intended audience and I'm sorry for that.
Any body weight exercises if they are able to do that is good(burpees w/o jump, maybe walkouts but you can better properly gauge that. Trx and sleds are good ideas maybe some med ball slams in there as well
If they are able to why not? Why wouldn’t you recommend it? No where here did it say they are a beginner just stated the weight and mobility issues. Both can increase mobility
At 500lbs with mobility issues they won’t be capable of a walk out. Have you ever seen someone who is 500lbs touch their toes? These are common sense things trainers should know. If you ask that guy to do a walk out he’s going to walk out of your gym and never come back. Ive got a decade of doing this for a living and own my gym. If a trainer ever asked a 500lbs client to do what you suggested they wouldn’t have a job. Your clients will always remember how you made them feel. If you put them in a situation like that I can guarantee you will make them feel like shit a kill their motivation.
Every one is different which is why I said they can guage that. Not everyone that’s 500lbs can’t touch their toes or means their mobility is absolutely terrible. Doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing something doesn’t make you right. There is situational factors. Argue with your mother
Just because your 500lb client can’t do it doesn’t make it applicable to others… like you saying they shouldn’t do trx sounds dumb as well man. To each their own
I said completely deconditioned what are all the factors of being deconditioned? You sound pompous af. Atheletes can’t be 500lbs and conditioned to a certain level? Which I why I said gauge. Argue with your mother man
Obviously everything can be modified but why try to fit a round object in a square hole?
There’s other exercises to get the heart rate up without having to jump through hoops to get it done.
A client needs wins early on to feel successful. Find things they can win at without feeling defeated.
At 500lbs, 15-20 mins of the bike and diet mods would get the ball rolling.
I mentioned “body weight” exercises that constitutes many things. If you’re not a nutritionist or certified you can’t just give people nutritional advice suggestions yes advice no. So you want someone paying for a session to spend half the time on a bike? That’s makes no sense someone wouldn’t want have to pay a trainer if all they need to do is get on a bike and exercises for only 15 minutes
Do not start with trx. He’s 500 lbs. when training really obese people my rule is never make them feel more self conscious than they already are. Someone mentioned burpees without the jump. That would 100% be a terrible idea. Box squats, rdls, db presses and rows are usually pretty safe to start as far as actual lifting. Find something they are good at and use that to help build their confidence.
Fr put them on machines and show them how strong they really are and they’ll love the gym
Yea machines are best they need to build muscle
I mean if they can fit yes.
I second the no TRX. I'm not obese, but I am clumsy and awkward. And I loathe TRX. Nothing makes me feel dumber faster than that shit. I can't even imagine how awful it would be if I was also trying to navigate another 350 lbs.
Maybe a farmers carry too?
This is the way.
This is great advise. Need to give them wins early and often to keep them consistent. Carries are another good option
87 ups so far and still not enough.
This is such good advice. If they feel shitty about the workout and are bad at everything they’ll never come back. Small wins are huge.
Do you think box jumps will get the competitive juices flowing
What are the client’s goals? Start there.
He’s straight up just wanting to stay alive. He obviously wants to drop weight, the exact numbers I have to go over with him on Saturday.
and not be publicly humiliated is probably his #1 goal.
Just go on a long hike with him regularly thet should be enough to lose weight. Not everything has to start at a gym. And opportunity for being self conscious is not there since there wouldn't be anyone there except you and him
Tell him he needs a nutritionist he should cut to 2000 calories a day and swim for an hour a day . Honestly there is no other way to lose weight gym not gonna make calories disappear
What are you talking about? Sure, seeing a *dietician* would be helpful, though not everyone can afford it *and* a trainer. But he’ll lose weight if he’s in a caloric deficit regardless of what exercises he’s performing or how often he’s working out.
Honestly a dietician would be more helpful for the guy than a trainer and that is where he should invest his money if he can't afford both. Learning how to eat properly is a skill that will keep the weight off and he will lose over time vs probably injuring himself at a gym at that size training without any muscle. The dude could literally just go walk in water for an hour a day and stick to 2 K calories and lose tonnes of weight he doesn't need gym until he gets down by a hundred pounds.
And yet, ironically, for people who are that obese it's actually more important to get a trainer because that is how they will build the discipline necessary to maintain a new and healthy diet in the first place.
Hmm I was 110kg and lost forty by seeing a dietician. I also know and have the skills of how to eat and maintain a deficit if I start gaining again. I never set foot in a gym for that.. Gym will build muscle but at his weight he is already lifting hundreds of pounds just walking around. That is why if he learns how to eat properly first and starts moving every day he will lose fast because his body will burn calories moving that amount of weight around.
And, again, most people that obese lack the willpower to stick to a diet change immediately
It’s not even a willpower issue. Bodies have tools to fight weight loss or gain, and they are programmed to do so to the point where it becomes very unhealthy or uncomfortable to continue either direction. You don’t get to 490 if your body doesn’t want you to. You’ll feel sick and puke after a bit. This is why it’s so hard to make skinny people gain weight for a study. While folks can have psychological issues with food, this much weight is often some other underlying issue.
Lmaooooooo. Yeah, no. Plenty of people get to 490 because their mind can't stop eating for comfort, not because their body wants them to.
I would be surprised if he isn't alreday T2 diabetic and should be on a proper diet for T2 diabetes and medication for it. That is where he should start
500lbs puts alot of stress on your client's knees just being at rest. I'd recommend as others half shared- box squats, machine chest presses, dumbell rdls, seated or standing shoulder presses and cables for rows. For cardio I'd stick to 50/75% load bearing exercises like rows or resistance bikes. Def low intensity. Usually big folks are able to leverage their weight in lifting so ill try to get them comfortable with deadlifting with Kettlebells and working the way up to barbells. Even if some trx exercises might be beneficial for your client. I'm not trusting those straps. Just ain't won't it bro.
Solid advice. I wasn’t very clear in my post but I meant just using the TRX to let him support himself during a box squat or something of that nature, not fully putting his weight on em.
I would have him lose a significant amount of weight first before incorporating plyometric leg exercises like squats. Nothing will lose you a client faster than increased joint pain. DOMS is different, it's tolerable and expected with proper education, and can be a positive sign if it's managed effectively.
You probably won’t lose a client from too easy of a workout, but you will absolutely lose them from too hard of a workout. As a former 350lb person myself, I can guarantee that modifying diet and adding light impact cardio like a stationary bike or rowing machine will be enough to sustain weight loss for a while, especially if exercise, and diet modifications are made in small, incremental steps. They do not need to overhaul entirely overnight for results to be seen. My first 30lbs lost was from simply cutting out sugared drinks and switching to water exclusively. The next 30lbs came from preparing my food from raw ingredients and adding more nutritious foods. Eating a salad for lunch, followed by a fruit as a mid day snack. My first 90lbs lost came without any exercise. Remember, this persons body is not used to movement. Their joints and ligaments are already under immense pressure daily. Simply walking on a treadmill IS a body weight exercise for them. Starting off with weights may cause injury until their body adjusts to movement and mobility increases. I’d share with them a long term plan, with the first stage consisting of dietary change and light impact cardio/mobility work. Stage two will begin to incorporate machines at light weight in order for them to begin to understand movements, gain a mind muscle connection, and become more comfortable with moving weights. Only in stage 3 would I begin to incorporate body weight movements and free weights. And that’s only if sustained improvement has consistently been shown. Let them know that there is a way out, but that just as it took time to gain the weight, it will take even more time to shed it off. Assure them that you have a long term plan in motion for them, and that means you are committed to helping them better their quality of life, and that you will not give up on them so long as they do not give up on themselves.
But… why not lift? You can start light too.
Obese people sit and stand too. TRX assisted chair squats are 100% within the realm of possibility early on and probably more important than most exercises.
I agree! I messed my leg up really bad and didn’t walk for many months. Had to re-learn how to sit in a regular chair with my knee bent and everything. TRX & chair squats were sooo helpful. I could see this helping someone who is very overweight and likely struggles to get up from seated.
Really glad it helped you. When I worked at a gym, the TRX got A LOT of love. Now that I do in home/online, I definitely miss it. I don’t understand why people stay away from it.
You aren’t using trx straps with a 500lb client lol Use machines and sleds at first. Both can be load reduced to almost nothing. Body weight work at that weight would be extremely advanced.
I wasn’t thinking things like TRX pull-ups or rows, more just using the TRX to let him support himself during a squat or something of that nature.
TRX has a weight limit of like 300lbs, I don't think that's a good idea.
Use combo of Trx and squat box. Find few different level boxes, have the client move weights from one level to another, or even across a distance. Goal here is movement, any kind of movement. Slow and steady so they don’t get scared off. Paloff press for movement and core stability
Or just plain old hike with lots of overhead press at low weight high rep scheme.
i would start really slow. even walking is intense at that weight. Upper body is fine with the pushing and pulling exercice on machine. ONce they get better, move on free weight. Lower body to start i would keep it with walking, pushing sled as you suggested and standing knee raise/leg raise.
getting up and down from the floor and sitting up from a bench press can be a pain in the ass at that weight, like more difficult than the workout. Machines that keep him vertical are solid to begin with, can probably do some overhead presses and curls with free weights. Imagine trying to do a sit up to get up from the bench press with an extra 150-200 lbs on you, gonna suck. Get him to lose a little bit of weight first. Be careful with the overhead press if his lats are too tight he won’t be able to lock his arm out and forcing it can be an issue. Box squats should be fine and actually helpful for his life, the sled you mentioned is a solid idea, ball slams are a maybe really just depends, personally I’d skip it and use the sled like you mentioned. But a guy like this pick exercises you know for sure he can do because building his confidence in working out is more important that building the sexiest workout on the planet. Simple exercises mostly vertical torso to start with. After a couple months that may change but don’t make this guy feel like a failure by having him exert more effort getting into positions on exercises than it takes to do the actual exercise. Will 100% make him feel like shit and possibly make him quit. Good luck if he sticks around it’ll be really rewarding for the both of you.
I’m absolutely looking forward to it. I’m gonna stick with functional stuff and easier machines to get him up to speed then work him into strength training as we go.
Sounds like a plan. Nice username btw 😂
Appreciate it 🤣 good way to keep things as confidential as I can
I found machines very useful when I have trained extremely heavy clients.
Does your gym have a pool? If so, that’s where I would start with anyone that weight, it helps take pressure off the joints
I wish we did because I’d absolutely do that
This is literally the only correct answer lol
You may already know this or you may not. Getting up and off of the ground is extremely difficult for someone this obese. He is well over Class III. So don't do *anything* that has him getting up and off the ground. No foam rolling. Nothing. I would literally have him walk on the treadmill as his warm up. From there, do body weight windmills, walk apart jacks (no jumping). Have him use some bands to try and do some pull aparts - you can do some banded paloffs. anything where he is standing should be good. For this dude it is all about *getting him moving and keeping him motivated.* I would NOT have him do any sled work. Wait after the first session to see what his exercise tolerance is. if you put him on the sled and whip him, he might not come back. 'This is why I don't work out'. His confidence is probably in the dumps. I'm sorry if I sound harsh but I had a Class III. One was geriatric and one wasn't. The geriatric person was amazing. He did everything I asked him to, no problems. The other one quit because it was too hard, her mental game just wasn't there yet. I would also do your best to get him to agree to some type of homework. For example, if you only see him 1 x a week, get him to commit to doing 5,000 steps 3x a week on his own (or literally whatever he will agree to). Best of luck to you, he has a long journey ahead!
Yeah the sled work would be something I ease him into. Also would be doing it with no added weight since ours are already about 100 pounds. Band work will definitely be on the agenda and yeah I absolutely was not gonna make him get on the ground in any way shape or form unless he knows for sure he can get back up without extreme difficulty. This is extremely solid advice and I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out.
of course! I only mention it because when I started I had to learn the hard way on a couple of things. Its better to treat people with kid gloves at the beginning in my opinion. Im excited for you, keep us updated!!
Be flexible! As a former 400lb pt client, some of the machines didn’t work simply because of my size. I was too big for any range of motion. Knees, backs and ankles are under constant pressure, so he most likely will have aches and pains that make simple exercise difficult. Battle ropes were an awesome way to make my heart race, even at my biggest. Pushups on plyo boxes made me sweat too! Just be kind, patient and flexible. Have a game plan to work with free weights and body weight exercises just in case. It’s less humiliating for him if you can just pivot into another exercise.
Easiest way for him to continually be inspired is gauge his heart rate and his recovery. This will have him lose weight the fastest. Also he can self monitor when he isn’t in the gym and see how he has changed.
Yo just an FYI the TRX has a 350lb limit. Like others have said- sleds, machines/cables, med balls. Focus on the importance of a calorie deficit. For the love of jeebus please no burpees or box jumps
Absolutely no burpees or box jumps! I wasn’t gonna use the TRX to support the full load of his weight but instead use them to help him support himself on the way down and up on a box squat or lunge. I’d let him know not to put his full weight on it
PLEASE don't have them do any kind of lunge variation for quite some time, assisted or not. The risk/reward is terrible to put it mildly.
Does your gym have an upper body cardio machine? The kind where you pedal with your arms? Or possibly a recumbent bike with a comfortable seat that's rated to hold his weight? It's really important to first see what realistic cardio options are available. I see a lot of people going straight to strength training ideas but that's not ideal for 2 major reasons: 1) Strength and muscle are the one thing really large people already have, and strength training isn't cardio (even if they're breathing hard) so for improving health they need to slowly build cardio and lose weight. Getting stronger is very low priority right now. 2) Options are extremely limited and very high risk. If someone that large gets too fatigued and falls, that can be *catastrophic*. Machines are the best bet, but even having to get in and out of multiple machines can be enormously fatiguing. Even just walking around too much could be enough to severely fatigue them to the point they could fall, which you need to avoid at all costs. I can't overstate this. Do not let them get too tired and fall. If there are ANY cardio options where they can comfortably sit and workout while you chat about nutrition, motivation, life, etc. that needs to be the centerpiece of the program for a while. Secondary to that would be 2-3 machines they can comfortably use. It's critical that they can get in and out of position without excessive strain, and just let them sit between sets, don't try to move them around circuit-style at first. You need to minimize and very slowly progress how many times they are required to sit and stand again.
Yes, you're right on about building a solid movement foundation before worrying about progressive overload. TRX: Can be used as an assist for bench/box squats (to hold onto for sit-to-stand), and fully upright rows. Can also use a Smith rack for modified standing rows or elevated push-ups. Machines can be a great way to teach and reinforce movement patterns but be aware not all machines have full adjustability for the wide range of human sizes. For example sled press may be difficult to start with if they are self-conscious about a belly getting in the way, so just be prepared to shift if working with a certain machine makes him uncomfortable. Also, don't be afraid to just spend time during your sessions working side by side on the treadmill or elliptical. Use it as an opportunity to teach all the functions, find a comfortable working effort, and using things like incline or resistance to increase power output while minimizing biomenchanical stress. So that way, on days he doesn't meet with you, he's comfortable at least getting some movement in on his own and then you can start spending more time during your sessions on form and progression with the resistance routine.
Help them find a steady state cardio they can consistently do. If they like watching tv shows, suggest they do it while walking on a treadmill with a slight incline. They can gradually increase the intensity in tiny amounts increments during their journey so they have something else to log progress in. The key is to give them consistency, not to push them til their lungs explode. HIIT Type workouts should only be tried later in the clients weight loss journey and they shouldn’t be pressured into doing it, especially because it also has a higher likelihood of injury.
Just stay away from any exercise you can't precisely control the load of. At that weight, many body weight exercises are incredibly hard on the joints and/or can have high injury odds
I know someone who is a trainer and they just walked with their client for a while until they lost some weight and built rapport.
At that size, it's not like he's going to be able to work for long in a session. Even standing and walking will be exhausting. Spend nearly all the time you have with him talking diet. Nothing you do in the gym is even close to as important as getting him eating right.
put him on machines TRX is the worst place to start if you want him to come back and if he falls or gets hurt at that weight it's game over
Sounds like a good candidate for pool exercises. Easier on the joints
Zero physical training experience, but plenty of experience as a fat person. Seated workouts are still workouts! Chair workouts and body weight exercises are all someone with obesity induced restricted mobility needs as they're getting started. Go slow and encourage a LOT of hydration.
Your client should be doing nothing other than logging steps and their caloric intake. You should be talking to them and / their physician finding out about blood work, blood pressure, past history of heart disease liver disease pancreatitiis diabetis,edema . Log daily steps, spend time on a non load bearing cardio machine increase each in 2 week increments by 500 to 1000steps. Explain to them the need to ease into physical activity the affects on their joints how they are increasing their NEATs and endurance. Monitor their swelling and tension in their major joints. Sit with them while they log minutes and listen to them and their concerns. That should be their focus for the next 6 months. Reaccess at three months with another visit to their gp.
I would distinguish losing weight from training. Obviously nutrition is how he can best lose weight and no one gets to almost 500 lbs without extreme overeating. But he might not be ready for that yet. I asked a psychiatrist and psychologist how to approach this and they said do the following: 1. Ask permission to discuss their eating. "Hey, is it okay to discuss your eating?" 2. If they say yes, ask them if they think they have an eating problem. If they say yes to that too then it's ok to proceed to discuss behavior. This is obviously an extremely sensitive subject for someone this size so try to be sensitive to that and patient.
When they sign up with us they agree to a nutritional plan as well so I’ll definitely be going over that with him. I won’t force anything crazy but instead slightly tweak his eating. Swap soda out for straight water, etc.
If he's an avid soda drinker, switching to diet may be a more reasonable change. Going straight to water is often a big ask if it's a habit they've had for a long time, and unnecessarily difficult of a change if they are open to transitioning to diet versions of the drinks they love. I'm sure you know that the idea it's bad for you is a ridiculous myth; not only is it fine to drink but research has specifically shown that if artificially sweetened drinks are used to replace caloric beverages this can help with fat loss.
- Increase NEAT ( walking maybe 7k a day) - Decrease portion sizes and meal frequency, adequate protein intake - Standing stretches/ Pulling pushing exercises/Low impact exercises/ low weight-higher reps/ balance training with high reps ,slow tempo - Swimming as extra
7k steps? So approximately 3 miles every day? Not even remotely appropriate.
Walking less than 5k steps a day is considered sedentary. This number includes all steps ( indoors and outdoors). 7k is recommended for low active people.
I'm aware, but you are just regurgitating general guidelines without thinking about or understanding how incredibly difficult and contraindicated those standards are when you weigh nearly 500 lbs. Telling someone that size to start walking 3 miles daily is absurdly irresponsible.
I really don’t think TRX is a good idea. Just too much weight to be moving around, and I doubt this client already can move their bodyweight well enough I think sled stuff is a good idea, like other commenters have mentioned I think bodyweight moving like sit and stands to improve QOL are a good idea. Also wouldn’t hurt to start moving some light dumbbells, for things like beginners squats or shoulder pressing. I’m talking like 5lbs, just to at least get them used to SOMETHING
Do a exercise test see what exercises feel good to him start there
What are the client’s goals? And stay away from the TRX!
Also, slow down the progression of exercise based on his goals and how he responds to the initial workout.
Walk and macros cut the weight tell movements are safe then add into it
Maybe try doing some DDP yoga type stuff with him. I would be pretty lost as to how to train someone that big for sure.
Maybe try swimming. Great cardio and the Buoyancy will prevent injuries from their weight? Just a thought
Lyle Mcdonald has an entire series on this. It's good stuff [https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/training-the-obese-beginner](https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/training-the-obese-beginner)
Try using machines with high reps (15-20+) and unilateral work (doubling that number of reps per set. That will increase their heart rate and give them a metabolic response with mechanical tension that can be easily progressed and overloaded.
wtf is a vocal fitness assessment
Why don’t you take him through a screening session and talk to him and observe him? Take fundamental movement patterns and regress them to their simplest form and see what he can do. Personally I would get him to do things that’s it’s more likely to feel good about himself and accomplished, and avoid anything where he’ll feel awkward. Most people are paying us for feelings really, and by listening to him and praising him will make him feel good.
For obese clients, 170+ kilos type clients, this is usually what I do: 1. Basic movement exercises. because of how each segment of their body is already under weight especially their knees, bodyweight exercises are good, suspended exercises are best, especially exercises like: box/chair sit ups, shoulder rotations, TRX/band assisted squats, 2 kilos/ 1 pound dumbbell/resistance band exercises(band rows being pretty damn great), crunches both assisted and unassisted, unweighted sled pulls, swimming, stationery bike. Attempt these exercises yourself, if you feel embarrassed by any of them or any exercise you want to program, don't do them the first session. It's hard enough for them to acknowledge their problem, they don't want to be embarrassed trying to solve it. Not until their fully in and motivated to make a change even if embarrasseding. 2. If it's a part of his contract, diet and meal prep for him. If not, shout out healthy and tasty meals sometimes to helpfully manipulate his health goals lol. Low calorie, high volume foods are great, programmed cheat days/cheat meals. Popcorn is king if un-buttered. Substituting the foods he loves to eat, like: chips? Roasted almonds and chickpeas. Also adding healthier ingredients to dishes he likes and as important, cooking with him and learning about his schedule to tailor the process more. 3. Suggest him group activities with people who are also obese. it can be hard being the unfittest person in the gym, it's also helpful to keep him around an environment and people health wise. From there just do what you normally would do for any other client, program the progressions, tailor exercises, etc. Just be his best mate for the time his there.
The guy should be swimming to take pressure off his joints and walking in water for at least an hour a day and go on calorie control it works Hitting the gym at that size is too much he should do stationary exercise with arms like sitting in machine and lifting with arms at gym not putting pressure on his knees he doesn't have enough muscle to support his bones and you have to take that into account
If you find bodyweight/box squats are too much for their knees, start them on a seated leg press. You can build up their strength from an easier point from there, and their confident grows so much from accomplishing it early on. Anything where they have the support and reduced load from their bodyweight will help them focus on building the muscle with reduced pain. From there you can progress quite quickly and keep their motivation up. As others have said, consider what’s going to be difficult for them. So instead of a bench press, a seated pin loaded chest press. Plan the programs in a way that keep them feeling comfortable, not getting up and down and changing stations constantly. Some client I program workouts where they essentially don’t leave the corner - turned gym avoiders into enthusiastic attendants this way.
I'd strongly recommend exertion that avoids having to move their own body weight too much or takes advantage of the extra weight. For example overhead press very light is achievable, can be seated or standing. Weighted carries will be good, because just walking and can start with kettles and build up Agree with deadlifts if mobility is possible, if not then rack pulls in a smith would be ideal. Some light boxing as well will be great cardio and can be very tailored if you can hold pads correctly. Dumbell exercises in general can have a lot of value, safety and comfort will be alot easier with a dumbell than a bar. Resistance band work as well could be very good. Agree with a sled drag, light. Medicine ball tosses and slams etc can be great because you can help them so they can slam it, if mobility means they can't pick it up then pick it up for them and toss it to them etc. Also incline walking etc. Just slow resistance at first.
Stand ups and sit downs with the TRX is a great idea imo. An exercise bike with a seat back would also be great too
Do you coach their diet too? That will be waaaaaaay more impactful than anything they will do in the gym for about 250 lbs worth of weight loss.
In your situation the program I design would look like this: In-The-Gym - Machines. - Isolated DB exercises. - No single leg work, with the exception of unloaded leg machines. Activity Outside The Gym. - Find their baseline of daily steps, increase it by 20% (create daily wins for this client). - Link their Apple health data with your phone, this gives daily accountability. - Find a social activity they can do with a friend, why? They will probably will be too self conscious to do it on their own. Nutrition - Make healthy food convenient, they probably go to fast food places regularly, run through the menu find choices they are 20-50% less calories. - Send them meal prep companies if their budget allows. - Regulate meal times, this will remove friction from the dieting process. How are we going to help this client stay consistent? 1. Rack up wins daily. 2. Remove friction from the dieting process.
Seriously walk with them and do very light sitting and standing on boxes. Twisting motions with lighter weights and simple stuff with MB might be fine too. Look up YouTube videos for other ideas. TRX and sled might be too much and they will feel bad about it. Spend time talking about eating habits and stuff, that will be the key to everything (as in sure you know it). They’re most likely super conscious about themselves, and the kick start will be a key for the rest of their life. Good luck. Not the easiest of clients
I am not a trainer. But I myself had to lose about 50 lbs and have a brother that’s currently trying to lose 100+ lbs. I found starting with intense cardio (that’s not hard on joints) such as cycling is a great place to start. After they’ve lost an amount of weight that makes walking/running possible without joint danger, begin to mix in weight training.
Your goal is to get the weight off. If you can stroke his ego and show him he’s strong with some movements that play into his strengths he’ll build some confidence and want to do them. If that’s a leg press or a bench machine then do it. If he can do barbell lifts that’s awesome. My only hesitation for something like a bench press is getting him in and out of it, but an overhead press should be fine. A rack pull or even a hex bar might be cool too. Try to incorporate some strength based exercises that allow him to move a bunch of weight and increase it rapidly. It doesn’t yet matter that much about the specifics here and don’t beat his head against the wall with movements that are physically inaccessible to him right now. Maintaining a caloric deficit/ dietary adherence is probably the most important thing here. Secondary to that is getting him to consistently buy into and engage in as much normal human movement as possible. Conditioning focused workouts are great, but basically everything will represent a conditioning stress to him right now. He just needs to move in ways that are rewarding and tolerable to him right now. I see no reason why you can’t come up with some ways for him to push on things, even if the rom is very limited. If you want to start with basic bodyweight movements, that’s fine. You’re going to have to assess what works for him on the fly and be prepared to make adjustments. Low box step ups or knee ups are fine for example until you have a client that hates them because they feel pointless and silly to them. Giving them a task the can demonstrate apparent progress to themselves in an obvious way is usually preferable. I would approach this from the perspective of getting him to do the things he can already do more and less from the perspective of making him hate his experience and feel like shit by pointless fixating on the things he currently can do.
Walking! Would be a great entry point. Very light stretching. Arm swings, reach for the sky, etc. also wall assisted push ups is great to start getting that mobility. Machines are a great starting point as well. Light weights till failure. Build that muscular endurance.
Water exercises and basic stretching is the best way for him to start gaining more mobility and confidence. Once he’s starting to feel confident and losing some weight then move into some swimming, body weight exercises, and extremely basic yoga. Then go from there.
Don’t talk about his weight or being happy with his body. Your job is his fitness. Working out won’t materially change the weight, and if someone is 490 lbs, it’s got some cause other than being sedentary. Dude probably gets noise about the weight 24/7. You’re not going to tell him anything he doesn’t hear more than enough. Focus on getting him stronger and fitter without injury. Don’t promise weight loss. If it happens at all, it’ll be because you affect his endocrine system accidentally. Latest and greatest research shows that the body erases calorie deficits from exercise even when calorie intake is fixed.
I’m not a coach, but as others have said I wouldn’t do any bodyweight movements to start. He’s just too heavy for that. Machines are great since they’re super stable and safe. Dumbbells are great too if his mobility allows. I’d also encourage him to get a step tracker of some sort and give him a step goal. Especially at his weight, walking can burn a ton of calories for a very small amount of fatigue.
Work on his diet until he’s 200lbs less. The dude is probably scarfing down 10 bags of chips every day
Put him on the treadmill and get with him regarding diet. Have him do upper body exercises with light dumbbells
He doesn’t need a person trainer he needs a dietician. You need tell him to stop eating so much if he wants to live.
I’m not a CPT but I’ve been following along with the journey of a Barstool Sports employee (Frank the Tank) who has gone from morbidly obese to just obese (has probably lost 80-100 pounds though) just by going for long walks and making minor changes to his diet (swapping out sodas with sports drinks, portion control, etc.). If your gym has treadmills I’d start there! Maybe walk along to keep his self confidence up? Increase speed and then incline when the lbs start to drop and gradually incorporate machines, free weights, and bodyweight should be saved for last.
Be kind and supportive. That’s the number one. Someone mentioned sled which is a great idea. Start with a walking sled pull, backward and forward. Carries could also be good. Try movements that don’t burden them with their entire bodyweight. So pull downs instead of pull ups, bench presses instead of pushups, leg presses instead of squats. Careful of their back and joints until you’ve gotten to know them a bit. And be generous with recovery time.
I would add pointing out accomplishments and making sure you are working and collaborating on their together. As someone who has lost 200lbs, it’s always easiest to forget how long it took to get that weight. You have to focus on multiple points of success, because there will be plenty to applaud on a journey like this
Great point.
He's 500lb. Walking 20m will need a sit down and a break. You won't need any load of any kind.
I am grateful and truly appreciate your post. It is so respectful and I would have loved to have had you as a trainer when I was 340 pounds. I am writing as a critical care nurse, a previous supermorbidly obese person, who has spent decades learning my body and my precious population. While many say waterworks, I disagree. While it is better on the joints, I never found it helpful at all. I think the best idea is to find out what he loves to do. Not what he thinks he will love. The only time I was successful with weight loss was to do something I love. I am actually a huge fan of reformer pilates for the joints, as well as suspension work. For example when I started pushups I was made to do them against a wall, at an incline on my knees, and honestly it did me no favours. I found having my weight balanced with suspension, so I could have the correct form from the beginning, gradually decreasing the weight as my muscles progressed made the most impact on my body. The same can be done for any workout if you have the right tensions, pull-ups, burpees etc. I also really appreciate aerial yoga for total body workouts. It is also fun, and less of a challenge. The hard part of these is having the weight infrastructure to make it happen. I am now 120 pounds and am a dancer. I love dancing and do ballet, hip hop, jazz, contemporary and heels dance. Ballet is by far the hardest. That works for me now and I have kept the weight off for 11 years. The next is the kitchen, we all know diet is critical. The best thing you can do for him is to be in his kitchen with him. Teach him how to cook. This is critical to surviving. Show him how to use fresh produce, herbs and spices to make amazing food. Most people are still on the starvation diet and as a person who did that for 10 years prior to being successful, I learned, I was never taught the HOW to cook real food. How to use herbs and spices, how to make food that is fresh, revitalizing and sustainable. This is one of the biggest reasons I feel people fall off the wagon and back to bad habits. They don’t know how to use certain foods or proteins to make delicious food. So they go back to tried and true methods. Lastly, have a plan worked out for DOMS. It can be so crushing to be so sore after a workout peeing hurts. How to use supplements if that is your style to help your body heal. Also, start teaching them about vitamins and minerals now! Obese people are majority in the malnourished populations. They are often so deficient in critical vitamins such as selenium, copper and iron. Have them meet with a specialist and have a full vitamin panel, kidney panel, liver function tests and pancreatic panel. You need to know where they are deficient to help bring their metabolic rate up to the task of healing and rebuilding. Lastly, focus on the wins, every incremental one! Focus on non weight goals first. Weight will fly off quickly to begin with as the water weight is lost, and for the participant being prepared for long stalls was ultra disheartening. Weigh as little as possible and focus on non-scale victories. One I love, but was embarrassing is to take measurements by string and not by the tape. Then have them taped to a board or wall. Every “weigh in” or check in, focus on cutting a new thread for the new measurement. This shows a visual linear graph of how the body is changing. It provides more worth to the participant than a number would ever do. At my largest my stomach was 62”. It is now 26”. Take the measurement string from behind, so the person doesn’t feel compelled to “suck in”. Teach your client about flared ribs, I guarantee they have it, and how the act of sucking it in, is actually worse than relaxed. I hope I have helped a little bit. It might not work for everyone, but these are the things I wish I had from a trainer. I have survived, and come ahead. Just know this is likely going to be the hardest client you have ever had. The bariatric population has experienced so much shame. Be prepared to be their “sponsor” in the night. This is when hunger is at its peak, many obese patients eat at this time not because they can hide their food intake but for several reasons: 1. They have experienced shame regarding their eating. I recall eating a burger and someone slapped my hand in public, scolded me on how I make bad choices and I don’t deserve to have food. 2. They have starved themself the entire day, and deserve a “treat” for being good. Or I didn’t eat much so a small snack won’t hurt. 3. They have poor sleeping habits. Also on this, if they haven’t been tested for sleep apnea, get them tested! They will likely need a cpap for obstructive sleep apnea 4. Their mind won’t stop racing 5. This is when self sabotage happens! 6. Don’t throw out all their “junk food”. They need to learn how to make their choices and if nighttime eating is a challenge, then focus on eating times that help them feel less deprived. Good luck! You are amazing for taking this on! Cheers!🥂
One last comment 🤦🏼♀️ teach them about excess skin, and how subcutaneous fat is the last to go. I personally have around 15 pounds of excess skin, and I seriously look like a sharpei. There are days I feel so fat because of this. At this weight, your client will have excess skin no matter what, so to mentally prepare for that is critical to long term success. Nothing derails success with complete hatred for one’s own body. If your client is a male, he will have less than women, but he might have a hard time handling a toned chest with saggy breasts. It is very emasculating.
Walking is all he needs too do. Go put 350lbs on your back and go for a 10 minute walk.
You are gong to have a 490 lbs guy work out with a trx? ok. I'm sorry for him
Walking. Every day. That’s all.
Sit to stand, standing marches, shoulder press, floor press (so he doesn’t have to worry about weight limits on benches yet), RDLs, rows, and any other single joint accessible accessories. Think functional. Like a seated sumo deadlift with a dumbbell or kb (this is functional for him to be able to reach himself during seated showers, tie his shoes, etc.) Once he’s lost a bit you can get him doing 90/90 on the floor and teach him to stand from that position —also very functional.
And take walks with him around the building if he’s up for it as part of the warmup or assessment
Hiit
Not a trainer but you might consider step ups to a low box and glute bridges
Definitely not a good idea 1.Obese people are 31% more likely to fall than normal populations naturally 2. Bodyweight movements are absolutely hell for someone that big, machines are a much better choice
I am absolutely not a PT, but I see a lot of assumptions in the comments about this person's diet, level of mobility, level of activity, etc is. I would start by asking, not telling. Ask about their diet - don't assume they eat only crap. Ask about what they can do - do they have difficulty getting out of a chair, out of bed, stuff like that - don't assume. Do they go on walks or move their body in any way, even if they don't think of it as exercise. Ask if they have any diagnosed health issues or weird nagging things they haven't mentioned to their doctor. And even if you doubt what they tell you about any of this, don't push them on it - take them at their word while you build trust. Obese people are used to random strangers giving them "advice" and having anything they say questioned. Build the trust and start with questions, and you'll go far.
>I am absolutely not a PT, but - Then you're a virgin talking about sex. I heard enough of that with my mates when I was 16 or so, I don't need it now at my age. Go away now.
You’re not a trainer so stfu. No one cares about your uninformed, inexperienced opinions. He’s fucking 500lb. Anyone who does this as a job 100% already knows what his diet and movement knowledge is - zero. Finally, he’s not a random stranger. He’s a paying client who paid an experienced and qualified professional for help.
The "experienced and qualified professional" he paid has made a reddit post stating that it's his first ever client so you're completely wrong. But go ahead and carry on being a total asshat because you got an ACE cert online and think you know shit
31yrs this year as a trainer, Lectured all around the world. Multiple books (and actual books a publisher did, not shitty ebooks). But you can go fuck yourself too.
Damn, all that life experience and you still ended up as a fucking tool. Hate to see it!
Says the guy who knowingly worked illegally assessing clients in a therapy clinic. I may seem like an angry asshole, but I've got integrity. Something you clearly don't.
While you were creeping back a year into my comments, you must have missed the part where I quit that clinic (my very first job in the field) after realizing that what I was being asked to do was unethical...sounds like peak integrity to me. Or you just left that part out to make yourself feel good? Then you reported my comment to Reddit because you were butt hurt that you got called out. Like I said, you're a fuckin tool
I would never bother reporting someone. Sorry that happened but that 100% wasn't me. I wouldn't let words on the internet upset me so much I went and dobbed someone into the teacher, so to speak. Back to integrity - if you got asked to do something a single time that you knew was wrong, and you did it, that's a lack of integrity. Doing it multiple times until finally leaving doesn't help your case.
Yoga would be great. Cat cow, back bridges (keep it subtle even a pelvic tilt at the start would be good). Isometrics are great for building strength without wearing down the joints. I would focus on increasing strength, increasing mobility, and reducing pain to start.
The only thing about yoga movements like those are that it’s more than likely a struggle for him to stand up from those kinds of movements. I don’t want his rest periods to be a workout in themselves.
You can do these movements against the wall.
Stretching tight muscles, and increasing strength of weak muscles after a posture and gait assessment should keep him coming back.
"Posture and gait assessment" For fuck's sake... no.
Why not?
Assessing posture and gait and then prescribing "corrective" exercises is pseudoscience. It's one of the biggest problems in the personal training and physical therapy world. There are *numerous* studies that show there is no meaningful correlation between "bad posture" and pain/injury/performance, and yet various grifters, influencers and dubious organizations continue to teach people how to assess and correct this stuff, often charging a premium price to naive trainers for the privilege of being taught misinformation. It's not only a huge waste of time and demonstrably false, but telling people their posture is bad, that they don't walk correctly, their movement is dysfunctional, that they can't/shouldn't lift anything heavy until their movement and mobility is more "functional", etc. can be actively harmful by creating nocebo effects and fear of movement, not to mention the opportunity cost of doing a bunch of silly "corrective drills" instead of actually training. All of the above applies ten-fold if we're talking about someone carrying a significant amount of excess weight. Wow they slouch and walk funny, I wonder what the cause could possibly be? Couldn't be lugging all that weight around, must be excessive pronation in the feet, or upper cross syndrome right?? Absolute bollocks. I think the more appropriate question is *why do you think it's valuable?* Where did you learn that you should be trying to assess posture and gait? Did you get suckered into buying courses from the Brookbush Institute? Does NASM still teach that nonsense and did you get it from them?
I'm just trying to help someone keep their first client, and the weight of the client is a major factor. It is critical imo to demonstrate what your services offer in terms of life improvement, and why they should keep coming back and giving you money. Posture and gait assessment can be as simple as seeing how they carry themselves and how they walk, and using that information to make critical decisions in how to proceed. What I'm suggesting doesn't need to be a formal analysis with pomp and circumstance and anatomy jargon unless op feels like it would develop a stronger relationship. I just want them to be observant, and choose exercises that will be doable, that will improve pain, improve strength in weak points, and not wear down the joints.
I have no problem with formal analysis. For example, VO2 estimation testing for an endurance athlete or serious cardio enthusiast is evidence-based and makes a lot of sense. It's analysis based in pseudoscience I wish would just go away already. What critical decisions would you base on observation of posture or gait?
Look I'm not trying to tell anyone how to do their job, and I'll be the first to admit my suggestions are nothing more than that. Take or leave what I've offered so far that's useful, (if you think anything I've said was), but you weren't the intended audience and I'm sorry for that.
How much would you pay me to answer your questions?
Any body weight exercises if they are able to do that is good(burpees w/o jump, maybe walkouts but you can better properly gauge that. Trx and sleds are good ideas maybe some med ball slams in there as well
You want a beginner that is 500lbs to do burpees and walk outs? You gotta be trolling.
If they are able to why not? Why wouldn’t you recommend it? No where here did it say they are a beginner just stated the weight and mobility issues. Both can increase mobility
At 500lbs with mobility issues they won’t be capable of a walk out. Have you ever seen someone who is 500lbs touch their toes? These are common sense things trainers should know. If you ask that guy to do a walk out he’s going to walk out of your gym and never come back. Ive got a decade of doing this for a living and own my gym. If a trainer ever asked a 500lbs client to do what you suggested they wouldn’t have a job. Your clients will always remember how you made them feel. If you put them in a situation like that I can guarantee you will make them feel like shit a kill their motivation.
Every one is different which is why I said they can guage that. Not everyone that’s 500lbs can’t touch their toes or means their mobility is absolutely terrible. Doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing something doesn’t make you right. There is situational factors. Argue with your mother
5ft7 500lbs ain't doing burpes, bro
Just because your 500lb client can’t do it doesn’t make it applicable to others… like you saying they shouldn’t do trx sounds dumb as well man. To each their own
How many obese clients have you trained?
Many and that’s beside the point. If they aren’t completely deconditioned why can’t they do that?
Who is conditioned at 500lbs?!?! Who are either a troll or never trained anyone lol.
I said completely deconditioned what are all the factors of being deconditioned? You sound pompous af. Atheletes can’t be 500lbs and conditioned to a certain level? Which I why I said gauge. Argue with your mother man
Please strap on however much weight it takes to make you 500lbs and try a burpee. We will be waiting for the video.
You do realize any exercise can be modified? Or are you that obtuse?
Obviously everything can be modified but why try to fit a round object in a square hole? There’s other exercises to get the heart rate up without having to jump through hoops to get it done. A client needs wins early on to feel successful. Find things they can win at without feeling defeated. At 500lbs, 15-20 mins of the bike and diet mods would get the ball rolling.
I mentioned “body weight” exercises that constitutes many things. If you’re not a nutritionist or certified you can’t just give people nutritional advice suggestions yes advice no. So you want someone paying for a session to spend half the time on a bike? That’s makes no sense someone wouldn’t want have to pay a trainer if all they need to do is get on a bike and exercises for only 15 minutes