Think of a personal fitness trainer as a tool for reaching your personal and fitness goals. Just like any other serious work, you want to make sure you have the right tool for the job. This includes making sure your trainer is well educated, as it's his job to help keep you safe. It also extends to ensuring you have compatible personalities. After all, you won't look forward to working out with a trainer if you can't stand to be around her at all.
Step 1
Request a list of approved trainers from your gym, and inquire whether you'd be allowed to bring an outside trainer in; some gyms expressly prohibit this as a condition of membership. If you are allowed to bring outside trainers in, ask for referrals from the gym or local universities, check with trainer directory websites such as TrainersUSA (see Resources) or go directly through a certifying body such as the American Council on Exercise (see Resources) to find certified trainers in your area.
Step 2
Ask the trainer about his education and certification. If the trainer's certification is not with a company approved by a reputable credentialing organization such as the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (see Resources), carefully evaluate his other qualifications and consider searching for a trainer with a more reputable certification. Other reputable credentialing organizations in the fitness field include the Idea Health and Fitness Association, the National Board of Fitness Examiners, the International Health Racquet and Sports Club Association and academically accredited universities.
Step 3
Confirm that the trainer is available to work out in your gym of choice at your preferred times.
Step 4
Prioritize and consider carefully what exactly it is you want from your trainer. Things to consider include whether you want someone to stand over you and motivate you regularly, or whether you want someone to teach you to work out on your own. Think about your goals, both long- and short-term, and what you want from the trainer to help you fulfill them.
Step 5
Sit down and chat with the trainer, or do so over the telephone, for at least a few minutes. There should be no charge for this brief visiting time; it's a chance to see whether your personalities are compatible and to discuss whether the trainer and his area of specialization can help you achieve your goals. Ask for references of other people he has worked with.
Step 6
Purchase a single session with one or two prospective trainers, if possible. Think of this as a test-drive on a long-term relationship. If there are any major incompatibilities between the two of you, it's better to find out before you purchase an extensive package of training sessions. By the time you've been through a training session, you should be able to easily tell whether you can and are willing to work with the trainer in question, and whether she can help you meet your goals.
Tips and Warnings
- Be candid with a prospective trainer about any special conditions you may have, such as diabetes, heart disease or old injuries. Inquire whether he has experience working with special-needs populations and whether he's trained people with similar conditions before.
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