How to find the right personal trainer – tips from Physio Central
Hiring a personal trainer is a great way to stay focussed and keep you on track, whatever the goal might be. For this to work it’s important to find the right personal trainer for you.
Here are some tips from the team at Physio & Pilates Central:
1) Find a trainer that is interested in *your* goals
It’s easy to assume that everyone just wants to ‘get fitter’ but obviously things are much more complicated than that -so find a trainer who makes the effort to understand exactly what you want to achieve and why.
2) Find the right level
You might think that every PT session should end drenched in sweat having given it all – but that might not be the best approach for you. The best way to check this is to look at the workload for each of your objectives.
3) Do the right work
Make sure that your training plan fits with your goals – so if you’re aiming to complete your first half marathon then how useful is a lot of upper body weight work? Instead focus on strength where you need it.
4) Find the right experience
Our view is that lots of experience isn’t always a good thing – instead look for PTs who are constantly learning and trying to improve. So find out what extra courses they have done and what new areas they are looking at.
5) Do more than just exercise
No matter what your objective or training plan, diet plays an important role and its one that your PT should be able to help with. Make sure they can help you find a diet that supports your goals and training plan and one that you both believe you’ll stick to!
6) Decide what motivates you
Some people want a serious PT to really push them – others want a more gentle approach. There’s no right or wrong way, so it’s important to decide what works for you and then make sure your PT can support you.
7) Technique
This is one of the most important things a trainer should focus on – good technique ensures you get the maximum benefit from your workouts and will greatly reduce the risk of injuries. Is your PT checking your technique on new exercises?
8) Personality
If you’re going to be spending an hour a day with this person a few times a week, it’s important to actually get on! Think ahead to those rainy and cold days, when you might be a bit tired and missing some of your usual motivation. Working with someone you like will make a massive difference.
So those are some of our tips for finding the right PT – what did we miss?
And if you’re still struggling to find the right person, here are four people we can personally recommend:
- Paul Chipp http://titaniumbodies.co.uk/
- James Crew http://www.jamescrewfitness.com/
- Rachel Law http://www.121-fitnessandhealth.co.uk/
- Sam James http://www.overloadfitness.co.uk/