There are hundreds of Personal Trainers out there, some excellent, some good, some average, and some down-right dreadful. As with any other profession it is not enough to go by qualifications. To be an effective trainer the individual needs to have passion and commitment, organisational skills, inter-personal skills, deductive reasoning, a commitment to continuous learning, and empirical knowledge.
Unfortunately I've witnessed a lot of bad Personal Trainers. Some barely seem to watch what their clients are doing and either don't recognise or don't care about poor exercise technique. At best these trainers are ineffective, at worst they are negligent and even dangerous.
The first quality I tend to look for in a trainer is attentiveness: they need to be constantly observant. They must scrutinize every aspect of their client's exercise performance and must filter out everything else going on around them (except for being aware of potential hazards).
This attentiveness needs to be present when discussing goals and taking background. It is made manifest in active listening skills: the client must feel that they are being heard, valued, and respected.
A good trainer will also be a diligent record-keeper. This will ensure that the client progresses at each session (if they do not progress each time they are wasting their money). There must be clear plans of what the client wants to achieve and how to get there efficiently and safely. The trainer should regularly discuss these plans with the client and make adjustments depending on the response to different aspects of the programme.
The trainer should also be sensitive to anything that makes the client feel uncomfortable or embarrassed and seek to minimise or eradicate these things.
The trainer should also be able to provide a rationale for exercise choices and training parameters. They should be open to discussion and honest about the limitations of their expertise. A good trainer is never satisfied with their own level of knowledge and should continuously push the boundaries of their own understanding and practice.
It is not enough for the trainer to have a sound academic knowledge - they should experience the exercises and regimens for themselves wherever possible. They must be able to speak from experience.
A good trainer will avoid over-training the client (I have known trainers who insist on excessive use of particular exercises that leave the client barely able to walk for days afterwards). They must also be knowledgeable about the importance of rest and nutrition.
If you are looking for a Personal Trainer check for the following:
1. Registration with the Register of Exercise Professionals at Level 3; some big gyms employ level 2 gym instructors and then pass them off as Personal Trainers.
2. Observe them training others and watch for attentiveness, exercise correction, record-keeping etc;
3. Find out about their own training. Do they look like they train?
4. Ask for any testimonies or speak to their clients yourself. What results did they get?
5. Request a free consultation. Were you listened to? What approach did the trainer recommend? Does it make sense? Ask them for a rationale and evidence base for their suggestions.
6. Check the fees and cancellation policy.
7. What records will the trainer keep? If they take no notes at the consultation forget training with them!
8. Observe them, observe their clients. Look out for posture, conditioning, exercise performance. Fit clients, or those making progress, often indicate a good trainer.
Once you find a good trainer stick with it. Good trainers are of immense value and will get you results beyond anything you could achieve by yourself. A Personal Trainer should be an invaluable resource, motivator, technical instructor and guide.
The keywords are attentiveness; safety; efficacy; diligence; reliability; commitment and a passion for training.
Unfortunately I've witnessed a lot of bad Personal Trainers. Some barely seem to watch what their clients are doing and either don't recognise or don't care about poor exercise technique. At best these trainers are ineffective, at worst they are negligent and even dangerous.
The first quality I tend to look for in a trainer is attentiveness: they need to be constantly observant. They must scrutinize every aspect of their client's exercise performance and must filter out everything else going on around them (except for being aware of potential hazards).
This attentiveness needs to be present when discussing goals and taking background. It is made manifest in active listening skills: the client must feel that they are being heard, valued, and respected.
A good trainer will also be a diligent record-keeper. This will ensure that the client progresses at each session (if they do not progress each time they are wasting their money). There must be clear plans of what the client wants to achieve and how to get there efficiently and safely. The trainer should regularly discuss these plans with the client and make adjustments depending on the response to different aspects of the programme.
The trainer should also be sensitive to anything that makes the client feel uncomfortable or embarrassed and seek to minimise or eradicate these things.
The trainer should also be able to provide a rationale for exercise choices and training parameters. They should be open to discussion and honest about the limitations of their expertise. A good trainer is never satisfied with their own level of knowledge and should continuously push the boundaries of their own understanding and practice.
It is not enough for the trainer to have a sound academic knowledge - they should experience the exercises and regimens for themselves wherever possible. They must be able to speak from experience.
A good trainer will avoid over-training the client (I have known trainers who insist on excessive use of particular exercises that leave the client barely able to walk for days afterwards). They must also be knowledgeable about the importance of rest and nutrition.
If you are looking for a Personal Trainer check for the following:
1. Registration with the Register of Exercise Professionals at Level 3; some big gyms employ level 2 gym instructors and then pass them off as Personal Trainers.
2. Observe them training others and watch for attentiveness, exercise correction, record-keeping etc;
3. Find out about their own training. Do they look like they train?
4. Ask for any testimonies or speak to their clients yourself. What results did they get?
5. Request a free consultation. Were you listened to? What approach did the trainer recommend? Does it make sense? Ask them for a rationale and evidence base for their suggestions.
6. Check the fees and cancellation policy.
7. What records will the trainer keep? If they take no notes at the consultation forget training with them!
8. Observe them, observe their clients. Look out for posture, conditioning, exercise performance. Fit clients, or those making progress, often indicate a good trainer.
Once you find a good trainer stick with it. Good trainers are of immense value and will get you results beyond anything you could achieve by yourself. A Personal Trainer should be an invaluable resource, motivator, technical instructor and guide.
The keywords are attentiveness; safety; efficacy; diligence; reliability; commitment and a passion for training.
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