What makes a great Personal Trainer?
kms_fit1
Posts: 19 Member
Curious to hear about positive experiences with your PT. What do you expect from the trainer side, other than the workout/exercise plan? Particularly with online coaching. Should they be checking in with you (how frequent)? Or, is it really just up to the client to ask questions? How can you determine realistic goals? Thanks!
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Replies
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It's going to be a wide variety of answers depending on your goals and history.
From my experience of lifting of 40+ years as well as training people personally and online, the best asset is actual experience with results not a certification to get a hired by a company for a job.
Unfortunately the fitness industry is filled with trainers who are working in commercial gyms and use tactics or strategies that aren't backed by science for long term or short term success. It's sad and disappointing because that sometimes is part of the reason of the lack of adherence for people who could really benefit from training hopefully for a life time.
I personally check in with my online clients about once a month via vid-chat once we are on same page and understand one another. Of course their is a open line of communication for questions at any time.
A good coach trainer will help you decide realistic goals for you as a individual during the consultation.6 -
I think it’s 50/50. It’s part the trainer and part what you’re willing to invest of yourself.
I’ve had three trainers.
The first was a retired Marine Corps drill sergeant. I got absokutely nothing out of him except for fear and loathing of a hard workout. He made me do absolutely crazy things that were far beyond my ability and with no explanation of why we were doing them . OTOH I was not ready to lose weight, didn’t understand about serious workouts (neither did he, imho) and it was a mistake to have ever used him. But he was the gym’s only trainer.
The second trainer was nice enough, but sort of a LA Fitness bog standard trainer. We did machines, we did lunges (oh lottttts of lunges) but again no explanation of “this is why we do this”. He also let me wimp out if I complained.
I hit pay dirt with my third trainer. Every single thing we do, “this is why we do this, this is what we’re working, this is how you should do it most effectively, and this is the result you should expect to see.” She changes our routine regularly, working upper and lower body, machines versus barbells, bamboos, and circuits involving ball slams, battle ropes, medicine ball carries, creative stuff with kettlebells.
She is very honest with me. When I got too thin, she found a tactful way to show me instead of just telling me, and she cut my weights down considerably and told me we were going to rebuild muscle as I put some weight back on.
Everything is broken down and explained.
Not only does she hold me accountable to complete the tasks she gives me during a session, I want to, to both please her and because I now feel like it’s such an achievement to accomplish anything she sets me.
Never , ever has she “talked down” to me or made me feel like she’s rolling her eyes behind my back like the other two trainers.
I can’t tell you what a difference it makes to have an engaged, caring, knowledgeable trainer. I absolutely look forward to our sessions, and seeing if I’m better than last time. To be fair, I was a far more motivated client by the time I reached her, but some trainers train by gently guiding, educating and pushing, and I much prefer that to a bullying, critical, cursing trainer.
Best advice I can give- “audition” several trainers, ask for referrals, and know what you’re getting into before you commit the time and money.5 -
From my personal experience the best trainer I ever had covered everything from Nutrition, goal setting, comfort level with exercise and always explained the why and how. They paid attention to me during training and did more than count reps for me. Online will obviously have some barriers but they should be meeting with you regularly, checking in, covering the information you need and providing regular form checks.2
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Thank you Chieflrg; appreciate you taking the time and sharing your feedback. I’ve worked with a trainer within a group fitness class at a big gym during their various 60-day challenges for personal goals during that period, but have not really had the 1:1 process long term. Struggling with thinking that I should already know what to do (after reading so much about it), but yet still want to ask specific questions for personal goals.2
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Thanks for your response springlering62; I agree that it should be 50/50. I think in my experience thus far, my comfort level has not been optimal. Kudos to your success! Sounds like you have a fantastic trainer!0
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Thanks, dsc84; all that you mentioned is what I would expect as well. Wondering also if a health + wellness coach would be the same?0
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As a PT in the industry for over 35+ years, it's always going to be subjective. But for all my clients, I email all the workouts we did, explain why we do them, focus on areas where they are weak/lacking and hopefully get them to adhere to a nutrition program that supports what we're trying to achieve. My online clients have a choice of checking in with me daily or weekly (I leave it up to them) and we assess what they did. Overall, RESULTS are what matter and there isn't any one program that works all the time. Each individual I not only have to program for their goals, but also their type of personality. Some are laid back, others are really apprehensive and then of course my gung ho ones who'll do anything.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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One who yells loud... Lol sorry just kidding.
My first PT would give a card with exercises. Explained them to me and that was it. Once in a while when he saw me struggling he would come behind me to yell encouragement. Not knowing better I thought it was good.
I changed gym and got one closer to my house. This one had a dietician and PT inside. This guy would give me the list of exercises. He would walk around and would correct is he saw you were doing it wrong. When he saw you walking, he would ask you how you were doing asking what you had left to do and he was always full of encouragement. He never failed to make me feel good about the weight I lost.
In the first gym it was a pain to go. I would even skip sime exercises just to leave sooner.
In the second gym I felt like part of a family. I was there 7 days out of 7 and I never shortcut anything.
A PT makes a big difference between a good experience or a poor one where you might just quit.2 -
...Each individual I not only have to program for their goals, but also their type of personality. Some are laid back, others are really apprehensive and then of course my gung ho ones who'll do anything.
Speaking simply as a “consumer”, I’ve been all three- occasionally even in the same session. A really good trainer is atuned to that.
I really love that you follow up via email with your clients. My first two trainers never did. I had my half hour or whatever and that was it til next week.
My current trainer sends videos and photos, checks in almost daily, and yes, she is a yeller. Because she owns the gym and knows every single member’s life (and lift) history, she’ll stop in the middle of a session to yell encouragement to someone who’s pulling a particularly heavy weight, and then return to counting my reps without missing a beat, all while giving me a complete rundown of the other persons personal bests and why she’s so proud of them.
It really helps cement the gym’s family atmosphere because everyone gets the same treatment, from low level me to the guys who need five spotters.
And more importantly, we are expected to behave likewise.
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i say hi to everyone in the gym I make eye contact with. And I always try to get on a first name basis with everyone in the gym client or not. It's one of the things I'm good at because I'm very good with relating a name and face together even if I'm talking to 50-100 people in a day. Even if I hadn't seen them in 6 months, I can likely still remember them by first name. And I get asked all the time for advice on exercises or to check form from someone. And I do it because it's great to build good relationships in your gym. It makes your work as a PT so much easier too. Sometimes PT's get stereotyped by how they look, as the type of trainer they might be and get overlooked by a newer member looking for a trainer because might seem more intimidating. I try to show that I treat all people the same regardless of their fitness level and that I'm willing to work with them in anyway possible to improve themselves.One who yells loud... Lol sorry just kidding.
My first PT would give a card with exercises. Explained them to me and that was it. Once in a while when he saw me struggling he would come behind me to yell encouragement. Not knowing better I thought it was good.
I changed gym and got one closer to my house. This one had a dietician and PT inside. This guy would give me the list of exercises. He would walk around and would correct is he saw you were doing it wrong. When he saw you walking, he would ask you how you were doing asking what you had left to do and he was always full of encouragement. He never failed to make me feel good about the weight I lost.
In the first gym it was a pain to go. I would even skip sime exercises just to leave sooner.
In the second gym I felt like part of a family. I was there 7 days out of 7 and I never shortcut anything.
A PT makes a big difference between a good experience or a poor one where you might just quit.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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i say hi to everyone in the gym I make eye contact with. And I always try to get on a first name basis with everyone in the gym client or not. It's one of the things I'm good at because I'm very good with relating a name and face together even if I'm talking to 50-100 people in a day. Even if I hadn't seen them in 6 months, I can likely still remember them by first name. And I get asked all the time for advice on exercises or to check form from someone. And I do it because it's great to build good relationships in your gym. It makes your work as a PT so much easier too. Sometimes PT's get stereotyped by how they look, as the type of trainer they might be and get overlooked by a newer member looking for a trainer because might seem more intimidating. I try to show that I treat all people the same regardless of their fitness level and that I'm willing to work with them in anyway possible to improve themselves.One who yells loud... Lol sorry just kidding.
My first PT would give a card with exercises. Explained them to me and that was it. Once in a while when he saw me struggling he would come behind me to yell encouragement. Not knowing better I thought it was good.
I changed gym and got one closer to my house. This one had a dietician and PT inside. This guy would give me the list of exercises. He would walk around and would correct is he saw you were doing it wrong. When he saw you walking, he would ask you how you were doing asking what you had left to do and he was always full of encouragement. He never failed to make me feel good about the weight I lost.
In the first gym it was a pain to go. I would even skip sime exercises just to leave sooner.
In the second gym I felt like part of a family. I was there 7 days out of 7 and I never shortcut anything.
A PT makes a big difference between a good experience or a poor one where you might just quit.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I don't think here in the USA works the same way as in Italy. I just go to the Y since my wife works there and I get discount, I've never seen any PT from the gym. PT in Italy are paid by the gym, they are employees. I am not sure if they can have private clients in the same gym or not (I would think there would be a conflict of interest), I never even thought about it. The PT never talked about nutrition to me and I don't think he can. Maybe with his private client they do, but they are not licensed nutritionists or dieticians, legally I don't think they can give members a meal plan or adjust one a they already have.
Dietician on the other hand are not paid by the gym. It's a separate bill.0 -
i say hi to everyone in the gym I make eye contact with. And I always try to get on a first name basis with everyone in the gym client or not. It's one of the things I'm good at because I'm very good with relating a name and face together even if I'm talking to 50-100 people in a day. Even if I hadn't seen them in 6 months, I can likely still remember them by first name. And I get asked all the time for advice on exercises or to check form from someone. And I do it because it's great to build good relationships in your gym. It makes your work as a PT so much easier too. Sometimes PT's get stereotyped by how they look, as the type of trainer they might be and get overlooked by a newer member looking for a trainer because might seem more intimidating. I try to show that I treat all people the same regardless of their fitness level and that I'm willing to work with them in anyway possible to improve themselves.One who yells loud... Lol sorry just kidding.
My first PT would give a card with exercises. Explained them to me and that was it. Once in a while when he saw me struggling he would come behind me to yell encouragement. Not knowing better I thought it was good.
I changed gym and got one closer to my house. This one had a dietician and PT inside. This guy would give me the list of exercises. He would walk around and would correct is he saw you were doing it wrong. When he saw you walking, he would ask you how you were doing asking what you had left to do and he was always full of encouragement. He never failed to make me feel good about the weight I lost.
In the first gym it was a pain to go. I would even skip sime exercises just to leave sooner.
In the second gym I felt like part of a family. I was there 7 days out of 7 and I never shortcut anything.
A PT makes a big difference between a good experience or a poor one where you might just quit.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I don't think here in the USA works the same way as in Italy. I just go to the Y since my wife works there and I get discount, I've never seen any PT from the gym. PT in Italy are paid by the gym, they are employees. I am not sure if they can have private clients in the same gym or not (I would think there would be a conflict of interest), I never even thought about it. The PT never talked about nutrition to me and I don't think he can. Maybe with his private client they do, but they are not licensed nutritionists or dieticians, legally I don't think they can give members a meal plan or adjust one a they already have.
Dietician on the other hand are not paid by the gym. It's a separate bill.
I live in Rome, Italy and PT's are definitely paid by the hour, starting at around $50 and up from there. When working in the gym as employees there they will help you with the machines and answer a few questions so you won't kill yourself. However, if you want more than that you need to make an appointment. I've seen them working with clients while I'm there.1 -
I've been through several trainers and I would say the answer is very variable depending on what you want and what stage you are at. I forbade my first ever PT to mention weight - I knew I needed to lose a lot of poundage but that was not why I hired him. Weight was a sensitive subject for me and attention to it would have ruined my sessions. He was quite young and inexperienced but was enthusiastic and helpful and was the right fit. He also made it fun. Although I haven't ever had a really fierce "drill sergeant" type PT I could now cope with that aspect if the PT had other attributes I wanted but at the start I would have given up. Other trainers I have seen have been progressively less interested in making it fun but I've been in way less need of it being fun. I currently work with a guy who is very strict and works me hard. My current block of workouts is a slog and a grind - I am getting results and am more than happy with it - but when I started with this lark this would have scared me off big time. One thing I really value in a PT is someone who can give me alternatives and work-arounds. I'm the wrong side of 50 and get the odd niggle here and there, but I don't want that to stop me. Equally I don't want someone to think I'm malingering and just tell me to get on with it. I also like a PT who gets a bit nerdy about things so we can discuss the relative merits of exercise variations or approaches. And a PT who takes an interest in me as a client. I have had (and seen) trainers who are obviously just going through the motions.1
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I have hit gold with my personal trainer. She has over 20 years experience and has a studio out of her house.
Here is what I love about her:
1. My workout is tailored for me and my goals. Just like every other client of hers. No cookie cutter workouts or
workouts from a magazine.
2. Form is 100% for her (as it should be with every PT). She would rather drop my weight down and have me do
it right instead of pulling something heavy and injuring myself.
3. She’s invested in my goals and my success is her success. I actually just tested with her last night and she
was visibly excited that I exceeded my January goals.
4. Outside of sessions, if I have a question or concern, she is available for a quick chat/phone call.
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I teach at university, and for many years, there was a personal trainer class. For the last six weeks of the class, the instructor would recruit faculty and staff to be the test subjects for the students, so over the course of about 4 years I had 8 different trainers. :-)
The BEST were the ones who listened to me, and then really tried to design a workout routine based on MY issues (hips, knees, shoulder), had a positive communication style (but not fakey kindergarden teacher voice), made eye contact (you'd be amazed hw many DIDN'T), and mixed things up from session to session.
The WORST were the ones who didn't make eye contact, mumbled or spoke in a monotone, and couldn't adapt their workout recommendations to my body. I had to quit after two weeks with one kid because he kept wanting me to do squats-- less than 6 months out from knee surgery. I simply couldn't do it, and he couldn't adjust his expectations to my needs.2 -
kristyspann2 wrote: »Curious to hear about positive experiences with your PT. What do you expect from the trainer side, other than the workout/exercise plan? Particularly with online coaching. Should they be checking in with you (how frequent)? Or, is it really just up to the client to ask questions? How can you determine realistic goals? Thanks!
In my experience, trainers who are employed by large corporate gyms are usually pretty green and just getting into the industry...not always, but that's largely been my experience. Nothing wrong with that...everyone has to start somewhere regardless of what industry they work in, but they typically just don't have the background and experience to deliver what I'm looking for.
My best experiences have been with either a PT who has established themselves and are self employed and either renting space in a gym to train their clients or have their own facilities.
One of my expectations is a workout tailored to ME...not a cookie cutter workout or program that the trainer basically runs with all of his/her clients...I can do that myself. Both of my most recent trainers (husband and wife team) also can recognize where I have some imbalances or specific areas where I'm a little weak and could use some extra work. As a middle ager, I also have some limitations that I didn't have when I was younger and they are easily able to prescribe an "in lieu of" exercise for things that cause me problems. They both have also been great in helping me work to rehab certain injuries...so they are very specific to ME and my own personal needs and limitations, strengths, and weaknesses.
Don't know much about online coaching...the lady my wife and I are training with doesn't do it, but her husband (my old trainer) does...but it's typically with his more high level athletes who already know what they need to be doing and he's more making sure they are following through with their stuff as most of them are high level competition athletes...not sure how well online coaching would work for someone new or newer to fitness.2 -
Most PT's here have employment within the gym for liability reasons. We do have to follow certain protocols, especially when giving advice on something we're not familiar with. For example, I have a background in rehab and recovery for injury or surgery. Many of my peers do not. So if they are asked a question on a rehab or post surgery exercise, they are usually referred to me. And I don't make programs for any nutritional guidance. I make "suggestions" on what they may do and to count calories (I refer a lot to MFP), but if they need further help, I tell them to consult an RD.
i say hi to everyone in the gym I make eye contact with. And I always try to get on a first name basis with everyone in the gym client or not. It's one of the things I'm good at because I'm very good with relating a name and face together even if I'm talking to 50-100 people in a day. Even if I hadn't seen them in 6 months, I can likely still remember them by first name. And I get asked all the time for advice on exercises or to check form from someone. And I do it because it's great to build good relationships in your gym. It makes your work as a PT so much easier too. Sometimes PT's get stereotyped by how they look, as the type of trainer they might be and get overlooked by a newer member looking for a trainer because might seem more intimidating. I try to show that I treat all people the same regardless of their fitness level and that I'm willing to work with them in anyway possible to improve themselves.One who yells loud... Lol sorry just kidding.
My first PT would give a card with exercises. Explained them to me and that was it. Once in a while when he saw me struggling he would come behind me to yell encouragement. Not knowing better I thought it was good.
I changed gym and got one closer to my house. This one had a dietician and PT inside. This guy would give me the list of exercises. He would walk around and would correct is he saw you were doing it wrong. When he saw you walking, he would ask you how you were doing asking what you had left to do and he was always full of encouragement. He never failed to make me feel good about the weight I lost.
In the first gym it was a pain to go. I would even skip sime exercises just to leave sooner.
In the second gym I felt like part of a family. I was there 7 days out of 7 and I never shortcut anything.
A PT makes a big difference between a good experience or a poor one where you might just quit.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I don't think here in the USA works the same way as in Italy. I just go to the Y since my wife works there and I get discount, I've never seen any PT from the gym. PT in Italy are paid by the gym, they are employees. I am not sure if they can have private clients in the same gym or not (I would think there would be a conflict of interest), I never even thought about it. The PT never talked about nutrition to me and I don't think he can. Maybe with his private client they do, but they are not licensed nutritionists or dieticians, legally I don't think they can give members a meal plan or adjust one a they already have.
Dietician on the other hand are not paid by the gym. It's a separate bill.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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@ninerbuff even by being a nutritionist you can't give out meal plans? It's it your choice for liability or a gym rule?0
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I'm NOT a certified nutritionist. Lol, I didn't want to spend the money to get the certification by my current organization.@ninerbuff even by being a nutritionist you can't give out meal plans? It's it your choice for liability or a gym rule?
I've STUDIED nutrition for years and may likely KNOW as much, but I don't give out meal plans, etc. because not being certified I don't believe it's proper. I do what I preach.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
1
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