Personal Training
What is personal training?
A personal trainer is a person who helps people exercise. The scope of practice for a personal trainer is to enhance the components of fitness for the general, healthy population. The five classic components of fitness are muscular strength, muscular endurance, body composition, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility, although there are other subsets like power, skill, and speed. The general population is defined as an age range of 18 to about 50 (45 and younger for males, 55 and younger for females). The definition of healthy in this context means an absence of a disease that would affect one's ability to exercise. Anyone outside that scope of practice should be placed in a trainer's scope after a visit to the doctor to see what kind, if any, exercise they are capable of.
Who needs a personal trainer?
Personal trainers aren't for everyone, but a trainer provides certain benefits that you can't find when working out on your own. Here are ten reasons a personal trainer may be right for you.
Motivation
One of the main reasons people benefit from a personal trainer is that they loss motivation to stick with a consistent exercise program. Certified personal trainers can provide structure and accountability, and help you develop a lifestyle that encourages health.
Individualized program
If you have any chronic health conditions, injuries or training goals (running a marathon, for example) a trainer will work with you and your health care provider to plan a safe, efficient program that considers these needs and enable you to reach your health goals.
Efficiency
Personal Trainers help you focus on results and stop wasting your time doing inefficient workouts. A personal trainer has a plan and will help you get maximum results in minimum time.
Improve technical skills
If you play a particular sport, the right personal trainer will help you improve your skill by showing you new training techniques specific to your sport. The Trainer will incorporate skills training into your program so you improve not only your strength and endurance, but your agility and mental focus as well.
You are new to exercise
If you are an absolute beginner, a personal trainer is the ultimate fitness coach. A good trainer will introduce you to a very simple, effective routine and build efficiently so before you know it, you have the confidence and knowledge to decide what is right for you.
Break through plateaus
Ok, you are already in pretty decent shape, but you've been there for years. If you are stuck in the same routine and want to break out of a rut, a personal trainer is the perfect solution. A trainer will jump start, not only your motivation, but your routine as well.
Learn how to go it alone
If you ultimately want to learn all the facets of designing your own routines so you don't need to use a personal trainer, going for a few months may be all you need. All good personal trainers will teach you the basics of building and modifying a fitness program to achieve maximum results.
Workout Safely
A personal trainer watches your form, monitors your vitals and can provide objective feedback about your limits and strengths. Most of us tend to ignore some of the subtle signals our body provides. We either push through pain or give up too soon. Because a personal trainer can watch what you are doing while you are doing it, they can help push you or slow you down as necessary.
Workout at home
Many personal trainers make house calls. If you don't have the type or interest in going to a gym, but have a hard time knowing what to do on your own at home, a personal trainer can bring fitness into your living room.
Lose Weight
There is a good reason that the number one reason people hire personal trainers is to lose weight and get into shape -- it works. If you made a resolution to lose the fat and build the muscle, a trainer can keep you on track and help you realize that goal.
Before you hire a personal trainer you should ask the following questions:
What are your qualifications and certification?
A qualified personal trainer has an education in physiology, health promotion, athletic training, kinesiology or a similar field. They should have first aide and CPR certification as well as certification from a reputable organization such as ACSM, ACE, IDEA, YMCA, NSCA or similar.
Do you have liability insurance?
They should answer yes.
What are your policies and procedures?
A personal trainer should have a documented policy explaining their services, costs, cancellations, length of contract, and emergency procedures. They should also require a medical clearance form to be completed before they work with you.
Finally, you should feel comfortable with the trainer, his/her style of communication and the expectations of your time together.
What is a Personal Trainer?
A personal trainer should be, at the least, educated and certified through a reputable fitness organization (see below). This person's job is to assess your fitness level, figure out what your goals are (or help you set goals) set up a program and keep you motivated. He or she will push you past your comfort level--something difficult to do on your own. A trainer also provides:
- Guidance on reaching your goals
- Education about strength training, cardio and basic nutrition
- A reason to show up at the gym each week
- Accountability
- Ways to help track your progress
What is a Session Like?
Each session usually lasts about an hour. The first meeting is devoted to assessing fitness level, body measurements, exercise and health history and goals. Be prepared to step on the scale, have your body fat tested and answer specific questions about your goals. After that, you'll spend each session doing cardio, weight training, flexibility or other activities depending on what your goals are. Your trainer will show you how to do the exercises, help you figure out how much weight to use and give you pointers for getting the most out of each exercise.
Personality is important too since you'll be working very closely with this person. Make sure you get along with your trainer and feel comfortable asking questions.