What to Look for in a Personal Trainer

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Personal training has been a growing industry for many years.  From celebrities down to your average John/Jane Doe to kids training for sports, personal trainers work with a variety of individuals.  If you are considering working with a personal trainer, where do you start?  How do you know if a trainer is right for you?  This blog will give you some guidelines to follow and questions to ask when looking for a personal trainer.

So either you have been out of the exercise world for a little while and need help getting back in or you are working out but not seeing the results...is it time to hire a trainer?  It just may be.  The trick is figuring out where to go and who to talk to about training.  If you already belong to a gym or health club, talk with the owner or club director and get some general information about their training (i.e., price, packages, trainers).  If you don't already have a membership somewhere, ask your friends and coworkers where they go or who their trainer is.  Visit several facilities before you make your final decision so you can look at location, gym atmosphere, and type of members. 

Once you narrow down facilities and are comfortable with the gym hours, location and atmosphere, you will need to determine if they have the trainers who will help you reach your goals.  Make an appointment with the training director to obtain more details about their trainers.  Find out background information about the trainers such as degrees and certifications.  Ladies, if you prefer to work with women, ask how many trainers are female.  The training director should also be asking you questions about your goals, health history, motivation and confidence levels, and, most importantly, what brought you into their club/facility.

 

If the training director determines the appropriate trainer for you, ask to meet with that person before signing any contracts.  Just because the director deems a trainer is "fit" for you doesn't mean you will feel the same way.  Ask the trainer about their training style.  If their personality is "boot-camp"-mentality and you shut down when someone is over top of you yelling and screaming for you to do more reps, that won't be a good fit.  Also, find out what their schedule is like...if they only have 5a and 6a appointments available and you are not a morning person, you probably will not be successful.  

Finally, if you have narrowed down the facility and the trainer(s), find out a little more about the specifics of the training commitment.  What is the cancellation policy for appointments?  What happens if you are not satisfied with your trainer?  Is there a money-back guarantee on their "promises"?  How long do you have to use the purchased sessions (i.e., expiration date).  Once you have all the bases covered, sign on the dotted line!!!!

A trainer can help motivate and push you to reach your goals.  Can't afford a package with many sessions?  Ask about purchasing just one or two sessions to give you the guidance you need to spice up your workouts.  PROMATx Health Club has the trainers to help you.  Come in and talk to Brad Covington, owner and training director, and find out how we can help you get on track and reach your goals.