How to Choose a Personal Trainer
- Things to look for
- Ensuring you get it right first time
There are a number of considerations to make when selecting a PT and with the astronomical amount of people calling themselves fitness professionals these days, it has never been more difficult.
Afterall, it’s an investment in yourself and it’s not always cheap either so making a mistake is costly.
You can do a few things to guarantee that you select the right one.
If you’ve never considered a fitness professional before and you’re looking to get fit, then it’s a wise choice. Not only will you gain support, knowledge, motivation and guidance but you’ll be in a position to enjoy training too.
It’s definitely one of the best investments you can make on yourself from a lifestyle, happiness, energy and all round wellbeing perspective. Of course it’s not cheap but you get a return on your investment.
My enjoyment of fitness has catapulted since I began learning more and understanding how the body adapts to change. Seeing results becomes addictive and is a reason why fitness professionals are generally held in high regard.
One word of warning though, it should supplement your current training and not be a crutch / workout buddy. Also, it shouldn’t last forever, there is a shelf life on how much you will reasonably gain before going into a training plan (as opposed to needing the time one to one). Also ensure you have one with at least a level 3 Personal Training qualification (despite these being easy to attain). You can check on the Register of Exercise Professional’s website (REP’s).
So what should you look for…
Without ending up writing a list of things, there are a few things that can give away the most likely outcome.
Firstly, client testimonials; I’m not going to suggest that the busiest fitness coach is necessarily the best. If a coach is too busy, then doing the extras like evaluating nutrition and writing gym plans goes out the window!
The one thing that you can legislate for is the quality of sessions delivered. If they have no testimonials, or worse, you never see them training with clients (and they are not new) then that’s a red flag.
Furthermore, with spending hours and hours of time in the gym you need be able to have a laugh now and again. If you don’t really click with the coach on a personal level then you may get results but without enjoyment it becomes tougher. Many great conservations happen in the gym from what’s on TV to sports to films and music – find someone that you know at least slightly well before investing. At the end of the day it is down to results but you need to have fun along the way.
Another advantage would be if they publish articles online. We live in an age where research is available 24 / 7 and doing your homework can make things much easier. If they have published vlogs, blogs or papers online have a look and judge what you think about quality and tone of the information. Failing to do this, in my opinion, suggests they either “don’t have the time” / it’s not a priority or are not moving at the speed of change (which is vital is an age of smartphones and things being made easier).
Smaller things to watch out for: do they train all their clients the same way. From watching them in the gym, are they a one trick pony. To a certain extent, some clients may have the same goal but if you see the same plan being repeated that’s a warning sign. Exercises should be at least progressed / regressed with different bits of kit. If you’re bored of watching them train clients, then how do you think you’ll feel when you are actually training?
Do they look at mindset or are they of the “no pain, no gain” mentality? I’m a believer that you should look at the mental aspect of fitness too because training to exhaustion is detrimental. Besides, without the right mindset you won’t be able to train in the first place. Something to consider anyway!
Variety is essential to a good coach and whilst it’s easy to get lost in the new pieces of equipment inevitably introduced, a firm grasp of the basics eg Dumbbells / barbell exercises is critical. Jumping from one fad to another is no use for getting longer term results.
And finally, if you can get a free no-obligation trial (like on the RYPT app) I would firmly recommend trying it. There is no substitute for experiencing a coaching style as everyone is unique! There is more to getting fit than just lifting weights or cardio…
Try online PT and discover why I’ve moved away from one to one coaching…
Ross
Owner
