Finding the Best Trainer for You

Finding a personal trainer is simple, finding the one that's right for you is not quite so easy.  Most would agree that people are as unique and varied as the sands in the oceans.  As humans we all have a great number of similar features and perhaps an even greater number of different features, personalities, sizes, shapes and abilities. 

When it comes to finding the best trainer for you there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

Honestly assess your own personality - What are you like?  What are the things about you that make you stand out from everyone else?  Are you funny?  Maybe you're a serious person.  Are you always late, or are you a stickler for promptness?  Do you put all of your effort into something or do you prefer to do things with less intensity?  These may sound like they have nothing to do with choosing a personal trainer but they do!  Can you imagine a client that is sometimes unorganized and usually 10-15 minutes late being paired with a trainer who is organized and prompt?  Chances are that relationship will be strained.  Or what if someone has a motivated trainer that spends hours developing fitness and meal plans with pin-point accuracy for the client but the client isn't the kind of person who will stick to a stringent plan.  Both of these scenarios happen and both of them end with a dissatisfied client and/or an annoyed personal trainer.

Decided what kind of trainer you want -  Seriously!  Yes, like what grade of gas you want to put in your car or the type of detergent you want to use on your laundry.  What characteristics do you want your trainer to have?  Male or female?  Do you care?  Do you want someone that is very fit, the picture of health and always has been, or do you want someone more average, someone who shares your health and fitness concerns and can relate to your situation?  As you can see, knowing the type of trainer you want is a big factor in finding the right trainer for you.

Know your goals and limitations -  It is important to have a relatively clear idea of what you want to do with your body before you hire a trainer.  Sure, your trainer will help you focus on your goals, but try to develop realistic goals prior to hiring a trainer.  This will help you choose the right one.  Know your limitations.  Do you have arthritis?  Maybe your have a bulging disk in your back or have had a knee replacement.  Any limitation will help you narrow the selection of personal trainers because you need a trainer that is skilled to handle your limitations and is comfortable helping you achieve your goal(s) while simultaneously working on or around your limitations.

The usual stuff-  Beyond the things listed above there are the usual things you can find being discussed in an endless number of articles.  Certifications, degrees, references, insurance and on and on.  The bottom line is anyone with a relatively typical IQ can study and pass any personal training exam.  It may take them two or three times, but they can pass it.  References may be important, but for every good reference there may be twenty bad ones you won't hear about.  Degrees are good too but I have yet to come across one four-year degree that actually teaches a student how to be an outstanding trainer.

When you're looking for a trainer, degrees and certifications hold value for a couple main reasons.  They show you that your trainer has work ethic and critical thinking skills.  They show you that your trainer can develop a plan, work hard to achieve a goal and can follow-through on what they start.  All of these are vital to the personal training process, so instead of worrying about what a trainer's degree is in or what their GPA was, try to find out if this person has a solid work ethic, a professional appreciation for you and your goals and the follow-through to stick with you no matter what hurdles may arise.  Look for a trainer that is a good listener, a good teacher and is naturally enjoyable and motivating to be around.

As a professional that has worked with and developed over 300 personal trainers in dozens of health and fitness clubs over the past decade, I can honestly tell you that what you know about yourself and what you want from your fitness experience is infinitely more valuable than any other factor when it comes to hiring a personal trainer.  Once you know yourself, finding the right trainer is easy.

 

 

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