If you are looking for a fast, effective training plan to meet your body’s needs and your lifestyle, then hiring a personal trainer might be the way to save yourself a lot of time and effort. A personal trainer can also help you upgrade or maintain your routine over time, so that you get maximal results from your workouts.
A personal trainer should be someone who understands your fitness goals and is ready to help you meet those goals within your body’s ability to do so. Having a personal trainer means the end to wasting time and money on workout plans that don’t get you results. Because you have someone to be accountable to for your workouts, your training regiment will remain consistent. This is a person to whom you can turn for the latest health and fitness news, and someone will continually encourage you to give it your all.
Hiring a personal trainer can be an invaluable asset to your training routine but only if your trainer is qualified and well educated about your medical history. A good trainer should ask you plenty of questions about your medical background, as well as any injuries or surgeries that might cause a problem with your workouts, either now or down the road. If your prospective trainer does not ask about your health or previous medical concerns, you should start looking for another trainer.
The best trainer will have spent a good deal of time educating him or herself about personal training. Ask if he or she has a degree in: Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, Physical Education, or in a related health-and-fitness field. If they do hold a degree, you can be fairly certain they have the knowledge to perform at a competent level. Your trainer should be certified in CPR and first aid, and will also carry liability insurance.
Make sure to ask your prospective trainer questions, like how long he or she has been training. Ask about the kinds of clients they usually work with, and get recommendations from some of their previous clients.
There are no national standards for personal trainers, so you need to verify that your trainer is certified, and determine which agency has done the certification. Also, find out the requirements for the certification your trainer holds. Training certifications are usually best if done through a nonprofit organization, but that is not a fail-safe determination.
Also check to see if the certification requires any sort of continuing education, and what that program involves. Does your trainer have to be tested on his or her skills, or does he or she just have to mail a valid check? You want the best of care when you are going to be pushing your body to the limits.
If you are thinking that a trainer is not for you because you are not body building, then perhaps you should think again. While personal trainers can certainly be enlisted by a body builder to help him or her pump up, a trainer should be able to help you meet the personal goals you set for your own body (within reason). If you are looking to lose weight, get healthier, or just tone some of your muscles, a personal trainer can tailor a workout to meet those goals and keep you on track.
Movie stars use personal trainers all the time to trim the right muscles and look great for their latest film projects. You can find your own trainer to help you look great for your next trip to the beach, that marathon you want to win, or just to live a longer, healthier life.
Author: Scott White
