Choosing the Right Personal Fitness Trainer
At first, the task of finding a personal fitness trainer to satisfy your fitness goals may seem daunting. Today it seems that personal trainers are a dime-a dozen, and unfortunately they often are. In addition, given that the personal fitness training field is largely unregulated by any governing agency, many smooth-talking, but less than competent personal fitness trainers have successfully parted their clientele of their hard-earned money with little return in results. Whether your goal is weight-loss, bodybuilding, or simply training for general health and fitness, the best fitness trainers out there are highly trained and more than competent to service the diverse fitness goals of their clientele.
There are several criteria that you should consider when shopping for a personal fitness trainer:
1. Physique:
* this is not to say that if the personal trainer is a competitive bodybuilder that they will not be able to service an executive who wants to tighten up their waistline and improve their golf-game, simply that the trainer must be in some type of acceptable physical condition. The bottom line is that if they cannot take care of their own fitness goals, they will have a very hard time of taking care of anybody else’s!
2. Clientele:
* What type of clients does the personal fitness trainer typically work with, and do they seem to have a good relationship? Observe the trainer working with different clients in the gym. Are they interactive, or staring off into space, looking into the mirror, or basically being anywhere (mentally at least) other than right-there with their client-set after set, rep-after rep? Talk to their clients (with the trainer not present, of course); anybody forging ahead toward their goals at a rapid pace under the guidance of great fitness trainer will have nothing but great things to say. In the fitness industry, adherence is always a significant variable, but a good personal fitness trainer will be able to motivate their clients to a high-level of success toward their fitness goals. If the personal trainer seems to be just as miserable and un-motivated as their client during a weight-training workout, you may want look elsewhere.
3. Training Style:
* Does the trainer in question seem to implement a weight training and cardiovascular exercise protocol based on the abilities and goals of the individual client, or do they use a “cookie-cutter”, one-size-fits all approach from which all of these workouts are created? Look for somebody with high-energy and a positive attitude who can also provide dynamic and innovative weight training workouts.
4. Certification:
* Look for a fitness trainer with a nationally-or internationally recognized certification such as ACE (the American Council on Exercise), NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association), or other widely recognized personal fitness training certifications. In addition, be wary of fitness trainers with in-house certifications from the gym where they train; this is not to say that a minority of these people would not provide excellent service, it’s just that most of the of the time your money would be much better spent on somebody else with a nationally recognized personal training certification.
5. Trial workouts? :
* While many personal fitness trainers require their clientele to pay up-front, look out for fitness trainers who only offer package-deals with a large-number of sessions. With little exception, the best in the industry do not require extended packages for training; if the client is amenable to their training style and is getting results, no extended personal training package is needed to lock anybody into a commitment. Although it is often convenient to use them, the best-of the best do not rely heavily on package deals. In addition, most fitness trainers would be more than happy to incorporate you into one or a few of their group training sessions so that you may have a couple of trial-workouts free of charge.
There you have it; 5 tips for the successful selection the right personal fitness trainer for you. Be sure to do your homework first and hold back no questions you may have during the initial consultation. Also remember that a good trainer will more than likely have a full-book, so you are being interviewed by him (as a potential client) as well.
There are several criteria that you should consider when shopping for a personal fitness trainer:
1. Physique:
* this is not to say that if the personal trainer is a competitive bodybuilder that they will not be able to service an executive who wants to tighten up their waistline and improve their golf-game, simply that the trainer must be in some type of acceptable physical condition. The bottom line is that if they cannot take care of their own fitness goals, they will have a very hard time of taking care of anybody else’s!
2. Clientele:
* What type of clients does the personal fitness trainer typically work with, and do they seem to have a good relationship? Observe the trainer working with different clients in the gym. Are they interactive, or staring off into space, looking into the mirror, or basically being anywhere (mentally at least) other than right-there with their client-set after set, rep-after rep? Talk to their clients (with the trainer not present, of course); anybody forging ahead toward their goals at a rapid pace under the guidance of great fitness trainer will have nothing but great things to say. In the fitness industry, adherence is always a significant variable, but a good personal fitness trainer will be able to motivate their clients to a high-level of success toward their fitness goals. If the personal trainer seems to be just as miserable and un-motivated as their client during a weight-training workout, you may want look elsewhere.
3. Training Style:
* Does the trainer in question seem to implement a weight training and cardiovascular exercise protocol based on the abilities and goals of the individual client, or do they use a “cookie-cutter”, one-size-fits all approach from which all of these workouts are created? Look for somebody with high-energy and a positive attitude who can also provide dynamic and innovative weight training workouts.
4. Certification:
* Look for a fitness trainer with a nationally-or internationally recognized certification such as ACE (the American Council on Exercise), NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association), or other widely recognized personal fitness training certifications. In addition, be wary of fitness trainers with in-house certifications from the gym where they train; this is not to say that a minority of these people would not provide excellent service, it’s just that most of the of the time your money would be much better spent on somebody else with a nationally recognized personal training certification.
5. Trial workouts? :
* While many personal fitness trainers require their clientele to pay up-front, look out for fitness trainers who only offer package-deals with a large-number of sessions. With little exception, the best in the industry do not require extended packages for training; if the client is amenable to their training style and is getting results, no extended personal training package is needed to lock anybody into a commitment. Although it is often convenient to use them, the best-of the best do not rely heavily on package deals. In addition, most fitness trainers would be more than happy to incorporate you into one or a few of their group training sessions so that you may have a couple of trial-workouts free of charge.
There you have it; 5 tips for the successful selection the right personal fitness trainer for you. Be sure to do your homework first and hold back no questions you may have during the initial consultation. Also remember that a good trainer will more than likely have a full-book, so you are being interviewed by him (as a potential client) as well.
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