Is this considered Haramm?

[Faisal_01]

I can understand that for a physio therapist, but not for a mere trainer who people go to leisurely to look great or something similar. The most important thing is that these things are taken to the Qur'aan and Sunnah. If nothing clear is found then to the inheritors of the Prophets, the Scholars.

No dude, thats a stereotype. Most people go to the gym to get fit....so they can live longer. Looking great just come with the results.

p.s: I don't understand what you meant about psycho therapist. Why would they need to spott you?

I'll just ignore that.

 

[TheHumbleWun]

Salaam,

Brother Faisal to be safe, if I was sister "D" I would search for a female instructor. How comfortable would you feel if your sister was being instructed by a male? I know I wouldn't. That's reality....

 

[Faisal_01]

Salaam,

Brother Faisal to be safe, if I was sister "D" I would search for a female instructor. How comfortable would you feel if your sister was being instructed by a male? I know I wouldn't.

I can understand the concern people have about trainers. Yes, there are female instructors out there too. Some of my closest friends are female instructors. You are more than welcome to ask for a female instructor if you want. They'll be fine with it.

As for my sister and I, during highschool she ran track and she was trained by my boss. I didn't exactly care because I knew she was fine with it. If she wasn't then I'd probably have a problem but I knew and she knew why she had the personal trainer. I used to train her sometimes as well.

 

[Amirah84]

I just found a personal trainer to help me get my high school self back....(yeah, good luck, but got to try).......the trainer is a male and will meet me in fully public places with no physical contact at all. Basically he shows me the move and then tells me what to correct in my posture of movements. He is certified and strictly professional. What is the opinion on this? I am not training in shorts or anything all sweats.

:salam2: sister Diane,

Ohh...good for u sis! Im trying to get back to the gym as well. My motivation for it is sky-high however it;s just time and most gyms in London cost a fortune, even for students!! But Allhamdulillah we have loads of female gyms and so I assume they have female instructors as well.

Now with your situation i think the brothers and sisters have given brilliant advice. I hope that you will feel once you've read the responses that the best decision is to find a female instructor and realise that you'd have to build up a close relationship with the person you choose to train with. Even if it's an instructor. Remember working out is meant to be fun!! Lots of laughter and also many times physical contact as the person is meant to show you. So if you're doing a move wrong they might position you so you get it right. So be at ease in your mind as well and strive for something that will not make you unsure in what you're doing.

Hope that made sense. Let us knowhow the you get on... Wohoooo....fun...I'm excited for you sis!!

 

[dianek]

They won't look at you in a perverse way, because they are professional and if you feel that you are being looked at sexually then you can always bring a sexual harrassment charge on them. If I could bet you, I'd bet you that you won't be looked at like that by the trainers because a) they are there to make money off of you and they will do anything to make you feel comfortable to have you stay with them and b) most trainers can't afford to deal with a lawsuit. They make a lot of money but not enough to deal with lawsuits.

I highly recommend getting a persoanl trainer because not only will a trainer help you duing exercise, they will also keep track of your diffrent nutrition intake (such as supplements) and your diet for you. Now isn't that convinient? I used to hate that part of the job

And that is just it....I have a gym here at work and I use it because no one is ever in there. I have been a member to gyms and never went because I was embarrased about myself. So waste of money. I could never motivate myself to go. So I figured with a trainer they would be on me and watch my food journal and I would have to show up for training because someone was meeting me in the park or wherever or coming to my office to meet me in our facility here. AND to push me with that Come ON ONE MORE TIME!!!!! Plus, they know exactly what exercises are needed to target my problem spots.....plus I am hypothyroid so my metabolism SUCKS! Trainers take an interest in your overall health and advise accordingly. What good does it do me to go in to the gym and think I am doing some good work on the machines if I am not using them properly?

 

[dianek]

I can understand that for a physio therapist, but not for a mere trainer who people go to leisurely to look great or something similar. The most important thing is that these things are taken to the Qur'aan and Sunnah. If nothing clear is found then to the inheritors of the Prophets, the Scholars.

Ofcourse I want to look better, but my goal is to correct physical issues from 4 pregnancies. To restore range of motion and flexibility that I have lost. I could careless about the number on the scale as long as I am fit. As it is I am 189....muscular though except in the abs which not sure how much I can correct, abdominal muscles split after kids. But I want to look the best I can before I go in for a tummy tuck to fix my abdominal wall. Not for any other reason but to aleve pain in my back and hips.

 

[Al-Kashmiri]

A condition for touching a member from the opposite sex is urgency. Now in personal trainers, there isn't much urgency especially as I said, if for example one wants to just keep fit. If you suffered from some problems and had to see a therapist, then the urgency is FAR greater than one wishing to attain fitness or a particular figure. We can't just liken a trainer to a doctor, in other words use analogy. In fact analogy in Islaam when deducing rulings in most schools of though comes way after the evidences from the Qur'an and Sunnah. If a trainer said that he needs to be able to see your thigh for some particular excercise for example, we cant just deduce, well if a doctor had to see it I would show him, so I'll show my male trainer. Rather the urgency has to be considered, if it's a dire situation where its needed and no females are available, then that is aloud.

Earlier you told me you cant afford the female ones, well by resorting to them instead of males, who are cheaper, is better since in that extra money you'll be paying, you'll have more reward inshaa Allaah. There is a big thick book on medical fataawaa published by Invitation To Islam (I.T.I., Walthamstow, London, UK) which you may want to check.

There is also a fatwa here, http://www.islamqa.com/index.php?ref=5693&ln=eng

 

[TheHumbleWun]

Salaam,

Going to a gym definitely relieves stress & of course a healthy body...hopefully this will be enough for you sister Diane to deal with the Rugrats and perhaps a substitute to loud music!

 

[Faisal_01]

And that is just it....I have a gym here at work and I use it because no one is ever in there. I have been a member to gyms and never went because I was embarrased about myself. So waste of money. I could never motivate myself to go. So I figured with a trainer they would be on me and watch my food journal and I would have to show up for training because someone was meeting me in the park or wherever or coming to my office to meet me in our facility here. AND to push me with that Come ON ONE MORE TIME!!!!! Plus, they know exactly what exercises are needed to target my problem spots.....plus I am hypothyroid so my metabolism SUCKS! Trainers take an interest in your overall health and advise accordingly. What good does it do me to go in to the gym and think I am doing some good work on the machines if I am not using them properly?

Yeah I see where you are coming from. A lot of people that my boss trained used to tell me the reason for them to sign up for personal training is because of motivation. Most of them told me that because they were embarrassed, they felt like if they did the slightest thing wrong (like using a machine in-correctly) then everybody around them would start laughing at them. I felt it was pretty funny to have them say that because little do they know, most of the "fit" people that was working out in the gym, was doing them in in-correct form anyways which sooner or later caused them harsh injury. Most people think it's the "number" game when they lift weight, like how much weight you can swing around but to be honest that's really causing them more harm.

I used to know one man who was pretty bulk and he used to squat 430lbs. However when you do more weight than your body can handle you MUST have a spotter and he didn't. Due to it, he ripped his entire hamstrings and had to get 2 surgeries done on his legs. He really can't do much now, and he used to be a firefighter.

 

[TheHumbleWun]

I used to know one man who was pretty bulk and he used to squat 430lbs.

Salaam,

I'm going off tangent a little here. I only weight 155 lbs but I can squat 345lbs. I'm not bulk, just athletic.

 

[Al-Kashmiri]

Yeah I see where you are coming from. A lot of people that my boss trained used to tell me the reason for them to sign up for personal training is because of motivation. Most of them told me that because they were embarrassed, they felt like if they did the slightest thing wrong (like using a machine in-correctly) then everybody around them would start laughing at them. I felt it was pretty funny to have them say that because little do they know, most of the "fit" people that was working out in the gym, was doing them in in-correct form anyways which sooner or later caused them harsh injury. Most people think it's the "number" game when they lift weight, like how much weight you can swing around but to be honest that's really causing them more harm.

I used to know one man who was pretty bulk and he used to squat 430lbs. However when you do more weight than your body can handle you MUST have a spotter and he didn't. Due to it, he ripped his entire hamstrings and had to get 2 surgeries done on his legs. He really can't do much now, and he used to be a firefighter.

Yeah. You shoud see my gym. Some "pakistani" bad boy walks in dressed up n starts benching heavy weights to show off. I use to do an exercise wrong which made my knees weaker. Alhamdulillaah I didn't do it much at all before a trainer had to correct me, mind you the way I was taught was from a gym worker anyway. So you do have to be careful.

 

[Faisal_01]

Salaam,

I'm going off tangent a little here. I only weight 155 lbs but I can squat 345lbs. I'm not bulk, just athletic.

Be glad you didn't hurt yourself yet. Get a spotter before something bad happens

 

[dianek]

As a woman, too, I worry about bulking up instead of just toning...and I know if I use to heavy of weights that is what will happen.. I can leg press 160 though!

 

[Faisal_01]

Yeah. You shoud see my gym. Some "pakistani" bad boy walks in dressed up n starts benching heavy weights to show off. I use to do an exercise wrong which made my knees weaker. Alhamdulillaah I didn't do it much at all before a trainer had to correct me, mind you the way I was taught was from a gym worker anyway. So you do have to be careful.

Exactly. All that "showing off" is highschool stuff.

 

[Al-Kashmiri]

No dude, thats a stereotype. Most people go to the gym to get fit....so they can live longer. Looking great just come with the results.

p.s: I don't understand what you meant about psycho therapist. Why would they need to spott you?

I'll just ignore that.

When my brother broke his leg he had to see one who allocated him excercises. He had to go to see her regularly and it was liek a trainer-client relationship. She would correct him and measure his progress, so I don't see what there is to ignore.

It's not a stereotype, it is a reality. I'm not saying it is rife, but its a reality that some go primarily after the looks and not the health benefits. Most people will go for the fitness, the looks achieved being a bonus. But in this world of zinaa and riyaa do you seriously think that people dont go for just that purpose?

 

[Faisal_01]

As a woman, too, I worry about bulking up instead of just toning...and I know if I use to heavy of weights that is what will happen.. I can leg press 160 though!

Diane, you won't bulk up unlesss you intergate you diet into a "gaining weight" diet. If you keep at 1500 calories a day, you'll be fine. Besides when you first start to work out, and you lift heavey weight, you'll burn the fat first because muscle raises metabolism incredibly. The more you have of it, the faster it'll become. So as you start to strengthen up, the fat will just melt right off and you'll start to tone. You won't gain muscle weight unless you like said before, intergate you diet into gaining weight.

 

[dianek]

I wonder if not getting enough calories is what keeps me from losing.....I eat under 1100 per day.......Faisal, what do you think?

 

[Faisal_01]

When my brother broke his leg he had to see one who allocated him excercises. He had to go to see her regularly and it was liek a trainer-client relationship. She would correct him and measure his progress, so I don't see what there is to ignore.

It's not a stereotype, it is a reality. I'm not saying it is rife, but its a reality that some go primarily after the looks and not the health benefits. Most people will go for the fitness, the looks achieved being a bonus. But in this world of zinaa and riyaa do you seriously think that people dont go for just that purpose?

Thats a diffrent cause. I was speaking of when most people go to the gym because they want to loose the weight, it's not because they can look sexy. It's because they finally want to take care of their health. Your example that you gave speaks of physical therapy. Thats diffrent.

And yes I do believe people don't go just for the purpose of zinaa. There are many Muslims who can control themselves. If you have self control then you can do it. Its a matter of personal responsibility.

 

[Faisal_01]

I wonder if not getting enough calories is what keeps me from losing.....I eat under 1100 per day.......Faisal, what do you think?

You are on the right path, but I suggest you taking in 1500 from now on. Calories are used to keep muscle together. The only reason you aren't loosing the weight, is because you are not really burning it, you're storing it and it's building up.

Also watch the amount of sugar and the bad fat you take in like saturated and trans fat. Good sugar like brown sugar is okay. I also suggest watching your carbs. Eat good carbs like whole grain and red potatoes. Cut out the pasta and white bread.

Those are just the basics. Oh and whenever you cook something with oil, use Olive oil. It's incredible.

*Edit* One thing I still do for myself is that I have a small notebook where I write down the amount of calories, fat, sugar, carbs, and dietery fibers I took for each meal. At the end of the day I total them. Since I'm working to building muscle mass and tonning my total for the whole day is usually 2800 calories, 54g of fat, 300g of carbs, 10g of sugar, and 30g of dietery fibers.

When my sister ran track she had the exact total as me except she took in 1500 calories.

I'm giving all of these numbers to give a general idea.

 

[gazkour]

Assalamo alikom sister Dianek,

I have lost 40 kilos from the moment I stopped dieting and started to eat as the Prophet (SAWS)advised us. I actually posted some interesting "diet tips" in the women section, if you want to check them.
Basically counting calories or doing exercise in not the final answer. Don't you notice that since the world is into these things is growing actually bigger and bigger(obese and more obese)?
Now I just exercise because I enjoy it and I know is good for my heart and muscles, but not because I want to loose weight or just burn the calories that are 'stuffed' in my body.
I was always eating what is considered ultra "healthy food" but still I was very heavy.
I think it's very sad that nowadays things like white bread, whole milk, cheese, etc are considered as "bad foods".
At the time of our prophets(SWAS)or even much after (see our grandparents!) there was no this concept neither there was "fat free" stuff and still people were very fit.
I hope you find my tips and that you find sense in them.
May Allah guide us all.