If you’re looking to hire a personal trainer, there are plenty of questions you need to ask them first to make sure it will be a good fit for you—and the trainer.
Because let’s face it…
Personal training is expensive. Before you fork over a boatload of cash and avoid your favorite latte for this…you want to be sure you ask the person you’re looking to hire these 3 important questions:
1. What Do You Specialize in?
When you’re hiring a trainer, you want to be sure you know exactly what they specialize in. If you’re looking to lose weight…and the trainer you want to hire is a powerlifter, it may not be a great fit for you. A trainer should help you develop your goals, and develop a plan to reach them. If they don’t work with your specific needs, then it may be money wasted. Find out what, or if, they specialize in anything. If it doesn’t make sense for you, keep shopping.
2. How Do You Assess New Clients?
By asking this question, you’re going to see how the trainer will assess you, and the needs you may have. If they don’t have some sort of assessment in place (a movement or performance assessment), then you may want to think twice about hiring them. Assessments help uncover weaknesses or other issues that may need to be developed—outside of what your goals are. Once completed, a trainer has more information, and can develop the right program, to meet your goals.
3. Do You Develop Meal Plans?
If you’re going to reach your goals, you may be looking for services that are outside of the trainer’s scope of practice. For example, developing meal plans. Most trainers have a good understanding of how the right nutrition approach can help you reach your goals. But they aren’t experts by any means. They can give guidelines and strategies to help you get to your goals faster, but they shouldn’t be telling you what to remove from your diet. Your best bet would be to hire a personal trainer and a nutritionist (or someone who is both) to develop the right approach for you.
Hiring a personal trainer may seem like an easy process—but it may not be. You want a trainer who understands you, and puts your goals and desires above everything else. You also want someone who fits your personality, and can show you proof they can help you achieve your goal. So, before you hire a trainer, make sure you ask these important questions.
Your friend and trainer,
Paul F. Sweatt
Train Smart. Train Hard. Train Safe. Train to Sweatt.