What Makes a Good Personal Trainer?

As a personal trainer based in Portsmouth I find it the same as all the places I've worked; finding a good personal trainer can be a real lottery and finding a good one takes some time and effort, but when you find the right one it can be life changing! Many of my best clients have told me that prior to working with me they've tried dozens of personal trainers, so I thought I would share with you some of their recommendations for finding a good one :)

I found the slide below on the web and thought it might be helpful as a good starting point. However there are a couple of additional things that I would add on top:

1. Do they look like a personal trainer - Sounds strange right?..... but why would you choose someone with a 'dad'/'mum' body? Why would you invest your hard earned money in someone that doesn't walk the talk.....looks after their personal appearance, looks scruffy and looks like they can't look after themselves, let alone be trusted to create you own dream physique!

2. Are they friendly - or do you click with them? You're going to be spending a lot of time with this person, so it's for the best that there is something there. Will you have a laugh, will they inspire you and will they motivate you......and would you enjoy spending hours together over the forthcoming weeks or months?

Finding the Right Personal Trainer

Price & Quality

Prices typically range from £25 to £50 per hour in Portsmouth but in the larger cities you can easily pay as much as £80 to £125. Whatever the amount, for most people this is a considerable investment and needs a bit of thought and some planning when deciding who to go with, putting your health and well-being in their hands.....and not to mention your dreams and aspirations!!

Remember thought that just because a PT works at a flashy gym or posh premises doesn't mean that they're actually any good.....it often means that they'll charge a lot just to pay for their overheads. In fact some of the best personal trainers that I've had, I've found in sweaty, spit and sawdust gyms

Take a Test Drive!

Like anything that you invest a lot of time and money in, you need to arrange a test session to see if the PT that you'd like to work with really gets you, motivates you and pushes you outside of your comfort zone. What's even more important; are you actually going to enjoy working with the PT?

Honesty

A good personal trainer will be brutally honest....they're not there to blow smoke up your ass and make you feel good for the sake of it .....just to massage your ego. They are there to build on your weaknesses and achieve your fitness goals. You need to park your ego at the door of the gym and be prepared to suck up the advice.....if you're not you're wasting money and not to mention both your own and the PT's time!!

Do They Look the Part!!?

It's the same with any job, the best people present themselves well, look the part and give you the confidence that they actually know what they're doing. The question to ask yourself is 'if they have a dad/mum bod and look like a dogs dinner' then would you trust them to know what they're doing, let alone help you achieve your fitness goals...think about it!!

Benefits of a Good Personal Trainer

Choosing a good PT can make a significant difference to your fitness outcomes. Recent research had found the following....

Choosing a Good PT - The Top 10 Things

1.     They are educated and continue to educate themselves

2.     They care about your goals

3.     They assess you initially and assess your progress regularly

4.     They are in shape themselves. I worked as a personal trainer in one gym and was shocked with the condition of the other PTs I worked with.

5.     They are on time and respect your time

6.     The continue to educate themselves

7.     They demonstrate the exercises and use both physical and verbal cues to constantly improve your form

8.     They are attentive and not on their cell phone or speaking with other people during your sessions.

9.     They put you through a program that challenges you and helps you achieve your goal

10. They prepared to constantly push your limits to help you grow.