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There is a very very skinny woman who attends my Pump classes. She lifts very heavy weights, sometimes heavier than me and I'm a male instructor. A while back, she used to ask the other students help her prop up the bar on her upper back before the squat and lunge tracks so obviously she can't even carry that weight. I told the class that is not allowed anymore and she stopped doing that since. She doesn't stop during the breaks. She doesn't do the stretching before the lunges or any of the other stretches. She always comes in late (in the middle of the warmup) and leaves before the cooldown so it doesn't give me any time at all to catch her and talk to her. One time she came in early and I decided to strike up a conversation. I asked her name and she was very curt. She said I won't be able to pronounce it, rolled her eyes, and turned the other way. It is very obvious that she is exercising way too much. She is really pale, very very bone thin, and lifts weights that are too heavy for someone of that body type. I'm very scared she will injure herself. I've already approached our GFM for some advice. She said we can't be sued because all the members signed a waiver releasing gym staff from any liability. But still she is a great distraction in my class and all the other students continually approach me asking me what to do about her. Our GFM believes her obvious health disorder is a matter of privacy so we don't wanna single her out during class and force her to do the stretching and the cooldown. But at the same time I also don't want all the other students in my class to see me as a pushover for letting her get away with this type of behavior. Very recently another pump instructor said she saw her one time throwing up at the back of the class into a plastic cup and one of the students said they saw blood. She attends all of the Pump classes in our gym, every single day, leaving her body no time to recover between classes. Our GFM said there is not much we can do. We can't stop anyone from attending classes they've paid for. I don't know what to do anymore. I've always thought I was a good instructor helping others reach their goal and solve their dilemmas but I think I've reached a stumbling block with this situation. Help!

First off, I want to commend you for caring about your members.  That is wonderful.

 I have had the same problem with two(!!) different members at a club I teach at.  Both members obviously are suffering from eating disorders, exercise anorexia, and/or other ailments.  I too received the same input you are getting from your management, and I too have been rebuffed by the affected members.  I think the best you can do is approach the member and say something to the effect of "Hey, I see you working out a lot.  I hope you are taking some time to rest and treat your body right.  If you ever have any questions or want to talk, I'm here for you."  Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot you can do, but at least you tried to offer your support and help.  Legally you have no ability to force these people to get help or stay away from the club.  You may get rebuffed because you are dealing with someone who doesn't want to admit there is a problem, or maybe they KNOW there is a problem but are embarrassed, scared, and don't know how to stop or want to stop.  The best you can do is try to offer your support, and hope that they come around before it's too late.  

I'm not sure that you CAN (effectively) do anything. With a psych disorder like anorexia, the person just doesn't listen, doesn't believe what anyone else is saying is true, and won't modify their behavior when it's suggested. They need hospitalization and full time medical care. With this young lady, it sounds like she's not far off a major medical event (eg. collapsing in class or breaking a bone), which might mean the start of her treatment.

Does she have a family member or friend at the gym? We had an overexercising teenager at our gym, and luckily her mum also attended classes and was open to the GFM's concerns.

It sounds like your other concern is for the other participants. I wouldn't worry about copycat behavior. Anyone without this disorder would see that she sticks out like a sore thumb, and not in a good way. If the others are putting pressure on you to 'do something about her' (or you feel this pressure yourself from a control or coaching perspective), you could mention to any who approach you on the side that your hands are tied legally.

Meanwhile, how about during each cooldown, you pull out your 'training tip for the day'?  Plan these ahead of time to minimize repetition - consult a PT if you need some suggestions.  The training tip for today could be RECOVERY. Give a mini-lecture during the stretches about the importance of recovery between classes for muscle adaptation.  Other tips could be nutrition, fluid (something more general so she doesn't feel victimized), the post-workout meal, stretching, time under tension etc etc. That way, the rest of the class knows your intentions are good and you're being as professional as you can under these circumstances.

 Good luck!  Difficult situation.

Your GFM, and maybe the GFM's supervisor, should approach the participant and discuss the issue with her.  They would do well to document the discussion for liability reasons despite the waiver.  They will want to do this ASAP.

Worst case scenario:  They may additionally want to consider ending that membership with the facility. 

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Every day is a new life to a wise man.

Sometimes you have to be truthful, even if your afaid it might hurt the feelings of someone. I would probably get it ok'd with my manager, then I'd phone her and ask her to come in for a meeting. I'd give her documented facts or over exercising, and visuals for her to take home.

Just talking with someone who possibly has a disorder like this probably wont do much good. But giving her something to take home, educational material, photos etc... will give her something to look at later.

If you lose her from the class, that might not be a bad thing, there's always the possiblilty she is exercising some place else, but the information given to her might actually help open her eyes.

 tough situation......

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Lona