- If you have ever stepped into a gym, you may already have seen a personal trainer at work. A personal trainer is an individual knowledgeable in physical fitness, muscle conditioning and/or body building who works one-on-one with clients to help them reach their fitness goals. Personal trainers work in gyms, sports clubs, wellness centers, and sometimes will come right to your home. Their role is to assess your physical fitness and put together a fitness plan to help you reach your goals. Rates vary from $30 to $80 a session, depending on the setting or how much education they have. Utilizing a personal trainer can be a great way to get into shape by giving you the extra motivation and accountability you need to follow through with your fitness plan.
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Once you sign up with a personal trainer, you will schedule for an initial evaluation. This is the beginning of the personal trainer's role. The trainer will make note of your height, weight, body mass index and your medical background. It is very important for the trainer to know about any medical conditions or injuries you may have in order to make any adjustments to the workout that may be necessary. Next, the trainer will ask what your goals are and what you would like to get out of the personal training sessions. Using all of this information, the trainer then puts together a plan of a combination of cardiovascular exercise, muscle conditioning and stretching.
It is the personal trainer's duty to support you fully in your workouts. This includes warming you up properly, showing you how to do an exercise, watching you and making sure you keep good form, as well as answering any questions you may have about anything you are doing. The best personal trainers are ones that inspire their clients to keep working, even when it gets hard and they want to stop. The last thing that a personal trainer will do is lead you through a cool-down and stretch. Sometimes a trainer will even manually stretch your muscles to allow for more range of motion. -
There are certain things to look for when researching personal trainers. Education, experience and personality are all very important factors to consider. Almost all personal trainers have a certification from an accredited personal training program, such as ACE (American Council on Exercise), ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) or NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association), but be sure to find out exactly what kind of program they attended. Some trainers actually have a bachelor's degree in exercise science or a related major, and although this isn't necessary to be a good trainer, the more schooling they have, the more comprehensive your training will be.
What is their experience? You will certainly want to find out how long they have been training and what they have specialized in. It is wise to choose a trainer that has extensive experience training people with similar goals to yours. Are they CPR and First Aid certified? This is important because, in the event of a medical emergency during training, you want to be sure that the trainer is capable of handling the situation and keeping you safe.
What is their personality like? Aside from being good at what they do, you want your trainer to mesh well with your personality and offer the attributes that you are looking for, such as being energetic, upbeat and motivating. -
Hiring a personal trainer can be the difference between struggling to get into shape and reaching your fitness goals. For people who are new to working out or really need a lot of support during their workout, a personal trainer is a great alternative to group fitness classes. Even those who feel comfortable working out may not necessarily know all there is to know about fitness, and a personal trainer can give you that professional edge to lead you to success.
One of the hardest things for most people is getting themselves to the gym. When you have an appointment to keep, you are much more likely to go. Also, you have to report to your trainer on whether you have kept up with your end of the bargain when away from the gym. This makes you more likely to be aware and stay on track.
When working out on your own, sometimes it is hard to tell whether you are making progress or how much. A trainer can help you track your progress with weigh-ins, fitness tests and measurements. - There are a lot of resources out there to help you find a personal trainer, but the simplest way is to just visit your local gym and inquire about signing up with one. In that case, they will assign you one without your input, but there are some things you can do to be able to make a more educated decision. First of all, ask around to people you know. People may be willing to give you a referral on someone they had a great experience with or someone they have heard of. You can also spend time in your gym watching other people train with the trainers there and find one that seems to have the characteristics you are looking for. Of course, there are thousands of websites devoted to finding a personal trainer, but some of the more reputable ones are the ACE website and the NSCA website (see Resources below). There you can search for certified personal trainers in your area and begin your road to getting fit!
Comments
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