Dogmatism: authoritarian approach to ideas which emphasizes strict adherence to doctrine over rational inquiry.  Dogmatism opposes independent thinking and reason.  The word dogma is derived from a Greek phrase meaning “that which seems to one, opinion or belief”.  A common example of dogmatism follows.

Trainee: Why do I need to do 3 sets of 10?  Why can’t I do 10 sets of 3?

Trainer: You need 3 sets of 10 to get bigger.  If you do 10 sets of 3 you will get stronger but probably not much bigger.  Low reps are for neural efficiency not size.  Trust me do what I say and you will get bigger.

Bodybuilding Dogma

If you read the fitness mags, trained in commercial gyms or attended fitness certification courses you have probably been exposed to much bodybuilding dogma.  Below is a list of some of the most popular statements pimped by the bodybuilding world (and fitness world in general).

• You need to eat 5-6 meals per day to be lean (or muscular)
• You can’t get lean eating dirty foods
• You need at least 1 gallon per water per day
• The best way to lean is get more muscular (muscle tissue turns your metabolism into a roaring inferno)
• Low reps make you big and high reps make you cut
• To get a workout you need to get a pump

Trust Me?

Trust me means don’t ask any questions.  Why shouldn’t you trust the trainer he/she is very muscular and cut?  Trainers with good physiques often use this misconception to their advantage.  A big red flag should go up when a trainer refers to their awesome physique as proof of their knowledge.

Another technique used by many trainers is called  “Appeal to Paper Guruism.”  This occurs when trainers answer all questions with “I am certified.”  After all the certificate can answer the question and it proves undoubtedly they are infallible, right?  It proves they paid for a certificate and passed a “test” at a specific time.  Beware of the Paper Gurus.  This warning applies to every field not just the fitness industry.

Certification Myth

The certification process requires that the individual earning the certificate conforms to specific ideas held by the group or organization.  The process is usually completed when the person passes an examination.  Almost sounds like dogmatism doesn’t it?

A certification is a supposed validation that you have the ability to perform a specific job.  If no evidence is provided for the claims and the validity of the assertions are based on what the book says (no valid references provided) you have dogmatism.  The big question is does earning a certificate mean you have demonstrated the ability to act as a qualified practitioner of the title displayed on the certificate?  This is where things get a little tricky and a clear definition needs to be established.

Qualified?

When an employer asks for your qualifications they are often interested in what certs, degrees, or experience you have.  Certs, degrees and experience can all be positive qualities but they are still not absolute indicators of job ability or performance.  When looking for a quality trainer ask the following questions.

• What type of information do they present to their clients?
• What type of results have their clients seen?
• How well were their clients able to use the information on their own (without the trainer monitoring them)?

It is very very important to consider the type of information trainers are perpetuating.  Just because their clients have seen fabulous results doesn’t mean they have been given good advice.  I have seen many trainees succeed despite of, not because of.

With that being said many good trainers actually have very little real knowledge while some lesser trainers have more extensive knowledge.  A quality trainer knows their boundaries.  If they can’t answer a question they should be honest and say they can’t answer the question.Quality trainers give advice about things they know about.  When stating opinion they should indicate it is their opinion.  Quality trainers are usually good motivators.  The qualities required to be a good trainer are not necessarily the same qualities required to be a good information pimp.

I have attended my fair share of certification seminars.  I have also conducted a couple of seminars where certificates were given for attendance.  The certificates were legitimate as they read Certification of Attendance for MaxCondition Sports Performance, not MaxCondition Sports Performance hereby certifies that (enter your name here) is an expert in Sports Conditioning.

When I was a young trainer looking to make a name for myself I was convinced I needed paper trophies to validate myself.  I attended a few seminars, but the more seminars I attended the less I wanted to attend another.  The seminars became increasingly disappointing.

I recall one seminar when I asked the lecturer a question on nutrition and he responded with “if it’s not in the book, (certifying bodies book) we don’t discuss it.”  When questioned on various topics in the book the lecturer simply replied “because the book says so.”

The last exercise certification seminar I attended was in 2004 or 2005.  After attending this one I decided I was done wasting my money to pay for endorsements.   I expected this to be a good experience, but my Olympic Weightlifting Coach pre-warned me that much of the information presented in the seminar will be outdated and incorrect.  It didn’t take long for me to figure out I had once again blown $500.  I learned nothing and was bored out of my skull for 2 ½ days.

The incident I remember most about the seminar was the “High Hang Power Snatch.”   At one point everyone in the room was asked to perform it.  The participants were split up in groups, and each group had an instructor evaluating technique.  One particular guy was having a hard time getting the technique down.  He was rounding his back, pulling prematurely with his arms and so on.  The fourth time he performed the movement the instructor shouted with joy as he yelled, “You got it that’s the way it is supposed to be done.” Personally I thought his technique was worse this time than it was on the previous movement.  So I asked the instructor what was better that time than the times before?  He said, “nothing but we have  to make sure everybody gets a turn.”

CPR Certification?

I have also attended various CPR certifying courses and certification courses addressing boxing.  I was very disappointed with both.

The following is an excerpt from: Why CPR Certification?

“In 1973, the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross began an aggressive campaign to educate the American public in basic life support CPR procedures (Dworkin 1999). In the beginning the emphasis was on the training of Public Safety and Rescue personnel. Once this training was introduced to that market, it was soon expanded to train the general public.

Do traditional CPR courses teach people how to perform CPR in real life?  I wondered about the validity of CPR certification after I earned my first CPR Certification (approximately 14yrs ago). The American Red Cross gave the course.  To my knowledge everyone in the class passed the course.  The requirement for passing the test was recalling some information we had been given 1-2 hours prior to taking the test and performing some skills on a manikin (even though some people in the class never touched the manikin they somehow passed the course).  After earning the certificate I was qualified to use this life saving method in the real world.  In reality I had another piece of paper to tuck in my wallet and add to my list of credentials.”

Boxing  Official  Certificates

I have attended a couple of combat sport judging cert courses.  With the judging certificate you were also awarded a certificate that entitled you to ref.  A brief summary of the courses:

• 3 hour lecture on rules
• Question and answer
• Written Examination (everyone passed)

If you happened to miss too many questions on the test you were given the opportunity to guess again.

The majority of participants were family members of officials who were renewing their certs.  Many of them had absolutely no interest in combat sports. They were there because their family member asked them to attend.  In some states there is a lack of judges so the current officials recruit whomever they can to attend the seminars.  You have to have a specific amount of judges before you can put on a show.  No experience is necessary.

Earning certificates can be a good thing as you may meet some people you really like, learn a few things (or maybe a bunch of things), fulfill a job requirement, experience something new, and earn a nice new certificate that will look good in a frame.

Back to the original question:

Does earning a certificate mean you’re a qualified instructor (or whatever titled is presented on the cert)?  Absolutely not. It doesn’t mean you are not qualified either.  It just means you have a certificate.

I could go on forever, but I think it’s time to stop the rant and go train

To learn more about Jamie visit his site at http://www.maxcondition.com. You can also check out Jamie’s books here in the store.

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