It’s as clear as daylight that if you exercise regularly with an expert by your side, you are likely to succeed at your weight loss or fitness efforts. Research also shows that when you work with a personal trainer that shows you how to pull-up, plank and dead-lift, and at the same time encourage you, your chances of gaining fitness and sticking to an exercise schedule are much greater.

But the problem is that there are so many personal trainers that make it a lot difficult to choose a good one. Just what should you consider? How do you know that a particular trainer is the right one for you? so let’s discuss on how to choose a personal trainer. To get a personal trainer that helps you in your weight loss journey, you need to consider some critical factors. In this article, we have outlined the seven most important things that you must consider when choosing a personal trainer. Continue reading to learn them.

Are they abreast with the latest fitness trends and research?

One of the most important things on choosing a personal trainer is to determine whether a personal trainer is worth hiring is the ability to demonstrate extensive fitness expertise and knowledge. Be keen and see if your trainer-to-be is conversant with a variety of training methods and the pros and cons of each. It’s true that trainers have different opinions when it comes to what gets results. However, the best trainers will not just stick to one modality and refuse to try another programme. If your trainer only uses the routines and exercises with their clients, it is very possible that this fitness coach doesn’t understand the exact reason why you have decided to hit the noble park gym. It is unlikely that they will know the specific exercises that help you to attain your goals.

The best trainers often love their work. When you love what you do, it means you will always yearn to improve and broaden your knowledge so as to be even better at your work. If your trainer doesn’t show the hunger to continue their education, or they think they know much already about fitness, you should just look for the next trainer.

What kind of experience does your trainer have?

For some time now, we wrongly believed that one mastered a skill after thousands of hours of purposeful practice. But there often hyped “practice-makes-perfect” maxim has been debunked severally. Instead, people are tending towards “smart-practice-makes-perfect” motto when it comes to matters fitness. Put differently, when talking about learning a skill, what matters is the quality of time that you spend practising it, as opposed to the hours logged. That is what transforms a novice into a real virtuoso.

One fundament of smart practice is the ability to swiftly recognize and correct mistakes. But just how is this important when you are choosing a fitness coach? The best personal trainers learn whether their methods are working or not in real-time, and make the necessary changes quickly to help clients attain their goals. What this means is that the more experience your trainer has, the better it will be for you. Also, research indicates that one of the best ways to learn is teaching. If your trainer has been teaching the right technique for decades, they are likely to have become better at offering the right tips to help clients get the best of every rep.

But it’s not just enough to stop at knowing how experienced your trainer is. Even more importantly, you should dig in to know the type of experience that they have. Whether you are an amateur at working out or you are a professional athlete out to get sport-specific training, it is important to choose a trainer who can work with somebody just like you. Some of the things to help you determine this include their age, health status, fitness level, and fitness interests of the trainer.

How do they prevent and deal with injuries?

It is common to suffer from recurring injuries and nagging aches, and you may not be sure how to work out without worsening the situation. Your trainer needs to be able to adjust your training if you are currently nursing an injury or work around it. In case of a new injury, the trainer should be able to recommend a physical before you continue.

Do they specialize in any training styles?

Even if your trainer is accredited and affiliated with professional fitness bodies, this alone shouldn’t be sufficient to make you feel confident, comfortable and to start your first session. This is especially true if you have particular goals like getting in shape for a wedding, in which case you will want to be sure your fitness coach can lead the way. You want to find out if your fitness trainer has received formal training in a particular area and if they have been certified to train people on it. You may, for instance, like to hire a trainer with CrossFit cert or YogaFit certification among other things. Make sure your trainer has these specific skills that you are looking for.

What are his charges?

A great trainer, it is often said, is worth their weight in gold. However, for many people, we tend to choose a trainer based on what we want to spend. Do research to find out what personal trainers are charging on average in your city. This will help you to know when someone is under-charging or over-charging.

If a fitness coach appears to be way too expensive for your budget, there are some options for you. There are trainers who charge lower fees for semi-private workout routines. These are in the middle ground between a group session and one-on-one training. Also, ask if the trainer offers discounts when you purchase sessions in bulk.

The other option is to consider hiring a trainer as an extra bonus to your exercise (as opposed to the only time you work out). You could, for example, ask your trainer about an arrangement where you meet with them in-person less often but follow their programme between training sessions.

Also, you may want to inquire about your prospective personal trainer’s schedule. You want to know if they have sessions with clients at the same time each week, their cancellation policy and if they allow you to make up for missed sessions.

What is their coaching style?

There are two important things that determine client-trainer compatibility, and these are training style and personality. Firstly, you need to take into account your own learning style. If your style is where you learn a movement after it’s broken down into its minutest details and repeatedly demonstrated, make sure the trainer you choose has interest in the finer points of the workout and the patience to undergo the details.

The other component is the personality of your ultimate trainer. Are you looking for a cheerleader who never misses an opportunity to praise you for the effort you make? Or are you more comfortable with a strict, drill-sergeant-type that will push you to go faster, harder and heavier than notice small victories? None of these is bad. A study showed that trainees tended to be more successful when they got continuous support from their coaches. But there are also clients who don’t need the motivation and are more at home with a trainer that encourages autonomy.

Although you will get lots of answers by asking your trainer-to-be about their training methodologies, finding out with someone who has trained with them can give you a better insight of the person you are about to hire. Tell your trainer to give you at least three references and learn what it is like to be their client. How are they effective at instruction and explaining, for example?

How do your personal trainer to-be programme and track progress?

Not only does your trainer need to create a personalized training program for you according to your fitness levels and goals, but should also help you monitor your progress to see if the effort you are putting in is actually paying off. It might mean creating a program to enable you to drop pounds, exercises to help you PR during your next 5K, or a stepwise plan to learn handstand. Irrespective of what your goals are, exercising under supervision has been demonstrated to be more productive than going alone at the Narre Warren gym.

Conclusion

Are you still thinking about how to choose a personal trainer well There are many benefits to working with a personal trainer at the gym? They help urge and motivate you, enabling you to keep on track with your fitness or weight loss goals. Also, a personal trainer can create a customized workout plan that helps you reach a specific goal. If, for example, you are training for an upcoming marathon, your trainer will lead you in sport-specific exercises and not just general routines.

But trainers aren’t equal. You need to put in a lot of effort and time when choosing one. Some of the things that you want to consider include their experience, the coaching style they use, whether they keep up with the latest fitness trends and if you can afford their rates.