ACCEPTING IGNORANCE

newsletter Mar 02, 2023

Accepting Ignorance

Wisdom is just less ignorance over time.

By Eric Bugera

You will inevitably start your career from a place of ignorance.
You can make significant progress while you continue to learn.
Be loose with your attachments in order to choose the best way to train each client on a per-person basis.

Check Your Ego

It’s a literal impossibility to navigate life without some (often many) instances of complete ignorance – or at the very least, naivete. Neither of these qualities is inherently bad. They are simply signs of a lack of information or experience. Unless you are acting in a willfully ignorant way, embracing your lack of experience is the fast track to improving your own knowledge and client outcomes. However, how you respond to new information that may contradict your pre-existing methods is the real indicator of your desire to improve. It’s easy to call yourself a lifelong learner, but walking the walk can burn from time to time.

Do No Harm

Training clients is about forward progress. In an ideal world it would take them from point A to point B in the fastest way possible; but in reality, it is often a pace set by experience and tempered by realistic expectations of a client’s commitment. The norm in personal training is to meet a client at their current level of physical and (training/lifestyle) psychological development and build. In this sense, nearly anything that is forward progress is meaningful on the path towards their final goal.

The neuroticism that comes with inflated personal expectations on the part of the trainer can often blow any “inefficiencies” out of proportion. The self-imposed pressure of being the pantheon of training knowledge on your first day is neither realistic nor necessary. You must know more than your client, and ideally, enough to lay out a relatively future-proofed plan of attack. This does not mean that it will be the idealized program or overnight success. What it does mean is that you’re making forward progress towards the client’s goal with enough oversight to do no harm.

As you learn more about your profession, the intricacies of anatomy, biomechanics, exercise physiology, and client psychology – weaving in new or more appropriate methods on a per-person basis will become a regular part of your career.

A willingness to accept your successes goes hand in hand with the desire to improve. If you move from a place of knowledge (whatever that looks like for you) while humbly integrating new or more refined methods as you learn – you will gain greater skills but also the respect of clients and peers.

Everything is a learning experience. What you did successfully to achieve your client’s current level of progress is a learning opportunity for how the more idealized iteration of their program or methodology may be applied in the future.

You and your client have already won by making progress. Be loose with your attachments where they would be better served growing with you as your knowledge expands. Wisdom is just less ignorance over time. You aren’t wrong if you’re making progress, but there might be an opportunity to be more right. Identify as a trainer and not as a method and you will go far.

Stay Curious

There’s an odd obsession within many training communities about solidifying a singular method above all others. The reality is that no client will interact with training on a level higher than yours. Your exposure to the absurdity of training tribalism is as far as it ever needs to go. Training wisdom is developed from years of learning, applying, and experiencing success across a broad array of client case studies. Use each resource to progressively benefit your client base throughout your own development.

Reverse engineer your current programs – what recurring themes exist?
Given these themes, what underlying mechanisms of principles of fitness drive their effectiveness?
If you don’t know (yet) – this is your opportunity to learn.