What You Should Expect from Your Personal Trainer Investment
Maybe you’re looking at yourself in the mirror this summer celebrating all the wins you’ve worked so hard to achieve. You wanted to start an athletic conditioning program and you did. You wanted to feel fit enough to play in a tennis league and you did. You wanted to feel good in your jeans and you do! This is awesome news.
But maybe you’re looking at yourself in the mirror wondering when you’re ever going to be consistent enough to get the results you want. Maybe you’re ready to admit you need a fitness professional to help you reach your goals. But how do you find the perfect fit? Here are a set of questions you’ll need answers to before hiring anyone.
What certification(s) do you hold?
Take a few minutes to look up the certifying agency the fitness professional used, and make sure you agree with the values it teaches. You might want to err on the side of someone who holds a certification accredited through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), which standardizes expectations for fit pros. Although NCCA accreditation is preferred, it is not a make-or-break deal, provided you do your homework using the questions in this article.
What behavior change techniques are you going to use to help me stay consistent?
You’re going to a fitness professional because you have not been able to stick with it on your own. You need accountability or confidence or both. You are not hiring someone to count repetitions and sets. This fact needs to be very clear to both you and your coach. If she/he does not know how to help you stick to the changes necessary to get you where you want to go, you need to take a pass. Don’t expect to succeed at reaching your goals if your coach does not include regular sessions specifically to redirect bad health habits using science-backed goal-setting techniques.
What goal-setting technques will you be using?
There are many methods for helping people set and reach goals. Ask your potential trainer to talk about some strategies used in the past. Will she/he ask you to set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely), as well as subjective goals, and why? Will you set process goals, performance goals, outcome goals or all of them? What is her/his procedure when you don’t feel like exercising? How will she/he help you become more intrinsically motivated? What accountability tactics will be used?
Fitness Assessment Assessment
Many gyms include a free fitness assessment. Do your own assessment of your potential trainer with the following: Does she/he give you eye contact? Mirror your body language and tone? Respond with active listening skills? Ask questions about you rather than spend time talking about themselves?
If you’re going to hire a fitness pro to help you be consistent enough to celebrate your fitness wins this time next year, knowing what to ask and what to expect will help you find that perfect coach.
Andrea Bowden, MS, an exercise therapist and a 35-year veteran in the fitness business, is a freelance writer on health & fitness, motivation, and “real life.” She coaches retention science to fitness professionals, gym managers, and community organizations so their clients quit quitting.
