In the United States, fitness is a thriving and highly competitive industry. Therefore, finding a personal trainer is not difficult. But, finding a personal trainer whose training and areas of specialization soothe your particular fitness goals and health needs is a monumental task.
The following is a list of factors to look for and consider when deciding to hire a personal trainer:
Set Fitness Goals
Setting concrete, clear and attainable fitness goals is the first step towards good health.
For example, “I want to be skinny” is not a concrete, clear and attainable fitness goal. “I want to lose 10 pounds of fat, gain 5 pounds of lean muscle mass, reduce my waist size by 3″ and be able to play a game of golf without being exhausted” is a concrete, clear and attainable fitness goal.
It is imperative that you first set a clear set of fitness goals for yourself before starting to look for a personal trainer to help you attain those goals. That is because it is impossible for any given trainer to help you attain fitness goals that are not clear.
Personal Training Certification/Areas of Specialization
Not all certification programs are created equal! Complicating matters further is the fact that today, in the United States, there are over 400 organizations offering a dizzying array of certifications to fitness enthusiasts looking to start a career in health and fitness.
Therefore, it is imperative that you first research the different types of certification programs in order to understand the specifics of their training programs. Only then will you be able to decide whether or not a given personal trainer is properly trained to handle your specific fitness goals and needs.
Sound like a daunting task? Well, the good news is that we have done this research for you. The article Does Your Personal Trainer Possess Proper Certification? lists the top 6 accredited fitness organizations and the types of certificates they offer.
Professional Liability Insurance
Accidents happen. Liability insurance is designed to cover your costs should an accident occur. For example, if during a weight training session you drop a dumbbell on your foot and fracture a bone the trainer’s liability insurance will only cover your immediate medical costs. Trainers who are employed by health clubs are covered through their employing agencies, which may or may not be that particular health club. The main purpose of this type of insurance is to give you and your personal trainer peace of mind. The presence of this insurance does not bar you or your trainer from using common sense and following basic safely guidelines.
Business Policies
Hiring a personal trainer to help you meet your fitness goals is an exciting venture. It is also a business transaction that must be approached with caution. All reputable personal trainers will provide their potential clients with a written copy of their business policies. Please read these terms carefully and be sure that you fully understand what they entail before signing the contract and entering into that business relationship. For example, some personal trainers may charge you a cancellation fee if you cancel a scheduled session less than 24 hours before the session. This is a perfectly legal practice if it is clearly stated in the contract.
Professional Portfolio/Character References
All reputable fitness professionals strive to build and maintain a professional portfolio that also serves as their source of references. These portfolios will often contain before-and-after pictures of satisfied customers as well as client testimonials.
Seeing a trainer’s portfolio will give you an idea as to the different types of clients he/she is most experienced in handling. Likewise, oftentimes trainers will ask certain clients to serve as references. Be sure to ask to speak to these previous clients.
Affordability
Most personal trainers are savvy business owners who take their clients’ budgetary concerns into account when designing various fitness plans. This means that most personal trainers offer a variety of services that fit a variety of price ranges.Therefore, there is no reason for you to hire a personal trainer whose rates you do not find affordable.
Sex
It is absolutely impossible for a personal trainer to properly train a client without coming into some form of physical contact with that client. Therefore, you must keep the sex of the trainer in mind when deciding whether a particular personal trainer is right for you.
This is a problem almost all male personal trainers encounter at some point during the course of their careers. This is because often female clients choose to hire male personal trainers based on the assumption that male personal trainers will be “harder on them”, thus getting them in shape fast; whereas a female trainer will “go easy” on them.
Of course, this is a false assumption. In fact, during the course of my career I have seen many instances in which male personal trainers have underestimated the strength of their female clients and thus not pushed them as hard as they should have been pushed. Worst yet, often when female clients hire male personal trainers, without fully realizing what a personal training session entails, they begin to feel self conscious around their male personal trainer which in turn leads to tense and unproductive sessions.
Therefore, it is imperative that you first assess your level of comfort when it comes to touch. If you decide that you are not comfortable being touched by anyone, including members of your own sex, than I highly recommend you seek a personal trainer who offers online personal training services. Online personal training services give you all of the benefits of having a live personal trainer without the person-to-person interaction.
Compatibility
Do you and the person you are considering to hire as your personal trainer have anything in common? Are the two of you able to relate to each other? These are two very important factors that you must consider before hiring an individual to guide you through this journey.
What You Should Expect From Your Personal Fitness Trainer
Body Analysis Report
- A Week-By-Week Fitness Plan Designed Specifically To Meet Your Fitness Goals
- Nutritional Analysis: This is an analysis of your daily calorie needs and not a diet plan.
- Weekly Progress Report Showing Results: This report includes your weekly measurements
Download Our PDF Sample Body Analysis Report
Fitness Motivation
Your personal trainer should be a supportive friend and a constant source of motivation to you.
Your personal trainer should motivate you through her:
- Speech- There are times in all of our lives when we gain weight or, due to various factors, become out of shape. This fact also applies to personal trainers. Therefore, under no circumstances should you tolerate a personal trainer who belittles you or criticizes the life choices that have led you into your present situation.
- Actions- Instead of ordering you to perform certain tasks your personal trainer should teach you to perform those tasks safely and in a way that is effective for you. For example, instead of telling you to do 5 reps of arm curls, using a set of 10lb dumbbells, your personal trainer should demonstrate the exercise for you and stay by your side to make sure you maintain proper form throughout the workout.
- Appearance- Whether we like to admit it or not, we are just as motivated by our personal trainers’ appearance as we are by their words and actions. Therefore, it is important that you hire a personal trainer whose appearance motivates you. For example, if you are a male who is looking to gain 30+ pounds of lean muscle mass do not hire a personal trainer who you do not feel is in great shape.
Accountability
Your personal trainer should hold you accountable for your own actions. This means that your personal trainer is responsible for constantly reminding you to stick to your fitness goals and not allowing you to slide back into your previous unhealthy routine.
Your personal trainer should also hold herself accountable to you. The bottom line: you must see results.
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August 6, 2010 at 10:55 PM
comprehensive article very informative.