Man, oh man!
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When it comes to personal trainers, I am picky. We all should be. I mean, hello, it is our money and our time. I have had the very good fortune to work with some amazing personal trainers throughout the years, some long term and some short term.
I’ve only worked with one doosy. When I told him I was newly pregnant he frowned and informed me that I was “ruining a masterpiece”. Not the best thing to say to a pregnant girl. Needless to say, that was the last time I worked with him.
A few things to look for in a personal trainer:
Certified
First and foremost, your trainer MUST be certified. Don’t even consider paying someone a dime if they haven’t invested their money and time to becoming legit. There are several respectable personal training certifications they can use:
NASM (the best in my opinion)
ACE
ISSA
AFPA
and there are many more.
Experience
Do not pick the trainer who just graduated high school and is just doing this job to get through college. You need someone who has “been there, done that” for a bit longer.
They Understand Women
DO NOT go to the muscle head with the bulging veins and muscles, who wears only ripped t-shirts and who is going to have you lift 60 lb dumbbells over your head. You need someone who is safely going to push and challenge you, but not injure you.
More Than a Rep Counter
You already know how to count to 15, thank you very much. You need someone who is really going to think through your workouts and be much, much more than someone who just counts your reps. They need to be prepared, keep you on a sound lifting schedule, and throw new stuff at you all the time. If they never use new equipment but are stuck in the 1980’s, move on. You need lots of variety and change.
Professional
Your trainer needs to be on time. Your trainer needs to have their cell phone out of sight. Your trainer needs to be writing down, or allowing you to write down, your workout. They need to be focused on you and your form and not getting caught up in the gym
OK, now that you know what to look for, how do you find them? Here are some tried and true tactics to finding an awesome personal trainer:
Spy
Turn on your 007 and spy on trainers as they are working out other clients. This is their best advertisement. If they are writing down what their client is doing, if they are correcting form, not chatting too much, and totally focused on the client, take note. That just might be the one.
Referrals
Listen to your girlfriends. They often will work with a trainer who is rocking their world. Ask if you can do a group training session with them or just come and watch. Or, if your friend trustworthy and at a similar fitness level, just take her word for it.
Ask for a Free Session
Some trainers do this and others are so busy they just can’t. Tell them you are interested in hiring a trainer and ask if they would offer you free a trial session. You may get lucky or you may not. If not, a safe bet is to hire them for one session before you commiting yourself to a long term package deal.
Walking Advertisement
Your dentist should have the most stunning set of choppers out there, right? It’s the same for trainers: if they are serious about other’s fitness habits, they will be even more vigilant about their own. We trainers are our own best or worst advertisement. If you see a trainer who is at the desk in between clients, drinking a 64 oz of Coke and downing Krispy Kremes -- that is your cue to walk the other way. Some trainers may disagree with me, but personally, I am much more interested in listening to my trainer if they are in fantastic shape themselves and if I actually see them working out. I don't expect perfection, just someone who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.
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6 comments:
I wish I lived by you, so you could be my trainer. Have you heard of any good trainers in the Salt Lake Valley?
No, I haven't lived in Utah in years. However, I'll post on the TM Facebook page and maybe we'll get some help from other readers.
My dr discouraged me from having a third baby because of all the excess skin from previous babies hanging off my tight abs. It literally hangs. He said, "well, this isn't gonna get any better, ya know," as he GRABBED A BIG HANDFUL OF SKIN AND SHOOK IT AROUND. I didn't go to him anymore either!
I cannot believe he would do a grab and shake. That is our job and our job alone. Holy cow, Natalie.
Oh, and I've been meaning to tell you that I got a Bodymedia FIT device. It is the most amazing tool ever! Have you ever heard of them or used one before? After two years of trying to get this 20 pounds off with no luck, I finally decided to get one, and the numbers are finally dropping. They are on the expensive side, but well worth the money. In addition to recording my entire daily burn (23 hours a day), it even records my sleep patterns and how many hours I am actually in deep sleep (made some changes there so I could get more quality time). I am learning a lot of things I didn't know about my metabolism, and it's making all the difference! Very, very cool.
Natalie -- YIPPEE! I am so glad you found something that works so well for you. I appreciate you sharing that info, you really have your thumb on all the good stuff out there. I will definitely check it out.
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