Back injury from 70kg barbell blamed on trainer

A client of one of Novosibirsk«s fitness clubs accused her trainer of seriously injuring her back during personal training sessions. The athlete claims that the instructor left her alone with heavy equipment and did not monitor her technique. As a result, the woman required medical help, and the trainer did not inquire about her condition. What the instructor himself says and how to proceed in such cases according to a lawyer — in the NGS material.

“I wasn’t working my glutes, I was working on a hernia”

Novosibirsk resident Alexandra (name changed) shared her story on social media. The Siberian woman trained with instructor Alexey (name also changed) for about five months, and the trainer seemed like a professional to her. His online profile listed sports achievements and that he could work with heavy equipment.

“When I started training with this person, I said that female health and my back were extremely important to me. I didn’t want to injure anything,” the woman recalled in a video. “To which he said: ‘Yes, of course, we won’t injure anything, I have sensible training, everything will be super.’”

After a month of sessions, the instructor suggested performing the deadlift exercise with a weight of 73 kg (161 lb), stating that Alexandra could lift that much. During the workouts, the trainer periodically stepped away for breaks.

“He argued that my technique was already perfect and he could leave me to perform the exercise on my own,” the woman said. “But it turned out that my technique was far from ideal. After the exercise ended, I felt my lower back intensely. There was some kind of crunch when the barbell fell, and I got very scared.”

The deadlift is an exercise in strength sports. During it, a person lifts a weight, most often a barbell, from the floor with both hands.

Alexey reassured Alexandra by saying the weight was not heavy. They continued training, but in subsequent sessions, the woman also “felt” her lower back.

“I had fairly rapid progress in weights. For example, my trainer could give me 20 kg (44 lb) dumbbells for Bulgarian split squats. I wasn’t working my glutes, I was working on a hernia,” said Alexandra. “For instance, a hip thrust with 150 kg (330 lb), leg press up to 170 kg (375 lb) — not bad for someone who’s been training for about three months.”

During one training session, the woman felt a crunch in her lower back, complained to the trainer again, and went to the gym’s stairwell in tears. Alexandra asked why certain weights were used in the sessions, to which the instructor replied: “It’s necessary.”

“I came to the gym as a completely healthy person who wasn’t bothered by such sharp pains. I made an appointment with an osteopath specialist, and he told me that it actually looks like hernias,” explained Alexandra.

The Siberian woman stopped training for a month, but later she was outraged that the trainer did not ask about the condition of her back and instead requested payment for several months in advance.

“As far as I remember, there were problems in her personal life”

NGS tried to contact the woman and the trainer, but both ignored the messages. After some time, the instructor himself posted a video responding to the client’s accusations.

He said that at the start of the sessions, he asked about the woman’s old injuries and found out she had issues with her sciatic nerve and spine. But there was no clear answer from the girl about damages.

“In the video, the girl claims that she wasn’t working her glutes but a hernia due to incorrect technique. The foundation of incorrect technique is based on the opinion of another trainer,” the man said.

The instructor explained why heavy equipment was used during the deadlift. According to him, he and Alexandra decided to “go a bit higher” based on good technique and ease in lifting the barbell with lower weight.

He also admitted that there were times when the girl was left alone. However, the reason for this was, in part, the athlete’s lack of a standardized schedule.

“Overall, we tried to get out of the situation and find a common compromise. All my clients train in mini-groups, and at that time I could have had other people who also needed attention,” the trainer said.

He also commented on the girl’s statement about discomfort in the lower back area. The trainer claimed that when asked clarifying questions about the type of pain, the client replied that it was most likely muscular.

“After the lunges, the girl started to tear up — for me, such a reaction is abnormal. I sent her to the stairwell to settle this moment and talk, to find out what was going on. No one told me anything about a crunch in the lower back,” the man asserted. “In response, I only heard that the training wasn’t going well, the working weight felt heavier, and, as far as I remember, there were problems in her personal life.”

After that, the parties decided to reduce the weight of the equipment so the girl’s body wouldn’t experience extra stress. He stated that he did not discourage the client from seeing a doctor and was actually in favor of it.

Alexey added that he left the gym where he trained Alexandra, but he did not specify the reasons for this decision. Later, Alexandra released a new video and said that she had previously done track and field and indeed had a problem with her sciatic nerve.

“And how a problem that was resolved in 2018 is connected to newly formed protrusions, I don’t understand,” the girl wondered.

According to the Siberian woman, she also had no difficulties in her personal life, as Alexey mentioned. The girl clarified that the injury story has been ongoing since July — now she is undergoing rehabilitation and has been allowed to resume training.

Opinion of a world bodyfitting champion

An NGS correspondent also offered to show the video of the girl’s training to world bodyfitting champion Daria Manuilenkova. She reported that the technique for the deadlift was indeed flawed, but there were “several nuances.”

“The situation needs to be considered considering the initial data: the girl came for ‘heavy weights’ even though she emphasized female health and her back. By the way, these are the most common requests for strength ‘heavy’ training,” the champion explained.

The expert made several assumptions that could be considered in the conflict between the trainer and the client. For instance, the girl might have known about possible contraindications due to her previously sore back but, based on the trainer’s experience, considered it an insignificant factor.

It can also be assumed that with little training experience, the client asked to be allowed to use more weight, and the trainer gave in, the athlete added.

“Hence the trainer’s attention to the client: a beginner requires more close attention, while a already trained client with good exercise technique should be at least in the trainer’s line of sight,” explained Daria Manuilenkova.

She added that when watching the Siberian woman’s video, one can notice that the trainer lingers by the barbell before the exercise. She allowed that the instructor might have been pointing out the technique, and the girl hurried with the execution.

“The deadlift indeed develops legs and glutes, and the first movement in this exercise is performed by them. The client claims otherwise, so the trainer needed to explain this more clearly to the client,” the athlete added. “The client’s misunderstanding of the trainer’s words also explains the instructor’s terseness and his ‘It’s necessary.’”

The deadlift is an exercise that beginners need to be prepared for. If a person has a strengthened muscle corset, instruction and supervision by the trainer will suffice, clarified Daria Manuilenkova. She added that training is the responsibility of both participants, and with any pain, it’s better to stop immediately and consult a specialist.

“The trainer’s task is to create a safe plan considering the client’s fitness level and requests. The client must clearly follow recommendations, not rush, and not perform heavy exercises in the trainer’s absence,” the champion stated.

What a lawyer says about the situation

As explained to NGS by Margarita Raspopina, general director of the company “Civil Legal Company,” the relationship between the victim and the fitness club is regulated by the law “On Protection of Consumer Rights.” It states that the gym must provide services that correspond to safety for life and health.

According to the lawyer, after receiving an injury, it must be recorded at a medical institution. But who exactly should compensate for the harm is determined by the contract.

“If the contract was concluded with the fitness club, and a personal trainer is provided by it, in this case the club will be responsible for compensating the harm that was received as a result of the injury. The trainer will be personally liable for the caused harm only if the contract was concluded personally with him,” explained Margarita Raspopina.

By law, harm to the client’s health must be compensated if it was caused during the term of the contract.

“If despite the mandatory nature of this under Russian Federation legislation, the corresponding terms are not established or they are not communicated to the consumer in proper form, or he is not informed about the actions that need to be taken after the service life to avoid negative consequences, the harm is compensated regardless of the period that has passed since the date of the contract,” she explained.

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In the summer, NGS published a selection of simple exercises for home workouts. Details in a separate material.