The benefits of and how to chose a Personal Trainer

All Articles

The benefits of and how to chose a Personal Trainer

Living the dream

The Hormone Cortisol

The following article is a must read for anyone that is currently training with or is contemplating choosing a personal trainer.

Irrespective of your current level of fitness, gym/training experience, and confidence level, the benefits of working out with a personal trainer are great.
The principle benefit of personal training is having the undivided attention of an exercise specialist for the duration of your training session, ensuring that you obtain maximum returns for your time, using safe, effective, and appropriate exercise techniques.

A good personal trainer will always ask you how you are feeling, take note of how you are looking, and refer to your recent exercise history, prior to commencing every training session. This ensures that your training session is appropriate for that particular day. A personal trainer will also ensure that your exercise programme is appropriate for your goals, objectives, and current level of fitness, balancing cardiovascular exercise, resistance training, and flexibility work as required. This will require consultation with your trainer to detail your current fitness level and to set appropriate short and long-term goals.

A personal trainer will manipulate many training variables during your workout to maximize the benefits. The intensity of your workout will be closely monitored throughout using methods such as heart rate and/or perceived exertion (how hard you feel you are working). Controlling the intensity of training sessions is fundamental as this ensures that your workout is both safe and effective. As well as controlling the intensity of your workout a personal trainer will suggest the most effective modes of training (recommending pieces of equipment that are most appropriate to yourself). They will also control the duration of bouts of training (selecting the most appropriate length of exercise time), and finally the frequency (number of training sessions) of training that you should adhere too for the achievement of your goals. As well as applying science and research to your training, the aforementioned is actually a carefully crafted art as well, so don’t be fooled by a trainer who is lacking in experience. In simplistic terms, you don’t get given a black belt in martial arts for free.

With specific regards to resistance training, your trainer will pick the most appropriate exercises, repetition ranges, number of sets, rest periods, tempo/speed, and determine load assignment (how heavy the weight should be); all of these factors have a major effect on the goal outcome. Personal trainers are also hugely beneficial from a safety perspective whilst resistance training, especially when using free weights. Your trainer will ‘spot’ the weights whilst you perform repetitions, assisting you if necessary, and taking the weight if you reach failure. A good trainer will not only maximize the safety of your resistance workout, but also ensure that maximum benefits are obtained from every set and every repetition you perform. It is fundamental to understand here that the smallest of difference with regards to exercise technique can be the difference between success and failure.

Finally, with regards to flexibility training, your trainer should determines how flexible or tight various muscle groups are and will assist you with your stretching by using techniques such as developmental stretching, soft tissue work and myofacial release. If your trainer is up to date with the latest methodologies they will certainly be using techniques such as Poliquin Instant Muscle Strengthening, as these will improve joint balance and range of motion immediately.

As well as ensuring that the technical side of your workout is correct, your trainer should ensure the progression of your workout is right, using the appropriate warm up and cool down, and sequencing the different elements of the workout correctly. In a busy gym your trainer will maintain the continuity, selecting appropriate alternatives for exercises if the ‘first choice’ is not available. This eliminates time that is frequently wasted whilst waiting for pieces of equipment to become free.

Clearly, the benefits of personal training are great and you have decided to ‘give it a go’. The next step is to choose your trainer.

There is an unfortunate stigma in the fitness industry that the best trainer is the trainer with the most muscles or is in the best shape physically. Whilst it is important that your trainer is active and pursues a healthy lifestyle, they do not need to have the biggest biceps in the gym or be size zero. It is also worth noting that the trainer with the huge biceps that seems to train infrequently may be subject to shall we say, chemical enhancement. It is however important that they walk the walk. Individuals will also often pick trainers with sporting pedigree with the ethos ‘if he can do it, I can’’. This is may be setting yourself up for failure if the trainer in this case can only apply what they learnt through their craft, as you may not have the same genetic potential as them. In addition, an individual of high sporting pedigree may have no real idea how to coach another individual to the same dizzy heights. The flip side to this is that they certainly know what qualities are required to succeed.

So what should you look for?

Firstly, your chosen trainer should be of a pleasant demeanor, instantly taking an active interest in your personal goals. They should be polite and friendly with good interpersonal skills. You can determine this by talking to the trainer about your desire to participate in personal training. You can also learn a lot by observing them training other individuals. How attentive are they? What’s their body language saying? Are they providing 100% attention for their client? You could even talk to their clients, asking for feedback. Also, take note of their appearance as this will often reflect there level of professionalism.

If all the signs are positive, take time to find out about the trainers background and level of education. You should be looking for a trainer with a degree in sports science as this shows they have a broad knowledge base and a passion for sport and exercise. On top of this, look for industry recognized certifications by leading organizations (such as the American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Condition Association, Poliquin International Certification Programme and the CHEK Institute). Is your chosen trainer a certified? Are they on the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPS) and to what level are they accredited? A caveat here is that REPS level 3 can be achieved in as little as 12 weeks so don’t be fooled by the declaration of this. Also, watch out for the career change brigade. Unfortunately the fitness industry is now saturated with individuals that have jumped career to be a personal trainer. 5 years ago it used to be becoming a plumber or estate agent that was fashionable…now it seems to be personal training.

All of the above are questions that you should be finding out prior to embarking on your personal training journey and parting with your hard earned cash. Again, if you do not feel comfortable obtaining this sort of information from the trainer, you could ask the management, or refer to notice boards or web pages where their credentials are displayed. With regards to these notices, no-one in there right mind is going to write ‘’I’m overpriced, pretty lazy, and just want your cash’’, however this type of trainer can be found in nearly every health club.

It is also worth asking the trainer how they keep up to date with current fitness trends. Do they have a professional development plan and visit conferences and seminars for educational purposes? If you are happy that the trainers educational background is of a good standard, they are professional in appearance, and have the necessary interpersonal skills to be able to work with you on a one to one basis, then it’s almost time to get down to business!

Prior to signing on the dotted line, you should make a few final checks. What is the consultation process? How is your trainer going to determine your goals? How are they going to record your progress? If your chosen trainer is of a good standard, they will assess your training status and exercise readiness prior to embarking on your programme, and record the details of every workout on your own individual file. This is fundamental if you are going to progress towards your goals quickly and safely. There should also be clarification from both sides on administrative areas such as cancellations to avoid grey areas.

In summary, a good personal trainer will be a coach, a mentor, and a role model for you to follow. They will always choose the methods of training that will help you achieve your goals, tailoring each exercise session to your specific needs, hopefully adding some enjoyment and fun along the way. Whether you need motivation, education, increased gym confidence, or simply a ‘good’ workout without having to think too much, an appropriately chosen personal trainer is the way forward.

MyBodyRevamp has over 10 years experience in recruiting and evaluating some of the U.K’s finest trainers. If you would like the credentials of your trainer checking out or if you would like help finding a trainer in your area then please contact us and we will be glad to help. Also, if you are a club manager and you feel your personal training team needs an injection of enthusiasm then you may wish to use MyBodyRevamp Personal Training Evaluation Services.