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How to Find the Ideal Personal Trainer for You

Katie Hogan Coaching

Finding a personal trainer who you can work with is a challenging task – but not an impossible one. Regardless of whether you’re just starting or have been bodybuilding for some years, a personal fitness trainer, can play a huge role in whether you will meet your goals or fall short of them. Dedicated fitness trainers are not just nutritionists, but they may end up turning to be long-time friends. This means that finding the perfect person doesn’t just happen and that you are going to meet some scammers along the way. This guide summarizes some of the ways to land your ideal personal trainer, so read on.

Look for a Trainer in a Group Class

So, you are in Oakland, and you’ve already decided that you want a trainer? But you’ve yet to ask for recommendations from friends or colleagues; this means that you’re on your own. You can try search terms like “who is voted best personal trainer in Vancouver“, or just head down and try for yourself.

Many fitness trainers offer classes in Oakland, so it’s essential to research what they do and know. Start by attending exercise classes and observe who among them is best to work with. Whether you participate in general fitness classes or a boot camp, many personal trainers also offer private lessons. Be keen on how the trainers interact with the clients as this assessment is crucial since it will bring out their real character. If maybe you want to train on a particular exercise, this means that you need a trainer with whom you can establish a personal connection so that they can push you to the limit.

Try Searching the Classifieds

If you don’t have a gym where you can access trainers directly or prefer to have your workout sessions at home, it may be worth looking at the classifieds for fitness trainers. Make sure that you don’t get scammed by fraudsters pretending to be trainers. Also, search whether they have client reviews or whether their website or social media details are included. Other forums you can try are social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram.

It’s Time to Ask the Questions

After you have narrowed down your search to your preferred instructor/coach/motivator, experts recommend that you ask some of these questions to better understand a trainer and whether one can help you achieve the desired goals.

Is this your only job?

Under this context, the correct answer should be a resounding ‘yes.’ If someone has a real passion for something, this is what they are supposed to be doing for a living. An ideal trainer should be competent in their field, and this should come from the testimonials of other clients.

Ask him/her about their goals and what they hope to achieve

A personal trainer should reflect on your goals and establish the best working routine for you. They should not pick out what’s trending and try it on you.

Have you tried this workout routine yourself?

You must ensure that the trainer also works out. Many trainers create workout routines that they can’t do, so make sure they can do what they preach.

Have You Identified Why You Want This?

Regardless of why you have decided to walk down this path, knowing your goals and what you want to achieve will help you work with a trainer and speed up the process. So, before you decide to ask for private lessons from your local gym trainer, establish what you want so that you bring your trainer up to speed with your expectations. A trainer should understand your concerns, questions, interests, and streamline the whole process after that.

Qualities to Look For

The good qualities that a personal trainer should possess include:

Compassion and empathy

A good fitness trainer understands your position and pushes you to improve yourself.

Critical thinking and reasoning

This skill is necessary for trainers to assess whether a program works for you. They can also change the program if it doesn’t fit you.

Good communicator

Communication skills are necessary for listening and clearly explaining concepts or how an exercise should be performed and the benefits.

Professionalism

This goes without saying, but a personal trainer should demonstrate that he/she is competent in executing their duties.

If you’re not getting the results you’re looking for; you should communicate with your trainer to change the workout routine. If there are no positive results, then it’s time that you walk away and end your training relationship. There should be no hard feelings since sometimes, priorities may be misaligned. The reality is that you are paying for a service, which means you should be getting the full benefits from it.

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The Rx Review is an independent fitness website, reporting on the Sport of Fitness, functional fitness news, The CrossFit Games, health and diet related information, and also provides reviews on sports performance products.