Choosing a Personal Trainer: 5 Key Things

1. Certification

The number one thing you need to research before choosing a personal trainer is their certifications. Personal trainer certifications are the one thing separating a real personal trainer from your friend Bob down the street who lifted some weights in high school. Iron Orr personal trainer, Brianna, lays out what baseline certifications you should be looking for when choosing a personal trainer.

“The most basic certification your personal trainer needs to have is a CPT certification” says Brianna. “A NASM certification is the gold standard for personal trainers and a nutrition certification also looks very good because 80 percent of being fit is nutrition and 20 percent is working out. Any certification on top of these is a bonus.”

Make sure when you are choosing a personal trainer, the personal trainer has his or her certifications clearly visible. If not, ask to see them. Otherwise, you could be paying a lot of money to someone who is not properly certified. This can be dangerous for you, not to mention, paying a lot of money to get a service you’re not really getting.

2. Experience

Like every job hiring, when you hire a personal trainer you want to check their experience. The personal trainer could check all the certification boxes yet has just gotten their certification and hasn’t worked with any clients before. Do you really want a personal trainer virgin? They could know a lot, but depending on your fitness level and your goals, you may not want to pick them as your personal trainer. Look for someone that has worked with an assortment of clients similar to what you are looking for. If you are a baseball player looking to get in shape before the season starts, you probably want a personal trainer who has either played baseball or specializes in training athletes. The right experience is always better than the most experience. Do your due diligence in the research and you will find the best personal trainer for you.

3. Location

Location, location, location! We have all heard the saying before and when choosing your personal trainer, you should consider location for a number of reasons. Should I just search best personal trainers near me? Should I search best personal trainers in San Diego? Depending on your options, you should way certifications, experience, and location together. Do you want to work with the personal trainer across the street if he is brand new to the job? Would you be willing to drive 15 min to work with someone with more experience? These are the questions you will have to weigh when choosing a personal trainer. Ideally, you can find a great personal trainer near you. If not, you my need to travel a bit to get what you want.

4. Schedule/Availability

You will hear your personal trainer refer to it, but the best way to get back in shape is consistency. Consistency in your diet and consistently working out. The problem with some personal trainers is that they are not consistently available. Whether is is due to them having a lot of other clients or maybe another job they have, some personal trainers cannot train you as consistent as you would like. Make sure that when you choose a personal trainer their schedule works with you, or else you could end up paying and seeing no results.

5. Character

One of the greatest fears when choosing a personal trainer is paying the money then finding out your trainer is a complete lunatic. During the consultation process, your trainer may seem like the perfect fit for you. Then as time goes by you start to realize the flaws. Maybe he isn’t available. Maybe he doesn’t fit your needs. And maybe he doesn’t even care. The local personal training circle is a small one and every well-known trainer has a reputation. Make sure you research reviews, maybe even get a referral from a friend before you put down the money for a personal trainer. Ultimately, you want a personal trainer that compliments you and is well respected in the personal training community.