Are you currently in the process of looking for a personal trainer? Finding the RIGHT personal trainer is not an easy task and I strongly recommend not settling with one that doesn’t meet your standards. Below is a list of qualifications and things that your personal trainer should know. Good luck and train hard!
10 Things Your Personal Trainer Should Know:
- Education: Your trainer needs to be well educated; either a nationally recognized personal training certification or health and fitness related degree (exercise science or kinesiology). Be sure to ask your trainer if he/she has these credentials.
- Anatomy: Every great personal trainer should be able to name any muscle in the body and be able to tell you the function of that muscle.
- Proper form and technique: Your trainer absolutely has to know the proper form and technique of every single lift or exercise. This is crucial for your over-all well-being and safety. If you feel your form is wrong, be sure to ask and maybe even get a second opinion (ask another trainer) just to be sure.
- Modification: Modifying exercises to meet your personal needs and goals is huge. Any great trainer is able to do so and I recommend talking about this the first session.
- Nutrition: Personal trainers are not nutritionists or dietitians, but they should know just about everything there is to know about food and diets. Most trainers are required to take some sort of nutrition class through their college or certification.
- CPR: Without a doubt, every single trainer in the world has to know and be able to perform CPR. If yours doesn’t know CPR, get a new trainer as soon as possible. This means the trainer does not care about your safety or is too lazy to keep the certification active.
- Communication: Your trainer needs to be able to communicate. The relationship between a client and trainer is usually pretty strong due to the personality attributes and ability to communicate.
- Time management: Being able to manage time is a huge qualification for good trainers. Being on time and knowing how long the workout should be is a must.
- Organization: Your trainer should know how to be organized. An unorganized trainer is typically a lazy and careless one.
- Know when to push and when not to push: A good trainer should be able to figure out your fitness level within the first couple of training sessions. He or she should, from then on, know when to push you to maximize results and when to lay off if you are getting weak or lightheaded (i.e. feel like you’re going to pass out).
I hope this will help you with finding the RIGHT trainer for you. Good luck and remember that hard work and dedication pay off!
Also Read:
How to Find the Right Personal Trainer
Why and How to Choose a Personal Trainer
