I have heard and read about personal trainer stories that just make you wonder where did these personal trainers get their training from? For those of us who seek out the help of a personal trainer, it's important that we don't end up with someone who isn't very qualified or just doesn't care about their client's well-being. As with anyone you hire to provide a service, you want the best for your money. How can you know if a personal trainer is qualified and genuinely cares about helping you? Below are some things to look out for.
Beware of the personal trainers that:
Tell women not to lift weights
I won't go into the details of the importance of lifting weights for both women and men, but if a personal trainer tells women not to lift weights - dump that trainer fast!
Cut your calories to a dangerous level
Reducing calories helps in shedding pounds but be weary of a personal trainer that suggests reducing calories to dangerous levels. If you're in doubt consult with a nutritionist or your doctor.
Won't track your progress
I've seen both types of trainers at my gym. The ones that carry a log book or clipboard as they train clients and those that don't. If I had to choose one, I'd consider the one that is logging their clients progress. A good trainer will track everything - exercises, weight lifted, measurements, sets, reps, etc.
Tell you that you must purchase vitamins and supplements
This will happen most often in the larger gym franchises. Many times the personal trainers are also pressured to upsell these items. A recommendation is fine but they shouldn't make you feel like they are required to be in shape.
Daydream while they're spotting you
A trainer should not be dazing off into the distance as you are performing your reps. They should be focused on you ensuring that you have proper form and that you aren't struggling with the exercise.
Push you too hard
Most people think that working out hard is a sign of a good trainer. A bad personal trainer will take advantage of that and push you beyond your limits to avoid really doing their job. You shouldn't be in pain after a training session.
Tips before hiring a personal trainer:
- If you're going through your gym ask about a free training session before buying a package
- Check certifications (some good ones include ACE, ISSA, NASM)
- Ask for referrals from friends or family
- Check references
Those are just some of the things to be aware of when considering a personal trainer. Feel free to leave more tips or advice in the comments.
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Thanks for cutting through the BS in a clear and concise manner. On the first two points, the combination of never lifting weights and starving yourself is a great way to go nowhere fast!
Very sound advice! People shouldn’t be afraid to interview personal trainers either. The good PTs that I know are always happy to have a discussion with potential clients.
many great points, especially about the vitamins and supplements. I’ve worked at several gyms where this is actually a requirement!
I agree that you should also interview a trainer as well. Get an idea of their style and personality before you buy. You don’t want a trainer who is not willing to do this.
As usual, awesome post and great resource information. I am going to suggest your blog to several people.
Jerome
Thank you everyone for your input!
Thank you for writing about this. You couldn’t be more dead on!!! I say this to my clients all the time. It’s nice to direct them to this blog so they hear it from someone else too!
Bill Yeager Personal Trainer Southington CT Connecticut http://www.horizonpt.com
Hey,
Great post. I felt the same way that you did about personal trainers. My father had a bad experience with one and ended up hurting his shoulder and being unable to exercise for 4 months. It was a joke really.
There is a really good website that has a directory of fitness professionals. You can view profile pages with pictures, rates, certifications, bios and more. Kind of takes the mystery out of looking for a trainer.
Anyway my father found his new trainer on there and has been very happy.
You can check it out here.
http://fittron.com
Good article with good advice. However, I would add ACSM and NSCA to the list of recommended certifications.
I’m a trainer myself, and have found that for the most part, decent fitness facilities hire qualified trainers.
It’s the poorly managed gym’s that often hire people that lack qualifications so they don’t have to pay them as much.
I think anyone looking for a trainer should try to find someone with more than just a “personal training certification”, because these days that doesn’t mean much. I took the ACE test, and it really wasn’t much of a challenge.
Having a college education in the health sciences, or at least an extensive background in sports and training is a must in my eyes.
Thanks for the post!
My first personal trainer at Bally’s was horrible! After my first workout, I was extremly sore to the point that it interfered with my regular job duties (I was a teacher, and I couldn’t write on the chalk board or move fast.) I was sore for a few days. I had pulled a muscle becasue the weights were too much. Then, he would put me on a elipitical machine for about 30 minutes (I can do that myself!) I got another trainer, and she was totally awesome!!! She was very attentive, created workouts to meet my needs, pushed me as necessary, kept track of my progress, and was good for me. I lost weight under her strict structure.
That’s a great post. You nail many of the poor qualities to watch out for in trainers. While each of those are not outright wrong, when they are the primary focus they sure can be.
I think you could probably add to watch out for trainers who do no assessment before creating a program. NSCA and ACSM or two very respected certifications people should watch for.
I’ve heard rumors about flexibility trainers for ballroom dancers. What do i look for, are there any certifications or methodologies i should inquire about?
I’ve got severe fibromyalgia and gently warming up and correctly performing light stretching at my own pace is incredibly painful. Maybe a personal trainer to distract me from the pain would help keep me going.
Great post.
I see a lot of brutal personal trainers at my gym. They typically advocate EXTREMELY LOW intensity on EVERY EXERCISE. In fact, most PTs in my area are obese.
Now, I have seen many less-than-impressive looking trainers who are great. However, unless one has published some well-respected material, s/he should be looking fit. Otherwise it would lead me to believe that their principles are BS.
Finding the right trainer is vital. Make an informed choice. Its tough just walking into a gym and asking for one.
Nice Post! All Personal Trainers are not created equally for sure. When you are searching for one, look for one who has an exercise-science related degree and either certification from ACSM, NSCA, or ACE.
Great post. Good idea to go with a trainer who practices what they preach, not just the biggest one, they may also be a marathon runner or cyclist for example. Also try to talk to some of their clients, a referral from one of them would be the wat to go. I’m a personal trainer in Brisbane, Australia and I have been operating my own busy pt business for nearly 2 years and still have my first clients because I do the things mentioned in this post.
Far too many personal trainers I’ve known daydream I think. At the end of the day, the best personal trainer you can get is yourself. Find ways to really motivate yourself and you’ll do well in the gym!
New to the blogging lifestyle and also new to being a personal trainer. I just started to work as a PT and by watching my fellow co-workers I can see why some are good and some who are not. The ones I don’t get are the ones you described above, but are still usually the number #1 or close to the top in sales in the club. It puzzles me.