Personal training is a profession like any other: there are good trainers and there are bad ones. To get the most for your money, and for your own fitness and safety, you’ve got to choose a good personal trainer. Here’s how:
Shop Around
Don’t automatically hire the cheapest trainer or the one who already works at your gym. Ask people who they train with, what they do, and what kind of results they get.
Interview
You’re hiring someone to work for you. Take it that seriously. When you’ve got your list narrowed down, talk to the trainers you’re considering. Make sure the one you choose is someone you enjoy being around.
Ask About Education
Your personal trainer should be certified through at least one of the major fitness certifying organizations (think NASM, ACSM, ACE, etc). He should be committed to learning and staying on top of the latest research. Certification does not automatically make a good trainer, but it’s the right start.
Test Drive
Do one session with a trainer to get a sense of what she’s all about, or ask if you can tag along and watch while she trains someone else, before you commit to a long-term training package. How does she push you? Is it the type of encouragement you respond to? Does she let you off the hook too easily?
Keep Evaluating
Your trainer should be helping you evaluate your progress via fitness tests, body measurements, etc–not just the scale. She should also be encouraging you to learn and empowering you to work out on your own. In the end, you stay with a good personal trainer because you want to, not because you have to.
Let your concerns be known–and pay attention to how your personal trainer responds to them.
If you say you’re getting bored with the exercises, he should be willing to mix it up. If something hurts, he should find an alternative for you.
Have you ever worked with a personal trainer? How did you choose him/her?