Why Use a Personal Trainer and How Do You Choose the Best One?

Cheri T. Gobeil
7 min readNov 3, 2020

Go to ten commercial gyms or fitness centers and ask them why you use a personal trainer and you will get ten different answers depending on why you use a personal trainer from their facility. The problem you are getting from these professional sales people is that this advice is driven by sales goals and is designed to help residential personal trainers build their business.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am a personal trainer working from a big business gym and I want to build through business. Access to gym members who sell on the merits and values ​​of personal training certainly makes that task much easier. But, I decide to use a personal trainer (preferably me) for my clients for legitimate reasons and expect them to receive in return for the dollars they have earned so hard.

Let’s get started; Why it is best to exercise with a personal trainer. In particular, there are ten reasons why most people include a personal trainer and they are:

1. You are not looking at the results. Most people focus on a common goal, usually losing weight, and working crazy for weeks, months and years without achieving any side effects. A good personal trainer will begin your journey with a comprehensive pre-workout screening questionnaire and have an in-depth discussion with you about your goals, motivation and past practice history. Then, once you understand where you are right now and where you want to go, they will start preparing an exercise and nutrition plan specifically for you. Screenfold measurement also includes pre-workout screening, body weight assessment, garth measurement and establishing a baseline that measures your future progress.

2. You do not know where to start. A personal trainer worth spending your money on will not assume that you have prior knowledge of anatomy and physiology, nutrition or exercise science. The reason is, if we believe that every client is a blank canvas and develops workouts based on sound techniques and principles of progress, then every client must learn the safest, most effective way to increase their strength, cardiovascular insurance is likely to provide fitness and unnecessary injuries. Those who join the gym do not know how to exercise effectively or safely and there is no one to teach them how to do it other than your personal trainer. A large number of people download temporary workouts from their favorite website or take advice from their “fit” friends. The problem with this approach is that you do not know how to use the equipment safely and the exercise does not suit your individual needs and / or limitations.

3. You get bored with the same old exercise. I know from personal experience that if you do not change your workout regularly, or add interesting cross-lifting options to the mix, you will get very bored with exercise and put less effort into doing it. Bang, your motivation goes there. A good personal trainer will constantly review your progress, how your body exercises and assess your motivation. If any of these indicators, or all of them, show signs of plateau or you are less motivated, it will change your routine and add some variety to your workout to keep you interesting and constantly challenge your body. .

4. You have to challenge. If you are in the majority of the exercise population, there are days when you do not feel like pushing yourself to your limit, or you feel slapped. A personal trainer will not allow you to bring BS excuses for not exercising. He pushes you to complete the last two reps and encourages you through the set when the weight seems too heavy. She will be your conscience, your teacher and your merry team, but she is not your mother.

5. You need to learn how to exercise on your own. Even if you want to exercise on your own, it is a great idea to engage a personal trainer for a few sessions to learn the right way to exercise. This is especially true if you want to learn about your body muscles, how to target those muscles, and complete exercises with good technique. Some sessions will teach you about your body, how it works and what you can gain from it through exercise.

6. You need accountability and motivation. Personal trainers come with built-in motivation. You are investing both money and time for your health and fitness and there is no such thing as a permanent appointment to get out of your butt and stand up. A good personal trainer also provides accountability; So if you do not come for an appointment, they will be directly with you to find out if you missed training during your time. They will question you regularly on your eating and sleeping habits to make sure you are on track.

7. You have a specific disease, injury or condition. If you have specific conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis or chronic injuries, working with a personal trainer who can work with your doctor, physiotherapist or chiropractor can help you find a program. Conditions, which can help you to heal, prevent injuries and more problems. Remember that you want to find a trainer who is experienced with your problems and make sure that the trainer works with your doctor and / or physical therapist for the best experience.

8. You are training for a sport or event. Whether you are training for a marathon, football season or any other sport or program, an experienced personal trainer can help you decide what to do to stay strong without isolating yourself from your other training. He can help you create a training program and make a plan for the upcoming event. In college

9. You need supervision and support.

Some people know how to exercise and exercise safely for best results, but want to have a personal trainer to monitor their workouts and provide assistance when exercising (including heavy weights). The personal trainer then becomes more of a training partner.

10. You want to do workouts at home.

Most people have a good collection of exercise equipment at home, but their lack of motivation and discipline actually make them unaware of what they have to use to exercise. A personal trainer can show you how to use what you have and your instructor will have the knowledge to get you to a specific time on a particular day, which will help motivate you to do the work.

Now that you have some compelling reasons why you should use a personal trainer, the next question is: How can you choose the best one?

I can say with certainty and “Take me!” But there are some basic and indisputable, criteria. The first of these is to identify aptitude in fitness or exercise science. At the very least, a personal trainer should have III and IV certifications in fitness. It is best to have a diploma in fitness or an undergraduate degree in sports or exercise science.

Second, if they do not have additional qualifications, e.g. At the certificate or diploma level, at Nutrition or Dietetics, they should not provide nutritional or dietary advice beyond the scope of national dietary guidelines. On the other hand, if they have additional qualifications in nutrition and / or dietetics, they can help you analyze your diet and provide nutritional guidance and advice.

The third factor to consider is their expertise. Each personal trainer is educated to a level that enables them to provide support and guidance to a wide range of people with a wide range of goals and challenges. However, I have not yet met a single personal trainer who is unskilled or has a preference for a particular type of training. If you suffer from type 2 diabetes and your goal is to lose weight and control your condition, team up with a personal trainer who has the expertise or preference for physical training and competition. It does not make the same sense as a bodybuilder who likes to team up with a trainer who specializes in weight loss after pregnancy. The experience was overwhelming and frustrating on both sides.

Finally, compatibility is an important factor in deciding whom you will entrust to your health and fitness journey. You can find the best personal trainer on the planet, but if he has a huge ego and is having trouble with your level, then he is not the person for you. Take time to sit down and chat, find out the trainer’s background, his personal fitness journey and what he wants to do in the gym. If you find a compassionate spirit who has all the qualifications and skills to meet your needs, they will train you.

When you find the right personal trainer, make no mistake about putting dollars into how to achieve your goals. The investment of the right personal trainer is every percentage. Suppose you are asked to invest $ 50 per session twice each week to get the trainer you like. Alone, $ 100 may seem like a very large amount of money, but you have to keep it relevant; What is the value of your life and long-term health? If you eliminate all junk food, cigarettes and alcohol from your diet, how much will it save you each week? If you could stop taking the drugs that keep you healthy right now, how much would you be able to save? The dollar should not be a determining factor.

It is easy for me to say “I can get you in the best shape of my life” and in fact, many of my contemporaries do exactly that in their statements, but what does this mean in the context of your life? I would say a lot: “I can help you find the strength of purpose and discipline to stay healthy and healthy for the rest of my life.” This is the reality we can create and do. Only you can change your life; I can teach you how and when you can achieve this.

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