How to pick a Personal Trainers / Why Trainers get certified!

What do you look for when choosing a personal trainer? A lot of people look at how the trainer looks, because they want to look like them.but is the trainer really knowledgable about the body? I respect all trainers in the industry but some of them start their clients off on a level they’re not ready for and it ends up doing more harm than good. Any trainer should take you through a proper assessment called a PAR-Q which every trainer can tweak it to work for them and their clientele but a trainer shouldn’t just start you moving off the bat without asking a few questions and assessing you in case you have previous injuries. Or have a dysfunction you’re not even aware of. If you are training with an independent trainer make sure they have liability insurance. If you have a trainer though your local gym, the gym usually insures its’s trainers that work for that company. But if you are training outdoors in a park at your home check for insurance!

Why do trainers get certified? If someone has found a way that works out that seems good and they get results why shouldn’t they just shout it from the rooftops and everyone do it? Because there is a basic foundation of anatomy and physiology that needs to be taught as well as the nervous and circulatory system. And also, knowledge of things you shouldn’t be doing as a personal trainer because it is out of our scope of practice.
It is very easy to train with someone who looks good and they say “I’ll train you” and you pay them. And most likely their fee is a lot less than a certified trainer. The reason is certifying to become a trainer takes almost a year to do and a good chunk of change! There are workshops and lots of studying to do. There is learning the science, program design, and special population. So, that’s why certain trainers charge more. And the more specialization a trainer obtains the more they have a tendency to charge. Like anything else you are getting what you pay for.

When a person gets certified like anything else it shows that they were taught the basics and are competent to help someone in the fitness area.

When picking a trainer have a goal in mind.

Do you want to run a marathon, do a outdoor race, gain muscle, lose fat, compete in a fitness completion, or just general health? These are all things you should take into consideration. And it is ok to switch trainers. Training and body transformation is a very intimate and vulnerable experience. So , if you don’t feel comfortable you will not want to go and or continue. To me working out should be an enjoyable experience that helps expand your horizon and push your limits a bit. And most importantly build confidence in you.