Regardless of whether you just developed an interest in fitness or you’ve been following a healthy workout routine for some time and want to boost your progress, a personal trainer can be one of the best options to consider.
They make a huge difference between falling short of your goals and getting the dream body you have always wanted. However, choosing the right personal trainer can be challenging. Here are five methods that can help you understand if your personal trainer is the right one.
Assess Their Qualities And Competencies
Most personal trainers offer a free demo session as part of their consultation process. By taking this session, you’ll be able to understand if they exhibit qualities that reflect a sense of passion for fitness, empathy, and compassion or if they follow a coaching style that you’re looking for. A good personal coach will also be able to have critical thinking and personalization qualities to cater to each client’s unique fitness needs.
Besides these, most certifying organizations agree that a good personal trainer should have a few standard competencies which go beyond basic scientific anatomy, biomechanics, and exercise physiology knowledge. This includes competencies relating to lifestyle and health advice, chronic disease management, exercise programming, program management, health behavior modification and nutritional advice.
Focus On Demonstrated Expertise
It’s one thing to have qualifications and experience, and it’s another to be able to put their knowledge into practice that provides clear directions to clients. For a personal trainer to be the right match for you, they should be able to show demonstrated expertise.
They shouldn’t just give you a workout plan to follow, they should actually take time to educate and teach you on how it helps your body and to reach your goals. They will also be able to map out a clear workout path they have created to reach your goals sooner. You can easily understand their level of demonstrated expertise in one session.
Check Their Qualifications
Personal trainers can have themselves accredited for an area of specialization. This can be as a group exercise instructor, fitness manager, senior fitness specialist or youth fitness specialist. Choosing a trainer who focuses on a particular area of training can make them more personalized to your goals, and it’s easy for you to resonate with their programs and see effective results.
Evaluate Their Communication Skills
Communication is key to achieving your fitness goal. It is what helps you build a good rapport, trust, and confidence with the trainer. These are all essential factors that create a good client-trainer relationship.
They are also important to address your concerns and for your trainer to educate or correct you when needed. Poor communication skills can create understanding gaps which can hinder your workout progress. So when you’re talking to a trainer during the consultation, try to check if they are clear in explaining, guiding and are easily understandable.
Generally, clients fall into one of these 4 categories: High motivation- high ability client , Low motivation- high ability client, High motivation – low ability client and Low motivation-low ability client. Depending on what category you fall into, your personal trainer should be able to adapt their communication style accordingly. Remember that in fitness there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Understand Their Assessment Approaches
Good personal trainers are results-oriented and develop programs with goals in mind. According to the FITT principle, for a workout plan to be effective, they need to be planned with frequency, intensity, time and type in mind.
For a program to work according to this principle, a coach should be able to develop a workout plan that,
- Will not over-train you
- Has challenge or intensity levels that can be endured by the body
- Can run for at least 150 minutes for moderate exercises or at least 75 minutes for a high-intensity exercise
- Is catered according to the client’s fitness requirement
This has become a standard assessment method that most coaches use nowadays. However, even if your coach doesn’t follow the same approach, try to understand their assessment methods and determine if it works for you. Clear all the questions you have in mind and ask for client feedback or testimonials if needed.
There are many things that go into finding if a personal trainer is right for you. However, it’s best to find a trainer who also knows the A-Z of nutrition, as nutrition plays a key role in fitness. Once you have found the right trainer, though, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can reach your goals.
