How to spot the difference between opinions and facts in the fitness industry

I want to share with you a simple way to differentiate between opinion and fact in the fitness industry


First I would like to define opinion and fact


An opinion is …

• subjective
• based on emotions
• cannot be confirmed
• inherently biased

A fact is …

• accepted by the majority
• verified by experts
• weighted by information

It makes me angry to think that personal trainers are exposed to opinions delivered as facts by people that use their position, experience and number of clients to justify their opinion.


When I was searching for a solution for my own plantar fasciitis injury, I struggled to differentiate between opinion and fact. I relied on the information I could find from big name gurus in the industry. What I didn’t realise was that these people would often “call to authority” to justify their opinion. To make it more convincing, many of them were saying the same thing, or things that seemed to make sense. “Call to authority” means relying on your own or your guru’s experience, qualifications or status to justify an opinion. Once I became aware of this, I began to notice it everywhere.


I’ll go into the specifics on the research I found on plantar fasciitis in another blog. Needless to say, when I stopped following opinions and started following the research, I had a break through with my recovery. I also had a new process that was not emotionally attached to techniques that I now follow with my clients.


How the industry makes opinion sound like fact.


A simple way to make an opinion sound like fact is to deliver the opinion with a minimum of two facts to support it. Alternatively, begin with the facts and conclude with the opinion. Both are still opinions. You will be surprised how hard it is to find facts without opinion. Here are some examples…


FACT: Fascia is a form of connective tissue that wraps and bundles muscle (MYO) together.
OPINION: Myofascial adhesions can develop through stress, training, overuse, underuse, movements imbalances and injuries.
OPINION: They are essentially points of constant tensioning and addressing them can have a positive effect your workouts.
OPINION: Ignoring them can lead to further dysfunction and may perpetuate and/or cause injury.


How to rate a fact.


In order to rate a fact we look at its relevance and its quality. Here is a list of the things I check to ensure its quality.

• Relevance of author
• Relevance of fact (Paper)
• Whether the statement can be verified (repeat studies)
• Size of study
• Journal quality
• Human study

Summary
In order to check a statement is fact, then look to highlight the opinion and the facts supporting the opinion. Then see if that is a fair reflection of what they meant.
Remember an opinion backed by facts is still an opinion.To truly find the answer to the question then it is better that you use your own skills to find research and facts to come to a conclusion, rather than rely on experts and gurus.


Hopefully this has given you the tools you need to differentiate between opinion and fact.