So you've decided you are ready to improve your fitness, change your lifestyle or lose a few pounds - great! You're already One Step Closer to achieving your goal! But with an abundance of personal trainers both in the gyms and on Instagram it might be difficult to find one who will be best for you. Where do you start? Who do you pick? How to make a decision? Follow the tips below and make an informed decision.
Credentials
Is the person a qualified personal trainer? Have they got a certification in the are they specialise in? With so many 'personal trainers' out there posting workouts, miraculous diets and fitness equipment 'must-haves' you might be tricked into thinking that they are qualified, have knowledge and experience and are able to help you in your journey.
Experience
Have they got any experience or are they just starting their career? You will probably get more benefit working with someone who has already worked with others (another hint: look out for testimonials and reviews) to help them achieve their goals as they will have perfected their skill and figured out what works and what doesn't. But maybe you enjoy being the guinea pig of a newly qualified personal trainer...
Reviews/Testimonials
So you've decided to go for an experienced personal trainer, now do your homework and find out what others enjoyed while working with them. Have the previous customers had similar goals to your ones? Have they managed to achieve what they set out to do? What did they enjoy the most? It's always reassuring to know that the personal trainer is being recommended by people who once were at the start of their fitness journey.
Availability
With personal, family and work commitments you probably want to know in advance when your weekly training sessions will be taking place so you can pencil them into your diary or Google calendar to make sure you stick to them. But life happens, has your personal trainer got a bit of freedom to squeeze you in? Have they got so many clients that they won't be able to re-schedule your allocated appointment and you'll miss out on your weekly 1-2-1 time.
The person
Do you actually like the personal trainer as a person? Do you like the way they motivate others? Will that resonate with you? You'll be spending some time with them, they will be making you do things you don't want to do (like push ups, but not everyone likes them) you have to make sure you'll enjoy their company. If you won't look forward to your sessions you're more likely to fail and that's the opposite of what you're trying to achieve!
The 5 tips will give you an idea how to pick your personal trainer. You might have some more items to tick off on your personal preferences list, but it's a good start. Even if we don't get to work together I wish you all the luck on your fitness journey!