How to choose a personal trainer a guide for beginners

How to choose a personal trainer a guide for beginners

The modern person needs additional physical activity, because the lifestyle of the average inhabitant of the planet today is sedentary. Therefore, many decide to enlist the help of professionals and go to the gym. At the first stage, when the training program has not yet been developed, you need someone who will direct the novice athlete. Therefore, the main question arises: how to choose a personal trainer in the gym.

Why do you need a coach: can I do it myself?

As practice shows, independent training without the advice of an instructor is ineffective. There are several reasons:

1. Inconsistency with the set goals. If you just want to keep fit, you don't need fat burning workouts. When you need to train endurance, the emphasis is on cardio, not strength, etc. 
2. Incorrect technique. It is dangerous not only with a low efficiency rate, but also with injuries.Especially when working with weights: the wrong grip or extra load on the back - injury, sprain, health consequences. Also, the trainer insures, tells you how to modify the exercise to fit your needs
3. Lack of motivation. Contrary to popular belief, a coach is not just a physical trainer. First of all, this is a person who is interested in helping you as an athlete, friend and motivator. Correct words of support stimulate an additional approach, give confidence in yourself and a desire to practice.

If you already have a training program, you know how to do the exercises, then you can do without a mentor. For those who first came to the gym for a specific purpose, have never had anything to do with sports, we advise you to enlist the support of a coach in order to complete the program to the maximum.

How to choose a personal fitness trainer

Let's say right away: there is no unambiguous and exhaustive list. Everyone who comes to exercise is guided by their own preferences: from gender to sports achievements, appearance, common interests. But there are several points that you should pay attention to, so as not to be disappointed.

You can find a personal trainer at FitUnion.Pro, and check his qualifications for the items listed below.

Professional skills of a coach

You can become a coach in several ways: get specialized education or complete courses. Often, instructors are people who themselves have achieved success in losing weight or those who had fitness or exercise machines as a hobby. 

The trainer must have an understanding of the anatomy, know how muscles work; understand metabolic processes; be able to calculate loads for specific requests.

It is also important to have a nutritional theory. Without it, even intense training may not work. Ask the instructor for a diploma or certificate to be sure of the qualifications. A good gym or fitness center will never hire a bad one. 

Personal inquiries - why did you come to the gym

It is clear that every coach specializes in something. The instructors are professional weightlifters, fitness athletes, gymnasts, bodybuilders, athletes, etc. They have their own techniques and knowledge in a specific area. Therefore:

• if you are interested in developing strength, building muscles, choose a weightlifter or bodybuilder;
• if you want to lose weight - you need a nutritional coach with similar experience;
• if you want to run a marathon in the spring, choose an athlete;
• you need stable, feasible loads in an entertaining format - stretching with a gymnast or a fitness instructor.

In large centers, before choosing a fitness instructor, they usually offer several areas of work. The same fitness is in the form of aerobics, yoga, zumba. Therefore, it is important to choose not only a specialist, but also a suitable sport. 

It is not necessary to do one thing all the time, but a lead coach is needed. It is with him that you will plan your training schedule. For example, let's say you are a woman who wants to shape up and develop strength. Choose a gym with a weightlifter or vigorous fitness.

One day you train with weights, with machines, and on the other, the instructor will advise stretching, yoga or zumba. This will maintain the proper level of stress, while diversifying the program and not overworking the body.

Coach friend

One of the components of success is established contact. The coach is responsible for your health, the quality of your workouts, becomes a friend and motivator. Some instructors may have an assertive working style or austerity. Others work softly through persuasion, praise. Therefore, when choosing, consider the nature of the mentor.

In his profession, appearance is equated with advertising. Even a smart and knowledgeable specialist loses credibility if he is overweight or walks in an untidy manner.

If there is no contact, you do not feel sympathy and trust, then training is unlikely to be effective. This is especially important for those who are losing weight: they just need a person who can ignite them with an idea and send them in the right direction in time.

Personal trainer service cost

Not the last factor influencing the choice. An instructor with high qualifications, special education, sports regalia and extensive work experience takes much more than an amateur or a beginner per hour. You pay for:

• invaluable experience and individual approach;
• time taken;
• a developed training program taking into account the anatomy, your needs;
• safety during work.

Often such coaches have a limited number of places: they work less, but of high quality. Be wary if the instructor takes cheap: either he will not give you enough time, or he does not value his knowledge and time. Usually, the halls work on a mixed system. There is a trainer on duty who works on certain days and / or comes who visits only his wards. 

An alternative is to work in a group, although not all instructors work this way. For example, you can go to workout with a friend or girlfriend. It is still possible to track two people in the hall. 

Coach reputation

Each coach should have a kind of "portfolio", only instead of photos or pictures there are reviews and results of his wards. Find out in advance what account the coach is in the gym or center. Real reviews on forums, website will help. 

Many professionals create selling pages on social networks. There you can track how and with whom they work, find out the price list, see photo and video reports, ask questions and much more. But you still need to double-check on third-party resources: negative comments can be deleted.

When you need to leave the coach

Even when you have already chosen your mentor and have come to the first lesson, do not lose your vigilance. If this is the first meeting, it should be in a conversation format, where the instructor:

• asks about your health, what diseases you have;
• clarify whether there were injuries, whether there is a tendency to them;
• listens to why you came to study, what goals you want to achieve in the near future and in the future;
• will offer to draw up a training schedule.

The first and second questions are required to be voiced. On your part, honest and truthful information is needed, if the need arises - supported by a certificate. Do not hide injuries and bad habits from the coach, as you endanger your health and the reputation of a specialist. At the first lesson in the gym, he can offer a warm-up and light exercise in order to see the body's reaction, to determine the level of fitness.

Also, a reason to change a mentor can be: constant cancellation and rescheduling of classes, absence of a trainer in the workplace, program changes without warning, indifference to the process, unwillingness to insure you or answer questions of interest. 

During the exercises, the coach must make sure that you are doing everything correctly: from the number of times in the set to the grip. Especially if a person is in the hall or works with equipment for the first time.

Definitely do not go to an instructor who is being spoken of poorly. Working with a layperson can get you hurt or just throw money away. A good fitness trainer keeps in touch with the ward, never cancels classes without good reason and motivates them to achieve.