How To Pick The Perfect Personal Trainer
Getting fit by yourself is not easy! Here are some easy tips on how to How To Pick The Perfect Personal Trainer that will help you to reach your goals!
Attentive
While doing different workouts with a trainer you want to make sure that he/she is paying close attention to your form. They need to indicate to you whether or not you are doing the move properly.
A lot of times when we are by ourselves we mimic a lot of moves but the personal trainer is there to make sure you learn the proper movements with proper form.
Genuinely rooting for you
It’s so easy to do a job right? A lot of people work for companies and don’t really care if the company succeeds they just want a paycheck every two weeks. This is not what you want from your personal trainer.
You and your trainer should set goals from the onset and check against those goals ever so often. If there aren’t any progress checks then this may not be the person for you.
Prompt
Since the majority of personal trainers are aid by the hour and booked to capacity there is absolutely no excuse for being late. Your trainer should be on time, equipment set up with a plan for your session. You deserve every minute that you pay for.
The push you at their own pace, not theirs!
Some trainers have great hopes for their clients (which they should!) however you the client should be able to voice your concerns. Whether you have an injury that you have to nurse or a fear of doing a certain move (like box jumping) your trainer should be sensitive to those needs.
Helps you towards your goals, hobbies
I used to know a guy who would *act* as my personal trainer–even though he wasn’t. He was always full of “advice” and I always entertained him because we were genuinely friends.
If he knew that I was doing all this running and training for a marathon he would be beside himself. He strongly doesn’t believe in steady state cardio–I am a fan of strength training myself but I love running.
My current trainer recognizes that I have goals this year when it comes to running so he’ll gives me tips on what kind of stretches, moves, and form corrections that can improve my running.
A supportive personal trainer is a lot more fun than one that is unwilling to step out of their own ideals. Hopefully this has guided you on how to pick the perfect personal trainer.
What would you add to the list? Have you ever had a personal trainer? Good or Bad experience?
If you liked these tips be sure to check out these 10 Must Have Items For Your Gym Bag!
Hi! I’m Nellie. I am an entrepreneur, a busy mama of 3 and a wife to my high school sweetheart. I have been sharing content for over 12 years about how to cook easy recipes, workout tips and free printables that make life a little bit easier. I have been featured in places like Yahoo, Buzzfeed, What To Expect, Mediavine, Niche Pursuits, HuffPost, BabyCenter, Mom 2.0, Mommy Nearest, Parade, Care.com, and more!
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YES to all of these things. As a personal trainer, I would also add that any trainer worth their salt would be doing some sort of baseline check for goals – weight, measurements, cardio, strength – if you don’t measure anything, you really don’t have anything concrete to push you forward. Numbers (whatever they are) are very powerful motivators. The key is choosing something that is meaningful to the client and timely check-ins that make sense! Also, make sure they are certified!!!
What a great list and can’t thank you for sharing. I have never had a personal trainer, but if do look into one now at least I have a jumping off point. So appreciate your tips here 😉
I’ve never had a trainer but my cousin has used a few — two of which have tried to hook up with her. And I don’t mean hook the plates onto the bar, if you know what I mean. A good trainer need to act professional.
Great tips. I have also realized that a good personal trainer is one who recognizes their shortcomings and expertise. I was really anxious to work with a specific personal trainer that every one raved about. When I had my introductory session with her I was in awe. She gave me plan that worked really well. But then I told her that one of my goals was to increase flexibility. And that’s when she dropped the bombshell. She told me that flexibility was not her expertise and that it would be unfair for me to keep working with her knowing that she couldn’t help me with me goal. She then referred me to someone else who was a wiz at increasing flexibility. While I love my current personal trainer, I am forever grateful for my first one who realized that it order to excel I needed to move on from her.
I’m a personal trainer but have never hired one for myself – I think it would be fun because they would probably mix things up for me.
I think your list is pretty spot-on!!
GIRRRRLLL….your post came at an opportune time. My gym has a high turnover rate and I am now on trainer #4 in three years. Luckily, I have had some amazing trainers and my newest trainer is making me put in work. A great personal trainer will not only motivate and inspire but challenge you and make you feel like you are fighting the good fight. My new trainer complimented on my first day (he had seen me around the gym), works with my body type, and also focuses on my strengths like my arms and legs and never negates me or makes me feel bad for my loose skin. My first trainer was the holy grail but even though I was “goal weight” my nutrition and mental health was at NIL ZILCH. I hope others have positive experiences because a personal trainer can make your healthy living journey so magnificent by becoming one of your tribe, a vital part of your support system!
So glad you found a new trainer! There are so many bad ones out there that they give amazing trainers a bad rep. I worked at a gym part-time during college and I’d see everything from entry-level trainers who had no clue what they were doing and would give every client the same workout all the way up to superstars who were the best of the best. I always cringed when I’d see a trainer check their phone or watch someone walk by instead of focusing on their client. The sessions are NOT cheap and I think the level of professionalism was lacking in a lot of cases. The gossip was crazy too. Have a fab weekend!
This is some great advice Nellie! I would love to get one even though I think I am on the right track. I could definitely use the help!
I’ve never had a personal trainer (probably should), but this sounds like a fantastic checklist. I remember your story about your first trainer, and it sounded like an awful experience. You definitely need to have someone who can pay attention to you while you’re with them and will pay attention to your overall workout plan and work that in with your goals and progress. So glad to know you’ve found a better fit!
I totally remember your story from last year! I think I referenced it recently to a friend. You deserve only the best and someone who fits all your important criteria.
I’ve had different personal trainers throughout my journey. Every single tip you mentioned is essential for having a good experience, or you won’t get what you need. Thanks for sharing!