Seeing a trainer

You're the consumer. Outline what you want and what you expect.

A good trainer should have you fill out a very detailed questionnaire. This should cover your medical history and present medical condition (which will include injury history), information about your lifestyle (job, hobbies, sleep, life stressors, basic family info - number of kids etc) It may ask about previous experience with fitness, goals, motivation. During the initial consultation your trainer should refer back to your answers so he or she can get a complete picture and assess how best to help you reach your goals, address current injuries or medical conditions and give you the best level of service possible. A good trainer will also help you set short and long term goals as part of your plan. They will also be more than happy to work with and take guidance from any medical provider the client has if it is warranted.

Often clients do feel very uncomfortable when first starting with a trainer and aren't always honest with them, but a good trainer should be able to tell if a client is holding back and will work hard to build trust until the client does feel comfortable and is able to open up.

Trainers usually actively encourage lots of questions from their clients, they want the client to leave having learnt something, had a great work out, understand the process and feel like they are getting their moneys worth. If your trainer doesn't do this then it may be time for you to look for another trainer.

OP you brought up nutrition and weight loss as things you didn't want to discuss. If your trainer does not hold any nutritional qualifications then I would say you're right to stay off these subjects, but if they do hold certs/quals then you're getting a huge bang for your buck by picking their brains.

Hope that helps

I want to be pushed, so I don't hold back information. She works with me better when she knows the entire situation including diet and nutrition. That's just my opinion though. How bad do you want this? It should get uncomfortable if you want change.

Well I think you should be open about that.
Tell him exactly what you do and don't want.

Be as open and honest as you can during the initial consult and be specific about your goals and type of training you prefer. However also keep some open-mindedness, as the trainer might suggest some things that you haven't thought of, but that you might like. Given your needs, you might have to interview more than one person to find someone you are comfortable with--or you could approach the training manager and they should know who would be the best fit. Above all, keep open communication while you are training. It will likely take a few sessions to really hit a groove with the trainer as you learn about each other.

discretekim wrote: »

All I want from a trainer is more knowledge about weight training. I am doing well with "this" generally. I have lost some weight. I only want to lose about 10 more pounds with no definite timeline. For me it is more about health. I understand that mindset. But my goals are a little different than many. And honestly I'm also super sensitive so I don't want a trainer to push me too much. I might start crying. And that would be embarrassing.

A good trainer picks up on their clients emotional state from the first hello and will be able to help you push yourself in a way that makes you feel comfortable.

I know it's difficult opening up to a stranger but please mention your anxiety to them and discuss methods that you've found to helpful in the past and ones that have not worked regarding motivation. It will make make things so much better for you as a client and be very helpful for your trainer to aid them in serving you in the best possible way.

When it comes to clients one size does not fit all and your trainer should treat you as an individual.

discretekim wrote: »

what should I expect? Can I be demanding? There are several things I don't want to discuss or work on with them. Such as nutrition and weight loss. Plus I have bad knees and a severe foot disability. I'm not willing to do anything that hurts my knees. I mostly want help with strength training and working out within my limitations. Is this too specific or too much to ask?

Edit also I want to see one because I realized my knowledge is lacking on the exercise front.

You should be able to be honest with the trainer and the trainer should be able to be honest with you, it's definitely a give and take relationship. If you can't be honest, they can't help you and if they're not listening to you then they're not helping you with your goals; so don't settle for anybody.

Nutrition is a very touchy subject and in some jurisdictions it might actually be against the law for a trainer that is not a licensed dietitian or a licensed nutritionist. Not all states are the same and laws do vary, don't hold it against them if you end-up wanting to have this kind of support but they are unwilling to provide it for that reason.