Friday, November 30, 2012

How do you know if your Personal Trainer is good?

                                                            Source: tumblr.com via KandidlyKim @ Work It Out, Gurl on Pinterest

I have had 3 personal trainers since 2008 and every single one of them was different, but they all exhibited certain characteristics that made them great at what they do. While they may not have helped me reach all of my goals, I will say that I always got a pretty good workout. Based on my experience, here are a few things to look for when you start seeing a PT to see if they are a good match.


1. Personality: To me, this is important, if I am going to spend the big bucks for a trainer and be subjected to exercises that I wouldn't attempt on my own because they hurt, I would hope this person would have a good personality to help me get through the pain.

At my gym, you meet with the Training Manager and that person helps identify the type of trainer that you need and then goes and schedules you with that person. You don’t get to meet your PT unless they happen to be working at that time and are free to chat; which is unlikely if your trainer is a good one. (Most of the popular/good trainers at a gym are always with a client unless there is a cancellation... therefore, they wouldn't be able to speak to you.) Make sure that you can identify the type of trainer you are looking for (bootcamp style, drill sergent, fun, high energy, motivational, challenging, ect).

2. Time Conscious: It is important that your trainer is time conscious so that you can get the best session possible. The gym is not the doctor’s office where it is acceptable to always be running late. You want your trainer to arrive on time and use the full hour that you have paid for. If your trainer is running late, or is late because of his/her previous client, you should expect that your trainer will still give you the full hour even if this means that you will run into their next client’s schedule.

3. Planning: Not all of my trainers have done this, but my favorite one did, so I wanted to mention this. The trainer should have a plan for your session based on your goals. Some PTs may actually have this written (which is AMAZING!), while others will have it in their head, but if you ask about the plan, they should be able to relay the details to you with little to no difficulty. This means that they have really looked into your goals and taken the time to develop a strategy for you to meet them.


How would you judge if a trainer is good?

4 comments:

  1. Personally since I am a trainer I think it's important to have a trainer that is 100% dedicated and commit to your goals and give you all of their attention during your session. Both trainers I had didn't do this. They were always preoccupied doing other things and not really watching me. I never felt a genuine connection with them.

    You also want a trainer to be there pushing you, spotting you and making sure you are keeping proper form not texting or chatting with other people. I have seen trainers tell their client what to do and then walk away. I have seen that client struggling to complete the move and also not using proper form which can be a huge risk for injury.

    My personal mission as a trainer is not just to transform your body but also your mind. I believe that your mind follows your body. I like to educate my clients while I train them so that they can continue there journey even after I am done training them. Education is a big part of transforming your life and your body. I want them to know why I am doing a workout and how it's benefiting them as well as why I am recommending they eat a certain way.

    For me it's all about the body, mind and spirit connection. That is how I train my clients. ;)

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    1. You are must be an amazing trainer! You are describing the type of trainer that I am working with now and I am having a great experience! Would you ever like to do a guest post on personal training here at a WIOG? :)

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  2. My trainer was a great one and I agree with all of your points. Having a good personality was one of the important things I requested when I spoke with teh PT manager at my gym. Luckily, I loved the one I had and we were successful at meeting some of my goals. She gave great information about nutrition and gave me great workout tips to implement when we weren't training. She also kept me motivated through texts and emails almost daily! I LOVED her! I couldn't continue because it was just too expensive, but if I could again, I would! Visiting from SITS.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Price is one of the biggest drawbacks of personal training! It's so hard when you find someone who is amazing but you cannot continue due to cost. Thanks for stopping by!

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