There are hundreds of bodybuilding magazines out on the shelves today. Each one claims to offer specialized training and nutritional articles. Some do give good sound advice and just fill space with utter non-sense.
Over the last 30 years, I have read many articles, collected magazines and books on bodybuilding and weight training. In my personal opinion, the best articles I have ever read came from the "STRENGTH AND HEALTH" of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s by WEIDER PUBLISHING.
As the health and fitness field began to grow, so did the fitness magazine industry. Personal fitness training had not yet even been born. Everyone wanted to learn as much about this "new" fad and they turned to the media for advice. There was very little advertising about supplements and vitamins because this was still a new thing and no one had yet tried to cash in on it. Today, Weider has cornered the fitness magazine market with at least 15 to 20 publications (Muscle & Fitness, Shape, Men’s Health, just to name a few).
Just pick up any fitness magazine and open it. You will find well built men and women of exceptional sizes and shapes. You will also find fewer training and nutritional articles than before. But what fascinates me is the numerous supplement products and their advertisers.
There are "designer this" and "designer that", which is the right one for me? All of them are pushing the "buy-buy-buy" idea and where has the good training advice gone? That is direction the industry has grown.
Recently I read in one magazine, and you will love this part,"any previously printed articles may have been proven at a later time to not be the best way of training and could possibly cause injury, but this article may suit your needs". What about those poor saps that just happened to be using this magazine's articles to train by for the last couple of years?
This is why finding the right trainer is so important. There are many different training ideas and methods available. You need a trainer that fits your needs and helps you ascertain you individual fitness goals. Just because a trainer has a certification does not mean he/she necessarily understands how to pass that knowledge on to their clients by way of training.
When searching for a trainer you should ask them for references and if you can see other client"s training program and progress charts. Also ask about their experience levels and how long they have been in the personal fitness training field.
A good trainer will offer a FREE consultation. They should allow you to ask questions that you might have for him/her about your training program and goals before they charge you.