Choosing a Certified Personal Trainer (Who Doesn’t Suck)

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You may or may not know that I’m currently studying to become a certified personal trainer. Because of this, I have become more and more interested in what makes a good personal trainer and how to avoid getting one (or being one) that sucks. Believe me, they’re out there and I refuse to be one of them.

If you can afford to hire a personal trainer, they can be the motivation you need to stay on track and meet your health and fitness goals. A good trainer will work with you to develop the best diet and exercise program to meet personal goals. But…before you go out and blow your hard-earned money on just anybody, here are some things to look for when hiring a personal trainer.

• Make sure they are certified through a reputable fitness organization (more on that below). A college degree isn’t necessary, but they should be able to demonstrate proof of some kind of fitness education background.
• They should be CPR certified. Most fitness facilities and gyms will make this a requirement for all personal trainers.
• The more experience they have, the better.
• Be sure they are willing to track your progress. Good personal trainers will do this automatically, but not all trainers do this for their clients (though they should).
• Ask for a trial session with a personal trainer you are interested in. This will allow you to see how they interact with you before you foot the bill.
• If you have medical conditions, be sure to communicate those with your trainer so they are better able to work with your doctor. This will also help the trainer to choose the best exercises for you.

Avoid Personal Trainers Who:

• Tell you that weight lifting isn’t important or necessary. Muscle building is the only way to tone and strengthen the body. Muscle also helps the body to burn more fat, even at rest. Exercise isn’t just cardiovascular activity, it’s strength training too.
• Do not track their client’s progress. Trainers should log everything from the exercise performed to the number of sets, reps and the amount of weight. For cardio, they should log distance, total workout time and calories burned.
• Try too hard to sell supplements. This usually happens more at the larger gym chains. These types of gyms will give their trainers commissions on sales. It’s okay if they recommend certain things, but they shouldn’t be overly pushy about it. There are enough sales-people in life, right? We don’t need a personal trainer to bug us during a workout.
• Don’t give you their undivided attention during a training session. You are paying for their services and they should be completely focused on you, making sure you’re performing exercises correctly and in a safe weight/set/rep range as well.

Tips Before Hiring a Certified Personal Trainer

• Ask a friend or relative if they can recommend a trainer.
• Check their references.
• Make certain they are certified by a fitness organization as well as in CPR.

Reputable Fitness Organizations

• ACSM – American College of Sports Medicine
• AFAA – Aerobics and Fitness Association of America
• IFPA – International Fitness Professionals Association
• NASM – National Academy of Sports Medicine
• NFPT – National Federation of Professional Trainers