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Unfortunately, introducing myself as a “certified personal trainer” garners more sighs and eye-rolls than I would care to admit. The hard truth is that entering my profession is becoming ever easier, to the point that some of the 70+ personal training certification programs require nothing more than a credit card payment of $500 and the completion of an online multiple-choice test. Because of this, I’m all too aware of my clients’ usually-unspoken doubts before I take them through their first session.

 

But don’t count all of us out just yet. Not all personal trainers are wannabe fitness hacks looking to make a quick buck. In fact, most of us have extensive fitness backgrounds and can give you multiple ways of hitting various muscle groups, burning fat, eating correctly, reading supplement labels, and so on. Even if you’ve logged more time in the gym than the Pope has in the Vatican, a high-quality personal trainer can be a vital tool for helping you break through plateaus and keep your workouts exciting.

 

So, how can you weed through the muck to find a trainer who’s right for you? First off, learn the warning signs of trainers to avoid, and once you’ve narrowed your search, ask the remaining trainers at your gym targeted questions, slowly crossing them off until you’ve narrowed your search to the winning trainer.

 

Warning Signs of Bad Trainers

 

-They watch their clients warm up. Hiring a personal trainer is expensive, so look for trainers who have their clients warm-up before the clock starts ticking. The trainer’s role is to motivate you and provide you with fresh workout advice, not to watch you walk on a treadmill for 10, very expensive, minutes. A good trainer will have plenty of good exercise advice to last the entire session and won’t have to rely on time-fillers like cardio warm-ups.

 

-They are always near the machines. Machine work can be great for isolating weak points and rehabbing nagging injuries. However, for the vast majority of us, machine work should not comprise an entire workout. Just about everything we do in our lives, from carrying groceries to coaching the neighborhood t-ball team, requires our muscles and extremities to work together, so why would we want to spend every second in the gym reinforcing muscle and extremity isolation? You’re right; we don’t. Machines may make their job easier since they don’t need to spot, but since they restrict range/plane of motion and isolate you to singular muscle groups, I would recommend avoiding trainers who rely heavily on machines.

 

-They draw too much attention to themselves. While personal trainers are often responsible for building and maintaining their own client bases, good trainers rely mostly on their competence in the field, as opposed to any particular physical characteristic to “sell” training sessions. They do not need to wear low-cut or overly-tight tops, spike their bleach-blonde hair to the ceiling, have their clients do ridiculous exercises in the middle of the gym for all the world to see, etc. Good trainers wear loose-fitting, functional attire, always look professional, and respect the intimacy of the trainer-client relationship.

 

Signs of a Good Trainer

 

I already mentioned a few things that good trainers do, but here are some more signs to look for to separate those who know the biz from the pretenders.

 

- Free assessment session. All trainers should pre-empt any workouts with a good assessment session to analyze body composition, medical history, lifting experience, goals, weak points and imbalances. If they don’t require any of this info before they start working with you, then how are they going to keep you safe during your sessions and help you make any progress toward fixing your problems?

 

- They focus on correcting imbalances and weaknesses first. Unless they are beginners, most people have a good general idea of how to work out to get stronger, burn more calories or build more muscle. What most people lack is the knowledge about how to fix what is really holding them back--usually things like bad posture, muscle imbalances and weak spots in muscle systems. A good trainer will spend the majority of their time helping you to fix these problems instead of just spotting you and yelling encouragements on normal workout sessions. They know how to spot and fix problems by utilizing exercises that target specific body parts. This is the reason why even the most seasoned lifter can benefit from working with a trainer.

 

- They get results! Good trainers have good references because they have satisfied customers who got results working with them. Some people only want a trainer to motivate them to get to the gym, or to make working out more fun, or even just because they are lonely and want a friend to talk to while they are working out. But if you don’t want to waste your money, ask around and get references from people who you’ve seen impressive changes from.

 

Not everyone needs to fork out money for a personal trainer. If you have a reliable training partner you can bounce ideas off of, and you are both happy with your workouts and progress, it makes little sense to change that. However, if your workouts are becoming a little stale or if you’ve hit a plateau in your progress, consider hiring a personal trainer to jump-start your routine. If you do hire a trainer, don’t feel bad about parting ways with him/her after you’ve found your groove again. After all, getting back on track was the whole point in seeking out a trainer in the first place.

 

Jessica Gereau – Jessica has a BS in Kinesiology from San Francisco St. University. Before becoming a certified personal trainer she achieved a personal weight loss of 60+ lbs, and this has motivated her to help others obtain similar goals. She founded Gym Class Fitness Studio in the Bay Area as a place where people can learn what she learned along the way - that cookies are a part of life, and the hard way is the only way. Jessica currently carries certifications for ACSM and NASM.