We could spend hours discussing how there are some days when you really, I mean really, don’t want to go to the gym. Sure we may fuss about taking the time to get up and actually get it done, or maybe we have something else that is placed pretty high up on our agenda. Whatever the reasoning, rest assured that there are times when our hesitation is a legitimate one.

If you’re someone who feels bad about telling your personal trainer, or someone who you train with, that you simply cannot do certain exercises, rest assured that’s it’s ok. It may seem like a struggle, but if you’re doing something that endangers your safety, then by all means, express yourself!

Here are three ways to tell your trainer, “no,” you just can’t complete those set of reps, without feeling ashamed:

Health Problems

If you’re someone who has suffered from health problems in the past. For example if you’ve had a heart attack or maybe suffer from asthma, be sure to let your trainer know this in advance – not right before he or she is telling you to do get on a treadmill and run at an incline for 30 minutes. You want to make sure that  the workouts that you’re doing are safe. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you may be so short of breath, that you’re hauled right back off to the hospital.