If you want to get fit but feel intimidated by the idea of stepping into a gym, consider at-home personal training. Your trainer should carefully screen you before the first session and help you set short- and long-term fitness goals, just as he would before your first session in a gym. Screen him or her in return. Having personalities that mesh well is important in any trainer-client relationship, but even more so if you're going to invite this person into your home.
Liability
When a trainer works in a gym, the facility often provides at least some liability insurance --- although the specifics of insurance coverage may be negotiated as a term of employment or contractor work. Any workout does carry some risk, so a personal trainer who works in clients' homes should always carry his own liability insurance. The insurance is not commentary on the trainer's skill level, but simply an appropriate professional measure. Your personal trainer should also carry a current CPR/AED certification, and might choose to carry a first aid certification as well, the American College of Sports Medicine notes.
Equipment
One of the biggest advantages of personal training in a gym or other fitness or rehabilitation facility is ready access to a wide variety of equipment. At home, on the other hand you and the trainer must, between the two of you, provide all equipment necessary for in-home training. A good trainer should be able to help you meet your fitness goals with little if any specialized fitness equipment, but she might bring some equipment with her or suggest you invest in a few key items. Examples of basic equipment your in-home trainer can put to good use include resistance bands, stability balls, adjustable dumbbells and weighted bars.
Advantages
Privacy is one of the biggest benefits of receiving personal training at home. Whether you have a physical condition that you feel would draw unwanted attention at the gym or just feel self-conscious about working out in a public environment, nobody else has to see you sweat when you work out at home. Personal training at home also saves you the cost of a gym membership on top of the trainer fees, and eliminates commute time and gas costs for getting to and from the gym. Your trainer does the commuting instead.
Potential Pitfalls
Although in-home training is private and convenient, you'll be on your own with the trainer. If this makes you uncomfortable for any reason, consider asking a friend to share the cost of a "buddy" training session. Although you won't have to wait in line for a piece of equipment as might happen at the gym, you also miss out on the potential motivation of working out around others. Your trainer might give you "homework" exercise to do between sessions, and you might find yourself distracted by normal home activities when you try to work out without your trainer to keep you accountable. You can exercise diligently at home, but doing so requires a lot of discipline.
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