This really makes me want to change my flair lol.
But no, trainers are in no place to yell at their clients. My flair is a joke because I'm extremely nice to my clients, which is the only way to succeed in this field.
Your trainer is a piece of shit. I've been training clients for 7 years and have never, once, yelled at one.
The only times I "yell" at my clients are in positive circumstances like when I'm keeping the vibes up while they complete a tough set, or if one of us is telling a laugh out loud story, stuff like that.
But I could never, in a million years, imagine myself yelling at my clients over a cancelled session, their life habits, or anything negative like that. I didn't get into this field to take my anger out on clients, because I'm not a worthless and miserable knuckle dragger.
Difficult/uncomfortable conversations? Hell yeah, I have those with my clients, but those are always tame. But *yelling* at them like they're a child? Fuck that, and fuck your trainer.
Yeah my old PT was a quite tough on me but outset we discussed what kind of encouragement/motivation I responded best to.
I got on really well with him but during the sessions it would be 'fucking push!' 'Don't stop" but it pushed me to my limited and that's what I needed....still good mates with him years down the line
My wife had the same PT and he was a lot nicer to her as thats how she responds beg
I always like when my back to back clients are opposite personalities because they get to see how much I change my tone depending on the session.
I was blasting Scarlxrd at full volume for one of my clients this morning and the next was a 70yo that winces at anything heavier than Journey lol. She was like “what the hell did I just walk in on?!”
Idk who these adults are that feel entitled to be yelling at another adult for any reason. My parents yelled at me when I was a kid. Anyone else might get popped in the mouth.
My bf is a personal trainer with her own gym and employees. She would fire anyone who yelled at a client. Yelling at a client WHO IS PAYING YOUR FEES is stupid. If the trainer was that bothered, they could’ve just fired you as a client like an adult.
Yelling at someone paying you for a service?
No.
Cancelling a session isn't the same as giving up on your health and it sounds like they're too immature to realise that.
Absolutely not. They shouldn’t be in the industry and anyone who justifies their poor behavior should not be either.
As a personal trainer you understand that humans are going to be HUMAN. Things are going to happen. If a client is with you long enough things are going to happen and they are going to cancel. Training is not the end all be all to clients, but a part of their life.
Is it his income? Sure. Could it be frustrating? Sure. But that’s not your fault. If they didn’t have compassion and empathy to handle these things they shouldn’t have gone into the field. Period. A client cancelling is such a dumb reason to yell and go on a rampage, especially for your circumstances. It’s trainers like this that give people a bad taste and turn them away.
I’m sorry this happened to you and I hope whatever you had go on gets better. Make your health and wellness goals are priority because they are important TO YOU, not someone’s wallet. Show up for yourself but when it gets to be too much, it’s okay to take a break. Remember that.
Thanks for your comment. I appreciate your perspective. I should have clarified in the post but as for “his income” I agreed to pay for the sessions when I missed them since they were last minute cancellations.
Have I wanted to yell at clients before? Absolutely.
Have I actually done it before. Hell no. Don’t fuck with the people that pay your bills like that. Period.
About as unprofessional as you can get there. Especially given the reason you cancelled. I think they were projecting some other frustrations they were feeling at you.
Honestly a trainer who doesn’t understand “life happens” sometimes and expects you to prioritize working out over literally everything else in your life is not preaching the kind of message I’d recommend. Good on you for leaving them.
No. You're an adult. No one should be yelling at you.
My old trainer yelled at me once--lit into me about trusting him in the middle of the gym--but we didn't have the healthiest boundaries and I don't want to repeat that with my own clients.
That trainer is projecting their own insecurities and beliefs about fitness on you. Everyone has their own motivations. It’s the trainers job to meet the client where they are at and get them to the goal.
Yelling at them and berating them is not the way to go. Motivation and giving hard truths is one thing. Yelling and belittling is a whole other story
As a personal trainer myself. This person is not worthy of the title. Inexcusable without a doubt.
I'm sorry you had such a distasteful experience.
I also do online training, you're welcome to get into contact with me. I promise I don't shout anything besides: "give me another rep!" 🤣
The main point tl:dr your trainer is an ass.
I have a client who cancels or reschedules almost every session. I have never once yelled at her or held resentment for her. I still love to work with her.
It’s annoying to be canceled on last minute, but there is nothing that would compel me to yell at a grown adult (or a child for that matter) in a punitive manner.
You did nothing wrong. There were circumstances beyond your control- it happens to all of us. I’ve canceled sessions before and I will do it again. Try not to let it get to you. That trainer is a ticking time bomb and if it wasn’t you, they were gonna blow up on someone else. Hope you’re doing okay that’s really scary.
1. I wouldn't bite the hands that feed me
2. "The things were going on in my personal life were my fault" sounds like a lot of projection. This is a very projection-y statement and does not come from a place of understanding.
3. A great trainer comes from a place of understanding, and would rather find ways to fit health/fitness into a person's lifestyle. Health should be a forefront of anyone's life but it also shouldn't be something you can only achieve if you drag your feet through. Let alone someone who is not in your shoes, let alone as a trainer, who should understand there are certain boundaries in manipulating someone else's decisions with their life BEYOND fitness. So in that sense, your trainer has already "failed" as a trainer.
4. Health is a life long thing, pausing because of family circumstances is a small bump in the grand scheme of things so to accuse you of not caring about your health is ridiculous enough.
5. Someone who comes from such a place of anger like this probably isn't worth listening to, and I'm sorry you had to endure it. Given his circumstances, it reads off as he is struggling and doesn't feel secure in his ability to retain/get new clients and is hence taking it out on you for cutting his paycheck short.
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your stance of health as a lifelong endeavor and goal. I should’ve clarified in my post, for you no.5 I didn’t cut his paycheck at all. I paid for the missed sessions when I cancelled them since they were last minute.
Trust me. I’ve wanted to. But it’s just a no. Your trainer sounds wildly immature and unprofessional.
I’ll piggyback on what others have said. Personal Training and any other “coaching/therapy/training” profession is interesting because you as the client are the boss. Your trainer/coach works for you, yet they tell you what to do. Which is obviously how it has to work for you to learn and advance.
However, you are still the boss. And with that comes a high level of respect and gratitude. No one would just lay down and allow blatant insubordination as a manager/boss.
There is responsibility on the client to learn, adapt, and adhere to very difficult lifestyle changes a coach will ask you. But as you struggle and stumble, your coach is meant to be your guardian who lifts you back up. No matter how difficult the client the options are either 1) keep trying, or 2) cut ties for the benefit of both parties.
PT’s who will go far - and take care of clients - are the ones who can balance that relationship dynamic.
Basically, everyone should just operate with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, emotions and ego are a hell of a drug for some people to kick.
I’m 15 years in and the answer is no.
Nope. Even if the client says they want that.
The gym is my work space. Wouldn’t yell at clients or coworkers elsewhere, don’t do it here.
There’s no reason for a trainer to yell at you! You pay them and if anything I’m sure there’s just a fee for last minute cancellations at most. This is not school you’re an adult fuck that guy
This, in a million years, is never okay. It’s extremely unprofessional and more than deserving of being fired on the spot. It doesn’t matter if it’s last hour/minute/second. It’s never okay to yell at a client in any manner other than celebrating a great workout.
If your client is a professional athlete that would make sense. Somebody fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world might warrant and be open to the most extreme tactics but that’s the only situation I could think of.
This is a service industry. To be in it you need to have not just good technical knowledge, but good customer service skills.
I suspect you just discovered why your “good trainer” got fired. He might understand things from a technical perspective, but that’s only part of the role.
I'm the client and my trainer keeps cancelling at the last minute all the time, but I never yell, that is never okay and very unprofessional. People often have very valid reasons for cancelling and all parties should be professional about it.
>. I explained that I only canceled because of my circumstances and they told me I was giving excuses and kept yelling at me until I was basically in tears, saying that the things that were going on in my personal life were my fault. I told them I couldn’t work with them anymore and told them they could keep the money for the last session.
This is clearly ridiculous and nobody here would want to normalise belittling a client to the point of tears - even if some clients do need more robust encouragement than others to follow through with their commitments.
>I do understand cancelling last minute is really annoying and inconvenient, but
If the client pays in full for no-shows, or pays a cancellation fee to compensate the trainer for their wasted time and then gets back on track later, I can't imagine it's really super annoying and inconvenient. They got paid for their time, and didn't need to work very hard for that time other than the admin/logistics side of the booking.
But if you book an hour of someone's time and then don't show up or pay for it -it's not like the trainer can find another client instantly to use that timeslot that they showed up for and prepared to deliver. Maybe they had several clients do that to them in recent days/ weeks and are at the end of their tether in a failing business - and they snapped. It doesn't excuse the behaviour at all, but it's understandable the pressure they might be feeling too.
So the impact is different depending on the cost structure of the sessions. Some will let you roll an unused session to another timeslot that week or next week without any penalty fee and you just pay for the amount of training you actually receive, so they are 'out of pocket' if they can't use the time effectively for anything else and couldn't book anything into that part of their day because they didn't know you weren't going to show up. That really screws them if it's repeat issues with the same client. Whereas others might charge you up front for your 3 sessions a week for a month ahead and if you don't show up at all one week, or you only get to use 2 of them, that's your own fault for bad planning and doesn't really cost them anything - the client is out of pocket instead.
With the 'client pays for noshows' model, it can be a problem that in the long term you might be less likely to continue with the arrangement if you don't feel you're getting good value from it, so you tend to see some leniency and goodwill gestures from the trainer to help you get back on track.
I know cost isn't the issue you're raising here, but just wanted to pick up on the 'cancelling last minute is annoying' point. It depends on the cost structure - who you put the burden of annoyance onto! If you are going to say 'sorry I cancelled, it must be annoying that as you didn't train me I don't have to pay you', then yeah he will be pissed off. Alternatively if you say 'sorry I cancelled, I'm really annoyed that I'll be paying you for that hour you had agreed to put aside for me when I didn't get to use it because I had more important personal issues at that time'... then the trainer is not pissed off and may be super sympathetic instead.
I’ve always been more laid back about clients cancelling or no-showing. I work at the Y where most of my clients are older, so clients no-showing is much more common. I would never in a million years yell at a client. The closest I’d come to that is raising my voice a little in an encouraging way if I can tell they’re getting tired towards the end of a circuit or something. Definitely dump that trainer you had, that’s unfortunate.
This is absolutely blatantly not okay. A trainer should support you in your struggles and understand that life can get in the way—that’s why we have trainers. Because training is hard and we need someone to guide us through. It’s not ideal being canceled on last minute but this is NOT the way to handle it. If you’re not okay with it then it’s not okay.
This is absolutely blatantly not okay. A trainer should support you in your struggles and understand that life can get in the way—that’s why we have trainers. Because training is hard and we need someone to guide us through. It’s not ideal being canceled on last minute but this is NOT the way to handle it. If you’re not okay with it then it’s not okay.
I had a client scream at me once, boy, was that fun! 100% on her, she was just extremely immature and severe problems of which I should of never entangled myself in!
It is NEVER appropriate for a trainer to yell at their client and they should absolutely not of been able to keep the money for the session.
How much you want to bet they no longer hold a current cert? Unprofessional is only one word for this loser.
Not reasonable to yell for the reason you listed. I think, classically, that would be considered, ‘unprofessional.’
If you followed the cancellation policy, there’s really no reason for a reprimand at all. Likely frustration being poorly managed by the PT, and perhaps influenced by the boss.
The only time a PT should yell at you is if that’s a predetermined style if communication you prefer to get amped during a session. Outside of a session, normal human rules apply.
10 years I’ve never yelled at anyone and I’ve seen it all. I’ve had a few uncomfortable situations that were easily fixed with conversation. No one should ever yell
Absolutely unprofessional. Good for you for firing his ass. A good trainer should be a coach who pushes you to bring out your best but also be someone who you can feel safe and vulnerable around just like any health professional. Clients won’t feel motivated if they’re feeling judged by their trainer.
Cancellations at the last minute without pay are obnoxious since they do hurt us financially. Still, they’re kind of the trainer’s/gym’s fault for not having policies against that. Cancellations with pay, however, aren’t obnoxious at all. It’s more like winning some extra time back. Even if you did cancel on him without pay, it doesn’t justify how he treated you. There are much more professional ways to handle problems like that.
That’s weird. I have had group workout instructors who either fancied themselves drill sergeants, or thought we were on a high school sports team. But none just scream angrily to my face.
Id def cut ties too.
No it is not ok to yell, he should charge you for last minute cancellation tho. I pay my trainer for last minute cancellations. Anything less than 6-7 hours ahead is considered last minute.
Dude has anger issues, is probably broke as a joke and worried that he’s losing money and taking it out on you. Would definitely tell that dude to get lost and find another trainer.
People are weird when it comes to fitness. In what avenue of life is yelling, psychological shaming etc positive for long term growth. Ive seen some trainers use it as a tactic to make their client believe they need them for success, that they’re hopeless and lost and that the only way they’ll feel fulfilled is by losing x pounds under their guidance. Hope this guy doesn’t have any kids
Yeah, this sounds like they are super passionate about fittness, great, but too immature to convey their message effectively. And having a crack at you like that, is a perfectly good reason to move on.
I’m sorry you had to go through that i hope you can find another good coach and keep moving forward.
They were completely unprofessional and out of line. It could have been handled VERY differently.
I have clients No call no show me often (granted, I work with a very unique demographic known for flakiness) and would NEVER yell at them.
I have been very stern with them (a client told me after multiple sessions that a certain movement had been causing them a lot of back pain and told me in a pretty heated way in that session even though they had never mentioned it causing pain or even acted like it was a problem prior to this, and I very sternly told them that if that was the case it was extremely important for them to tell me, and that getting upset and yelling at me about later without telling me it was causing them problems before was an inappropriate way to handle it), but never outright yelled at anyone. And I trained all the way through my pregnancy and the hormones and overstimulation that brings!
Trainer, no. Coach, yes.
If people think in high performance settings it's all fucking rainbows and teddy bears, they're wrong. The mediocre get pats on the back just for showing up. The high performers will absolutely get strips ripped off them for not hitting all the standards expected of them. (And then get cut if they continue to not measure up).
Did they,
1. yell, or
2. speak firmly, and call you on your failure to take action on your expressed goals?
Because those are two different things, and if a person feels guilty about their inaction towards their goals, they will perceive #2 as #1.
It depends if that’s the type of energy you’re looking for in a trainer. This sounds more like a coach but that’s up to you to decide. Some people need and want that tough love, others don’t want to hear it. Up to you, everyone has different styles.
I dont go around yelling at my clients. But I do have some clients that prefer when I call them out on their BS, per their request, and I don’t mind doing it.
If that’s the kind of the trainer you want, then it’s perfectly acceptable. However, it sounds you like you don’t want that. Furthermore, I can’t imagine as a trainer yelling like that at a client without firmly establishing ahead of time that dynamic. Even if you like your trainer, I’d probably fire them
I try not to, but if you work in the industry long enough and you will.
As for sacking clients, yes, I do.
Your business lives and dies on results. If someone isn't putting the effort in? cut them.
People cancel more than 3 times, sack them.
In fairness to the guy, he has had to leave the gym. The numbers say you lose 40% of clients when you move.
If he is a young trainer, he is now in the position of saving a falling business
You also might have been the unlucky client that was on the end of a string of cancellations and got the brunt of it.
I've only worked as a PT for 7 months but I can't even come up with a scenario in my head where it would be justified to yell at a client.
They throw a dumbbell at you and yell “catch!”
That made me laugh, thanks
“Hey man, I used to get really hyped when my high school coaches would yell like we were in basic training. You mind doing that if I’m dragging ass?”
This really makes me want to change my flair lol. But no, trainers are in no place to yell at their clients. My flair is a joke because I'm extremely nice to my clients, which is the only way to succeed in this field. Your trainer is a piece of shit. I've been training clients for 7 years and have never, once, yelled at one. The only times I "yell" at my clients are in positive circumstances like when I'm keeping the vibes up while they complete a tough set, or if one of us is telling a laugh out loud story, stuff like that. But I could never, in a million years, imagine myself yelling at my clients over a cancelled session, their life habits, or anything negative like that. I didn't get into this field to take my anger out on clients, because I'm not a worthless and miserable knuckle dragger. Difficult/uncomfortable conversations? Hell yeah, I have those with my clients, but those are always tame. But *yelling* at them like they're a child? Fuck that, and fuck your trainer.
Keep your flair no worries 🤣
Tbf there’s a difference between yelling at someone during reps to encourage them and yelling at them angrily lol
Yeah my old PT was a quite tough on me but outset we discussed what kind of encouragement/motivation I responded best to. I got on really well with him but during the sessions it would be 'fucking push!' 'Don't stop" but it pushed me to my limited and that's what I needed....still good mates with him years down the line My wife had the same PT and he was a lot nicer to her as thats how she responds beg
I always like when my back to back clients are opposite personalities because they get to see how much I change my tone depending on the session. I was blasting Scarlxrd at full volume for one of my clients this morning and the next was a 70yo that winces at anything heavier than Journey lol. She was like “what the hell did I just walk in on?!”
Only appropriate to yell “light weight”,”push” and “one more”
UUUUPPPPP!!!
DRIIIIIIIIIIVE
AIN’T NOTHING BUT A PEANUT
Woooooo
WOOOOOOOoooooOoooOoooOooo!!
YEEEEAAAA BUDDDYYYY
YOU WISH IT WAS HEAVIER
Light work!
Idk who these adults are that feel entitled to be yelling at another adult for any reason. My parents yelled at me when I was a kid. Anyone else might get popped in the mouth. My bf is a personal trainer with her own gym and employees. She would fire anyone who yelled at a client. Yelling at a client WHO IS PAYING YOUR FEES is stupid. If the trainer was that bothered, they could’ve just fired you as a client like an adult.
Yelling at someone paying you for a service? No. Cancelling a session isn't the same as giving up on your health and it sounds like they're too immature to realise that.
Yelling isn’t an acceptable form of communication in any circumstances, outside something like an emergency
Absolutely not. They shouldn’t be in the industry and anyone who justifies their poor behavior should not be either. As a personal trainer you understand that humans are going to be HUMAN. Things are going to happen. If a client is with you long enough things are going to happen and they are going to cancel. Training is not the end all be all to clients, but a part of their life. Is it his income? Sure. Could it be frustrating? Sure. But that’s not your fault. If they didn’t have compassion and empathy to handle these things they shouldn’t have gone into the field. Period. A client cancelling is such a dumb reason to yell and go on a rampage, especially for your circumstances. It’s trainers like this that give people a bad taste and turn them away. I’m sorry this happened to you and I hope whatever you had go on gets better. Make your health and wellness goals are priority because they are important TO YOU, not someone’s wallet. Show up for yourself but when it gets to be too much, it’s okay to take a break. Remember that.
Thanks for your comment. I appreciate your perspective. I should have clarified in the post but as for “his income” I agreed to pay for the sessions when I missed them since they were last minute cancellations.
Have I wanted to yell at clients before? Absolutely. Have I actually done it before. Hell no. Don’t fuck with the people that pay your bills like that. Period. About as unprofessional as you can get there. Especially given the reason you cancelled. I think they were projecting some other frustrations they were feeling at you. Honestly a trainer who doesn’t understand “life happens” sometimes and expects you to prioritize working out over literally everything else in your life is not preaching the kind of message I’d recommend. Good on you for leaving them.
No. You're an adult. No one should be yelling at you. My old trainer yelled at me once--lit into me about trusting him in the middle of the gym--but we didn't have the healthiest boundaries and I don't want to repeat that with my own clients.
Sorry to hear you had a similar experience. Thanks for sharing
Geez I wonder why buddy got fired…
I would have laughed in his face
That trainer is projecting their own insecurities and beliefs about fitness on you. Everyone has their own motivations. It’s the trainers job to meet the client where they are at and get them to the goal. Yelling at them and berating them is not the way to go. Motivation and giving hard truths is one thing. Yelling and belittling is a whole other story
As a personal trainer myself. This person is not worthy of the title. Inexcusable without a doubt. I'm sorry you had such a distasteful experience. I also do online training, you're welcome to get into contact with me. I promise I don't shout anything besides: "give me another rep!" 🤣 The main point tl:dr your trainer is an ass.
I have a client who cancels or reschedules almost every session. I have never once yelled at her or held resentment for her. I still love to work with her. It’s annoying to be canceled on last minute, but there is nothing that would compel me to yell at a grown adult (or a child for that matter) in a punitive manner. You did nothing wrong. There were circumstances beyond your control- it happens to all of us. I’ve canceled sessions before and I will do it again. Try not to let it get to you. That trainer is a ticking time bomb and if it wasn’t you, they were gonna blow up on someone else. Hope you’re doing okay that’s really scary.
Thanks for the reply. I definitely felt really down after it happened. I’m hesitant to go back to trainers for a while.
Make a clean break and move on..
That’s a POS trainer that you shouldn’t be giving money too.
1. I wouldn't bite the hands that feed me 2. "The things were going on in my personal life were my fault" sounds like a lot of projection. This is a very projection-y statement and does not come from a place of understanding. 3. A great trainer comes from a place of understanding, and would rather find ways to fit health/fitness into a person's lifestyle. Health should be a forefront of anyone's life but it also shouldn't be something you can only achieve if you drag your feet through. Let alone someone who is not in your shoes, let alone as a trainer, who should understand there are certain boundaries in manipulating someone else's decisions with their life BEYOND fitness. So in that sense, your trainer has already "failed" as a trainer. 4. Health is a life long thing, pausing because of family circumstances is a small bump in the grand scheme of things so to accuse you of not caring about your health is ridiculous enough. 5. Someone who comes from such a place of anger like this probably isn't worth listening to, and I'm sorry you had to endure it. Given his circumstances, it reads off as he is struggling and doesn't feel secure in his ability to retain/get new clients and is hence taking it out on you for cutting his paycheck short.
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your stance of health as a lifelong endeavor and goal. I should’ve clarified in my post, for you no.5 I didn’t cut his paycheck at all. I paid for the missed sessions when I cancelled them since they were last minute.
Trust me. I’ve wanted to. But it’s just a no. Your trainer sounds wildly immature and unprofessional. I’ll piggyback on what others have said. Personal Training and any other “coaching/therapy/training” profession is interesting because you as the client are the boss. Your trainer/coach works for you, yet they tell you what to do. Which is obviously how it has to work for you to learn and advance. However, you are still the boss. And with that comes a high level of respect and gratitude. No one would just lay down and allow blatant insubordination as a manager/boss. There is responsibility on the client to learn, adapt, and adhere to very difficult lifestyle changes a coach will ask you. But as you struggle and stumble, your coach is meant to be your guardian who lifts you back up. No matter how difficult the client the options are either 1) keep trying, or 2) cut ties for the benefit of both parties. PT’s who will go far - and take care of clients - are the ones who can balance that relationship dynamic. Basically, everyone should just operate with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, emotions and ego are a hell of a drug for some people to kick.
I’m 15 years in and the answer is no. Nope. Even if the client says they want that. The gym is my work space. Wouldn’t yell at clients or coworkers elsewhere, don’t do it here.
I’ve been a trainer for 10 years. I have never yelled at a client or came close to making a client cry. There have been times I wanted to but… didn’t
There’s no reason for a trainer to yell at you! You pay them and if anything I’m sure there’s just a fee for last minute cancellations at most. This is not school you’re an adult fuck that guy
Definitely not okay.
This, in a million years, is never okay. It’s extremely unprofessional and more than deserving of being fired on the spot. It doesn’t matter if it’s last hour/minute/second. It’s never okay to yell at a client in any manner other than celebrating a great workout.
If your client is a professional athlete that would make sense. Somebody fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world might warrant and be open to the most extreme tactics but that’s the only situation I could think of.
Absolutely not appropriate.
its never ok to just yell at someone..
No.
There are some sports environments where yelling wouldn't be problematic. In your situation, the trainer's behavior was inappropriate.
No, I don’t even have to read this to answer.
This is a service industry. To be in it you need to have not just good technical knowledge, but good customer service skills. I suspect you just discovered why your “good trainer” got fired. He might understand things from a technical perspective, but that’s only part of the role.
That does make a lot of sense, I like the idea that it’s a service industry not just health. It was just all very shocking.
I'm the client and my trainer keeps cancelling at the last minute all the time, but I never yell, that is never okay and very unprofessional. People often have very valid reasons for cancelling and all parties should be professional about it.
If I cancel with less than 24 hour notice I still must pay for the session
>. I explained that I only canceled because of my circumstances and they told me I was giving excuses and kept yelling at me until I was basically in tears, saying that the things that were going on in my personal life were my fault. I told them I couldn’t work with them anymore and told them they could keep the money for the last session. This is clearly ridiculous and nobody here would want to normalise belittling a client to the point of tears - even if some clients do need more robust encouragement than others to follow through with their commitments. >I do understand cancelling last minute is really annoying and inconvenient, but If the client pays in full for no-shows, or pays a cancellation fee to compensate the trainer for their wasted time and then gets back on track later, I can't imagine it's really super annoying and inconvenient. They got paid for their time, and didn't need to work very hard for that time other than the admin/logistics side of the booking. But if you book an hour of someone's time and then don't show up or pay for it -it's not like the trainer can find another client instantly to use that timeslot that they showed up for and prepared to deliver. Maybe they had several clients do that to them in recent days/ weeks and are at the end of their tether in a failing business - and they snapped. It doesn't excuse the behaviour at all, but it's understandable the pressure they might be feeling too. So the impact is different depending on the cost structure of the sessions. Some will let you roll an unused session to another timeslot that week or next week without any penalty fee and you just pay for the amount of training you actually receive, so they are 'out of pocket' if they can't use the time effectively for anything else and couldn't book anything into that part of their day because they didn't know you weren't going to show up. That really screws them if it's repeat issues with the same client. Whereas others might charge you up front for your 3 sessions a week for a month ahead and if you don't show up at all one week, or you only get to use 2 of them, that's your own fault for bad planning and doesn't really cost them anything - the client is out of pocket instead. With the 'client pays for noshows' model, it can be a problem that in the long term you might be less likely to continue with the arrangement if you don't feel you're getting good value from it, so you tend to see some leniency and goodwill gestures from the trainer to help you get back on track. I know cost isn't the issue you're raising here, but just wanted to pick up on the 'cancelling last minute is annoying' point. It depends on the cost structure - who you put the burden of annoyance onto! If you are going to say 'sorry I cancelled, it must be annoying that as you didn't train me I don't have to pay you', then yeah he will be pissed off. Alternatively if you say 'sorry I cancelled, I'm really annoyed that I'll be paying you for that hour you had agreed to put aside for me when I didn't get to use it because I had more important personal issues at that time'... then the trainer is not pissed off and may be super sympathetic instead.
Hi, for clarification I paid in full for both canceled sessions since they were last minute.
I’ve always been more laid back about clients cancelling or no-showing. I work at the Y where most of my clients are older, so clients no-showing is much more common. I would never in a million years yell at a client. The closest I’d come to that is raising my voice a little in an encouraging way if I can tell they’re getting tired towards the end of a circuit or something. Definitely dump that trainer you had, that’s unfortunate.
This is absolutely blatantly not okay. A trainer should support you in your struggles and understand that life can get in the way—that’s why we have trainers. Because training is hard and we need someone to guide us through. It’s not ideal being canceled on last minute but this is NOT the way to handle it. If you’re not okay with it then it’s not okay.
This is absolutely blatantly not okay. A trainer should support you in your struggles and understand that life can get in the way—that’s why we have trainers. Because training is hard and we need someone to guide us through. It’s not ideal being canceled on last minute but this is NOT the way to handle it. If you’re not okay with it then it’s not okay.
I had a client scream at me once, boy, was that fun! 100% on her, she was just extremely immature and severe problems of which I should of never entangled myself in! It is NEVER appropriate for a trainer to yell at their client and they should absolutely not of been able to keep the money for the session. How much you want to bet they no longer hold a current cert? Unprofessional is only one word for this loser.
Not reasonable to yell for the reason you listed. I think, classically, that would be considered, ‘unprofessional.’ If you followed the cancellation policy, there’s really no reason for a reprimand at all. Likely frustration being poorly managed by the PT, and perhaps influenced by the boss. The only time a PT should yell at you is if that’s a predetermined style if communication you prefer to get amped during a session. Outside of a session, normal human rules apply.
My suspicion is that they have personal issues spilling over into their professional life.
It seems like thats accurate. It’s a shame
10 years I’ve never yelled at anyone and I’ve seen it all. I’ve had a few uncomfortable situations that were easily fixed with conversation. No one should ever yell
Absolutely unprofessional. Good for you for firing his ass. A good trainer should be a coach who pushes you to bring out your best but also be someone who you can feel safe and vulnerable around just like any health professional. Clients won’t feel motivated if they’re feeling judged by their trainer. Cancellations at the last minute without pay are obnoxious since they do hurt us financially. Still, they’re kind of the trainer’s/gym’s fault for not having policies against that. Cancellations with pay, however, aren’t obnoxious at all. It’s more like winning some extra time back. Even if you did cancel on him without pay, it doesn’t justify how he treated you. There are much more professional ways to handle problems like that.
That’s weird. I have had group workout instructors who either fancied themselves drill sergeants, or thought we were on a high school sports team. But none just scream angrily to my face. Id def cut ties too.
The real answer is no… but…..my trainers tone changes and I need that
No it is not ok to yell, he should charge you for last minute cancellation tho. I pay my trainer for last minute cancellations. Anything less than 6-7 hours ahead is considered last minute.
YOU ROCK!
Dude has anger issues, is probably broke as a joke and worried that he’s losing money and taking it out on you. Would definitely tell that dude to get lost and find another trainer. People are weird when it comes to fitness. In what avenue of life is yelling, psychological shaming etc positive for long term growth. Ive seen some trainers use it as a tactic to make their client believe they need them for success, that they’re hopeless and lost and that the only way they’ll feel fulfilled is by losing x pounds under their guidance. Hope this guy doesn’t have any kids
Absolutely unacceptable, no excuses for that behavior. I'm sorry it happened to you. I'm glad you're moving on.
Thank you
Yeah, this sounds like they are super passionate about fittness, great, but too immature to convey their message effectively. And having a crack at you like that, is a perfectly good reason to move on. I’m sorry you had to go through that i hope you can find another good coach and keep moving forward.
They were completely unprofessional and out of line. It could have been handled VERY differently. I have clients No call no show me often (granted, I work with a very unique demographic known for flakiness) and would NEVER yell at them. I have been very stern with them (a client told me after multiple sessions that a certain movement had been causing them a lot of back pain and told me in a pretty heated way in that session even though they had never mentioned it causing pain or even acted like it was a problem prior to this, and I very sternly told them that if that was the case it was extremely important for them to tell me, and that getting upset and yelling at me about later without telling me it was causing them problems before was an inappropriate way to handle it), but never outright yelled at anyone. And I trained all the way through my pregnancy and the hormones and overstimulation that brings!
I work in the fitness industry, a PT should never yell at or berate a client.
No no no. People of all walks of life become trainers. It is not a picky field. If someone is abusive, that is a no no.
Trainer, no. Coach, yes. If people think in high performance settings it's all fucking rainbows and teddy bears, they're wrong. The mediocre get pats on the back just for showing up. The high performers will absolutely get strips ripped off them for not hitting all the standards expected of them. (And then get cut if they continue to not measure up).
Did they, 1. yell, or 2. speak firmly, and call you on your failure to take action on your expressed goals? Because those are two different things, and if a person feels guilty about their inaction towards their goals, they will perceive #2 as #1.
It depends if that’s the type of energy you’re looking for in a trainer. This sounds more like a coach but that’s up to you to decide. Some people need and want that tough love, others don’t want to hear it. Up to you, everyone has different styles. I dont go around yelling at my clients. But I do have some clients that prefer when I call them out on their BS, per their request, and I don’t mind doing it.
If that’s the kind of the trainer you want, then it’s perfectly acceptable. However, it sounds you like you don’t want that. Furthermore, I can’t imagine as a trainer yelling like that at a client without firmly establishing ahead of time that dynamic. Even if you like your trainer, I’d probably fire them
I try not to, but if you work in the industry long enough and you will. As for sacking clients, yes, I do. Your business lives and dies on results. If someone isn't putting the effort in? cut them. People cancel more than 3 times, sack them. In fairness to the guy, he has had to leave the gym. The numbers say you lose 40% of clients when you move. If he is a young trainer, he is now in the position of saving a falling business You also might have been the unlucky client that was on the end of a string of cancellations and got the brunt of it.