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Personal Trainer Know-how
Top Tips for Picking a Personal Trainer
By Sue Marquette Poremba
Other questions to ask, according to Trainer Annette Hudson, include the following:
What is your specialty (weight loss, muscle gain, golf performance, rehab, etc.)? - What are your qualifications, particularly certifications? "If you don't recognize the certification, search for it online," Hudson says. "Good certifications are ACE, NASM and ACSM. A good personal trainer will also be CPR and first aid certified."
- Are you insured?
- Where will we be training together (public gym, private home, etc)?
Mary Downey, a personal trainer in San Francisco, adds that you should also ask about things like rates, record keeping and confidentiality. "I also consider the amount of time they will be working one-on-one with a trainer," Downey says, adding that it's important to make sure your personality fits the trainer's.
"What kind of person would motivate you at six in the morning or seven at night?" she says. "Working with a trainer will require two to three hours a week of serious movement, and always involves some type of verbal exchange. That's a lot of communication for most people. Who else do you spend that kind of time with?"
Kate Wilkinson got lucky with her trainer. "We're a good fit," she says. That good fit means Wilkinson is more excited about going to the gym and working toward her fitness goals. And that's the most important end result.
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