A personal trainer can give you the structure and information you need to win your war against excessive weight. Does this mean that this is going to happen overnight? Absolutely not! However, in the hands of the right trainer, you would find the motivation and inspiration you need to finally lose those extra pounds. Don’t expect instant miracles. Those are few and far between. However, if you are looking for a long term solution that will not only help you say goodbye permanently to those pesky extra pounds, but look pretty good as well, hiring the right personal trainer is your best bet.
With that out of the way, what should you look for when hiring a personal trainer? Pay attention to the following factors. To some extent, hiring the right personal trainer is not much different from hiring any type of service provider. A lot of these factors would apply if you are hiring a dietician, nutritionist, doctor, or a lawyer. Still, there are some factors that are very specific to the work performed by a physical trainer.
1. Has solid accreditation and certification
Physical training involves a lot of science. People have to go to school to know the proper muscle groups and how they work. Armed with this information, these people would know how to set up the proper workout schedule for you for maximum results. This is why accreditation, certification, or some sort of educational background in physical fitness, diet and nutrition can go a long way.
2. Has a solid background in nutrition.
The most important factor to any health or fitness goal is proper nutrition. If you’re not getting the right foods for your body you’re going to have a hard time reaching your goals. Find someone who knows that it’s not just about calories in versus calories out. For example getting 1200 calories from soda isn’t the same as getting 1200 calories from broccoli. That much sugar in soda would put you on the path to diabetes and gaining weight.
3. Has a proven track record
A trainer might have a nice physique and seems to have the right academic or accreditation background. Still, these factors may not necessarily mean this person is the right trainer for you. You also have to consider whether they have successfully helped people in the same situation as you. Look at the shape these people were in when they began. If you notice a very big difference in their physiques before and after the training, that’s a good sign you should do business with that particular trainer. However, if the trainer shows you before and after pictures with very little difference, then you’re probably better off looking for another service provider.
4. Has produced quality results with people like you
It’s one thing to work with Hollywood starlets that already have awesome bodies. It’s another to work with somebody who has over a hundred pounds to lose. The trainer of Olympic stars probably may not help you that much because your workout needs are different from Olympic athlete. Look for somebody who has a proven track record of producing quality results with people who are in the same physical shape as you.
5. Offers a holistic approach
In general, weight loss and physical training involve both the mind and the body. You are not going to really work out to your fullest potential if your mind is not in the right place. You need somebody who will be able to train you to adopt the right attitude so you can work out day after day, regardless of how you feel. There are a lot of people who are trying to achieve the same results as you. Sadly, most of them fail. Why? A lot of them have the wrong mindset or don’t know what to do.
6. Displays the proper level of empathy and patience
To a certain extent, a personal trainer is very much like a teacher. A teacher has to put himself or herself in the shoes of the student to properly instruct the student. Otherwise, that teacher is not that good. The same applies to a trainer of physical fitness. If this person is any good, he or she will have the patience and empathy needed to help you absorb the concepts and information you need.
Hiring a personal trainer requires a system. You have to be both systematic and methodical in your search for this particular type of service provider. Otherwise, it’s too easy to end up with the wrong person and not getting your desired results.
by Matt Hanson, Las Vegas Personal Trainer, Nutritionist and Functional Medicine Health Coach