Okay- you’ve decided it’s time to “get in shape”. Once and for all, you’re ready to pay the price to look better and feel better the healthy way- through nutrition and exercise. Time has taught you the truth- diets don’t work, ab gizmo’s don’t work, the infomercials are a joke. You finally faced the fact that you MUST change your lifestyle.
You’ve heard the amazing success stories, watched many a late night of “Extreme Makeover”, and decided to seek out the guidance of a personal trainer. But how do you find one? And more importantly, when you find one how do you know if they are the right person to work with?
Personal Training Certification
The gold standard for certification agencies are the American Council on Exercise, National Strength & Conditioning Association, and American College of Sports Medicine. A qualified trainer should at minimum have a certification with one of these agencies. But that just means they’ve passed the “baseline of standards” to call themselves a personal trainer. It does not mean they are good at what they do or can deliver a specific result. There is a big difference between a “trainer” and a “fitness professional”.
Personal Fitness workouts
A top quality fitness professional does more than just “take you through a workout”. Anyone can count to 15 by themselves and hold a clipboard. Look for a coach who will educate you about all the components necessary to achieve optimal health and a fitness result. Your trainer should review nutrition education with you, educate you about proper supplementation, review resistance training (whether that be balance training, core work, Stability balls, medicine balls, etc.), Cardiovascular exercise to maximize fat burning, flexibility to avoid injury and speed recovery, and really walk you through all the steps that encompass the “mental development” side. Goal setting, putting together a plan of action, and then holding you accountable and supporting you through the entire process is absolutely critical to your success.
Personal Fitness Proof of Results
A top fitness pro should be able to do more than just talk about results- they should be able to prove they deliver. Ask for proof of client results. Do they have before & after photos of clients, testimonials, references? Can you speak with a client to inquire about their experience working with them? If a fitness pro can’t offer this kind of concrete proof than be careful.
Personal Fitness Guarantee
According to a Consumer Reports study there is more dissatisfaction in the diet industry than any other industry. That’s crazy. Think about it- if you took your car to a mechanic you’d expect it to be fixed- not come back with 2 or 3 pings and a loose belt! Working with a fitness professional should be the same as any other industry. If they aren’t willing to guarantee your results then find someone who will. Spending your time and energy without a guarantee of results is like going to that terrible mechanic! Don’t waste your money or more importantly your time working with someone who can’t offer an iron clad guarantee of your success.
Personal Training Empower Your Life
A great fitness coach will do more than just help you to achieve your goals. A true professional will teach you the foundation of knowledge so you will no longer be lost in the “sea of confusion” when it comes to all the diet and exercise hype. The foundation of knowledge and correct technique you’ll learn will allow you to maintain your results for life!