What to Look For in a Personal Trainer

Part of the reason I wanted to become a personal trainer was because I had always wanted one for myself. The idea of having someone push me to my limit, motivate me when I couldn’t motivate myself, and keep track of my progress, seemed like a necessary luxury. Could I live without one? Yes. Did I want to live without one? No.

I could never afford a personal trainer though, so I became my own. I would set goals for myself, talk to myself when I felt I couldn’t push any harder, take my own measurements and record my own exercises. But this is a very time consuming process, and not everyone has the desire to dedicate this much time their fitness regiment. In addition to time consumption, knowing what exercises to do and how to do them is a whole other obstacle. Is it possible to achieve the body you have always wanted without a trainer? Simply put, yes. If you have the drive, dedication, motivation, persistence and knowledge, you can achieve anything, but it will not be easy. Personal trainers exist to be your companion on this journey to health and fitness. I am there to hold my clients accountable, to motivate them, to let them know when they could be doing more, to help them lift that extra weight, run that extra mile or take that rest day and remind them to be gentle with themselves.

Knowing that personal training is a luxury, and one that does not come with a small price tag, I am extremely conscious of being the best personal trainer I possibly can. I have subscriptions to five different health magazines, read the latest studies in sports medicine, and test everything out on myself before recommending anything to a client. It truly aggravates me when I hear or see clients who are not getting their money’s worth. When you are hiring a personal trainer make sure they meet all of your criteria, and if they do not find someone else because this is the least they should do for you, their client. If you do not know what a personal trainer should be doing for you, I have listed the very least below:

All personal trainers should:

• Be CPR/AED certified
• Take your measurements if you are looking to alter body composition (waist, hips, thighs, arms, neck, chest)
• Conduct a Physical Assessment before any exercise program begins (push-up test, squat test, cardiovascular assessment etc.)
• Record your workouts (reps, sets, weight, time, rests, etc)
• Constantly set achievable but challenging goals
• Make sure you are properly warmed-up before strenuous activity begins
• Always monitor your form and technique
• Motivate, support and encourage you

Communication is KEY:

Building a good relationship with your trainer is extremely important.  Communication is key to getting the best and most enjoyable workout you possibly can. Your trainer will not know if you hate jumping jacks if you do not tell them. Let them know your likes and dislikes when it comes to workouts, you may not ALWAYS get to do what you like BUT you can make sure there is a good balance. Always let your trainer know if you have any health issues or when you are feeling any sort of pain or discomfort. Whining about being pooped-out is one thing, but pain is something entirely different. DO NOT ignore the signs your body is giving you that something is wrong.

Those are all the tips I have for now. I hope that if you are considering using a personal trainer in the near future, that this article helped give you an idea of what to look for. If you have any questions about personal training or my technique, please feel free to contact me.