Hiring a personal trainer

Does this scenario seem familiar to you? You bought an expensive treadmill and a multi-station resistance machine, with the good intentions of training yourself at home; the problem is, at present, both pieces of equipment are being used as modified hangers for your work and party clothes; because you are not training! Another scenario is that you joined a gym with lots of sophisticated looking equipment, and you have been going there for a year; but you have not seen any changes in your body. In the above scenarios, it might be that your training programme has failed because of the following reasons—lack of ability to motivate yourself, lack of training knowledge or both! At this point, you should consider securing the services of a personal trainer.

Finding your trainer

There are several factors to be considered when selecting a personal trainer

•Personality—Definitely look for someone who will motivate you. Some people work best with positive words of encouragement, while others like to be pushed hard to their limit, whereby the trainer seems to have taken on the role of an army drill sergeant. Choose any of the above, but definitely do not choose a personal trainer that you can boss around, because you will not get the desired results. My feeling is that a trainer is hired to do a job by ensuring you see results. He is not there to win a popularity contest.

• Certification—While certification is not the end-all, when it comes to hiring a personal trainer, it is an important consideration. Safety and knowledge of proper training techniques are primary issues. Don’t be embarrassed to enquire from a potential trainer about his certification status. There are several well-known international bodies that certify personal trainers, such as—American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), Cooper’s Institute, American Council of Exercise (ACE) etc. Also ensure that his certification is current.

• Versatility—You may want to consider looking for a trainer that is versed in several physical disciplines. You may get bored of performing weight training routines everyday, and as such may have the desire to go outdoors in order to run, mountain bike, hike or swim or to even work up a good sweat with some kickboxing action. Believe it or not, in T&T, there are some accomplished trainers capable of offering you all of the above activities.

• Image—Does the trainer look fit? Would you buy a suit from a suit salesman if his suit is not fitting him well? Does the trainer smoke or drink? How can he talk to you about a healthy lifestyle, when he is polluting his lungs with cigarette smoke? When you are looking at a trainer, you should be convinced that this man or woman is the epitome of a healthy and fit lifestyle. Most people see tremendous results when they hire a personal trainer. The key is to look for one that can motivate you, educate you on the principles of physical training and ensure that you never experience a boring session; but most important, the trainer must definitely live the lifestyle he teaches. Keep Training.