Why Evidence-Based Workouts Matter in the Fitness Industry
Updated: Sep 25
Understanding the Challenges in Fitness Training
There’s a strange phenomenon that occurs when an industry experiences rapid growth. Standards tend to drop. The fitness industry is no exception to this rule. Let's face it: the fitness world is currently a very noisy place. It seems like it is on steroids! The demand for trainers has skyrocketed. Gyms are popping up everywhere. Online programs are abundant. Social media "experts" are a dime a dozen. Yet, the quality of training people receive is wildly inconsistent. This isn’t just a veteran trainer's rant. While I can be a bit grumpy, sometimes my concerns are valid. We need more trainers who understand science and evidence-based workouts.
A recent paper highlights how fitness trainers make programming decisions. It confirms an uncomfortable truth: there is no consistent industry-wide approach to how trainers decide what to do with the complex human body in front of them. Many trainers rely on bro-science, but that shouldn't be mistaken for the real deal.
During my time at Reebok Sports Club, one of my responsibilities was to ask trainers why they selected specific programs for their clients. They had to justify their decisions. Fortunately, there isn't just one correct, evidence-based approach. However, some trainers consistently applied the same program for everyone, regardless of whether the client was a grandmother or a young athlete. This is not the way to go.
The Fitness Industry’s Dirty Little Secret
In many areas, the barrier to entry for becoming a trainer is alarmingly low. Sometimes it requires only a weekend course. Other times, it involves self-teaching. Occasionally, it simply means being naturally good at pull-ups and wearing a tight tank top. It would be ideal for everyone to earn a quality certification, but believe it or not, that’s not always necessary. There is nothing stopping anyone from starting a personal training business tomorrow—no certification, no experience... no problem. But as you can imagine, this is a significant issue.
Many trainers learn how to demonstrate exercises, not how to decide which exercises belong in a program and why. The 'why' is a critical lever for programming. Why are you doing this exercise? Why this one and not another? Why now, and not later? Why 10 reps or 12? Why rest for 30 seconds or 90 seconds? These questions matter. Intelligent programming is not about how many exercises you can name or invent. There are no inherently bad exercises; just bad applications. Programming is about how you choose exercises, how you progress them, and how you adjust them when real life happens.
Research Insights on Trainer Decision-Making
The researchers interviewed trainers and utilized a decision-making model called Cognitive Continuum Theory. It sounds fancy, but the idea is simple.
Good decisions usually fall somewhere between:
Rigid rules with zero flexibility
Pure intuition with zero structure
What they discovered is that trainers tend to use different decision styles depending on the setting. Often, the setting itself pushes them toward less individualized, cookie-cutter choices.
Personal Training vs. Group Classes
The most significant practical takeaway is clear but still worth emphasizing. Personal training allows for better decision-making because feedback is constant, specific, and context-dependent.
Group training complicates this process. One trainer manages a room full of moving bodies at once. Groups are not homogeneous. Exercise history, physiology, contraindications, motivations, and kinematics all differ. That does not mean group classes are inherently bad. It just means they are limited by design. Everyone does the same thing, regardless of individual differences.
Group classes often rely on:
Templates
Fixed workouts
One-size-fits-most progressions
Energy and entertainment as substitutes for individualization
You can still get a good sweat from group classes, but it is not the same as an intelligent program tailored to your unique capacity, goals, and orthopedic constraints.
When Exercise Becomes Performance Art
The paper also touches on a trend I see constantly. As gyms grow, many adopt franchise or licensing systems. These systems provide pre-made workouts, branded methods, and strict rules to ensure a uniform experience. Think of CrossFit, Orangetheory, etc. While this helps businesses scale, it does not always foster critical thinking among trainers. Instead of developing professional judgment and mastering micro-progressions, trainers often get rewarded for:
Looking confident
Being charismatic
Sounding like a specialist
Delivering a high-energy experience
At that point, credibility becomes less about competence and more about presentation. Fitness becomes theater. Sometimes it's great theater. Sometimes it's community-building theater. Sometimes it's just plain fun. But it remains physical theater.
Self-Teaching vs. Formal Education
Continuing education in fitness is often entirely self-directed. This can be beneficial if the trainer has strong fundamentals and knows how to critically evaluate information. Certain certifications require rigorous, evidence-based continuing education. For example, my National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) certification—the gold standard—requires about 20 hours per year of evidence-based education across various subjects. I can't simply scroll through Instagram to earn my CECs.
However, self-teaching can also lead to confusion. The sources trainers use may include:
Social media content
Influencers selling certainty
Courses designed primarily as marketing funnels
New methods that sound smart but lack robust scientific backing
If someone does not understand the basics of exercise prescription, giving them more tools does not enhance their skills. It merely boosts their confidence while they remain incorrect. This is a frightening combination.
More Training Does Not Mean Better Training
Fitness culture often rewards "more." More sessions. More exercises. More sweating. More soreness. More novelty.
We've all heard the "No Pain, No Gain" mantra. I don't subscribe to that belief. "More" is not a metric of quality. How hard you train matters, but you don't need to lift to failure every time to see results.
The paper highlights that many trainers do not consistently assess progress or monitor fitness changes in a structured manner. This leads to a common pattern:
People feel worked
People feel sore
People feel like they accomplished something
Six months later, nothing meaningful has changed physically
If the plan does not include progression and feedback, it is essentially just a workout playlist. You are working out, but you are not training.
What Evidence-Based Training Actually Looks Like
Evidence-based training is not glamorous. It shouldn't feel like a minefield where you're constantly worried about making a wrong move.
It is often simple. It is often repetitive. Frankly, it often looks underwhelming on social media. It involves:
Assessing what truly matters
Choosing a program that fits the individual (context is everything!)
Tracking progress over time
Adjusting load, volume, and difficulty based on how your body responds
Building capacity, not just chasing a burn, pain relief, or fatigue
It requires patience from the client and absolute honesty from the coach. Sometimes, the most professional thing a trainer can say is: “We need more time.”
Why Evidence-Based Training Matters
Inactivity is a significant public health issue. Chronic disease is costly. Exercise helps, but only when done well enough to be sustainable, safe, and progressive. Poor training wastes your time, money, trust, and potentially your body. Evidence-based coaching matters because it respects the client as an individual, not just a recurring revenue stream. It produces results using the scientific method. Fortunately, there are many ways to achieve this.
A Simple Reality Check for Clients
If you are uncertain whether your training is genuinely effective, ask yourself (or your trainer):
How are we measuring progress beyond how exhausted I feel right after a session?
What is the plan for progression?
What changes are being made based on my physical and psychological responses?
How is this plan making me more resilient and building capacity?
Do I feel like I'm progressing?
If the answer is "Don't worry, just work harder and come more often," then you are with the wrong trainer.
Final Thoughts on Training
Good training should push you out of your comfort zone without being unpleasant. It should make you stronger, more confident, and help you achieve your goals. As always, remember: you can’t go wrong getting strong.
Want more evidence-based fitness content? Follow along as we separate science from marketing in the world of health and fitness.
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Oi, C. P., Vijayan, S. K., & Ler, H. Y. (2024). Qualified fitness trainers practice scientifically based judgment in prescribing exercise programs. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 74, 102659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102659
