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Deciding to hire a personal trainer can be a major decision both for your health and for your finances. It’s important to make sure you take a few key steps to ensure your experience goes well and you get the results you are looking for. Take the time to complete these steps, and you’ll be sure find a good fit.
Take Recommendations
Networking is one of the best ways personal trainers gain clientèle. Chances are someone you know has used a trainer at one time or another and is happy to give you a recommendation. Try asking a few gym regulars or even the front desk staff at your gym if there is someone they think will fit your needs.
Be sure to think about any preferences you have like whether you prefer a male or a female trainer, what type of fitness training you want to do, and the overall goals that you hope to achieve. Some trainers may be well known for weight loss while others may be strength training gurus. Ask specific questions regarding your preferences when looking for recommendations to be sure you receive helpful ones.
Ask For a Trial Session
Once you’ve gotten one or two names and numbers, get connected with your recommendations and ask for a meeting or trial training session.
Many gyms and trainers are happy to provide an introductory session to discuss your fitness goals, likes and dislikes, and assess how you can reach your goals most effectively as a team.
This introductory session is the perfect time not only for your potential trainer to assess how they can best help you, but also for you to determine whether you can form a good working relationship with this person. Like any relationship, communication is key and you’ll want to ensure you and your trainer communicate effectively.
Communication Is Key
You and your trainer will be spending time together weekly so it’s important that your trainer is someone you can get along with easily, but also someone who is able to maintain a professional environment and get you results.
The process of communication is a two-way street so be sure to communicate clearly with your trainer your expectations, likes and dislikes, interests, goals, concerns, or any injuries or health issues you may have. Keeping this dialogue going throughout your working relationship helps your trainer continue to tailor workouts for you and ensures that you are working towards your goals safely and effectively.
Choose to Focus on Your Nutrition
If you want the best results from your training sessions, then you’ll need to focus on nutrition as well as fitness.
Most trainers are willing and able to provide nutritional coaching so discuss with your trainer that you’d like help with your nutrition plan as well. Especially if weight loss is your goal, hiring a trainer who is well-versed in nutrition is essential to getting the results you’re looking for.
Keep in mind that every trainer wants you to reach your goals, but only you have complete control over the habits you form at home, at work, or anytime you’re away from your trainer. It’s important to hold yourself accountable for maintaining a quality nutrition plan that will aid and enhance the effects of your fitness training.
Don’t forget that good nutrition requires good hydration. Especially when beginning a new, tough fitness regimen, you’ll want to make sure to hydrate your body properly. Research has shown that people who drink their RDA (Recommended Daily Allotment) of water tend to weigh less, get sick and injured less often, and have more energy. Try drinking at least half your weight in ounces of water each day.
Make Sure You Push Yourself
A good personal trainer will push you to work hard without causing injury or over-exhaustion. Keep in mind though that only you know your own personal limitations. Perhaps more importantly, only you know if you’re working your hardest. Make sure you are getting the most out of your training sessions by giving 100% effort each time you meet with your trainer. Doing so will not only help you get faster results, but it will also help make sure you are spending your money wisely. Just like you don’t want to buy an expensive toy that won’t get used, you don’t want to invest in personal training that doesn’t warrant results.
When you are not with your trainer, it’s even more important that you give 100% effort. Unless you are meeting with your trainer daily, you’ll probably be asked to get some amount of exercise done in between training sessions. Often these homework exercises will consist of cardio and flexibility work that are intended to prepare you for upcoming sessions and help you recover from strenuous workouts. It’s really important that you do these exercises on your own with the same intent and effort that you give with your trainer.
Fitness Is a Process
If you haven taken all of these steps to aid you in hiring a quality trainer, then it’s time to trust the process and have some patience. Though you’ve set yourself up well to get the best results, it’s important to remember that all fitness and wellness goals take some time.
It may be cliché but it’s true that you aren’t in your current state of fitness after one workout and you won’t make huge changes overnight just because you’ve hired a trainer. Trust that your new trainer is doing their best to help you reach your goals in a safe and sustainable way and enjoy the feeling of progress.
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