I (20M) recently joined a weightlifting club in my college. I don’t have much personal experience working out but I have a friend who does, so when we were given a structured program to follow I showed him it and he told me it was garbage and that they were just preying on people who didn’t know better. Unsure what to make of this, I posted the plan on a fitness discussion board anonymously to get a third perspective.
The next class I went to, however, I was immediately singled out by the PT who leads the class (apparently they could see who had opened the document and I was the only one who had done so before the post was made) who had somehow found the post. I won’t exaggerate and say they explicitly shouted at me or anything, but I did receive a bit of a “telling off” in front of a class of people I had only just met. Apparently what I did was disrespectful. I knew it would look a little shady if I got caught talking about the plan behind the clubs back, but I didn’t think it would be traced back to myself, the college, or the PT and meant no harm by it, I just wanted another perspective, not to badmouth anyone in particular. As it turns out, however, what I thought was a very basic title for the program (which I had included in my post) is apparently branding specific to that PT and in posting that I was tarnishing their reputation. The feedback for the plan on the discussion board was mostly negative, so I understand how that would affect his reputation, but I myself said nothing negative, I just put it out there and let it be critiqued. AITA? I feel like what I did might have been stupid but I don’t think I deserved being humiliated in front of all those strangers for it. I don’t plan on returning to that class again after what happened regardless, and it’s pretty discouraging that as soon as I tried to get in shape I was humiliated for my lack of knowledge.
NTA. If you weren’t supposed to share the plan the PT should have told you that.
Absolutely! This is the same as sharing wages it only pisses off management or in this case PT’s. If they had a quality program they wouldn’t be upset bc they’d have glowing reviews
YTA
> I know it was a little shady but I didn’t think it would be traced back to myself
So… you were aware that you were about to engage in AssHolery, but expected anonymity to protect you.
If you don’t want to be an Ass Hole, even when anonymous, act in ways that line up with your values.
Since you now know the program is garbage, maybe look for a different club.
NTA at all for sharing with your friend, but posting it online wasn’t right. Either way, with the program being crap and the public telling off in front of the entire roster, I’d just drop the club.
NTA
Were you told that you should not share the plan with others as a condition of receiving it? If not, why should you not seek advice on it? It seems the advice you have received is that it is a shit plan so who gives a fuck if this PT is pissed off that you found out he is not good at his job?
Remember you are a customer there by choice. You do not have to protect the person you are buying a service off’s reputation if they provide you with a poor service.
NTA, is the PT mad that you shared his training plan or is he mad that it got the response it did? Would he be that mad if people thought it was a good plan? If I’m paying a trainer for a plan, I expect it to be good. The quality of his plan is what will tarnish his reputation, not that it was shared.
NTA
I don’t think it was shady to share the plan asking for feedback. If you were trying to sell it, or share it for the purposes of letting a friend use it without paying for it, then yes that would be shady.
NTA
If I understand correctly, you didn’t comment on the training plan yourself. You just asked others for their opinions of the plan. Unless you’ve omitted something, this seems like a clear NTA. The trainer was out of line when he berated you.
ESH. Trainer should have spoken to you privately. However, the reason coaches and trainers don’t want their plans or methods shared isn’t necessarily about negative reviews, it’s also because you’re giving away their work – work they charge for to make a living – for free.
“I knew it would look shady.” “I didn’t think it could be traced to me.” You clearly knew, and then the trainer made a specific point of telling the whole group not to do that. You didn’t get yelled at, but you were held as an example of what NOT to do.
YTA. They’ll get over it, but don’t do it again.
Hmm bad vibes from this program if it sucks so bad that their reputation is tarnished by people … knowing about their program?? Their work is so shoddy that they can only sell it to complete new individuals and they blame the customer because their work sucks so bad it gets roasted by the public if the public has access to it?
NTA – nobody even wants to steal it because it sucks? I’d say OP is an A if they took confidential info and spread it for people to steal but from the sounds of it the PT sucks A.
YTA
>I knew it would look a little shady if I got caught talking about the plan behind the clubs back, but I didn’t think it would be traced back to myself, the college, or the PT
You knew it was wrong.
>don’t plan on returning to that class again after what happened regardless, and it’s pretty discouraging that as soon as I tried to get in shape I was humiliated for my lack of knowledge.
You did a rude thing and are now playing victim. You weren’t humiliated for your lack of knowledge, you were called out for what you did.
You knew this was wrong, did it anyways, and are now playing victim from social consequences of your own action (that you knew was wrong). I don’t think you’ve learned anything here.
ESH. I think the main thing you did wrong was share the document in its entirety, title and all. You should have just pasted the plan itself so there was nothing identifying to the trainer. But I don’t think you were wrong for seeking feedback, and it’s weird that people think you were. Unless weightlifting culture has some weird “Don’t talk about fight club” thing that I’m just not aware of?
But the trainer was more of an AH for the way he handled it. If the plan was proprietary, it should say that on the document and be stated when it’s handed out. He also should have spoken with you privately or made a *general* announcement to the group. Public shaming is rarely the right call.