Top 7 Tips to Choose The RIGHT Personal Fitness Coach

There seems to be a common buzz about the place, this time every year as people embark on the mammoth task of improving their health and fitness in some shape or form. There's no doubt that with an expert helping you along the way will enable to you achieve better results in the long term and the short term. 

Considering that most people will give up on their goals sometime after January, (if that) a professional will be able to help you to set your health and fitness goals properly so you actually achieve them and don't drop the ball so to speak.

There are so many bonuses to hiring a health and fitness professional upon your pursuit to healthiness- so what's the catch? In my opinion there are a myriad of different personal trainers who mostly all profess to helping you achieve your dreams and whilst the majority will help you achieve your goals,  there are a minority of trainers that will in no way be suitable for you and you will end up wasting your hard earned cash.

So how do you choose the right personal trainer for you? Here's my top 7 tips of your picking.

1. Experience and knowledge and the articulation of both of these key elements: If you are looking for high quality results you will need to invest more per session in an expert trainer. An expert trainer is someone who is able to understand health and fitness have significant experience within the industry plus is able to apply this understanding to your goals allowing you to succeed so you achieve results in the set time frame. It is all very well having experience and/or knowledge but if you have a trainer that doesn't apply this then you will need to seriously consider whether this trainer is right for you. Also consider the fact that experienced trainers, don't always stay on top of the current industry trends and training techniques, some get stuck on something from the 1980's, so if leg warmers aren't your forte then I suggest that you make it a must to do a little check first before you sign up. This is purely for the fact that exercise training is a science and being in this realm means that things change, so effective training methods should follow suit.

2. You pay for the service which is provided- if you pay cheap expect the results to be cheap….

I have trained many clients who have opted for the cheaper option with their previous trainer only to be left disappointed that they have not achieved any results. So in essence, you get what you pay for- if you want Chanel/Gucci you expect top quality clothing that lasts for a lifetime and the same goes with personal trainers if you buy from Supre, don't expect the clothes to stay in one piece or in trainers terms your results to be particularly outstanding.

3. Check out the profile board and also watch them interact with other clients. Check out the profile boards of the trainers on websites and in the gyms but don't just base your assumptions on the board, maybe have a look and see how the personal trainers are actually communicating and interacting with their clients. Are they sitting down and playing on their phone whilst the client works out or are they spotting and discussing training with the clients. 

4. Ask the trainer for a free trial session to confirm your thoughts. Usually PT's offer a first free consultation or a mini training session to showcase their skills and their knowledge around your health and fitness requirements. In consideration for the fact that this is 'personal' training you will need to make sure your personality types don't clash, are they listening to your needs, do you think they have the intelligence to help you to produce the results that you are paying for?

 5. Don't just pick a personal trainer because you (secretly) want to go out on a date with them.

I've seen this scenario so many times, and as soon as the trainer gets the sniff of your real intentions of join gout on a date with them, and they are just not that way into you, then your going to be very disappointed, not to mention, the poor trainer will feel deflated and awkward. Believe it or not, most of us PT's  actually want to help you and as much as we love you, we don't want to have a love affair with you. Pick a trainer based on their intelligence, their personality style blending with yours, their experience and their knowledge being able to apply these key components to your goals. Whilst it is nice to have someone who is good looking, this is no more than second priority to the above critical values.

6. Make-sure you pick a trainer who is specialised in your desired goal. There's a limited use in picking a trainer who is specialised in endurance training if you want to become an body builder and visa versa. Usually specialisations come with different personality types, you will find that a trainer who is specialised in body building will be much different in looks, style and personality than a trainer specialising in endurance. If you are looking for pre- post natal training try picking a trainer that is specialised in this area, and has actually been in the same situation themselves as they will be much more able to help you empathetically. 

7. Let the trainer show you the journey that you will undertake: Gold standard of professional exercise training is that your trainer insists on performing an initial evaluation and follow up measurements, so that they can track your progress towards your goals. Periodisation is an essential item to your training and your success, this is your plan of action according to where you stand right now in your fitness and where you can take it to. If this is not being performed then warning bells ought to be ringing in your head as to the trainers' skill articulation. 

Enjoy your quest to better health and fitness with a pro in the know, and most of all have fun with it all!