What should I look for and be wary of in a personal trainer?

Archaeologicals

I’ve decided to get one because I’ve never done any resistance training or weight lifting and need to learn proper form/technique. This week I’m going around doing consults with a few trainers in my area. For those with experience, what red flags should I be on the lookout for? What are signs of a good trainer/gym?

I liked the woman I had a consultation with last night (she was the first I’ve seen), but she recommended a bunch of supplements. This put me on alert. Is that typical - are supplements necessary? Is this a bad sign?

quiksylver296

What are your goals? You should be able to tell your trainer your goals and have them support those goals with the program they provide. For example, I told my trainer that I wanted to powerlift and be able to do 10 pull-ups. The program he provided trains me to powerlift and it has pull-ups worked into it.

And no, most supplements are not necessary. At examine.com, you can look and see if a supplement does anything good.

jseams1234

I don't know - all the ones I've seen or had experience with have been horrible. They seem to concentrate on strange exotic movements and accessories while ignoring the core compound lifts. Everything seems to revolve around balancing on a beach ball while waving around pink dumbbells.

I guess what I would look for is a trainer that listens to your goals and designs a program that is tailored to what you are trying to accomplish. They should track your progress and any program they design should incorporate progressive overload. They should be highly interested in your diet and nutritional needs. The program, imo, should have some consistency and repetition. I see a lot of trainers who change the workout every single time - this may keep things interesting and it may produce a lot of DOM's but it makes it damned hard to track progression.

MeanderingMammal

Archaeologicals wrote: »

What are signs of a good trainer/gym?

Start with someone who'll listen to your goals, and work around what you're wanting to achieve. Once they start coming up with a plan it should be in discussion with you, and explaining why their suggestions support your objectives. Someone that can deal with being asked probing questions without getting defensive about it, and who's open to modification of their suggestions if you're not content with the explanation.

In terms of the type of solution that I'd be aiming for now; essentially fairly simple with demonstrable and easily measurable progression. No need for anything complex.

Avoid, anyone who is going to try to sell you stuff, or gets all ONE TRUE WAY(TM) about things.

julie_broadhead

Here are some things I look for in a trainer. This list is kind of personalized, but you may take something useful from it.
- I look at their credentials and try to get an idea about their specialty is and wether or not it lines up with my goals.
- I want someone who has experience with prenatal and postnatal clients.
- I want someone who is good at teaching the compound lifts. I prefer verbal cues.

Here are my red flags:
-I do not like being touched with out permission.
-If they ask me to do something that is completely stupid.

Some trainers also work for supplement companies. I've had some really great trainers who worked for supplement companies. They let me know about the supplements, but I never felt coerced into buying them. They never blamed my lack of using these supps for a lack of progress. None of these guys worked for multi level marketing companies.

cwolfman13

Many trainers who are employees of a commercial gym are also encouraged, if not required to up-sell supplements that are sold at the gym. As a general observation, trainers who are on their own and either renting space at a gym or have their own place seem to be better...not that there can't be good trainers who are also employees, but those trainers seem to be less experienced and they're really at the mercy of what the gym wants them to do and sell.

When I was looking for a trainer, my goals were to incorporate Oly lifting into my workouts and to become more proficient with them, to improve as a cyclists (as recreational as I might be), and improve overall athleticism. It took me awhile, but I found a guy who specializes in those very things and he and his wife own their own gym. He is a firm believer that Olympic lifting is fundamental to an athlete. He's also a retired BMX racing pro and multi time national champion and world champion and currently is one of the team USA coaches...in addition to coaching a lot of high level BMX riders, he also coaches a number of road riders and other athletes from various sports.

I don't work with him much anymore due to expense, but when I was working with him consistently, he really took me to another couple of levels and I thought I was pretty fit going in. I still go to his gym and have been thinking about booking with him again since I got a raise...I'm still pretty fit, but not where I was when I was working with him regularly.

JBApplebee

If your trainer looks like he needs a trainer, that's a red flag

erickirb

JBApplebee wrote: »

If your trainer looks like he needs a trainer, that's a red flag

Physique has very little to do with knowledge. that should not be a red flag. many really fit people are fit despite their lack of knowledge. They are typically good with adherence, which is the most important aspect, but in no way means they know how to program a routine for your goals.

SonyaCele

Archaeologicals wrote: »

I’ve decided to get one because I’ve never done any resistance training or weight lifting and need to learn proper form/technique. This week I’m going around doing consults with a few trainers in my area. For those with experience, what red flags should I be on the lookout for? What are signs of a good trainer/gym?

I liked the woman I had a consultation with last night (she was the first I’ve seen), but she recommended a bunch of supplements. This put me on alert. Is that typical - are supplements necessary? Is this a bad sign?

Someone that immediately starts to sell you a bunch of supplements is a red flag. A good trainer will just make sure you are on a proper diet that compliments whatever your workout goals are. Supplements aren't necessary except maybe at the elite level or if a dr says you are deficient in something, or if you know your body well enough to know you need a little extra something that you aren't getting out of your daily diet.

Archaeologicals

SonyaCele wrote: »

Archaeologicals wrote: »

I’ve decided to get one because I’ve never done any resistance training or weight lifting and need to learn proper form/technique. This week I’m going around doing consults with a few trainers in my area. For those with experience, what red flags should I be on the lookout for? What are signs of a good trainer/gym?

I liked the woman I had a consultation with last night (she was the first I’ve seen), but she recommended a bunch of supplements. This put me on alert. Is that typical - are supplements necessary? Is this a bad sign?

Someone that immediately starts to sell you a bunch of supplements is a red flag. A good trainer will just make sure you are on a proper diet that compliments whatever your workout goals are. Supplements aren't necessary except maybe at the elite level or if a dr says you are deficient in something, or if you know your body well enough to know you need a little extra something that you aren't getting out of your daily diet.

Ah, okay. I thought it was a red flag as well. She recommended four or five different supplements and said she’d give me brand names later - she hasn’t yet. Some were supposed to “burn fat” which also sounded off. But I think I’ll keep looking. Thanks everyone for the advice!

DX2JX2

As you interview and work with a trainer, remember that pretty much anybody can become one.

If he/she says something that doesn't seem like it makes sense it probably doesn't. Likewise, if he/she says that you should be using a product that they happen to sell, be wary.

spartan_d

JBApplebee wrote: »

If your trainer looks like he needs a trainer, that's a red flag

erickirb wrote: »

Physique has very little to do with knowledge. that should not be a red flag.

I disagree. It might not be an automatic deal-breaker, but it most certainly is a red flag.

I think that's an important distinction. There could be legitimate reasons why your trainer is out of shape. If he or she is though, this should at least cause a prospective client to pause before signing up.

vallary14

jseams1234 wrote: »

I don't know - all the ones I've seen or had experience with have been horrible. They seem to concentrate on strange exotic movements and accessories while ignoring the core compound lifts. Everything seems to revolve around balancing on a beach ball while waving around pink dumbbells.

I guess what I would look for is a trainer that listens to your goals and designs a program that is tailored to what you are trying to accomplish. They should track your progress and any program they design should incorporate progressive overload. They should be highly interested in your diet and nutritional needs. The program, imo, should have some consistency and repetition. I see a lot of trainers who change the workout every single time - this may keep things interesting and it may produce a lot of DOM's but it makes it damned hard to track progression.

This made me lol! I do agree with second part of your response though. My experience was a good one with a trainer I felt comfortable with and he helped me achieve my goals at that time. I miss working out with him, I’ve been trying to get into a routine lately. OP is wise to do consults first to see who is a good fit.

AnvilHead

erickirb wrote: »

JBApplebee wrote: »

If your trainer looks like he needs a trainer, that's a red flag

Physique has very little to do with knowledge. that should not be a red flag. many really fit people are fit despite their lack of knowledge. They are typically good with adherence, which is the most important aspect, but in no way means they know how to program a routine for your goals.

^ Truth. I'd much rather pay attention to a guy like Lyle McDonald than some gym bruh who got his physique through good genetics and a needle.


Not that I'm a big fan, but Rip's physique isn't exactly a paragon of physical fitness either:

Tacklewasher

AnvilHead wrote: »

erickirb wrote: »

JBApplebee wrote: »

If your trainer looks like he needs a trainer, that's a red flag

Physique has very little to do with knowledge. that should not be a red flag. many really fit people are fit despite their lack of knowledge. They are typically good with adherence, which is the most important aspect, but in no way means they know how to program a routine for your goals.

^ Truth. I'd much rather pay attention to a guy like Lyle McDonald than some gym bruh who got his physique through good genetics and a needle.


Not that I'm a big fan, but Rip's physique isn't exactly a paragon of physical fitness either:

@AnvilHead Curious why you are not a big fan?

Been watching some of his videos and they seem on track, if not just a bit long winded.

AnvilHead

Tacklewasher wrote: »

AnvilHead wrote: »

erickirb wrote: »

JBApplebee wrote: »

If your trainer looks like he needs a trainer, that's a red flag

Physique has very little to do with knowledge. that should not be a red flag. many really fit people are fit despite their lack of knowledge. They are typically good with adherence, which is the most important aspect, but in no way means they know how to program a routine for your goals.

^ Truth. I'd much rather pay attention to a guy like Lyle McDonald than some gym bruh who got his physique through good genetics and a needle.


Not that I'm a big fan, but Rip's physique isn't exactly a paragon of physical fitness either:

@AnvilHead Curious why you are not a big fan?

Been watching some of his videos and they seem on track, if not just a bit long winded.

His videos on lifting form are on point, and are actually some of the better ones you can find. But I find him to be dogmatic and a little too "t-nation" macho about his program ("You're a *kitten* if you don't squat"), his dietary advice is crap (GOMAD and 6000 calories per day as examples) and he makes some pretty ridiculous claims about mass gains on his program:

Here, if you haven’t gained 10 pounds in three weeks (more typically two weeks), I know you’re not doing the program the way it’s meant to be done, and this is basically true for all males under the age of 40 who have no previous training history.

Tacklewasher

AnvilHead wrote: »

Tacklewasher wrote: »

AnvilHead wrote: »

erickirb wrote: »

JBApplebee wrote: »

If your trainer looks like he needs a trainer, that's a red flag

Physique has very little to do with knowledge. that should not be a red flag. many really fit people are fit despite their lack of knowledge. They are typically good with adherence, which is the most important aspect, but in no way means they know how to program a routine for your goals.

^ Truth. I'd much rather pay attention to a guy like Lyle McDonald than some gym bruh who got his physique through good genetics and a needle.


Not that I'm a big fan, but Rip's physique isn't exactly a paragon of physical fitness either:

@AnvilHead Curious why you are not a big fan?

Been watching some of his videos and they seem on track, if not just a bit long winded.

His videos on lifting form are on point, and are actually some of the better ones you can find. But I find him to be dogmatic and a little too "t-nation" macho about his program ("You're a *kitten* if you don't squat"), his dietary advice is crap (GOMAD and 6000 calories per day as examples) and he makes some pretty ridiculous claims about mass gains on his program:

Here, if you haven’t gained 10 pounds in three weeks (more typically two weeks), I know you’re not doing the program the way it’s meant to be done, and this is basically true for all males under the age of 40 who have no previous training history.

K Thanks. I'm more looking at them for form so I'm good.