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| Me doing yoga, while Blitz spots me. :) Sometimes he joins me. Lol |
Unfortunately, there are no current regulations or standards on who can call themselves a personal fitness trainer, or what, if any, requirements they should have. Pretty much Joe Shmoe or Sally Bee can say, "I'm a personal trainer" and start charging people. Even gym's such as Gold's or 24 Hour Fitness don't have the greatest standards towards personal trainers. I've heard many horror stories about people who have had problems with so-called "personal trainers", including having gone through one myself. Trainers constantly canceling last minute, acting unprofessional and uneducated, or simply acting like the don't care are many complaints I've heard.
Mine was a little different. The first personal trainer I ever had, before the idea of my becoming one was even a thought, was a professional body builder who worked at Gold's Gym. (I will talk more about trainer's who work at Gym's in a moment). Now, I'm a fit person and I'm a stubborn person. If my trainer asks me to do something, I trust them to know what is safe and accurate and I will push myself as hard as I possibly can for them. On our third time training, he had me do such heavy leg squats for so many reps, I literally tore muscles in my legs. I couldn't walk up or down stairs without completely relying on railings, simply walk with out pain, and it was impossible for me to just sit in a chair (as this mimics leg squats). The pain caused tears in my eyes when I put pressure on my legs. In order to sit down, I had to hold my body weight up on the arms of the chair and literally fall into it. Not relying on my legs at all. This was my experience with a trainer.
Now that I have decided to dedicate my life to helping people not only become physically fit and nutritionally healthy (also obtaining my Nutrition & Wellness Counseling certification), but to feel confident in themselves and who they are, I think back to all these horror stories I've not only heard, but experienced with a deep sadness and frustration. They give ME a bad name and do not accurately represent this profession.
I've always been a big believer that education is key to understanding, so I'm going to throw information about what you should expect and look for in a personal trainer.
First, are they a CERTIFIED personal trainer from a Nationally Accredited organization? My certifications are through the American Fitness Professionals Association (AFPA). I took a long time and did a lot of research to find a qualified and accredited program that also offered continuing education and specializations. You have the right and it is your obligation to find out what certifications your trainer has, where they obtained them from, and how old they are. A real professional and serious trainer should be like any other person in the medical and health related fields and should be continuously educating themselves on the newest information and best processes. BE WARNED: A degree in a health and fitness related area should NOT substitute for a certification but can be an additional credential to a resume. This is the problem a lot of gyms in college towns have. They have an in-flux of people and a shortage of trainers, so they higher a lot of college students in health and wellness fields that may know nothing about creating appropriate and specialized workout routines and programs for each individual, the safest and most effective methods to gain differing results, etc.
Douglas S. Brooks owns an internationally renown personal fitness company, has multiple degrees in exercise physiology, and still keeps his trainer certifications current with the American Council on Exercise. If you do decide to work with a trainer without a certification, I encourage to ask for references to satisfied clients, and ask how they develop their individualized programs.
Second is to look for warning signs. Your first consultation with your trainer should be a discovery session. At the very least this session should be filled with asking you questions regarding your medical history, fitness history, goals, desires, and attitudes toward fitness. Some gyms have you fill this paperwork out before you even meet your trainer and you never have this conversation with him or her directly. This is a red flag. If you never have this talk with your trainer and they start going through the motions and put you on machines, back away and walk away. A trainer should NEVER start a work out with you without first going over this information with you themself. It is what the trainer should base your entire workout program on and if they don't have it can end up at the most causing you injury and at the very least, not getting you the results you should be getting, if any. Also, if you go to a trainer who never brings up nutrition, calories, or eating habits with you, this is also a red flag and you should walk away. Becoming a fit and healthy person is as much about your nutrition and eating habits as it is your physical fitness. If the conversation never even comes up, they don't really care to give you the help and education you need for a fully fit and healthy lifestyle. Plus it is key to a weight loss program of any kind. Your trainer does not necessarily have to have a certification in this area but they should at least be somewhat educated and should talk to you regarding your nutrition. This may or may not include a nutritional plan and advised guidelines. I advise and develop them for my clientele, some trainers don't offer this service and some clients don't want it. But developed program or not, the topic must be always be brought up and discussed.
Last is professionalism. Your trainer should be and should act like a professional. This includes the way they address you, present themself, and act towards the profession. A trainer who frequently cancels or is late, acts aloof or unconcerned during sessions, doesn't track and/or discuss your progress with you, etc. is not worth your money or your time. Which brings up another point, a trainer is like a lot of things in life, you get what you pay for. Trainers that offer a rate of 9$ an hour will most likely give you the quality of 9$ an hour (with very, very rare exceptions). Find out what the appropriate going rate is in your area and stay within that range. If you have problems financially affording a trainer, contact them and discuss payment and package options. For example, I will charge a certain rate per hour for different sessions. If I meet you at your home, the session will be slightly higher then if I meet you at the gym. I also offer combination rates, where you and a friend/relative can work out together and the hourly rate drops. Most trainers provide these types of options. If you are one of those that spends 10$ a day on McDonald's (50$ a week) is isn't a viable argument that personal trainers are expensive at 25$ an hour for 2 sessions a week.
So, like I said, I'm very excited about this adventure and thrilled to finally be on my way. Right now there is a lot of bad stigma towards the profession and I hope that as time goes on, the bad ones are mostly filtered out and people can see what it really is: A very precise and special health profession that can help people fight, prevent and even reverse diabetes, heart failure, strokes, depression and many, many other serious illnesses. As well as give people a sense of strength and well being they never knew they could have. At least, these are my goals. This is why I'm here. I want to help people to help themselves. For life.
