RuthM

I'd be interested in any other trainers anyone knows of. Having had a back injury for coming up to four years now and gone through five personal trainers of which one was too worried and didn't push me enough, one was frankly dangerous and injured me even more, two were good (one in UK and one who doesn't do PT in Dubai anymore) and one who was amazing (in UK). I can say none of the trainers mentioned so far have anything in the slightest I have learned to look out for. They may be good but the information they are advertising doesn't have the key things I look for in a PT with my back injury. Symmetry has little actual information about their trainers and looks to use some kind of crossfit style training which will mess up anyone with a back injury in seconds. The trainer that messed my back up the last time (a healthyish back at the time I might add) used these sorts of 'tough' training styles. The website is shocking with zero information but lots of words and big promises. They may be brilliant but I hate the look of them and wonder why they cannot publish actual qualifications and experience, testimonials are bull. Sarah at Healthy 4 U looks very nice, but REPS L3 is the standard minimum level to be a personal trainer (L2 is a group instructor). This said one of the good trainers I have had was only REPS L3. However certification in circuit training is going to be of no help whatsoever and is completely in the wrong direction for rehab training. A degree Sports Studies has little information on rehabilitation. She may have an interest in rehab but only meeting with her will tell. I cannot recommend a personal trainer but I can suggest what to look for in one. For back injuries one of the key things to look for is a personal trainer who has a pilates qualification to ensure that they are watching your every move to ensure your core is engaged on every single exercise. What is even better is if you can find a personal trainer who has a L4 rehab qualification. Yoga can also be helpful as there are a number of stretches that can help with back injuries, however likewise there are also a number of stretches that can make things worse so they do need to be very aware of what they are doing. Don't look for a personal trainer that makes big claims about fast weight loss etc. as with an injury nothing is fast, the training needs to be slow and steady. A trainer that shouts encouragement at you across the gym is not what you need. Of course the OP may want to try these trainers and see what they are like. In doing so my suggestions would be: On the initial session make some obvious mistakes, bend forward in a lunge or arch your back in a squat (if it will not injure you immediately as it is seriously dangerous) - if they do not correct this and I mean they should STOP YOU IMMEDIATELY until this is corrected then they are not the right personal trainer for you. Ask about doing things like sit-ups and burpees and starting a running program if they propose this is a good idea, they are not the trainer for you. If they propose any kind of dynamic exercise first up then get out of there very fast. Even running is not good with a back injury, although can be done with care later - but not circuits with fast direction changes. With a back injury here are some exercises to avoid without question: weighted olympic squats burpees sit-ups It is key to avoid forward flexion, especially when combined with rotation. Back bending can cause issues as well, especially dynamic back bending (this is what causes me to go into spasm), however some backbending is sometimes recommended i.e. some pilates/mackenzie exercises. Personally gentle backbending is good for me, but dynamic backbending i.e. jumping to catch a rugby ball, serving in tennis, coming up badly when very tired from a burpee or taking off badly in a ski jump (this is basically the list of the things that have put me into spasm) can be very very bad. Exercises to avoid in the initial part of training that can be good later on: deadlifts (when slow and controlled) bent over rows (when good form can be held in a stable position) push-ups (do box push-ups until core is strong enough to hold posture for a full push-up) Exercises that can be relatively safe - depending on your current level of injury it is different for everyone, ensure your spine is in a neutral position for all exercises, if it is not or you cannot hold it in neutral then discontinue the exercise: plank (be careful lowering from plank, start with half plank if necessary) most mat pilates exercises (avoid twisting exercises) bird-dog (start with just one arm or leg, not both) dumbbell bench chest press (best to put feet on bench with knees bent to protect lumbar) dumbbell bench incline row cable row lunge smith wide row tricep dip barbell curl alternate dumbbell curls box push-up / box tricep push-up Dependent on what your doctor says about back bending: prone cobra cat-camel (beware not to go too far) I've progressed onto TRX exercises now, however these add more instability therefore are not ideal in the early stages of training. I am also able to manage some overhead weight for overhead dumbbell lunges and overhead dumbbell press but this should only be after a long period of ensuring you're back is strong and the muscle memory is there to keep your core engaged whilst doing such things as releasing your core and posture for only a moment in such exercises could put you right back to square one. Good luck finding a trainer, I am definitely interested if there are any good rehab trainers for back injuries out there, however at this stage I have simply decided to qualify as a trainer myself with practical training from my trainer in the UK to ensure my form is correct I can use the PT training course to help me figure out my own program. Unfortunately I now need to train my husband to spot when my form goes bad when I get tired.