It may be a bit self-serving to create an article about the best way to pick a personal trainer on a site about personal training, but part of this business is helping people so offering this kind of advice may actually be more beneficial than some may expect. In fact, how many times have you heard from a friend “My personal trainer is such a jerk, he never listens and by the time I get home, I can’t even walk the next day!” While this is of course not a horrible problem, training should not be a 3 to 4-hour session 5 times a week unless you happen to be going to the Olympics or something of that caliber. A smart trainer will always know what your limits are and make sure that you can still live your life the following day. Here are a few tips I’ve learned to really help out when looking for a personal trainer that will fit your needs.
Convenience
Surprised? This is actually one of the key components when picking someone to train you. Sure, there are times when you can find someone willing to travel to your location of choice and train you either at the gym or the local park; a lot of the time, though, they also increase their charges for the travel expenses. While looking for a trainer, think about how close you are to them and them to you as once you finish a workout, an hour drive back home is not the best motivation to keep going. In fact, imagine planning to go to your PT and you realize it will take an hour to get there to work out for an hour, get dog tired, then turn around and drive ANOTHER hour the other way. Finding a trainer that is relatively close to you and a breeze to drive to and from will actually help boost your willingness to go to training. It’s a simple psychological trick but it works!
Experience
One thing that the Body Master Fitness Studio in Houston, TX is familiar with is experience and what exactly that entails. With the ease of starting just about any profession in our current digital age (I mean is every YouTube star really a great actor?), there are more and more personal trainers popping up as the position is viewed as an “easy job”. Let me tell you that this is the wrong way to approach it as it involves a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes and any good trainer will know this. The primary role of any PT is to make sure that you are motivated, taken care of, and your needs are met. This doesn’t just mean taking you to the gym and forcing you to lift weights until you “feel” like you’ve had a good workout. Rather, this comes in the form of listening to the client and actually hearing what they say.
When picking a personal trainer, have a talk with them and ask directly how they will help you if you happen to injure yourself during a workout. Will they keep pushing you on that hurt shoulder or will they adjust the workout to keep your other parts going until your shoulder recovers? A lot of so-called professional trainers will pick the former or instead, just send you home for a few weeks until you recover while keeping your deposit. That doesn’t seem fair though as you, the client, may want to keep working out but as I mentioned, sometimes trainers will not listen and that separates those with real experience from those who dabble.
Experienced, well-trained trainers will know what to look for and most of the time not even let your shoulder reach the point of complete discomfort. Not only that but when something happens in your life that may negatively affect your energy and drive, they are there to listen as well as push you forward. Naturally, we all want a trainer who knows their stuff but when real experience shines through and they’re able to help you beyond just lifting weights, you know you’ve found a great trainer.
Value
While some personal trainers give you a monthly non-refundable charge that you have to use it or lose it, there are still some that offer a package deal. You pay for the sessions you would like and use them as you are able to within your schedule. These are rare and few between but most of the time, when these packages are offered, it’s because the trainer is looking to really improve you and fit your schedule rather than just trying to make a sucker out of you.
Be upfront about what you want to pay and see if there is a plan you two can work out that will fit your budget, schedule, and everything else.
In closing, the three core components of finding a great personal trainer are someone that is located a reasonable distance from you, someone that is experienced and reliable, and finally, someone who gives a fair way to arrange your sessions rather than trying to slight you of your hard earned funds. Finding a personal trainer in Houston, TX is a difficult task but with this extra knowledge, should prove a bit easier the next time you begin looking.
Until next time, think healthy, be healthy!