Getting a trainer

Livingdeadnurse

So I have no idea if and when I should get a trainer. What do I look for? I have done some research and most site say they are there to help develop a good routine for whatever your goal is. They should be focused on what works for you and no so much on diet. Is this true? The gym I go to has trainers but I need to know what questions to ask before I sink my money into one. Should I get a male or female? I know in the army the female drill sergeants would whip the women into shape better because they knew what we could do and push us harder. How many sessions should I buy? I also have notice a couple not so in shape trainers...should I avoid those? Any advice is much appreciated. I am trying to tone up and lose the last 5-7 lbs left after already losing 32 lbs.

Alphastate

These are some questions you'll have to answer yourself. Would you feel more comfortable with a guy or girl? How much would it save to buy the bigger package? How many days a week do you want the trainer to help with. Most trainers do just focus on the workouts and only give advice about nutrition, if that. And a lot of gyms hire trainers just to make the gym look better. I'd watch the trainers, see who pushes harder, and see who has the best success rate. Overweight trainers don't necessarily know less, but they should be walking examples. As far as questions, test them. Ask how many calories you should be eating, how often you should lift/cardio, how long they've been training. Selling PT packages is tough for a trainer who doesn't know what they are really doing.

meikeh82

Don't judge a trainer based on whether they are male or female (unless you have a personal preference). Find out who they are certified through, how much experience they have, whether they have a college degree in exercise science or a related field. Find out weather your personalities match. Know what your goals are. Maybe find out what kind of continuing ed courses they have done and what their philosophy is. Ask for a free trial session, if they don't give you at least a short 30 min trial session don't bother. Most importantly, observe the trainers at your gym to figure out their style.
These are some of the things I would do if I were to get a trainer. I've been a certified personal trainer for more than 8 years and I have worked at different gyms and with many different trainers. There are some really good ones and some bad ones out there.

Livingdeadnurse

Okay. My gym has a website that tells about the trainers. What kind of education do I look for? Male or female does not matter to me. I did notice one trainer uses the gym before he starts work. The other some what out of shape didn't really want to help answer questions when I was asking about the machines. One was very helpful with the machines and even demonstrated them correctly.

ndj1979

just make sure they teach you compound lifts - squat, deadlift, over head press, bench press, pull up/chin up etc...don't let them give you any BS about squats or deads are bad for you ...

the trainers in my gym never take any of their clients anywhere near the power rack ...weird...

Capt_Apollo

you need to tell your trainer what YOUR goals are. if you go in without any idea of what to do, then he or she will just make you do what they want.

i told my trainer that i wanted to do a triathlon, and that i wanted to learn and get strong at dead lifts and squats, and do all the leg work outs. he was good about the leg stuff. he knew a lot about it, and was very very strong in the legs. fast too. triathlons were new for him, but he went out and did his research and found out ways to help me.

Alphastate

The main certs are NASM, ACSM, and ACE. Many people have CSCS or ISSA. These are legit certs but in my opinion, it's on the floor experience that make a good trainer. A book can only teach you so much. I've learned so much from my experiences with clients and coworkers.

Livingdeadnurse

Here is the one that works out before work education.

Education and Qualifications: B.S. Exercise, Sport & Health Education, NASM Certified Personal Trainer


The one that was a tad rude



Education and Qualifications: A.A.S., Business Administration, Nautilus Certified Personal Trainer, American Muscle & Fitness Certified Personal Trainer, NGA- Master Trainer, Certified Massage Therapist, Certified Zumba Instructor

The only female trainer
Education and Qualifications: B.S., Health Education, WITS Certified Personal Trainer, Retired RN

No idea who has the better qualifications

Alphastate

The guy who works out before already sounds like its your choice haha! I'm partial to NASM because that's what I have, but I don't even recognize any of the other PT certs listed. Just watch how they train, how their clients look during the sessions, like, are they having fun with the trainer, are they being worked, etc. How many different clients they have can be an indicator if they are proving success. But if its a hardcore sales oriented environment, throw that out the window haha!

Livingdeadnurse

thanks for the help. I might go talk to them. See what is included in the trainer package too.

aelunyu

I got certified through NASM about six years ago. Went on to attend seminars, workshops, etc, and got their continued cert in nutrition. It's 500 dollars to take each test, which is passable if you just study for a day or two (assuming you know a little about all this stuff already). The text is just a primer on the kinetic chain, very very shallow nutrition chapter, and then very very basic anatomy. The test itself is more or less 1/2 vocab and 1/2 comprehension of the vocab material. So you can kind of see where this is going. Anyone can be a certified personal trainer without working very hard to get that title. In the end, I don't think I learned anything at all.

The one club I actually worked at had tons of restrictions on what their trainers could teach, or what they could apply to help their clients. Safety was always put ahead of serious progression. So I would assume you're right in saying a trainer at a local gym can basically lay the groundwork for your future personal fitness endeavors. Also, not to be a debbie downer, but most people seeking trainers are not the kind of people trainers like to train ( if that makes sense).

Later on when I started consulting, that was much more fulfilling. Working one on one with people and kind of holding their hand and seeing them progress as a function of my time and effort developing their plans...that was much more rewarding than the soccer mom who wanted me to show her how to tone her butt in 10 days. Though these clients were usually much more motivated from the get go. Hiring a personal fitness babysitter can be a a bit expensive.

As a rule of thumb...if your trainer has a boatload of clients...they cannot devote much time to you. No club trainers will go come and work up a spreadsheet of your progress, propose goals in the sense of 6 months, 1 year, 5 year roadmaps. They are worried about if you're going to sign up for the next six sessions instead. That's not their fault...it's the way personal training is structure at the big corporate gyms. A good personal trainer to me, is one that has a day job, and takes on a few "projects" at a time that he/she is interested in.

So here are some beginner tips:

Avoid big brand name gyms and their training packages. Local or private gyms tend to be more personal.

The bigger their client list is, the less attention they have for you. If you show up 10 minutes late for a 1 hour workout, and your trainer is rushing out out the door in 50 minutes. Bad sign.

Getting a qualification in PT is not a hard thing to do, so be weary of PTs that espouse certifications. Of course every PT should be certified, but how much actual knowledge they have is not a factor of their certificate. It's more a factor of experience, coupled with the self propelled motivation to learn.

Livingdeadnurse

So I spoke with a couple of trainers. I did not get to talk to the one that works out before his job. He was not in. Spoke with the women and was more impressed with one than the other. She seem to understand what my goal was. Also states that ab training isn't all gym. It's more diet and that toning is mainly cardio. She seems to understand that I am at my finishing touches. And that I have realistic goals. She could help develop a plan for me and around my shoulder issues and also teach me which equipment to use.

Livingdeadnurse

Though you are right they are a tad expensive. So I need to figure out if it's really worth it or just for me to research and do it on my own. The gym does have a free equipment training so I may take advantage of that.