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What To Look For In A
Personal Trainer
By Wayne L. Westcott |
 Quincy
- For many people, especially older adults, personal
trainers provide a professional service that is essential
for them to exercise safely, effectively and regularly.
Qualified personal trainers provide a high level of
education and motivation for their clients. They also ensure
proper and productive exercise performance of the strength
exercises and aerobic activities.
Certified personal trainers can also perform fitness
assessments, set realistic training goals and develop
appropriate exercise programs for their clients. They can
establish gradual training progressions that maximize
fitness improvement and minimize injury risk.
Although personal trainers must stay within their scope of
practice, they can frequently consult with medical
professionals and registered dieticians to provide pertinent
information in these areas. Good personal typically trainers
have an excellent network of health care providers to assist
you with an overall wellness program.
Given that personal trainers can be the difference between
exercising regularly or remaining sedentary for many seniors
(especially those who may be overweight, physically frail,
non-exercisers, time-pressured, or post-rehabilitation),
what should you look for in an ideal personal trainer? Some
very basic decisions depend on your personal preferences. Do
you feel more comfortable with a male or a female trainer?
Do you relate better to a younger or an older trainer? Do
you prefer to train at home or in a fitness facility?
Once you make these decisions, you should carefully examine
the professional characteristics of a potential trainer. In
my opinion, the starting point should be a nationally
recognized personal trainer certification. Although Boston
has some excellent local certifying agencies, the two top
levels of national certifications are as follows:
Most Prestigious: National Strength and Conditioning
Association (NSCA); American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM);
American Council on Exercise (ACE); Cooper’s Institute.
Highly Respected: International Fitness Professionals
Association (IFPA); National Strength Professionals
Association (NSPA); National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM);
and Aerobics and Fitness Association of American (AFAA).
Regardless of educational background and experience, first
class personal trainers make the time and effort to pass a
nationally recognized personal trainer qualifying
examination. On the other hand, educational background and
experience are some of the most valuable personal training
attributes. Personal trainers who have a related college
degree (two year, four year, or graduate level) are likely
to be better prepared in the areas of exercise physiology,
performance bio-mechanics, motor learning, injury
prevention, cardiovascular conditioning, musculoskeletal
development and exercise modalities than those who have not
had formal training in the fitness field.
Of course, training experience may be just as important as
book learning. Most people don’t want to be a surgeon’s
first patient and most exercisers don’t want to be a
trainer’s first client. Ideally, your personal trainer
should score high in all three areas:
(1) national trainer certification;
(2) formal fitness education
(3) several years of training experience.
After establishing these benchmarks, the next step is to
obtain recommendations from a few of the trainer’s present
or previous clients. Ask specific questions to determine the
depth of the trainer’s knowledge base, personality
characteristics, professionalism and program
individualization based on client needs and abilities. Find
out what clients like most and like least about their
trainer and the exercise programs.
If possible, observe the trainer working with a couple
different clients. Try to evaluate the entire training
session from start to finish, especially in terms of
personal attention and positive interactions. Watching a
trainer in action is perhaps the best gauge of your
compatibility with the trainer/client relationship.
Once you identify one or more trainers you would like to
work with, two critical questions remain. These are time
availability and financial affordability. Matching schedules
can sometimes be problematic, particularly with top personal
trainers who typically have fewer openings. Then there is
the cost factor. Some of the best Boston trainers charge
well over $100 an hour for their services, and they may be
well worth every penny. At the other end of the price scale,
many YMCA and fitness club trainers charge closer to $40 an
hour to facility members. Of course, this is a personal
matter and a consideration that I would put last, after
identifying the right trainer rather than finding the right
price.
If price is a barrier to getting the trainer you want,
consider that one or two personal training sessions a week
with the ideal trainer might be better than three sessions a
week with a less motivating mentor.
Keep in mind that you may not need a personal trainer
indefinitely. However, for the time that you do need
guidance and support, I advise you to enlist the best
personal trainer available.
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About The Author
Wayne L.
Westcott, Ph.D., teaches exercise science and conducts
fitness research at Quincy College. He has authored 24 books
on exercise, including Complete Conditioning for Golf.
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