what qualities do you want in a personal trainer?
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Someone who has experience building muscle & strength since that's my goal. When I got mine, I told them "give me your most jacked trainer!" haha And he turned out to be great
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I've never had a PT, but here's a list of what I'm thinking I'll want to know about them:
- Proven education (not this online course *kitten*, but say a degree in Kinesiology or a diploma - something formalized, verifiable and reputable) or equivalent proof in form of previous clients/referrals
- Scientific, methodical approach - someone who can explain to me what my muscles are doing, what's affecting what and how my body moves as a whole rather than someone who insists I just "curl" or some *kitten*.
- Approachable and honest
- Blunt - if I'm weak, I'm weak. Don't tell me I'm a goddamn snowflake
- Can show me what I'm supposed to do as opposed to someone who just tells me
- Isn't afraid to correct me
- Focus on form, technique and precision with a good progression into strength and power. Fundamentals first.
- Can take into account my current activities and help me design a program that will help me excel at what I'm doing
- Has a good, dry, sarcastic sense of humour
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- asks what my goals are and plans workouts that move me toward them
That's pretty much it because I think that knowing what s/he is doing in the gym, is current on research and fitness, etc . all falls under that.
I agree with this. My trainer and I have been setting and planning ways to reach new goals constantly. My goals have changed a lot and we have set many new goals.
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I've never had a PT, but here's a list of what I'm thinking I'll want to know about them:
- Proven education (not this online course *kitten*, but say a degree in Kinesiology or a diploma - something formalized, verifiable and reputable) or equivalent proof in form of previous clients/referrals
- Scientific, methodical approach - someone who can explain to me what my muscles are doing, what's affecting what and how my body moves as a whole rather than someone who insists I just "curl" or some *kitten*.
- Approachable and honest
- Blunt - if I'm weak, I'm weak. Don't tell me I'm a goddamn snowflake
- Can show me what I'm supposed to do as opposed to someone who just tells me
- Isn't afraid to correct me
- Focus on form, technique and precision with a good progression into strength and power. Fundamentals first.
- Can take into account my current activities and help me design a program that will help me excel at what I'm doing
- Has a good, dry, sarcastic sense of humour
This. And yes, sense of humor is super important.0 -
I've had 4 and they were all pretty good in the weight room, intervals etc. but only one would push the food issue. she weighed me every week and went over my food logs thoroughly and would tweak my macros if I plateaued.0
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Of course i'd like a trainer to be more knowledgeable than myself, however, i won't be a stickler about their education/certification and it's perceived "prestige". I value someone who has years of experience training and has a proven track record of helping people acheive their goal.
I would prefer a male trainer, just because.
I want someone who has experience training people for the specific look i'm going for.
I want someone who is always learning, becoming better, evolving, and bases their practice off of science and facts; not fads and nonsense.
I want a trainer who will be stern with me on finishing my reps, but friendly and treat me as an equal. I do not like trainers that cop an attitude or act like they're better than you. I refuse to work with someone who tries to be all "drill sargeant" on me. Being humble and happy is a must.
I want someone who is a CAREER trainer. Not someone who is a college freshman working to make a few bucks. I want someone who has a genuine passion for fitness, and despite the salary, CHOOSES to do this job.
I want someone who will correct my form, encourage, and push my limits (without being dangerous). Someone who will praise me when i've done an awesome job, and focus positively on what i've accomplished.0 -
Someone who won't let me hurt myself. I never got the memo about when to stop or figured out which pain is bad, and means stop. (And this may be why I have a stress fracture in my tibia/knee right now).0
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It took me over two years to find my coach...it was very difficult to find someone who actually knew what they were doing on an Oly Platform and not only that, used Oly lifts as a primary training modality for his clients.0
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I think it depends on your goals- I chose my trainer because my goals were to start lifting and start lifting properly. I also had a trainer when I was younger and actually had no real 'goal' and ended up seeing no benefit after 3 months. I've been with the new guy for a month and half, I feel stronger, I've been able to increase weight on my squat and bench, have learned form and technique, all good!0
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rainbowbow wrote: »Of course i'd like a trainer to be more knowledgeable than myself, however, i won't be a stickler about their education/certification and it's perceived "prestige". I value someone who has years of experience training and has a proven track record of helping people acheive their goal.
I would prefer a male trainer, just because.
I want someone who has experience training people for the specific look i'm going for.
I want someone who is always learning, becoming better, evolving, and bases their practice off of science and facts; not fads and nonsense.
I want a trainer who will be stern with me on finishing my reps, but friendly and treat me as an equal. I do not like trainers that cop an attitude or act like they're better than you. I refuse to work with someone who tries to be all "drill sargeant" on me. Being humble and happy is a must.
I want someone who is a CAREER trainer. Not someone who is a college freshman working to make a few bucks. I want someone who has a genuine passion for fitness, and despite the salary, CHOOSES to do this job.
I want someone who will correct my form, encourage, and push my limits (without being dangerous). Someone who will praise me when i've done an awesome job, and focus positively on what i've accomplished.
This! I am happy to say I found this in my trainer.0 -
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This goes with what I just said. There are times when being a little bit intimidated can be a good thing.kristinareisinger wrote: »I need to be relatively intimidated by them. Otherwise I won't work my hardest. If I didn't need a push then I really wouldn't need an instructor or trainer anyway.0 -
What does it matter what THEIR physique is like, if they have a track record of training people to have the physique you want? I know many many olympic level trainers/coaches who aren't in good shape. Some of the best in the industry aren't in good shape.
Should someone's knowledge/experience be discounted because they choose to be a little fat?0 -
Just saying, it's important to remember that not all of these trainers may be in their prime anymore either.
Our lovely "Starting Strength" program was created by this guy.
And of course, there's the "New Rules of Lifting" program, created by this guy.
Both have made wildly successful and popular programs, neither look "ultra fit".
Hell... look at arnold....
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I was talking about fitness, not physique. That's a pretty critical difference.rainbowbow wrote: »
What does it matter what THEIR physique is like, if they have a track record of training people to have the physique you want? I know many many olympic level trainers/coaches who aren't in good shape. Some of the best in the industry aren't in good shape.
Should someone's knowledge/experience be discounted because they choose to be a little fat?
Having said that, your response does raise a valid point. My objection, however, was primarily to the notion of deliberately picking a trainer who's out of shape, simply because this makes one feel more comfortable. Obviously, that's entirely different from picking a trainer who just happens to be out of shape.
I have also heard the claim that there are many good trainers who are in bad shape. I don't know if that's true or not, but let's suppose that it is.
Personally, I'd want someone who is in good shape, simply because this says something about their ability to motivate themselves. If they can't motivate themselves, then I'd have a difficult time trusting their ability to motivate me -- track record notwithstanding. Now, it's entirely different if the personal trainer has some injuries that have sidelined them. That's an exception that I would gladly take into account.
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rainbowbow wrote: »
What does it matter what THEIR physique is like, if they have a track record of training people to have the physique you want? I know many many olympic level trainers/coaches who aren't in good shape. Some of the best in the industry aren't in good shape.
Should someone's knowledge/experience be discounted because they choose to be a little fat?
I completely agree that there are plenty of trainers out there that aren't in shape but are very knowledgeable in the subject of fitness and nutrient. I follow a lot of training principles of Lyle McDonald and he looks like my old science teacher.
But these guys are very rare. The majority of out of shape PTs that I have came across have got their certifications out of a cornflake box. Unless the PT has an outstanding reputation, I would prefer someone who practises what they preach
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I was talking about fitness, not physique. That's a pretty critical difference.
I agree about prioritizing fitness over appearance, since many bodybuilders would twist an ankle trying to do an agility drill. How do you propose determining a trainer's fitness level? Would you ask to see their workout logs? And do they need to be superior in all of the components of fitness, or just certain ones?
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Two eye balls and no tail.0
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That is a good question, and I don't have a good one-size-fits-all answer to that. As a starting point, I would look at the person's background. For example, last year, I used the services of a personal trainer who had ample experience in basketball and track-and-field. Why? Because I was trying to improve my running and jumping ability.Cherimoose wrote: »I was talking about fitness, not physique. That's a pretty critical difference.
I agree about prioritizing fitness over appearance, since many bodybuilders would twist an ankle trying to do an agility drill. How do you propose determining a trainer's fitness level? Would you ask to see their workout logs? And do they need to be superior in all of the components of fitness, or just certain ones?
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