Well, are you ready to figure everything out and choose your ideal coach? A person who will help you change not only externally, but also internally. A person with whom you will spend hours together, during which you will learn a lot about your body and its capabilities.
I am sure that my article will greatly influence your choice for the better, so read it carefully. And, of course, put everything into practice!
How to choose a personal trainer
In order to choose the right personal trainer and be satisfied with the result, it is important to take into account a number of factors that I will introduce you to now. Your success in the gym will depend on how responsibly you approach the advice that I will give. And often health.
Believe me, I know what I am writing about, because I am an acting coach. And I’ve seen enough of how people with hernias, which were earned with empty-headed teachers, treat me.
Education of a fitness trainer
The first important point when choosing a coach is the availability of specialized education. I understand that we live in an amazing time, and all diplomas, certificates, diplomas are bought once or twice.
I must say right away, the certificate in general and in no way guarantees the adequacy of a person in terms of knowledge. As I said, you can buy it. Or study from two to three and get it again. To get, as they say, not by washing, but by skating, retaking tests and exams 5 times. It’s not for me to tell you how things are with education in general.
But, nevertheless, the presence of the necessary certificate is a mandatory aspect when choosing a personal fitness trainer or in any other direction. A coach with an education and a certificate is better than a coach without an education and a certificate.
Here, in addition to education, it is worth noting that your future coach has a professional sports past. Many clients fall into the trap of seeing a coach with a bunch of medals and diplomas that were won at a certain stage of life.
Of course, this is a great addition for a person who gets a job as a fitness trainer in a club. But for you, as a client of the gym, the presence or absence of professional sports regalia from your coach does not affect the quality of personal or group classes that he conducts.
Being a champion and being able to teach are completely different things that lie in opposite planes. There are medals – super, your coach is handsome, we’ll give him an extra point. There are no cups and diplomas – this will not affect the quality of classes and the knowledge of your mentor in any way.
The appearance of the coach
The appearance of the coach plays a big role. When your personal fitness trainer is well-built, looks after himself, is sympathetic to you as a person, it makes you move forward, additionally motivates. The coach who is engaged in the formation of your body, your health, must meet certain criteria himself. Who else should I look up to if not him?
But the appearance of the coach is not a dogma, but rather a good addition. Know, first of all, a fitness trainer should know his subject. His task is to train. He must understand anatomy, physiology, biomechanics.
Understand how to work with people who have a contraindication. Such as scoliosis, osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernias, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and other problems. First of all, this is necessary in order not to harm you.
An important addition! A fitness trainer is not a doctor. There is no need to consult with him on medical issues. It’s not competent. The main task of a fitness trainer is to choose the right physical activity, dose it, monitor the progression.
That is why the coach should understand and understand how to work with people who have limitations. Not to treat them (they are treated in special medical institutions), but to choose suitable exercises and dose the load. Do not harm a person who has decided to start working out in the gym and strengthen their muscles.
Work experience as a fitness trainer
Looking ahead, it doesn’t matter how old your coach is, whether he is a man or a woman. It doesn’t matter if a person has some experience as a fitness trainer, at least for a year. And even better from 2 years.
Understand correctly, even a person with an education in the fitness industry, but without work experience, the first time of his coaching activity, will create a complete trash. This is normal, it is the accumulation of practical experience. Most of the coaches go through this. And if you don’t want to become a test subject, then you need a fitness trainer with experience in this industry.
Here you should also find out whether this job is the main one for the coach or it is an additional source of income. I explain that many combine their main work with coaching. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with that? But, it’s always bad for the client, that is, for you.
Imagine, you go to a doctor for whom his profession is nothing more than a side job. What knowledge does such a doctor have? I would be afraid to contact such a specialist.
Or there is also a category of fitness trainers who work seasonally when there is an influx of customers – winter and spring. They want to snatch their piece of the pie from this harvest time, and again earn extra money. And in the off-season, sorry, they do anything but their profession. Does such a coach have a lot of practice, understanding, experience? They’re worthless!
Fitness trainer Clients
Fitness trainer’s clients and their results are your future trainer’s portfolio. The simplest recommendation I can give is just to talk to people who are already engaged with the coach you like. Find out from them how long they have been practicing, how the training is going, what results they have achieved, what problems they have addressed to the coach.
The current clients of your future coach will tell you 10 times more than your coach about himself.
The cost of the trainer’s services
The cost of the trainer’s services strongly depends on your location, that is, the city in which you live. The gym in which they decided to practice, the internal gradation of the trainer in the walls of the fitness club.
Speaking about the graduation of a fitness trainer, I do not mean his experience and knowledge, but first of all the number of personal workouts that the coach does per month. As a rule, the more training a fitness trainer does in a month, the more expensive his class is. It is so beneficial for both the club and the coach. But this has nothing to do with his knowledge or his experience at all.
It often happens when a really educated fitness trainer with good knowledge and practice, but without a suspended language and charisma, there is no destiny. On the other hand, a talkative charismatic person, an instructor in the gym for a week without a year, but already a star. He has more clients and the cost of classes is higher.
So take your time and don’t rush to take a queue to the most expensive coach of the club. The cost of a coach in a particular gym is not an indicator at all that you need to focus on.
The secret of a fitness trainer
Now I will tell you one secret of fitness trainers, I hope they won’t beat me for it. If you come to the fitness room and a specific fitness trainer is advised to you at the reception or in the sales department or in the medical examination room, do not rush to pay for a block of training with him. It very often happens that coaches agree for kickbacks with different departments of the club, so that those who recommend them. The hand washes the hand.
Summing up all of the above, I summarize how to choose a personal fitness trainer
The coach must have a completed education or relevant courses.
Experience in the fitness industry as a trainer from a year, or even better from two. This is the main job of a coach, not a temporary part-time job or a combination.
A coach should have clients in his portfolio with whom he has achieved concrete results.
What do I not recommend doing when choosing a personal trainer?
Listen to the advice of the reception, the sales department, the medical room of the club.
Buy a block of classes from the most expensive gym coach.
Go to a coach with minimal work experience and incomplete education.
Being led to cups and medals is not an indicator of the level of knowledge and experience of conducting classes with clients.
How to choose the right coach – general conclusion
See how fitness trainers work with their clients. Someone you liked, great! Now, talk to the clients of this trainer live and find out everything from them. And everything is smooth here? Then go to the coach and have a talk with him, find out about his education, experience and other nuances.
And the very last point that will dot all the “S”. It will help you choose your ideal personal fitness trainer – this is a comparison method. If you liked how several coaches work in the gym, but you don’t know who to choose, just take one lesson from each coach, and then all doubts will be dispelled. This means that you will know exactly who to stop at.
Remember, your health depends on your choice. Do it consciously, and not based on superficial recommendations from people you don’t know.