About personal trainers

Personal trainers can help you stay on target and achieve your fitness goals.

Personal Trainers

If you want to shed those excess pounds, become healthy or get some muscles, getting a personal trainer on board could be a good idea. A good personal trainer can set up a program for you that satisfies the goals you wish to achieve and tell you about the best way to exercise. Here are some things you should know before you stick that wad of cash in his / her hand.

Who exactly is a personal trainer?

A personal trainer must at least have the appropriate qualifications. His job is to check out your current fitness level, design a training program for you and keep your spirits high. He/she should push you out of your comfort-zone, something not possible by yourself.

What would a session be like?

Each session should run upto an hour. The first session will be devoted to checking out your current fitness level, exercises, your medi history and your aims. You shouldn’t shy from getting on the weighing scale. You’ll also be asked questions about the goals you’ve set. Once this is over, you’ll be doing strength training and cardio.

What to look out for regarding the personal trainer

Here are some pointers you need to verify before joining forces with the trainer:

Education – Your personal trainer should have a qualification from a reputed fitness org (ACSM, ACE or NSCA). No other qualifications such as a college degree is necessary but, the more he has, the better it is for you.

CPR – Your trainer should be certified in carry out CPR and first aid, in case a situation demands as such.

Experience – Try to check out the number of years of experience that your trainer has, especially relating to your aims. For example, if you wanna do some bodybuilding, you’d preferably want someone who knows his stuff.

Specifics – If you have some special medical conditions, injuries or anything as such, make sure your trainer is educated in it.

Listener – Make sure your trainer is a good listener so that he can understand your aims and what you want to achieve.

Attention – Your trainer should always be focused on what you’re doing during your training sessions

Keeping a tab on your progress – A good trainer will keep track of your progress and make any modifications to the programme if necessary.

His personality is also important since you’ll be working with him a lot. Therefore, make sure you get along well with him and don’t feel queasy when asking him questions.

How to get a personal trainer

You can check out your local gym, a lot of gyms have personal trainers on their payroll. You could also try out yellow pages, use the Personal Trainer Finder or American Council on Exercise (both online) so that you can locate a trainer locally. The cost will vary according to your location and your trainers level of education and experience. It generally costs somewhere between 30 and 70 dollars for a session.