Update 5/12/20. Good nutrition and personal training go hand-in-hand, but what about supplements? Should personal trainers recommend supplements to their clients? I know many do this, but I advise caution. To illustrate my reason for saying this, I would like to tell you about the most notorious personal trainer/supplement incident of all time. This is the horrible and sad, yet true story, you've probably never heard before. You must hear it, however, if you decide to sell or recommend supplements to people.
The Story You've Never Heard About
The story begins in New York City in 1998 when fashion designer Anne Marie Capati joined Crunch Fitness, a well-known health club chain. One of her goals—as was related in this New York Times article—was to lose a few pounds. She was also dealing with some high blood pressure.
Like many people, Anne Marie also hired a personal trainer who, along with the usual fitness instruction, also allegedly advised that she start taking some supplements.
According to a People Magazine story on the incident, the supplements recommended by the personal trainer—who was aware of her high blood pressure—were:
- Thermadrene (which can raise blood pressure)
- Yohimbe (which can raise blood pressure)
- Essential fatty acids (which do nothing for weight loss)
- Lean Body Shake (a protein shake)
- Whey Fuel (fancy name for a protein supplement)
Note. Thermadrene, at the time, contained the herb ephedra, which raises blood pressure and heart rate. When combined with all the other stimulants in the product—as well as Yohimbe—the blood-pressure-raising effect was likely magnified. Thermadine no longer contains ephedra.
According to the New York Times, the personal trainer—who knew about her high blood pressure—accompanied Mrs Capati to Vitamin Shoppe to get the supplements, which she took—per the instructions of her personal trainer— for about 3 months.
On the morning of October 1st, 1998 Anne Marie Capati collapsed in the gym while working out. She was rushed to the hospital—where she died later that night —from the stroke that she suffered.
Anne Marie Capati was 36 years old, was married, and had two young children.
Personal Trainer Legal Bible
She was already dealing with high blood pressure. It is very likely that the supplements prescribed by the personal trainer, at the very 
After her death:
- the personal trainer
- Crunch Fitness
- Vitamin Shoppe
- and the makers of the 5 dietary supplements
were collectively sued for $320 million.
Let me say that again—The PERSONAL TRAINER was sued because of the supplements HE recommended she take.
So Can You Be Sued?
You—as a personal trainer—can be sued if you recommend dietary supplements to your clients and anything bad happens. This is a fact most people never consider when they decide to become involved with supplements. This can happen whether you are a trainer working at a gym or if you are a self-employed personal trainer.
There is no liability waiver and no personal trainer insurance that will protect you. In fact, personal trainer liability insurance policies may even say up front that if you are sued because of dietary supplement recommendations, they will not help you.
Does Your Certification Protect You?
No, it doesn't. In the story above the trainer was a “certified.” But, why didn't he know that stimulants—like ephedra and Yohimbe— are contraindicated in those with high blood pressure? One reason might be that fitness certifications often address exercise only.
As far as I can tell, this fitness trainer had no college education in nutrition, supplements, pharmacology or any other knowledge that would have helped him sort through the complex world of supplements and health problems.
This is also true for many personal trainers.
Some mistakingly assume that if something is sold in a health food store or through the internet that it has to be safe. Not necessarily so, as this story sadly illustrates.
Personal Trainer Supplement Tips
The world of supplements can be complicated. I've spent over 20 years investigating supplements. That said, let me offer you these simple tips to help you avoid mistakes when you deal with dietary supplements:
- Natural does not always mean safe for everybody
- Natural does not mean “has no side effects“
- Don't recommend stimulants /fat burners to clients
- If the product name includes the words Lipo, Phen, Burn, it likely contains stimulants
- Supplements CAN interact with medications
- Don't recommend herbs as they can have many side effects
- If the product is printed in a foreign language, avoid that product
- If the company address is the same as the Post Officer, avoid the company
See my Supplement Clarity website for unbiased reviews and info on many companies.
Something else to keep in mind is in many US states, ANYBODY can call themselves a “nutritionist.” This is one of those warm, fuzzy terms that usually has no legal definition. That's why you see so many people using this term. Don't assume all personal trainers know about supplements. Many don't. I train personal trainers. I can attest to this.
As a personal trainer, you likely know about exercise and how to design exercise programs. But, most personal trainers have very little—if any—training in the safe use of dietary supplements or nutrition.
So How Did The Court Case End Up?
As I understand it, the $320 million lawsuit was eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money. I don't know what happened to that personal trainer or even if he is still in the fitness business. I've chosen not to mention his name because it would do no good and ultimately, I'm a believer in redemption.
I believe if our mistakes define who we were, then what we do because of those mistakes define who we are. His mistake all those years ago will haunt him for the rest of his life and that is a heavy cross to bear. I don't wish that burden on anybody.
Closing Thoughts
Selling supplements is a way to earn extra income for some trainers, however, you have to be very careful. Not all supplements are safe for everybody.
This is one reason why I created Supplement Clarity.
My hope is personal trainers and group fitness instructors read these words and make a decision right now to either refrain from selling or recommending supplements or seek more education to help them if they do. If you want to know more about nutrition and supplements, here are resources that I recommend:
I never knew Mrs. Capati or her family, but I do think about them from time to time. What happened to her did not have to occur. I just don't want history to repeat itself.
So glad I found this!!! I’m a massage therapist so exercise and nutrition advice is out of my scope of practice. I started training with a PT a few months ago and paid 6 months up front. She’s been pushing supplements on me the entire time and it’s really gotten me angry. Once she even mentioned essential oils and that outraged me, that is something I have specialized training in so that ended real quick. I was recently put on a medication short term and I got the “I know a supplement that can..”. No! I also have a bit of pharmacology training to know what you are recommending is completely opposite of what the drug my doc prescribed me is trying to accomplish. am so looking forward to this final month if training to be done with her!
Hi P-Off MT, glad you found my words helpful. Please show it to your personal trainer so she understands what she is doing. Do you know who she is certified by? Im always curious about this because some fitness organizations have policies about recommending supplements.
Is there something I can do to report a personal trainer who is recommending supplements? She gives food advice on her personal website without being a registered dietician. When people ask food related questions, she fails to note that she is ONLY certified to teach people how to exercise properly.
She also began using digestive enzymes (because of her excessive protein amounts), and the way she worded it, people on her page are under the belief that they should take them to flatten their abs.
She was also advising people to limit fruit for shrinking their abs. She claims that she determines her clients macros. I reported her to her boss at the gym she works at. Her boss gave her my personal information and now she is stalking my email telling me that she knows what she is doing and threatening that me trying to turn her in will result in her pressing stalking charges against me. What can I do?
Hi Tasha, A lot of what she says likely comes under the heading of freedom of speech although if you know what organization certified this personal trainer and reached out to them, they might have policies in place about trainers who do nutrition counseling who have no nutrition certification.
While I’m not lawyer or police officer, I dont think it’s “stalking” to express your opinions on this matter.
I’m actually quite surprised that the gym boss gave the trainer your personal information. If this were me, I’d go back to that boss and express your outrage at how he/she violated your privacy by divulging your information to the trainer. Tell the boss at how the trainer is now harassing and threatening you and that because of this,you want to to “file an incident report” -and use exact those words. All gyms have incident reports that are in place to record out of the ordinary incidents. They are usually located at the front desk of the gym or in the personal trainer office or with the gym manager.
Write down exactly what happened including what the boss did. if you have any witnesses to the event write that down also. Make sure that you also have them make a copy of the report for your records.
If this is a big box chain gym, I’d also contact the corporate office and inform them what happened and that you have completed an incident report – and have a personal copy of it too.
The gym needs to take actions such that the trainer does not harass you anymore. You should not feel violated for expressing your feelings on this matter.
I dont know if any of this will help Tasha. I share your frustration. Ultimately I think the trainer will probably keep doing what she has been doing. My main goal is that I dont want you to feel threatened by this personal trainer. I also want you to take steps to protect yourself just in case this person is a kook.
I hope you will let me know what happens.
Funny you cite this. I joined Crunch for a month and I had one free session with a personal trainer. Midway through our session he tries to sell me on supplements. I was about to end our session right there, but stuck around because he knew his exercise. But he knows nothing about my medical history as well as my firm belief that most supplements are snake oil at best and harmful at worst. I have a feeling they get a kick back. I will not be extending my membership.
Tim, amazing! Maybe Crunch Fitness needs to remind their personal trainers what happened. I’m sure most of them have no clue what happened. Yes personal trainers sometimes sell supplements on the side. Its very sad.
I guess trainer should not recommend any medicine or supplements. This should be done by doctors since they know properly which medicine are good for the person.
Thank you for posting this article. I wish more personal trainers would read this article. I hired one recently and that was the first thing she tried to push on me her mlm business/supplements..
MM, Im glad to help, feel free to pass it along to your personal trainers. Shocking your trainer would try to sell you on their MLM supplement business during the interview! That’s definitely a first I’ve heard of this!
I’ve trained with a few strength and conditioning coaches (all are CSCS if that makes a difference) for almost 10 years. I am a competitive athlete and was nationally ranked in my sport. None of my trainers had ever offered any advice on supplements but instead worked with me on achieving the ideal meal plan for performance with real food.
Yes, I do use supplements, primarily protein shakes, and it’s because it is convenient during times when I need to eat but cannot have a full meal. Ironically, the only trainer who tried to sell me on supplements was some kid at a local national chain gym.
I found it rather disturbing that he knows nothing about me, my training, or my health other than who I am and what my sport is – to be telling me what I need to put in my body to be a winner!
I later found out that the trainers have a sales quota they need to meet every month at that club. I think it is rather irresponsible for the health club to be mandating the sales of supplements and to expose themselves and their employees to unnecessary risks.
Amy, I could not agree more. Most dont know they are in a LOT of trouble if they recommend things that hurt people.
I went to a personal trainer for a while that I really enjoyed working out with but I was really turned off by his constant insistence that I start taking all of these different supplements, order colon cleansers, and sign up for monthly body wraps. I flat-out refused, I just wanted him to help me work while I worked on improving my dietary habits. I guess I did the right thing by walking away, but I have yet to find another trainer in my price range that can offer me a really good workout.
Wendy, I think you did the right thing. based on the stuff you mentioned, that personal trainer didnt know anything about nutrition. If you are looking for a personal trainer a copule of places where you can try to find them in your area are at these sites (both are free for you) PATrainer.com and The Personal Trainer Listing Service
you can enter in your state or zip code and find the trainers in your area and email them. then you can get an idea of who is in your price range. you can even check out their websites if they have one. Again, both of these are free for you to do.
I hope that helps some Wendy.
I had never heard of that ‘most notorious personal trainer / supplement incident of all time,’ prior to reading this post, Joe. It’s taken me aback a little but I appreciate you being bold enough to highlight it.
It makes a lot of sense now, particularly having read that,’ why my trusted personal training that I’ve had for the past 3 – 4 years has always, despite my insistence, has simply, flat-out refused to offer any specific supplements to me for purchase. I always nag him and his stock-standard response is, “I’m your trainer, BJ, not your doctor. I’ve got no idea what you can and can’t take and won’t put either of us in that type of position.”
It seems like Craig is a lot more shrewd that I gave him credit for…
Yes it really is the story most people have never heard of and its too bad. I make it a point to tell it in classes I teach.
Yes sounds like your trainer is pretty smart 🙂
/disagree with your essential fatty acids approach. The body requires fat to burn fat.
If youre not eating a little grease, your body hangs onto what little it has in a starvation state.
ghostbear, not sure what post your talking about. this post is not about fatty acids.
Hey Joe, I just had a client whip out 2 bottles of some supplements she bought & asked what I thought. I asked what her doctor thought about her taking those supplements -she didn’t ask him! I said well, don’t ask me either – I don’t recommend any supplements!
Diane, thats pretty ironic! Do you remember what the name of the products were?
Joe,
Thanks for the article. Where does something like “Juice Plus” or one of the distributor sold products like “Shakeology” fit in with this discussion? I would think most distributors are not RDs or medical professionals and could run into problems recommending products they sell. Of course, Juice Plus does not make medical claims but has the peer-reviewed research, as we both know.
HI Judy, Juice Plus is interesting and I’d think is less problematic because it comes from food and has no stimulants.
Aside from some case studies I noted when I wrote my review of Juice Plus https://supplementclarity.com/juice-plus-review-of-research/
I dont see much problems with it -esp for healthy people – however since it has vegetables -which contain vitamin K – I wonder what impact juice plus might have with blood thinner medications. Vitamin K can reduce how well blood thinner meds work. I have not seen anything in the medical literature to substantiate this but its something to ask your doctor/pharmacist about.
Hey Judy,
I’m also a Personal Trainer and have a BS in Wellness……. I’m a huge advocate of Juice Plus and distributor for the last 9 months. I had a very severe GI problems when I started JP, like IBS and an esophageal disorder, where I had difficulty swallowing food. I lost 30 lbs of muscle and had awful stomach pain….. I gained back all the muscle, no stomach pain, and the swallowing issues are much better. I haven’t gotten sick or even a cold in the last 9 months. Check out my website and email me for further questions. Thanks.
People sell different junk all of the time, especially those MLM distributor types. They have a supplement if you have the money. I am sorry that the client died. However, I think she had some responsibility to research the supplements that were being recommended. Just like when a doctor prescribes something. You don’t just take it blindly, you read the warning regarding side effects etc. Perhaps it was a combination of wanting to lose weight so bad that she’d try anything and an unscrupulous trainer who took advantage of this. Thanks for presenting this case. You won’t catch me recommending supplements except for vitamins.
Christallan, it’s an interesting point you make. I think people in general believe that personal trainers – because they are personal trainers – automatically know about supplements. They blindly accept what trainers say as gospel, which can be a mistake when it comes to supplements and sometimes even nutrition. This case happened almost at the dawn of the internet. My hope is that if a similar instance happened today, that people would be wise enough to hop on the web and research the products.
How can you honestly recommend vitamins? The peer reviewed literature from JAMA, Lancet, etc show no significant benefits from multivitamin use. While the recent JAMA 2011 study showed an increase in risk in disease amongst older women. Since Flintsone chewables, it seems people take multivitamins blindly thinking they make up for our deficient diets. The purported benefits come when the vitamin is ingested in food form, not as an isolated pill. The multivitamin industry is perhaps the biggest health hoax of all time.
You may also be interested my other site: SupplementClarity.com
I have been a instructor/trainer for over 25 years and the most valuable thing I have learned is what I don’t know. I have learned to define my boundaries very tightly and stay creative and exciting within those lines. If I encounter anything outside of those lines, I yield to the authority and wisdom of professionals in that particular field and allow them to guide me with my client. That applies to physical therapy, pain management, nutrition, rehab after injury or disease, etc….
Thanks for writing this, Joe!! You’re keeping us all on our toes and I thank you for it!
Thanks Carrie, I appreciate you saying that. This is a story I usually tell in classes I teach and I’ve wanted to mention it here for a long time because so few people seem to remember it. BTW, I like that email address of yours 😉
Dwayne, Thanks for the opportunity to do the audio interview! It was a lot of fun! Personal trainers, Do listen to this – we cover a LOT of stuff!