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Thread: Finding a Personal Trainer

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    Featured Member Hello_Kitty27's Avatar
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    Default Finding a Personal Trainer

    In many of the weight loss threads, people are so quick to say: hire a personal trainer. My questions are ... how do you find the right personal trainer? How do you know they're qualified to help with what you are looking for (weight loss as opposed to toning as opposed to body building)

    my thoughts are that they could SAY they know about specifics things to lose weight, but that could just be a sales gimmick.

    Opinions?

    Edit: More Q's ... how much did you pay, and what did you get for it (how many times per week, what did you do, etc)

    Are you generally in the room full of gym people working with this person, or is it usually one on one? I HATE working out in front of people....pretty much the main reason I haven't done this already, or even gone to a gym to ask people. But .... I think I need to bite the bullet and go.






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    Default Re: Finding a Personal Trainer

    You can start by researching smaller gyms. The smaller non-chain ones are pretty much meant for personal training purposes. Not those LA fitness, Bally's, 24hr, Frogs, Worlds gym places either. There is nothing really wrong with chain gyms but they tend to charge more than they need to. The PT's cut is so small off the packages that they are going to push you to buy a bigger package to make more money to offset their little cut.

    Once you find a place that interests you ask to meet with a trainer. Sometimes they have a trial session offer or very small fee for a first training session to get the feel for a trainer. I always would like to get a feel for how they work a person out. Drill Sargent style doesn't work for you or it may work for you.

    Don't be afraid to ask where they went to school, how they obtained their degree. Places such as:
    http://www.acefitness.org/
    http://www.acsm.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home_Page
    http://www.nfpt.com/
    http://www.issaonline.com/
    are places PT's go to get certified. You can ask if they have specialized in anything specific after being certified. Check credentials and/or ask for references. How long have they been training and what types of people do they train?

    When I had a PT I paid $700 for 20 1 hour sessions which is ridiculously cheap. I went with him because I saw the results a co-worker was having with him. I worked out with him one on one in the gym. The smaller gyms are of course going to be less crowded. As they will be less busy and have a smaller client base thats mainly there for PT.
    Hope that all helps.
    you live like an ivy vine
    you can only survive by clinging onto trees
    that's your flaw
    put down some roots so you can stand on your own
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    Default Re: Finding a Personal Trainer

    A lot of personal trainers work with their clients at the gym where I work out. So I get to see what they do and get an idea about what it would be like to work with them. I would just go to the gym and pay attention to what's going on around you. My pet peeve is trainers that don't really focus on form, they let their clients chatter away and swing weights up & down using momentum instead of fully contracting & uncontracting the muscle. So I watch for trainers that keep their clients focused and insist on proper form. I also watch to see how creative they are being in mixing up the workout. I've had some trainers, when in-between clients, make suggestions to me about how to improve my form or better utilize a machine. All these things would factor into my choice if I ever decided to hire a trainer for a few sessions to take my workout to the next level.

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    Default Re: Finding a Personal Trainer

    Thanks for the responses.

    Here's my update to my mini-quest so far.

    There's a local gym within walking distance from my house. (slightly less than a mile). I know if I had to drive, I would never go. the owner is a power-lifter and has won competitions and stuff. I was afraid that they would mostly cater to the needs of power lifters & UFC-type people, but I finally built the courage ...and called. (don't laugh ... I'm really shy when it comes to discussing weight issues in persona or on the phone and stuff!!)

    Anywho, I talked to the owner, he explained that most of their clientele is quite diverse, he said he's got 3-4 body-builders, and 5-6 power-lifters incl himself. The rest is all just people going there to work out, do aerobics, etc. He has REALLY good rates for membership ($35/mo for women) (not to mention student and local employer discounts, which I do qualify for) and he charges $200 for ten 30-45minute sessions of personal training. He works with people who are losing a lot of weight, trying to tone up or working out for various competitions and what not ....people from all walks of life. Oh, and people from the area police station, which is awesome b/c some of the guys are hot in my district. :-)

    I've googled some stuff on him and his entire life has pretty much been working out, I can find out more about his actual qualifications. he was totally nice on the phone and from what I've read online, he does a lot of charity work for a local parish.

    Needless to say, I'm going to try to get the balls to just go for it. I've gained a few and it's all around my middle, I've lost all self-discipline want to held accountable to someone in hopes of learning proper techniques as well as for motivation purposes.

    Not that anyone cares, but I'll keep you posted in case it helps anyone in the future.






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    Default Re: Finding a Personal Trainer

    Hey good for you on overcoming your gym shyness!
    you live like an ivy vine
    you can only survive by clinging onto trees
    that's your flaw
    put down some roots so you can stand on your own
    -Kenpachi



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    Default Re: Finding a Personal Trainer

    When I started my membership at my gym, I got three free sessions with a trainer, and I could keep seeing the same one or get a different one. My first free session we didn't work out at all, we took measurements, discussed goals, and also discussed nutrition. I decided to give the guy a go, and when we actually started working out, he kicked my ass, so I really loved him. I haven't been seeing him in the last month because my schedule does not mesh with his. He's at the gym from 5am until like 12p, but if I didn't like him, I would have just asked for other people. You don't really know how good they are for you until you spend time with them.

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    Featured Member Hello_Kitty27's Avatar
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    Default Re: Finding a Personal Trainer

    Quote Originally Posted by TigersMilk View Post
    Hey good for you on overcoming your gym shyness!
    haha it's totally a work in progress, but i'm taking baby steps.






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    Default Re: Finding a Personal Trainer

    Quote Originally Posted by PrettyCurlieQ View Post
    When I started my membership at my gym, I got three free sessions with a trainer, and I could keep seeing the same one or get a different one. My first free session we didn't work out at all, we took measurements, discussed goals, and also discussed nutrition. I decided to give the guy a go, and when we actually started working out, he kicked my ass, so I really loved him. I haven't been seeing him in the last month because my schedule does not mesh with his. He's at the gym from 5am until like 12p, but if I didn't like him, I would have just asked for other people. You don't really know how good they are for you until you spend time with them.
    that's my next step, he said he likes to spend some time with the person before they actual buy a training plan, b/c he said sometimes it's as easy as giving some advice, some people don't even need a trainer even though they feel like they do. He owns the gym, does most of the training and tries to get to know his "regular" clients goals in case he can offer advice.






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    Default Re: Finding a Personal Trainer

    ^ Where is this trainer located? It sounds like my old trainer!!!

    The best way to find a personal trainer is to watch them train a variety of people. The thing to look for is diversity. A trainer who trains every body the exact same will not be as good as a trainer who can really customize a workout for each different person.

    The other thing is chemistry. If you really click with a trainer, you are more likely to stick with them than someone that you've gotten rave reviews on but are not "clicking" with.

    The cost of the sessions should be competitive, but I paid more money for my trainer than my friends paid for theirs, but it was worth it to me because not only did he teach me a ton of great things (he really explained what I was doing, why, how, etc, etc, etc) as we went along and made the workouts not only informative, but fun. Whereas I've been with trainers who tell you to do squats with weights and just stand there and watch you.

    PM me where this gym is located and who you are talking about...this sounds exactly like my old trainer and if it is, I give him RAVE reviews because he is the best of the best and the absolute BOMB!!!

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