It’s an uncomfortable feeling: you walk out of your fitness class and know the vibe was off but can’t say exactly why. The coach was perfectly polite and the workout itself was fine, but you’re sure you won’t go back. How come?
I have a few hunches because I’ve spent a lot of time in gyms. I played three sports in high school, was on the swim team in college, started CrossFit in 2016 and have been a CrossFit coach and personal trainer for the past four years. I’ve written forMen’s Healthfor almost a decade, and dropped into at least 50 gyms, from luxury boutiques to basement sweat boxes.
I’ve seen a lot of bad coaching, but even worse, I’ve noticed that members don’t know what to look for or what’s reasonable to expect. As a result, they assume they’re the problem: the reason they can’t do the workouts as written, keep getting injured or don’t see progress.
Below are seven red flags to look out for while working out – and what to do if you spot them.
“Boredom in training isn’t always a red flag,” says Leanna Carr, a strength coach, owner ofRain City Fitin Seattle and director ofPride Deadlift Party. “But, if you’re bored and unsure why you’re doing what you’re doing, that’s probably worth questioning. Repeating exercises without any progression, challenge, or explanation may signal lazy programming or disengaged coaching.”
Solution:Fitness can be so much more than a 3K run, the same push-pull-legs routine or another YouTube HIIT class. Instead of focusing just on strength or endurance, embrace the other components to fitness, including flexibility (touching your toes or learning the middle splits), power (Olympic lifting) and coordination (such as dancing).
Do something you enjoy, such as walking, water aerobics, tumbling, boogie boarding, cycling or tai chi. Companies such asClassPassare a great way to try new activities without having to commit to a full membership. Ultimately, fitness that you enjoy (or, at the very least, don’t dread) will be more “effective” than grinding through something you hate, only to quit a few months later.
As a coach, I know it’s satisfying to see people learn new skills or hit personal bests – but only if that’s what they want. “Pushing goals like weight loss, muscle gain or competition prep without asking reflects a top-down coaching approach,” says Carr. “That can make clients feel unheard, disempowered or even pressured into chasing outcomes that they don’t really care about.”
Solution:Come into the gym with a specific goal in mind, perhaps one related to what your body can do, not just how it looks. For example, you could learn a skill (a headstand) or a movement (like a clean and jerk), lift a certain weight (80kg squat) or train for an event (a half marathon). “Having the strength to play football with your friends or chase your grandkids around is a healthier goal than an arbitrary weight or size,” says Alyssa Royse, co-owner ofRocket Community Fitness.
To state the obvious: coaches should coach, which is much more than reading the workout off the whiteboard, demonstrating the movements and encouraging everyone to “go all out”. It means offering specific, personalised feedback to everyone in the studio (and yes, that feedback can be positive!). Even at boutiques where a single class costs $45, I’ve seen coaches never once interact with the attendees. At that point, you might be better off doing a workout video from YouTube instead.
“Without clear instruction and feedback, you could be repeating poor movement patterns, increasing injury risk or spinning your wheels on ineffective exercises,” says Carr.
Solution:When I first started CrossFit, I would wait and hope the coach would watch one of my lifts. Then I realised I could ask them directly (when they had a free moment) and tell them what, specifically, I was trying to improve. Coaches should be proactive, but they aren’t mind readers, so be the squeaky wheel and give them as much information as possible to help you succeed.
“I think a good coach might tell you to add weight or pick up the pace, but they’d do it with a question, not a command,” says Royse. Carr agrees: “When the default cue is to increase intensity without checking your form, asking how you’re feeling or explaining the purpose, it’s a sign that a coach might be chasing effort over progress.”
Solution:You should be the one who decides how much weight and at what intensity. That’s easier said than done, especially with a pushy coach and a roomful of athletes who may be more experienced, so feel free to deflect. “Thanks, but the shoulder’s a bit wonky today,” you can say. Or, “I barely slept last night, but next week I’ll give it a try for sure.”
Though many people go to the gym to lose weight, a coach should never assume that’s your goal or push you in that direction – especially when they rarely have the credentials or the depth of knowledge to offer that kind of advice. “Unless you understand what’s going on with a person metabolically and emotionally, coaches have absolutely no business talking about diet and lifestyle with people,” says Royse.
Solution:It may be time to look for a new studio or coach. “Diet advice is way outside the scope of practice,” says Royse. “If a coach can’t respect boundaries there, I’d question their ability to respect any boundary.”
You should understand a workout as a suggestion that can be modified based on factors such as how much you’ve slept, how much energy you’ve got to burn, your technique and confidence, and any lingering or recurring injuries. For example, if you’re at a yoga class and can’t do sarvangasana (shoulder stand) because of back pain, perhaps you could try legs up the wall instead.
If an instructor never offers adjustments, or insists you do exactly what’s written, it’s likely a red flag. However, if they’re open to accommodating you but don’t know exactly how, that can be a green flag, says Carr. “A coach who knows their limits and outsources to a specialist or someone more qualified is showing professionalism, not failure.”
Solution:Identify any potential movements that may be a problem then discuss these with the coach before class starts.
This may be partly on your instructor – especially if they never correct your form – but it’s likely on you as well. “Without proper recovery, nutrition and stress management, fatigue can outweigh fitness, leading to burnout or injury,” says Carr.
Solution:Take enough time to recover, and if you’re consistently injured in the same place, you likely need to change your movement pattern or do more mobility, prehab and rehab.
If you exclusively work out at home, it may be worth visiting a studio or a gym where someone can evaluate your form. Personal training is expensive but ultimately worth it if you go into the session with a specific purpose, such as asking for three ways you can improve deadlifts, squats and bench presses.
Similarly, physiotherapy isn’t cheap, but the earlier potentially serious issues are spotted, the less it may cost in the long term.