Choosing a personal trainer

rougenoire

After a long time of exercising by myself with various classes (Body Combat, boxercise, circuits, body pump, pilates etc etc) I have started going to a gym and I was looking at getting a personal trainer to put together a training plan. I had a consultation with one today who wanted to charge £40/h. I didn't get a particularly good impression of him, he turned up late and the consultation was more about the prices with a few general questions about my goals. He didn't ask about any injuries or health conditions and riled me by assuming my motivation is just to look good when it's also for the health benefits of exercise on my long term health conditions (hypermobility and IBS).

What makes a good personal trainer? If you have had one how much did they help you and was it worth the money? I am pretty motivated and will happily research myself for an exercise plan, so am I better off doing it myself?

Sick_Beard

Do the research yourself as the info is free of charge, heck I will even help you set it up

rougenoire

All offers of help greatly received, you are in great shape in the photo so you must be doing something right

I am planning on a half hour 4 or 5 days a week with pilates/yoga/stretching on top to cool down. At the gym I am mainly running at the moment and just building up my endurance with the goal of shifting some flab.

Long term I want sleek definition particularly my back, waist and stomach so I am going to have to add in some resistance but don't know whether to go for using the machines at the gym or something more fun like kettlebells (have one at home already)...

There are so many options

IronSmasher

Are those prices somewhere in London?

I'd go by qualifications, which should be the easiest to find out, then track record and training available.

Obviously, with you being unsatisfied by the initial consultation, I think you already know what you look for in a personal trainer. Most trainers appear to be lacking the 'personal' bit.

rougenoire

Are those prices somewhere in London?

I'd go by qualifications, which should be the easiest to find out, then track record and training available.

Obviously, with you being unsatisfied by the initial consultation, I think you already know what you look for in a personal trainer. Most trainers appear to be lacking the 'personal' bit.

Centre of Birmingham (UK), they have qualifications listed on the gym website for all the trainers but all of them seem to have at least half a dozen courses listed and I am not sure what the level really is. Maybe when I have met a few more aroudn the gym I will find one I like.

IronSmasher

I would've assumed that they should be nearer £30, but Birmingham is a major city.

Well there's a national standard, the Register of Exercise Professionals allow people to find trainers that have achieved a particular standard that they deem worthy, similar to City and Guilds level qualifications. Other organisations also exist.

Unfortunately, there are now many places where a 6 week intensive course can be carried out that have slipped into REPs standards, that you can bungle through, and end up with a market full of clueless trainers.

Obviously your trainer had a particularly low standard of training. Turning up late and not listening to goals? WTF?

There should also have been something called a PAR-Q carried out, which you would have to have filled in and signed as declaration that all of the health questions you answered on the form are correct. This would've covered any medical issues that might have affected your training, and if a doctor's appointment would have to take place before training can commence. It's possible that if this was carried out by the gym as part of membership, the PT assumed you were covered.

arachniagirl

That trainer sounds pretty crappy. When I met with mine he insisted on taking a full medical history, including all medications I'm taking, we talked about my goals and then he presented me with package/payment options. He was clear on what he felt I needed but didn't pressure me into anything.
He also gave me a workout program appropriate to my fitness level, not where I wanted to start. I wanted to go straight to the free weights and weight machines but he felt that I needed to do some core strengthening first so designed a program based on that. Now we are starting to work in the exercises I like to do and he's starting to push me hard, which is exactly what I had hoped for in a trainer.

Good luck in your search!

IronSmasher

That trainer sounds pretty crappy. When I met with mine he insisted on taking a full medical history, including all medications I'm taking, we talked about my goals and then he presented me with package/payment options. He was clear on what he felt I needed but didn't pressure me into anything.
He also gave me a workout program appropriate to my fitness level, not where I wanted to start. I wanted to go straight to the free weights and weight machines but he felt that I needed to do some core strengthening first so designed a program based on that. Now we are starting to work in the exercises I like to do and he's starting to push me hard, which is exactly what I had hoped for in a trainer.

Good luck in your search!

Was there a medical reason he decided you needed to strengthen your core specifically?

janboulter

Hi,

Just read your comments regarding personal trainers. I am a member of a gym and I have been using a personal trainer now for around 2 years.

In the first 18 months I lost over 11 1/2 stones and won the Fitness First New You Shape award. I am just about to run the Birmingham Half Marathon on Sunday and I am running the London Marathon for the Air Ambulance in April 2013.

The first thing you need to consider is that you make a connection with your PT, if you feel uncomfortable in any way they are not for you. They need to be 100% committed and love what they do and always need to be supportive even when you are on a slippery slope. They need to be able to get the best out of you and push you to your limits. In my area they charge around £20 - £25.00 per hour but you can block book to get it a little cheeper. If you do try a PT and he is not for you try another one, you will know when you have the right person.

Oh! and by the way I was so inspired by my PT I am now also a fully qualified PT.

Good Luck

Kap10

Where are you? If you are anywhere near Edgware, I can recommend a great personal trainer.

Personal trainers are definitely worth it, if you find it difficult to do things on your own at the gym. What makes a great personal trainer is dependent on you.

Personally I want a trainer who will under stand me and my goals and what motivates me and in doing so will push me hard but no to the extent that I feel that I hate what Ia m doing. Some people want to be taken to that limit, so they would say my Edgware PT was not good, in my opinion we worked well together and I have achieved my goals ... sadly my contract in Edgware ended and I live too far away just to pop over..

yksdoris

After a long time of exercising by myself with various classes (Body Combat, boxercise, circuits, body pump, pilates etc etc) I have started going to a gym and I was looking at getting a personal trainer to put together a training plan. I had a consultation with one today who wanted to charge £40/h. I didn't get a particularly good impression of him, he turned up late and the consultation was more about the prices with a few general questions about my goals. He didn't ask about any injuries or health conditions and riled me by assuming my motivation is just to look good when it's also for the health benefits of exercise on my long term health conditions (hypermobility and IBS).

What makes a good personal trainer? If you have had one how much did they help you and was it worth the money? I am pretty motivated and will happily research myself for an exercise plan, so am I better off doing it myself?

Wow, my gym must be paradise... Not only is personal training plan included in the monthly price (which is quite low as it is), but they also have physiotherapists on staff. You do have to pay separately for the physio but just knowing that they're there, all the time, is great!

That said, because the personal training is included in the gym fee, it does mean that I can't necessarily choose who I get, so could be that I switch trainers every couple of months. I definitely notice that I have a better click with some than others, so I'll agree with janboulter: you definitely need to feel good about the trainer. If you don't feel like they're listening to you (which is what you're paying them for: listening to your problems and helping you fix them - how is he going to help you if he doesn't even know what's bothering you?) then definitely find someone else!

ilovedeadlifts

For general fitness, I honestly think you're fine spending a few hours on youtube and learning yourself.

Once you get to an advanced level you might want some help really dialing in your programming, but at that point you aren't going to use the personal trainer at your local gym, because they're t ypically dumbasses.

Bethie_B

Yeah, that trainer sounds terrible.

I have one that I've worked with for almost 8 months now, and I am not giving him up. He is WAY too valuable to me.

Your trainer should start with asking what your goals are and getting a full history. Then he should have you go through a "test" program to see if you have any aches, pains, or general complaints about specific parts of your body. And from that, and the goals you want to achieve, THEN he/she should create a plan for you.

Yes, you can absolutely not have a trainer; tons of people go without. But I was completely new to strength training, and proper form is very important to achieve the results and avoid injury. So, if you are new to it all, I'd highly recommend a trainer.

rougenoire

I would've assumed that they should be nearer £30, but Birmingham is a major city.

Well there's a national standard, the Register of Exercise Professionals allow people to find trainers that have achieved a particular standard that they deem worthy, similar to City and Guilds level qualifications. Other organisations also exist.

Unfortunately, there are now many places where a 6 week intensive course can be carried out that have slipped into REPs standards, that you can bungle through, and end up with a market full of clueless trainers.

Obviously your trainer had a particularly low standard of training. Turning up late and not listening to goals? WTF?

There should also have been something called a PAR-Q carried out, which you would have to have filled in and signed as declaration that all of the health questions you answered on the form are correct. This would've covered any medical issues that might have affected your training, and if a doctor's appointment would have to take place before training can commence. It's possible that if this was carried out by the gym as part of membership, the PT assumed you were covered.

A few of my friends have been quoted £30 an hour, one even said that was more than they had been paying previously for a well respected trainer so maybe as it's a basic gym they get a big cut from the instructors? Just had a look at the organistaion who accredits the course the guy had taken and a quick look at the syllabus. I'm not impressed! Definitely a six week intensive course job. Not saying there is anything wrong with that but I would guess I have done that much research over the last few months and all of that was specifically tailored to me. No PAR Q form and there wasn't anything like that for the gym sign up either. I don't need to see a doctor, I am fit enough to exercise but I have learnt things like stretching is vital and overloading on sit ups will give me painful stomach cramps.

Right, I'll be making my own plan then and dragging a friend or two along for motivation/trying out the quick classes with instructors for some social contact.

ilovedeadlifts

Depending on your goals, I'm sure you can ask for help on here and end up with a decent idea of what you should be doing in the gym.

And youtube has some pretty good videos on form.

dad106

I have a trainer who is wonderful. Currently we are on a hiatus due to some issues going on in my life, but I plan on getting back to see him soon.

Your trainer should at least:
Take a medical history
Talk Goals
Take measurements/weight
Talk about what you want to do

I've had a really crappy trainer and two really good trainers.. and the two really good ones, did what I listed above.

rougenoire

Yeah, that trainer sounds terrible.

I have one that I've worked with for almost 8 months now, and I am not giving him up. He is WAY too valuable to me.

Your trainer should start with asking what your goals are and getting a full history. Then he should have you go through a "test" program to see if you have any aches, pains, or general complaints about specific parts of your body. And from that, and the goals you want to achieve, THEN he/she should create a plan for you.

Yes, you can absolutely not have a trainer; tons of people go without. But I was completely new to strength training, and proper form is very important to achieve the results and avoid injury. So, if you are new to it all, I'd highly recommend a trainer.

I have basic knowledge of some moves from doing body pump (weights based aerobics class) but I am not all that confident on what the machines do and I woudln't do free weights without some more knowledge. I have booked in for an induction tomorrow so hopefully that will fill in some gaps.

rougenoire

Hi,

Just read your comments regarding personal trainers. I am a member of a gym and I have been using a personal trainer now for around 2 years.

In the first 18 months I lost over 11 1/2 stones and won the Fitness First New You Shape award. I am just about to run the Birmingham Half Marathon on Sunday and I am running the London Marathon for the Air Ambulance in April 2013.

The first thing you need to consider is that you make a connection with your PT, if you feel uncomfortable in any way they are not for you. They need to be 100% committed and love what they do and always need to be supportive even when you are on a slippery slope. They need to be able to get the best out of you and push you to your limits. In my area they charge around £20 - £25.00 per hour but you can block book to get it a little cheeper. If you do try a PT and he is not for you try another one, you will know when you have the right person.

Oh! and by the way I was so inspired by my PT I am now also a fully qualified PT.

Good Luck

Good luck for the (half) marathon!

I think I should have just walked away when he was ten minutes late, I might be being picky but I didn't have that much time and had told him what time i was in the gym before work. Because he was late and we didn't do any fitness test or anything I didn't actually get a full work out in.

rougenoire

Wow, my gym must be paradise... Not only is personal training plan included in the monthly price (which is quite low as it is), but they also have physiotherapists on staff. You do have to pay separately for the physio but just knowing that they're there, all the time, is great!

I just saw you are in Amsterdam, having been to Holland a few times and seen how organised things are (to my British eyes!) I can well believe that your gym system is better Dank je wel!

Cr01502

40 quid seems reasonable. However if you don't get a good vibe from the guy don't go for it. Trust your instincts.
In your consultation he should:
Ask you your goals and medical history.
Ask you about your diet and general health (i.e. how often do you drink smoke etc)
Perform measurements and fitness tests, i.e. bodyfat% (if it's related to your goals), BMI, mobility tests and so forth
He/she may also check for postural alignment problems

My recommendation:

Find someone who has been in the business for a few years or someone who has a degree in sports science or something of that nature.

Hope this helps.

rougenoire

40 quid seems reasonable. However if you don't get a good vibe from the guy don't go for it. Trust your instincts.
In your consultation he should:
Ask you your goals and medical history.
Ask you about your diet and general health (i.e. how often do you drink smoke etc)
Perform measurements and fitness tests, i.e. bodyfat% (if it's related to your goals), BMI, mobility tests and so forth
He/she may also check for postural alignment problems

My recommendation:

Find someone who has been in the business for a few years or someone who has a degree in sports science or something of that nature.


Hope this helps.

Thanks, yes it does help. I'd be happy to pay the price if I liked what he was offering but lateness when I woud be paying for someone's time makes me wonder. He did ask general how are you, any problems with training etc questions but tbh I would have expected, as other people have said, some kind of medical questionnaire or at least direct questions rather than vague ones.