How Do You Find A Local Fitness Trainer?
One place where you may find a local fitness trainer is at your neighborhood fitness center or gym. The thing to keep in mind is that many commercial gyms, especially those that are part of a chain, will only recommend the trainers that are employed by them. They don't even allow other personal trainers to use the facility to train clients. Not to say that these trainers are not qualified, because there usually are certain criteria that they must meet just to be considered for employment. But be aware that your selection is limited by such an arrangement. Many smaller or independent commercial gyms will allow independent fitness trainers to use their facility, so a list of possible trainers that you get from an establishment like this will probably allow you more choice. Public facilities like YMCAs are similar.
You can also go online and do a search for "your area" + "fitness trainer" and you will probably be presented with a large number of choices. The Yellow Pages or another commercial phone book is another option. But the best way to choose your personal trainer is through a recommendation from a friend or acquantaince. Obviously, this is a sign that the person has been succesful in meeting some or all of their goals, which can be seen as confirmation that the trainer is competent. What would be really great is if the person making the recommendation had a similar body type and similar goals to you when they started. If you are a forty-year old female who's fifty pounds overweight with a full time job and two kids, a recommendation from a college student with a light workload and all the advantages of youth doesn't mean a whole lot to you. A reference coming from another housewife with kids and a job who also needed to lose weight would be much more relevant. The biggest mistake people make when choosing a personal trainer is picking the one who looks the most like the trainee wants to. What??? Don't we want someone who walks the talk? Absolutely! You wouldn't want a fitness trainer who's thirty pounds overweight. But the error is when you have three or four individuals to choose from, all fit and healthy with acceptable credentials, and you choose one because he looks like he belongs on the cover of a bodybuilding magazine. Or she looks like a professional fitness model. I have nothing against bodybuilders or fitness models, and these two trainers may in fact be the best of the bunch. However using their appearance as the only criteria is a big mistake. If a personal trainer has the right genetic inheritance, building muscle or getting lean can be a whole lot easier for them than us. Some people can dine on Big Macs and work out a few times a week and look great. That doesn't mean they know more than the fit-looking but much less impressive dude standing next to them. In fact, the less impressive guy may have been cursed with terrible genetics, and therefore have had to work really hard to get to where he is. This experience and the knowledge gained may make him the better choice. So don't make appearance your only criteria when you're looking for a local fitness trainer. Along with qualifications, knowledge, communication skills, love of the health and fitness lifestyle, and desire to help people, it's just one of many assets posessed by most good personal trainers. Want to learn the truth about personal trainers? Would you like to find the one that's perfect for you, and separate the real deal from the pretenders? Or maybe you'd like to know if being a personal trainer is right for you? Regardless, if you want to learn everything about personal trainers, you need this handy guide. Personal Trainer Contact Us/Legal Information Website Privacy Policy |
