So you want to gain muscle and trim the fat. You have heard the hype about some personal trainer online who invented the formula to get strong and muscular. Also, you have heard that the supplements X and Y are supposed to make you grow like weed in just 12 weeks (they are endorsed by Mr. Olympia so they must work), and that supplement Z will make you shed fat in no time. But then you ask yourself: Can I achieve similar or better results without spending a fortune on unproven products and theories? I think that with some effort you can. And since you have already decided to get fitter you must be ready to do work, so why not spend some time educating yourself on the topic of diet and exercise?

In the fitness industry there are plenty of people who claim to have the answers to everything fitness. According to them, if you’re not a follower of their philosophy you're doing it all wrong!  And you’re missing out on great results! Sounds familiar? Keep in mind that these people earn money by mystifying and complicating rather simple exercise and diet concepts. Their marketing is aimed at making a service or product seem incredibly useful, while at the same time making consumers feel overwhelmed by intricate wording and perplex theories, and eventually leaving the consumer feel like the product or service offered is essential for success.
 

As a physical therapist my goal has always been to make my clients independent rather than dependent on me. I teach them the basics and give them the tools, but the goal is for them to achieve optimal function and independence. From my personal financial standpoint discontinuing the treatment of rehabilitated patients is not good for business, but keeping them longer than necessary would be unethical and bad practice (albeit unethical decisions are made by many health care providers).

The difference between health care providers and the fitness industry lies in the fact that people profiting from the fitness industry generally have a lot more professional freedom with no strict ethical guidelines. It’s pure business. Their interests are to get clients and keep them coming back by providing a product or service they have convinced the client that he needs.

Nevertheless, not all parts of this industry are delusive. There are serious agents out there that are reasonable and useful. However, whenever I see extravagant exercise theories based on single small studies (or even worse, irrelevant or no research) promising fast superior results  – I call bullshit.

There are few absolute truths about getting and staying in shape. I am a proponent of simplifying rather than complicating workouts, not because I’m looking for a quick fix, but because it works.

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