First time in a gym, how bad was it.

[Rothkal]

So, a few days ago I signed up to join a gym after feeling I need a significant change in how I live. I'm currently 25 and weigh 265 pounds, not having done much significant physical work since I was in high school helping to rebuild a house (Which turned into a 7 year project including the barn, granary, shed, horse shelter, etc. We started the project when I was in middle school). The gym has several personal trainers to work with its members you can make an appointment with. As a part of joining up they also set me up with an appointment with one earlier today for a 1 hour session. I assumed that it was mostly for "Here's how the equipment works, here's a good starting plan, etc.". Well, yesterday I got a call reminding me about the appointment and reminding me not to eat anything to heavy, but get carbs and lots of water. So I ate a sandwich with a liter of water around noon for my 2 o'clock appointment. I show up to the gym, get changed, and after a few questions we get started.

So, this is where I got a wake-up call. Turns out they were starting me out with a high-intensity session. After a 3 minute warm up I was already in bad shape for the 1 hour session. It showed me just how out of shape I was. After the warm up, we walked over to one of the leg-press machines for 2 set of 15 reps, one leg at a time. After, I couldn't walk without my knees buckling and almost falling over. The trainer asked me if I was all right and after a minute, we went over to a side area where he had me lay down with my legs elevated to get the blood flow out of my legs and more to my head for about 5 minutes.

Here's where it started getting embarrassing. As I got up, the edges of my vision was filled with grey static, and I needed to hold in to the rail to not fall over. At this point he was just going to have me walk laps to help me recover, but he mush have seen something wrong because he asked "What did you have to eat before coming and at what time?" When I told him, His response was "Uh-oh" and he led me over to the bathroom. He must have seen this before because he saw it coming before I felt it. 5 minutes later and a little less lunch in my stomach, and we went to a little less intense workout. He had me push him around on some foot skids and pull myself up with some ropes at a 45 degree angle. But after every exercise I had to stop and lay down with my legs up for about 5 minutes, still getting that grey static when I got up. Eventually we had the cool down of walking on a treadmill for a few minutes.

It felt like most of the time was just rest and recovery and that I wasted the trainers time. He mentioned that the most weight loss and muscle gain is through high-intensity workout, to try to keep at it at that level. But wouldn't it be better to ease more into it rather that jumping in head first like that? And as per the title, how bad was it? Feel free to share your own stories.

Tl;dr First time in a gym and I felt like an embarrassment spending almost 40 minutes of a 1 hour session with a personal trainer just laying on my back recovering and losing my lunch. How bad was it.

[Grinner]

Nowhere near as bad as you had it.

I think there are two essential elements to exercise:

Do what you can, taking care to not push yourself too hard.
Keep at it. It should never be easy.


Next time, pace yourself. Do keep going there, and go on a regular basis. It does get less awkward. Also, sign up for a class, if they offer them. I found that keeping a regimen was easier if I felt expected to be there.

Edit: Also, the first workout is the worst. I had to sit out for the last quarter of my first class

[Mauve Shirt]

Totally natural. I was almost sick when I got back to the gym too, drank too much coffee beforehand, blech. Do be careful about what you eat before an intense workout.
You can ease into it, but you shouldn't do it alone. If you try to ease yourself into something there's an enormous likelihood that you'll say "This is hard enough." when it really isn't even enough to challenge you.
You should get a few sessions personal trainers if you can afford it. They'll cater the workout to your requirements while ensuring you actually do the work.

[Tvtyrant]

The biggest thing to me is that when you exercise regularly for a while you begin to feel a buzz when working out. That transforms exercise from a painful chore to an enjoyable activity, which makes working out easier and easier.

I have the dreadful habit of working towards getting into shape for 6 months and then getting injured and quitting. Then when I heal up I have to start all over again :C

[FreakyCheeseMan]

So, a few notes.

First, "How bad was it" is not a question you should be asking. I know it's tempting, believe me, I've been plenty embarrassed before coming off a sedentary period, but it isn't a useful feeling. If you're in good shape now, great, keep it up; if you're in bad shape, even better, that'll just means that it feels even better as you do improve.

Now, as for that specific gym... I'm not a physical trainer, but I've spent a fair amount of time in gyms, dance classes, martial arts dojos and physical therapy, and... it sounds like they're doing it wrong. Don't get me wrong, high intensity workouts are a good idea, and after a long session you should feel drained, but you also want to make sure you don't injure yourself; I'm a guy with two bad knees and a torn rotator cuff in my shoulder because I threw myself into things too quickly and too hard. Now, your gym probably isn't taking any needless risks, but I'd suggest at least talking to them about it, and if you have joint pain (not muscle pain), for the love of god, STOP.

I might suggest starting with yoga or Pilates; I lean towards Pilates, because in the area I was doing this, yoga classes tended to be rather hippie-infested, and focused a lot more on mysticism than physicality. But, they're both great workout systems that won't risk injuring you. If you're looking to build up strength, Pilates is one of the best things around. There's no really good way to describe it, but after just a few sessions of Pilates (for me it was three, over the course of a week), you'll start to feel *good*.

As far as weight loss goes... I ran into a very interesting article (http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/Your-Fat-Has-a-Brain.html?page=1) on digg just recently, the gist of which was that muscle and fat interact in ways that haven't really been understood and that, as far as health is concerned, you'll do at least as well focusing on building muscle as you will on losing fat; in fact, muscle mass will make weight loss easier.

Oh, one last thing; this one sounds weird, but if you spend a lot of time around a computer, switch to a standing desk. You'll be miserable for the first week or so, but that goes away, and it's a very easy habit to keep, once you get into it. You'll burn more calories, have better posture, your metabolism won't shut down the way it does in a chair, and you'll even build up some muscle mass just from the subtle movements your body has to make while standing.

[Haruki-kun]

He mentioned that the most weight loss and muscle gain is through high-intensity workout, to try to keep at it at that level. But wouldn't it be better to ease more into it rather that jumping in head first like that?

When you start out, it will always feel like you're jumping into it head-first.

As for how bad it was... not very. I was very tired at the end, but that was it. Although the first time I went to a martial arts class? Sheesh. The workout alone was enough to wear me out. It was a 1 hour class and I was out in 30 minutes. First thing the instructor did was ask me if I was a smoker, I was so out of breath. (I'm not.)

[Giggling Ghast]

The first time I went to the gym, I could barely go for more than five minutes on an exercise bike.

[Traab]

Since I didnt have a trainer trying to murder me through exercise, it wasnt too bad. I was on one of those exercise bikes that also works your arms and noted how far I traveled in a half hour, then every day I would try my best to beat that mark. It was more about calorie burning for me than anything else. It doesnt do me much good if I build muscles, only to have them hidden behind 100+ pounds of fat. I figured once I had dropped a solid amount of weight I would start working on muscle building exercises. By then I would have at least some endurance built up and some poundage off so I wouldnt be starting out looking like that fat guy from fight club. Unfortunately, I dropped 30 pounds then due to personal life issues had to stop going to the gym.

[Giggling Ghast]

Since I didnt have a trainer trying to murder me through exercise, it wasnt too bad. I was on one of those exercise bikes that also works your arms and noted how far I traveled in a half hour, then every day I would try my best to beat that mark. It was more about calorie burning for me than anything else. It doesnt do me much good if I build muscles, only to have them hidden behind 100+ pounds of fat. I figured once I had dropped a solid amount of weight I would start working on muscle building exercises. By then I would have at least some endurance built up and some poundage off so I wouldnt be starting out looking like that fat guy from fight club. Unfortunately, I dropped 30 pounds then due to personal life issues had to stop going to the gym.

Weight training while trying to burn fat is a good idea.

That's the cue for a thousand different fitness magazine-subscribers will now jump out of the woodwork to tell me how I'm wrong, so wrong, I'm the wrongest person in Wrongland, and that I'm the President of the Wrong States of Wrongmerica.

Or maybe it's that time of day where I'm right again, I dunno. It's hard to keep track, given that the fitness industry changes its collective mind more frequently than the Oceanic military in 1984. ("We've always been at war with Eastasia Eurasia Eastasia!")

But it still helps to build muscle, even if only a little.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Weight training while trying to burn fat is a good idea.

That's the cue for a thousand different fitness magazine-subscribers will now jump out of the woodwork to tell me how I'm wrong, so wrong, I'm the wrongest person in Wrongland, and that I'm the President of the Wrong States of Wrongmerica.

Or maybe it's that time of day where I'm right again, I dunno. It's hard to keep track, given that the fitness industry changes its collective mind more frequently than the Oceanic military in 1984. ("We've always been at war with Eastasia Eurasia Eastasia!")

But it still helps to build muscle, even if only a little.

Right. Decidedly right, from what I read.

So, the article I linked above was going into the interaction between muscle, fat and the rest of the body. The basic case that it offered was that fat acts almost as a single, massive organ, releasing compounds that have a variety of adverse effects on the rest of the body, particularly on musculature. Muscles, meanwhile, counteract many of these effects (In particular, the ones that cause you to always be hungry.) So, having muscles not only makes it easier to lose weight, but it lessens the damage caused by the weight you already have.

[valadil]

I didn't use a trainer at first. Still don't in fact. The wife and I started at a gym 4 years ago. We started out hiding on the ellipticals and treadmills in the back. 15-20 minute sessions were all we could handle at first. Got that up to 45-60 minutes and then moved on to other things.


It doesnt do me much good if I build muscles, only to have them hidden behind 100+ pounds of fat.

Not really. Your body burns calories to build and maintain all that muscle. If you do some cardio, your body will burn calories while you're running, then go back to normal. If you lift, your body will continue burning calories for several days after while it's repairing your muscles. I realize this is anecdotal, but I'm down 110lbs. All I do at the gym is lift heavy things. At some point I'll try and slim down, but the heavy lifting is still making the fat fly away.

[Erloas]

I'm going to have to agree with some of the others, that trainer had no idea what he was doing. The very first and most important job of a trainer is to work with the person they are training, which they clearly did not do. The workout should be tailored to the abilities of the person. Not only is going well beyond someone's abilities a good way to drive them away it is also a very good way of causing bad injuries.
The second important job of a trainer should be to keep you motivated and keep you progressing. Progressing means that you get better over time, so if you can't run 5 minutes when you start and you can run 10 minutes after a month that is progression. It doesn't matter if the trainer or person X in the gym can run for 4 hours and you can't, as long as you are getting better then you are on the right path.

[Synovia]

Sounds like they set you up with a trainer who isn't very good at their job.

What you were put through is a lot of the reason people don't stick with exercise: they start too hard, and hurt themselves.

You should be a sweaty mess after the first day, but you shouldn't be hurting during the workout.

[GnomeFighter]

Ye, I have to agree with the others. In fact I'm going to go further and say he is an fool. This method of pushing people dose not work, just puts them off. It should be keeped for the people who want it.

The best weight loss comes through a balance of consistent lower intake of calories and increase in exercise. Ask yourself this, could you keep that up 3 days a week for ever? He is the reason people don't go back to the gym. I work on the basis of 500 calories a day average, with about half food, half exercise. It will give you a safe level of weight loss and you will be able to make real changes to your lifestyle that you will be able to keep up. If you do something you can't keep up you will just go back to where you are.

[Jack Squat]

You had a pretty bad trainer. High intensity workouts are only good for people who are moderately fit already, and even then it depends on your goals. What goals did you tell your trainer you had? Did you give a time frame for these goals?

Next time, tell your trainer that you want to take it slow, and you want to focus on building core strength and endurance.

You'll also want to do your part and balance workouts with diet adjustments. Talk with your trainer about this as well. Most weight loss workouts are fruitless because people start eating more and more crap because they hit the gym.

[Grinner]

You'll also want to do your part and balance workouts with diet adjustments. Talk with your trainer about this as well. Most weight loss workouts are fruitless because people start eating more and more crap because they hit the gym.

Emphasis on "crap". Exercise tends to whet appetites. That's fine. Eat. Just stay the hell away from McDonalds and company. Go to the supermarket instead. Generally, half of your meals should consist of produce. The other half should be grains and meats. Fresh foods are better, but canned and frozen foods can suffice.

Also, do a few minutes of stretching each day. It keeps the muscles limber and in good shape.

[thubby]

you should outright demand a new trainer.
no, seriously. this person is going to hurt you.

any first meeting of this sort should be him figuring out where your limits are. that means starting slow and ramping until you start to fall behind.
entirely his fault, not yours.

now, I've never been a fan of gyms. the average person is far better served by recreation. play a sport, go for walks/jogs/runs/bike rides, swimming is particularly great.

[Jay R]

It was better than if you hadn't gone to the gym.

Really. The issue is not how bad it is right now; it's which direction are you headed. You are headed in the right direction. Remember that, and keep going.

[Rothkal]

My plan is to go each night after work. I get done between 11 pm-2 am depending on what position I'm filling that day. The fact that its open 24-7 was one of the draws for why I chose this gym. Also, the fact that the place I work for has a deal with the gym that they will waive the start-up and late night key costs (about $100 total) and give 10% off monthly fees. I found this out when I was talking to co-workers who were members and they clued me in.

Sore all day today from yesterday and my 7 hour work shift was pretty rough (I work as a server/cook at a pizza franchise). But it will get better. The soreness will go away eventually.

So just got back from my second time going, this time no trainer pushing me so hard. Started out on the ellipticals and managed about 15 minutes before stopping the machine with a heart rate at 167 BPM (pretty sure this is too fast for a workout). I switched to the bikes they had and found they had a feature I found nice, you can set your target high and low heart rate and the machine will adjust the resistance to help keep you in that zone. So I went for 30 minutes staying between 130 and 150 BPM and felt much better after than I did from the elliptical and the trainer. From there I went through the circuit of machines to work different muscle groups (there were signs on each machine for how each one operates, the muscle groups they work, etc. Made it easy to get going). Next time I'll try to find my limits and know what weight and number of reps for each machine. I don't think I'll do free-weights for a while, as I'd like there to be other people around when working with those. I pretty much had the place to myself. Maybe it was just because of the day and there will be more people on a different night.




Next time, pace yourself. Do keep going there, and go on a regular basis. It does get less awkward. Also, sign up for a class, if they offer them. I found that keeping a regimen was easier if I felt expected to be there.



They don't offer much in the way of classes that I saw yet, but I will ask next time I'm there during the day.


Totally natural. I was almost sick when I got back to the gym too, drank too much coffee beforehand, blech. Do be careful about what you eat before an intense workout.
You can ease into it, but you shouldn't do it alone. If you try to ease yourself into something there's an enormous likelihood that you'll say "This is hard enough." when it really isn't even enough to challenge you.
You should get a few sessions personal trainers if you can afford it. They'll cater the workout to your requirements while ensuring you actually do the work.

This time when I was done I had some Gatorade. Only had a small amount and started feeling queasy, but didn't lose it. I'll wait a little longer after I finish to drink anything more substantial that water. And yes, only small amounts during the workout.

Oh, and apparently that first session with a trainer you get when you sign up is a one free session deal, after that its about $50 per session.



Not really. Your body burns calories to build and maintain all that muscle. If you do some cardio, your body will burn calories while you're running, then go back to normal. If you lift, your body will continue burning calories for several days after while it's repairing your muscles. I realize this is anecdotal, but I'm down 110lbs. All I do at the gym is lift heavy things. At some point I'll try and slim down, but the heavy lifting is still making the fat fly away.

My initial plan was to focus on losing weight first and then go to lifting, but from the sound of things I should be lifting right away. I tried the machines out as noted earlier.



You'll also want to do your part and balance workouts with diet adjustments. Talk with your trainer about this as well. Most weight loss workouts are fruitless because people start eating more and more crap because they hit the gym.


Emphasis on "crap". Exercise tends to whet appetites. That's fine. Eat. Just stay the hell away from McDonalds and company. Go to the supermarket instead. Generally, half of your meals should consist of produce. The other half should be grains and meats. Fresh foods are better, but canned and frozen foods can suffice.

Also, do a few minutes of stretching each day. It keeps the muscles limber and in good shape.

Apparently while the trainers do know some about what to do about diet, the gym has a couple of people dedicated for helping with dietery stuff. Two years ago I made some changes to my diet and that did help a lot. I used to be 285, but dropped to 265 over the course of about 18 months and has fluctuated slightly since then. I started cooking for myself more and it paid off. I will probably adjust it again with the excercise in mind, aiming to lose about 2 pounds per week.


It was better than if you hadn't gone to the gym.

Really. The issue is not how bad it is right now; it's which direction are you headed. You are headed in the right direction. Remember that, and keep going.

I will lose weight, I will be more healthy, and I will keep going.

Thank you all for the replies :smallsmile:

[Cristo Meyers]

My initial plan was to focus on losing weight first and then go to lifting, but from the sound of things I should be lifting right away. I tried the machines out as noted earlier.


It's probably best to do both each day. Weight-lifting and cardio work your muscles in different ways, don't be afraid to stack them. Do your lifting first and then finish with your cardio. It'll take a little getting used to, but it pays off in the end.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Yeah, if the first session wasn't entirely composed of the trainer doing tests (calculating body fat percentage, treadmill test, squat test, leg strength test, pushup test, flexibility test, maybe some others), then he's not doing it right. His goal is to make you lose weight and gain muscle as fast as possible, without thinking of the consequences.

Quit the trainer, do lighter workouts. I'm worried he might not've told you how to correctly do exercises, so...

Curls: Swing your upper arms back as little as possible when you bring the weights back down. Standing up with your back against a wall is good for this, as your arms can't swing back much.

Leg press: Push with the heels.

Any pulling exercise: Squeeze your shoulder blades together when you pull back.

Pushups: If you can't do proper pushups, go on your knees. It's better than not going to down all the way.

I think that's all the important stuff.

[Liffguard]

I'm worried he might not've told you how to correctly do exercises, so...

Curls: Swing your upper arms back as little as possible when you bring the weights back down. Standing up with your back against a wall is good for this, as your arms can't swing back much.

The correct way to do curls is to stop doing them and start doing a proper exercise instead. :smallwink:

[FreakyCheeseMan]

If you're interested, give this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCg_gh_fppI) a try. Basic Pilates workout, doesn't require anything but a matt (or a relatively clean carpet.) Great workout, won't injure you, but - fair warning - it will HURT. About halfway through the video, all I could think was "Why does the pretty woman hate me?"

[Empedocles]

You mentioned a fear that you weren't eased into it enough, but to me it sounds like that was just about right. It should hurt a lot, and you should wake up the next morning feeling like hell.

The nice part is, it'll get a lot easier if you keep at it with a similar intensity. It really does not take long at all for what you did on that first day to start feeling easy, which means less recovery time, which means more of a workout. Also, learn a lesson from your lunch. It's incredibly rare that somebody will throw up during a workout unless they ate too much of the wrong thing right before exercising, or they didn't eat/drink enough.

Also, I disagree with Jade Dragon. I've been with personal trainers at a very, very intense level and quite honestly unless the trainer is a full time instructor (like somebody an actress might hire before her next movie to get to a certain level of fitness) crunching numbers just isn't necessary. It's certainly a viable option, yes. But not necessary at all.

[Jack Squat]

You mentioned a fear that you weren't eased into it enough, but to me it sounds like that was just about right. It should hurt a lot, and you should wake up the next morning feeling like hell.

The nice part is, it'll get a lot easier if you keep at it with a similar intensity. It really does not take long at all for what you did on that first day to start feeling easy, which means less recovery time, which means more of a workout. Also, learn a lesson from your lunch. It's incredibly rare that somebody will throw up during a workout unless they ate too much of the wrong thing right before exercising, or they didn't eat/drink enough.

No, getting completely wore out 20 minutes into an hour long exercise is too intense. You should be regretting working out after doing so, not during. The trainer picked a program that Rothkal isn't capable of doing at his current fitness level.


Also, I disagree with Jade Dragon. I've been with personal trainers at a very, very intense level and quite honestly unless the trainer is a full time instructor (like somebody an actress might hire before her next movie to get to a certain level of fitness) crunching numbers just isn't necessary. It's certainly a viable option, yes. But not necessary at all.

You're right that it's not strictly necessary, but it provides a baseline so that the trainer can tweak the program to fit the individual to provide best results. It also will be able to show progress to the client when they aren't losing weight, but rather body mass.

To be honest, I wouldn't trust a trainer that doesn't take measurements. In my experience, those trainers tend to be fairly old school, if not just bad at their job, and a lot of old school techniques will get you hurt.

[Empedocles]

No, getting completely wore out 20 minutes into an hour long exercise is too intense. You should be regretting working out after doing so, not during. The trainer picked a program that Rothkal isn't capable of doing at his current fitness level.

I disagree. You have to start somewhere, and there's a point at which any physical activity save the most basic will wear you out quickly. And doing really, really light activity doesn't build you up for something more intense.




You're right that it's not strictly necessary, but it provides a baseline so that the trainer can tweak the program to fit the individual to provide best results. It also will be able to show progress to the client when they aren't losing weight, but rather body mass.

To be honest, I wouldn't trust a trainer that doesn't take measurements. In my experience, those trainers tend to be fairly old school, if not just bad at their job, and a lot of old school techniques will get you hurt.

Serious injury is usually only with decent weights though, and it sounds like Rothkal's workout was pretty aerobic. Hard to injure yourself, short of dehydration, or just plain old tripping.

[Crow]

The correct way to do curls is to stop doing them and start doing a proper exercise instead. :smallwink:

Agreed, unless you are looking for primarily cosmetic applications.

Also, I take measurements and such. But am very old-school. Old school stuff works. What I am NOT, is some douchebag spewing out one-size-fits-all crossfit bullcrap. (Crossfit isn't bad, I love it, but some of the "coaches" that teach it are terribad.)

OP, your trainer was terrible. In fact, most health club trainers are. Many are focused on keeping you as a client for as long as possible, and understandably so.

When I work with clients, they pay up front for all their training sessions with me over the course of a 12-week training schedule. During which, they are basically taught how to train themselves.

Depending on their level of fitness, they will lose some body fat in that time, but that is not the focus of what I do. During the 12 weeks I have them, we focus on learning to do the movements and their variations safely, properly and efficiently, but primarily we focus on increasing *performance*. I want my clients to be able to see massive performance gains by the end of their 12 weeks that they can continue to build upon when they take the helm and start training themselves.

When you stop training for appearance, and start training for performance, you end up looking the way you want to look as a result.

We generally do the basic lifts for the first part of a session (after warmups), before moving on to the funky stuff for the conditioning portion of the session. The program is heavily focused on weights, but all sorts of different things are mixed in, including sprints, rowing, bodyweight exercises, etc.

Clients are encouraged to follow a diet that focuses on meats, roots, loads of veggies, and dairy, among others, while avoiding grains, legumes, and a few other things. It is NOT low-carb, though. They are encouraged to eat a *lot*, so long as they stay away from the "avoided" foods. I follow the diet myself and pull in between 3000 and 4000 calories daily (weighing 173lbs as of today).

[Gitman00]

@OP:

You'll get a ton of people telling you to do a ton of different things, but here's my 2 cents. Check out the New Rules of Lifting series by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove. These guys know what they're doing. Schuler writes about the theory behind weight lifting, and Cosgrove designs the workout programs. They don't claim to be offering anything new and revolutionary, but instead they look at data gained from decades of study, and find out what consistently gets the best results. I'd recommend the latest in the series, New Rules of Lifting Supercharged. It's basically an update of the first book in the series, done with the latest research.

The main focus is on free weights rather than machines, and on full-body workouts, because these are the ones that will consistently increase your strength and stamina and burn the most calories. The workouts are also modular, so you can create your own program and find out what works best for you.

From personal experience, the first couple weeks are always the worst in a new lifting program. After that, your muscles start figuring out how to do the exercises, and your cardiopulmonary system catches up so you're not throwing up every time. Stick with it, but know your limits. Getting injured is counterproductive. :smallwink:

Also, this may seem counterintuitive, but make sure you eat plenty of protein while doing a lifting program, even if your goal is weight loss. You need to feed your muscle to burn your fat. 20-30g of protein within an hour after working out is best - this is when your metabolism is at its highest, so the protein will go where it's needed: repairing damaged muscle fibers. Also, of the "big three" (protein, carbs and fat), protein burns the most energy during digestion. Something like 25% of the calories in protein are used just to digest it.

[Empedocles]

Agreed, unless you are looking for primarily cosmetic applications.

Also, I take measurements and such. But am very old-school. Old school stuff works. What I am NOT, is some douchebag spewing out one-size-fits-all crossfit bullcrap. (Crossfit isn't bad, I love it, but some of the "coaches" that teach it are terribad.)

OP, your trainer was terrible. In fact, most health club trainers are. Many are focused on keeping you as a client for as long as possible, and understandably so.

I don't really think you can make that judgment without knowing more about the regimen and what exercises the OP did...

[Crow]

I don't really think you can make that judgment without knowing more about the regimen and what exercises the OP did...

The fact that the OP had the reaction that he had shows that the trainer didn't bother to properly prepare, or take the needs and circumstances of the OP into account before jumping in.

Typical "free-session" assclownery. Kill the client and show them how much they "need" you.

[scurv]

I tend to associate gyms with physical therapy. But considering the economy and salesmanship It is entirely possible that the personal trainer might see the OP as an easy mark to sell a soultion to. Salesmanship or street con. they both use basically the same tactics to make the sale.