Do you know what to look for in picking a personal trainer? Do you know the difference between different types of trainers, or how much they should cost?
Have you ever been to an hour-long session and wondered if you were getting your money’s worth?
The choice of a personal trainer is an important one, and it’s often the first step to achieving your goals. If you make the right choice, the rest of your training experience will be smooth sailing. If you make the wrong choice, it could be a bumpy ride.
The good news is picking personal trainers can be pretty straightforward. Here’s everything to know about picking personal trainers:
Type of Personal Trainer
There are three types of personal trainers: general, strength and conditioning, and sport-specific.
General personal trainers provide instruction on overall fitness and may not be specific to any one activity. Strength and conditioning trainers focus on increasing overall strength, power, and endurance. Sport-specific trainers cater to athletes who want to improve their performance in a particular sport.
If you don’t know what you’re looking for in a trainer, start by picking a general personal trainer. You can always switch later if it turns out that you need more specialized help.
Picking the right type of personal trainer is vital because they will have different areas of expertise. You want to know what you’re getting before picking a personal trainer. Otherwise, it could turn out that you are not being served by the right person and have wasted your money.
Credentials
There are a few things you should look for when picking personal trainers and their credentials are one of them.
Certifications are a good place to start. Make sure to pick a certified personal trainer from a reputable organization.
The most important credential is certification from a nationally recognized organization, such as the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) or the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Personal trainers can also have degrees in exercise science or related fields.
Certifications ensure that personal trainers know how to train clients safely. They also usually require continuing education credits, so certified personal trainers are always up-to-date on the latest research.
Degrees signal that personal trainers have a good understanding of human physiology and anatomy. This knowledge is important for creating safe and effective workouts.
Experience
Experience is another crucial factor to look for when picking personal trainers.
Ideally, your trainer should have experience working with people similar to you. For example, if you’re a beginner, find a trainer who has worked with beginners before. If you have an injury, find a trainer who knows how to work around injuries.
Your personal training experience will be much better if your trainer understands your needs and limitations.
It’s also essential that your trainer has plenty of experience in the type of activity you want to pursue. If you’re interested in running, make sure your trainer has experience coaching runners.
Too often, people focus on credentials and forget about the experience. Credentials are great, but they don’t mean anything if the personal trainer doesn’t know how to use them.
Make sure you ask your potential trainers about their experience and what they’ve worked on in the past. It will give you a good idea of whether or not they’ll be a good fit for you.
Personality
Some people work best with a drill sergeant type of trainer who pushes them to their limits. Others prefer a more relaxed approach. You need to find a trainer whose personality meshes well with yours.
If you’re someone who needs a lot of encouragement, find a trainer who is positive and supportive. If you’re someone who likes to be independent, find a trainer who gives you space to work on your own.
You must be comfortable with your trainer. Otherwise, you won’t stick with the program and will eventually give up.
Finding the right personality can be tricky, but it’s worth taking the time to do so.
Availability
One of the most important things to look for when picking personal trainers is their availability. You don’t want to pick a trainer who is always booked or only available at inconvenient times.
Your ideal trainer should be available when you need them, usually during the day after work or on weekends.
If your potential trainers don’t have any openings in their schedule, move on to someone else. You can always come back if they become available later on.
It’s important to find a personal trainer who is available when you need them. Otherwise, you’ll never stick with the program.
Cost
The last thing to look for when picking personal trainers is their training session costs.
Personal training can be expensive, so you need to find a trainer who doesn’t charge too much money. If the price seems outrageous or unreasonable, it’s probably not worth your time and money.
Most people don’t have thousands of dollars lying around just waiting to go towards fitness expenses. Ensure that all potential trainers are in your budget before setting up a meeting with them.
Forward Thinking Fitness in Lehigh Valley is a great place to find affordable personal trainers.
Setting Fitness Goals
One of the most important things to do before picking personal trainers is setting fitness goals. If you don’t have any goals, your trainer will not help you achieve anything.
Your fitness goals may be related to weight loss, toning up, gaining muscle, or improving performance in a certain activity.
Whatever your goals are, make sure you share them with your potential trainers. They need to know what you’re working towards to create an effective program for you.
Without fitness goals, it’s impossible to measure progress and determine if the training is working or not.
Picking Personal Trainers Simplified
Your approach to picking personal trainers can make or break your fitness journey.
You must choose the right trainer who understands what you’re looking for and can help you achieve your goals. To make the best decision, keep these seven things in mind, and you’ll be able to find the perfect trainer.
If you’re looking for more information, be sure to read our other articles. We have everything you need to make an informed decision.