You’re jazzed, you’re psyched, you’re stoked. You want to work out, you want to start a program, you want to kick your ass into swinging shape, you want to look good naked. Why hire a personal trainer? They are expensive, they are buff and unapproachable, and you know how to get your butt onto a LifeCycle and start pumping away, right?
Right, and wrong. If you are serious about getting into shape, (and you ARE serious, aren’t you?) a personal trainer brings a few things to the table that can’t be replaced by a subscription to Fitness Magazine. Chiefly, he or she brings a ready supply of motivation, the lack of which can be fatal to a new workout program. Your trainer will be there, at your appointed time, with a smile on and a “let’s do this” attitude. It’s their job, and if they aren’t motivating, you didn’t read this article and you chose the wrong person. Secondly, they bring knowledge about nutrition and exercise, which will be invaluable in preventing injuries and selecting the best program to meet your goals. Thirdly, and this is important as a beginner, they will become your conduit to become socialized with the gym and incorporate the gym into your routine. It’s easy for beginners to feel alienated by the gym environment - they are surrounded by people who are in shape, know how to use every machine and are intimately familiar with the social rules associated with behavior in the gym. Your trainer will help to integrate you into the scene, so you too can join the regulars in scorning that guy who hogs four separate machines while he does his own personal circuit training, or the woman who doesn’t cover her mouth when she coughs incessantly trying to treadmill-away what must be tuberculosis that she’s battling, or the dude who tries to curl his body weight by keeping his arms locked at a 90 degree angle and bowing wildly back and forth.
So how do you choose the right trainer? I worked for years in a gym, and saw the same mistakes being made by new members time and time again. Mistake #1: choose the hottest guy/girl from the wall of pictures. This is not AdultFriendFinder.com; while it may feel good parading around the gym with the hottest chick/buffest dude in the place, there is no reason to think that that person is the best trainer for you. Mistake #2: leave the decision up to the gym employee. They are most likely to hook you up with someone they like, which is not necessarily the best for you.
You want a trainer that will be the best personality fit for you; one who will motivate you, one who will make you feel comfortable, one who, when you pull yourself out of bed, will make you think “Cool! Workout time!”, instead of “Shit. Workout time.” This calls for some introspection - are you the type of person that will respond better to urging from a male or female? Do you prefer people who are talkative or more laid-back? Someone around your age or younger/older? There are a million different types of questions you can ask yourself to get an image in your head of what you want your trainer to be like. Got that image? Good - we’re heading into the gym to make a choice.
Here’s what I suggest. Head to the appropriate person (General Manager, Personal Training Director) and pepper them with questions relating to the type of trainer you would like. Questions like:
- Which of your trainers would you say has the most weightlifting/exercise/nutrition knowledge?
- Which of your trainers is the most talkative? Most laid-back?
- Which of your trainers has had recent success with one of their clients losing weight/cutting/bulking/etc.?
- My personality is generally ___________, which one of your trainers would you say that I would get along with the best?
- I’m looking to buy 10 training sessions (or more), can I work out with [suggested trainer] once to see if we mesh, or meet them before I sign up?
If you have time and are not a total beginner, I would also suggest working out for a week and watching the trainers and how they interact with their clients. Are they dialed in, or are they scoping the gym and yawning? The more informed you are, the less likely it will be that you pick the wrong person. And if you do, for god’s sake talk to the director and get your sessions moved to someone else. You’re paying good money, you should expect a positive relationship with your trainer.
Happy training!
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Right, and wrong. If you are serious about getting into shape, (and you ARE serious, aren’t you?) a personal trainer brings a few things to the table that can’t be replaced by a subscription to Fitness Magazine. Chiefly, he or she brings a ready supply of motivation, the lack of which can be fatal to a new workout program. Your trainer will be there, at your appointed time, with a smile on and a “let’s do this” attitude. It’s their job, and if they aren’t motivating, you didn’t read this article and you chose the wrong person. Secondly, they bring knowledge about nutrition and exercise, which will be invaluable in preventing injuries and selecting the best program to meet your goals. Thirdly, and this is important as a beginner, they will become your conduit to become socialized with the gym and incorporate the gym into your routine. It’s easy for beginners to feel alienated by the gym environment - they are surrounded by people who are in shape, know how to use every machine and are intimately familiar with the social rules associated with behavior in the gym. Your trainer will help to integrate you into the scene, so you too can join the regulars in scorning that guy who hogs four separate machines while he does his own personal circuit training, or the woman who doesn’t cover her mouth when she coughs incessantly trying to treadmill-away what must be tuberculosis that she’s battling, or the dude who tries to curl his body weight by keeping his arms locked at a 90 degree angle and bowing wildly back and forth.
So how do you choose the right trainer? I worked for years in a gym, and saw the same mistakes being made by new members time and time again. Mistake #1: choose the hottest guy/girl from the wall of pictures. This is not AdultFriendFinder.com; while it may feel good parading around the gym with the hottest chick/buffest dude in the place, there is no reason to think that that person is the best trainer for you. Mistake #2: leave the decision up to the gym employee. They are most likely to hook you up with someone they like, which is not necessarily the best for you.
You want a trainer that will be the best personality fit for you; one who will motivate you, one who will make you feel comfortable, one who, when you pull yourself out of bed, will make you think “Cool! Workout time!”, instead of “Shit. Workout time.” This calls for some introspection - are you the type of person that will respond better to urging from a male or female? Do you prefer people who are talkative or more laid-back? Someone around your age or younger/older? There are a million different types of questions you can ask yourself to get an image in your head of what you want your trainer to be like. Got that image? Good - we’re heading into the gym to make a choice.
Here’s what I suggest. Head to the appropriate person (General Manager, Personal Training Director) and pepper them with questions relating to the type of trainer you would like. Questions like:
- Which of your trainers would you say has the most weightlifting/exercise/nutrition knowledge?
- Which of your trainers is the most talkative? Most laid-back?
- Which of your trainers has had recent success with one of their clients losing weight/cutting/bulking/etc.?
- My personality is generally ___________, which one of your trainers would you say that I would get along with the best?
- I’m looking to buy 10 training sessions (or more), can I work out with [suggested trainer] once to see if we mesh, or meet them before I sign up?
If you have time and are not a total beginner, I would also suggest working out for a week and watching the trainers and how they interact with their clients. Are they dialed in, or are they scoping the gym and yawning? The more informed you are, the less likely it will be that you pick the wrong person. And if you do, for god’s sake talk to the director and get your sessions moved to someone else. You’re paying good money, you should expect a positive relationship with your trainer.
Happy training!
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