How To Choose A Top Notch Personal Trainer

Until quite recently, personal training was seen as a 'luxury good' of the rich and shameless who were simply too bored to exercise by themselves.

Lycra clad 'dollies' of the male and female variety were invariably sought after for their aesthetic value and for their inane cries of 'one more rep' and 'you can do it' (under the guise of motivation) and paid very generously for their services as a 'rent-a-friend', the ultimate workout accessory!

Yet, in the last 5 years, personal training has undergone a real metamorphosis. It has emerged, phoenix like from its uneducated and unskilled beginnings to become one of the most rapidly developing professions of modern times.

Today, fitness professionals (the good ones anyway) are as well versed in anatomy and physiology as many of their medical counterparts.

Indeed, amongst the highest echelons of the fitness industry are those qualified in rehabilitation, nutrition, psychology, life coaching and a multitude of therapies as well as every manner of strength, conditioning and flexibility programme that the industry has to offer.

And far from being reserved for those with the deepest pockets, personal training is now being taken up by many more 'normal' folk, those with normal jobs and normal incomes who are fed up with achieving the normal results (very little) that they're getting from their exercise and nutritional plans.

They figure that with 'super trainer' on their side that results will come more rapidly and with less effort than ever before.

Are they right? Absolutely not!

Sorry to burst your bubble, but all a good trainer can to for you is motivate you, lead you, instruct you and guide you to making the right decisions. It's you who has to eat right, exercise and keep to the plan.

In fact, with a good trainer you'll be working harder, more often and smarter than you ever have before - that's where the results come from, there's nothing mysterious or magical about it!

As success philosopher Jim Rohn is fond of saying "No one can do your pushups for you", you've got to do the hard bits yourself.

That said, some trainers really are much, much better than others and can really get more out of you than you ever could if left to your own devices.

The question is; how do you find such a creature? How do you separate the wheat from the chaff and find the best possible trainer to invest your time, money and efforts in?

Well, there are many, many criteria for selecting a good trainer but here are some of the most important.

Certifications

There are literally hundreds of fitness certifying agencies around the world each with their own standards of study and assessment.

Some can be studied and passed entirely within a weekend whilst others can take 3-4 years to complete yet they may both enable those who study them to call themselves 'personal trainer'.

Clearly, this makes it difficult for the public to assess and leads to a lot of confusion and dissatisfaction, particularly when your 'trainer' turns out to be less knowledgeable than the average fitness enthusiast at your gym.

Currently, the best recognised and most highly sought after qualifications come from:

National Academy Of Sports Medicine (NASM) -
Certified Personal Trainer and Performance Enhancement Specialist

Premier Training and Development Diploma -
Offering a full diploma in exercise, nutrition and sports therapy

Functionally Integrated Training Systems (F.I.T) -
The Kinetic Chain Assessment Program Is The Gold Standard In Client Assessment

CHEK Institute - Levels 1-4 C.H.E.K Practitioner

American College of Sports Medicine - Health Fitness Instructor

YMCA - Diploma in personal training

There are, as mentioned, many other certifications and degree programmes as well as those listed. Whichever your trainer has, make sure it provides them with enough knowledge to safely and effectively train you for your specific requirements.

What is their experience?

To be honest, regardless of who they're certified with, their certifications count for very little until they've gained some actual 'on the gym floor' industry experience.

Often, those with the best qualifications or degrees in the subject have never actually trained anyone in 'real life'. As such, they're not necessarily well-versed in the skills of communication and client empathy and often are more concerned with doing things 'by the book' than they are with delivering a truly personal approach.

Sure, you'll get a safe workout but you shouldn't expect to pay too much for it.

Find out how many clients they've trained and what results they helped them to achieve before you sign on the dotted line.

What is their area of specialisation?

All personal trainers are not the same. Just as medicine has various branches that doctors can progress along, so too does personal training.

If you are serious about getting the results you desire then you should consider looking for a trainer with a specialisation in your area of need.

Kinetic Chain Specialists and Corrective Exercise Specialists are emerging as the elite level trainers with advanced assessment and programming skills that enable them to correct postural imbalances and muscle dysfunctions through holistic models of health and wellness.

Famed for their 'no stone unturned' approach, everyone from elite-level athletes to those seeking relief from the symptoms of illness, injury or long-term health problems are now seeking out these highly trained professionals.

Performance Enhancement Specialists and Strength and Conditioning Specialists are skilled in analysing the requirements of sporting activities and programming their athletes and clients accordingly.

Along with a knowledge of injury prevention and rehabilitation techniques, these trainers are able to provide full support for those seeking the best possible gains in fitness and performance in the shortest possible time.

Gym Personal Trainer

Of varying levels of knowledge and expertise, the gym trainers are the bread and butter of the industry. Trained in all aspects of health based fitness, these specialists can provide ongoing support to those seeking general health and fitness improvements.

Other specialisations:
Weight management, Golf conditioning, rehabilitation, falls prevention, childrens conditioning, older adults and many other areas are currently available for certification.

Clearly, working with a specialist will bring you faster and more specific results than if you work with a generalist BUT make sure they really are specialists in their field before you take them on.

What are they doing to keep their skills up to date?

You may be impressed to find a trainer with 10 years of industry experience but always ask how that 10 years has been spent. How many courses and seminars have they attended? On what subjects?

Get them to tell you something about what they've recently learned. If they're as passionate about the industry as they claim to be, they'll constantly be learning something new. If not, they're just out for your money.

Are they insured?

Don't be afraid to ask. Every trainer worth his or her salt should be insured to cover both you and them in case of an accident. Failure to produce insurance is often a sign that they don't have strong enough certifications to get covered.

If you train with them and get injured as a result, you may find it impossible to make a claim.

How much should you expect to pay?

A difficult question to answer as there are so many variables to take into account (for example qualifications, experience and specialist areas) but you'll probably find in the London area that
hourly rates start at around forty pounds for a gym personal trainer and rise to between eighty-five and one hundred and fifty pounds for a fully qualified kinetic chain specialist.

Unless you're on a budget, you shouldn't really buy on price however, after all, you get what you pay for as they say.

Do they offer a guarantee?

As high priced service providers, personal trainers have gotten away with charging a lot for their time over the last 5 years or so.

This is not necessarily a problem in itself, but whilst prices have gone up, standards of service seem to have stayed the same with a very rare few willing to offer a guaranteed result within a guaranteed time frame.

Ask your trainer if they'll guarantee a result on their services. If they refuse, you may want to think about how confident they are in their ability to help you achieve your goals.

Are there ways to cut the cost?

Some trainers offer discounts when you buy in block booking of 10 or more, some will allow you to split the cost by training with a friend whilst others will help you budget by meeting with you monthly and providing you with new targets and new programmes to maintain your interest.

The best trainers will provide all three and even allow you to split your time down into half hour sessions to maximise the impact.

Whichever method appeals, ask your trainer about ways to maximise your time with him/her. Just be very wary of anyone who tells you that you should be doing a minimum of 3 sessions a week as this is rarely the case.

Do they have references or testimonials?

An obvious one but rarely applied in reality. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been asked for references in the last 8 years!

This is a major thing you're contemplating here! Not just in terms of financial cost but also in terms of your safety and well-being. ALWAYS ask for references and ALWAYS make a call or two to check them out for yourself.

What about YOU?

Ok, so you've asked all these questions but let's not forget, this is really about YOU! If your trainer has spent the whole time talking about themselves, their certifications and their great achievements but spent next to no time asking about you then you may want to consider whether you'll get along.

After all, this IS supposed to be PERSONAL training!

At the very least, they should ask a little about your goals, your medical history, your exercise history and your current lifestyle. They should ask why you want a trainer, what your expectations are, how you want to be treated during your sessions.

They should also give you an honest-to-goodness rundown of what's going to be expected of you during your time together e.g how many sessions a week, what it'll cost, how you'll have to change your eating habits, any supplements or equipment you'll need to purchase.

There should be no surprise terms, conditions or expense after you sign on the dotted line.

The questions laid out above are not the be-all and end-all of selecting a personal trainer though they do serve as a guide that'll help you avoid the pitfalls of choosing the right one to suit your needs.

Ultimately, the final decision comes down to personal preference and the rapport you develop during your initial consultation. If you're unsure, shop around. With over 2000 trainers entering the UK fitness industry every year, you've plenty of choice available.

Just remember; whoever you choose, it's YOU that has to do the work!

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Comments

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 at 3:42 PM, by Nikki Layton
Great article, it is true that the trainer needs to have the proper education and training but if the client doesn't do the work no success can be had!
Nikki Layton
www.myvolo.com

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