Spring season starts in the Northern Hemisphere, and we wake up from winter hibernation. Maybe you have realized that your back is in pain, or you set yourself a goal to run a marathon, or you want to change how your body looks, or you have a specific condition that needs physical activity to heal. When you don’t know how to deal with those problems, you might use guidance from a professional. Is it as simple as finding a personal trainer? It could be, but if you pick the wrong person, you might have more problems than before you have started assisted workouts. You probably know that there are bad doctors. There are bad personal trainers too. How should you pick the good one?
Here, you have a short list of things to check and validate. This way, you will find the best person in your area.
The list has two parts: one representing things you can check BEFORE cooperating with a personal trainer, and the second showing what you should expect DURING your journey with a personal trainer.
Before
- Certifications and knowledge: ask about courses your trainer has completed, check an organization that has issued a certificate, and check the course length – be suspicious if it was a one-weekend online course. Are those courses related to YOUR problem? When was the last time a personal trainer participated in a new course? I can assure you that sport science is evolving and good personal trainers must expand their knowledge.
- Experience: experience in a common sense is more important than certifications, but remember that physical activity concerns your HEALTH. Will you trust a doctor with “experience” but without medical training? The same measure must be applied to personal trainers. Coming back to the experience – more is better, but if your trainer is a rookie, then don’t worry – negotiate how much less you should pay for a training session 😉
Experience and knowledge create a foundation, but verifying it can be challenging. There is a hack you might use!
- ASK and OBSERVE
ASK: Ask experienced gym members or the crew responsible for gym services about personal trainers. They know who is who and can guide you towards the best trainer.
OBSERVE: Observe how trainers work with their clients. Do they focus on a client or scroll on their phones? Do they listen to a client or talk about themselves? Do they repeat the same training over and over again with every person and all the time? Does it look to you that they care about the technique? Do they force clients to do something that seems to be dangerous and inappropriate?
As you can see, obtaining information about personal trainers can take a long time. But it is the wisest thing that you can do. Unfortunately, it is possible only when you attend the gym where your trainer provides services. If you are looking blindly (for example, online search), then focus on knowledge and experience.
During
It is a simple list with YES/NO questions. YES means that your trainer is a professional. NO means that something is wrong!
- Did you get the health and goals interview before the first workout?
- Is your trainer focused on you?
- Do you see any improvements after a few training sessions?
- Does your trainer give you dedicated exercises?
- Does your coach ask you how do you feel?
- Do you feel safe exercising with this person?
You should be aware of toxic people who might manipulate you. A personal trainer is in a position to exploit your insecurities. A good idea is to observe other trainers in a gym and ask about your coach.
Summary
The best advice is to ask and observe. Hopefully, you will the person who will help you achieving your goals safely and on time!
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For Polish (Wrocław) and Finnish (Helsinki area) readers, especially women, I can recommend Katie Molińska as a great coach.
Check her YT channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@KatieMolinn or her Instagram account here:Â https://www.instagram.com/katie_molinn?igsh=YmYyOHZ2OGNmY3Ri