Qualities to look out for in your personal trainer

Finding a personal trainer who makes you feel comfortable enough to expose your biggest flaws can be challenging. But they're called "personal" trainers for a reason -- they're there to guide you to your personal fitness goals, and to do so, they need to fit with your personality.

Here are five qualities you should look for in a personal trainer:

1. Patience

Patience is the key to a good client-trainer relationship. Trainers should understand that what works for one client may not work for another. He or she should do an assessment of your body when you first meet to familiarize themselves with your needs.Trainers should also find a comfortable pace for their clients . Some clients may progress at a faster rate, while others may require more coaching and assistance.

2. Communication

Your trainer likely will not be with you at all times during your workouts. That said, they should be able to explain things to you on the phone and teach you how to do certain moves without physically being present through every workout. Communication should always be two way not the usual where the trainer gives lecture and the client listens to it.

3. Professionalism

While it's important to maintain a close relationship with a client, Borden says, there also needs to be a level of professionalism. The duration of your training session, the location and the experience level of your personal trainer will dictate the cost of your session.

Lastly, the clothes your trainer wears should be simple and plain. The attention should be on the client, not on what the trainer is wearing or not wearing.

4. Education

Trainers should have -- and be able to show you -- an appropriate fitness certification for their area of expertise. To become certified, personal trainers must pass an exam through accredited organizations such as The American Council on Exercise (ACE), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) or the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Most exams cover exercise physiology, training and exercise procedures, nutrition, functional anatomy of the body and weight management. Each organization's certification exam will ask different questions.

A high school diploma or GED is necessary to enroll in certification classes; however, not all employers require college degrees -- this will depend on whether your trainer practices privately or through an institution.Trainers should also stay up-to-date with the latest fitness trends and new research published in scientific journals.

5. Personality

As a client, you want to feel comfortable and trust that your trainer has your best interest in mind.Once you have established what kind of personal trainer you want, you can start looking for them. There are certain online tools that can help you locate the personal trainers available in your area and filter your results to cater to your activity of interest, price range and gender.

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Why you need a personal trainer?

Personal trainer is one who should take complete care of you by knowing all about you and your strength and weakness. He/she should try to convert your weakness to atleast comfortable region if not strength. Some personal trainers are worth their weight in gold-plated dumbbells, whereas others are incompetent scammers deserving nothing.

First, I’ll start off with five reasons why you might need a personal trainer, and then give you some tips on how to find a good one.

1. You are new to lifting

Pumping iron is a little more complicated that just lifting heavy things up and putting them back down again. Sure, your pumped-up buddy may say he knows how to train you, but does he really? Also, if you’re relying on a workout partner to show you the exercises, then you’re not getting the personalized attention you need in order to achieve your goals. Working out with a friend is great and can be highly motivating, but I would advise a professional trainer for a few sessions to learn the exercises.

2. Spending too much time on machines

When it comes to lifting, old-school is the only school, and that means free weights. Some machines serve a purpose, but I largely use them as “finishing” exercises. As an example, after four sets of dumbbell bench press, then three sets of barbell bench press, my pecs are done for free weights, but can slam out a few more sets on a machine. I would never start my routine on a machine though. Do rope exercises before you start with dumbbells.

3. Focusing on the bar muscles

A good personal trainer can put together a comprehensive lifting program that helps you meet your specific goals and also gives you a healthy and high-performance body that women find appealing. A little bit of biceps-pumping is OK, but you need to take an all-body focus using multi-joint movements: squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, chin-ups and rows.

4. Getting hurt and not reaching your goals

Weightlifting technique is important. You need a trained eye to make sure you’re lifting properly to maximize your results and protect the joints. You shouldn’t be flopping around like an ant that accidentally fell into a pool of water while trying to bench more than you should.

5. You’re getting bored or have hit a plateau

Even if you’re an accomplished lifter who has obtained great results, a trainer can help you mix things up to help keep loving lifting and to reach a higher level of awesome. You may be working with enthusiasm on the first month of joining the gym and then the interest may slide away gradually because you may not achieve what you wanted. So you need a trainer to boost your physical and mental health when you hit a plateau.

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Choose the right gym like you choose your life partner

If you are on the hunt for the right gym, approach it like finding the perfect life partner. Consider your gym selection as your partner in health.

Evaluate the features you need

 Evaluate what features are most important to you and then make sure the gym you select is a match. Want a menu of group fitness classes to select from? If you are a strength trainer then choose according to it or if you are planning to shed weight by only doing cardio go for the normal gyms. The gym you select should have what you care about most.

Going Solo or all in the family? 

If your kids are young, find a gym with quality childcare options. Check out what they have to offer, cost, and hours. If your kids are old enough to use the gym, do find a family friendly gym or one that offers a nice price point for the whole family to sign up. Some gyms may even have events for kids, spas, cafes for family dining, and other family friendly perks.

What is your budget?

Budget is one of the prime factor in selecting the gym you want. What amenities do you want vs. what you can afford? Consider initial fees and monthly dues and find out what’s included in that price. Does it include a personal assessment of your fitness? Access to unlimited group fitness classes? Don’t forget to ask about discounts or special packages offered, especially around the holidays. Consider that you may not want to get locked into a long-term contract if it has early termination fees. On that note, see if the gym you are checking out has a free trial period.

Location of your gym

Long distance relationships typically don’t work. Consider making your life easier by not having a long commute to the gym. Let’s face facts: People do what’s easy to do. If you gym is near your house or work, you’ll be more likely to show up and use that membership.

Want some personal attention? 

A lot of gyms have personal training packages or personal trainers who can give one-on-one attention. Learn about the programs offered.  Ask to make sure the personal trainers hold a certification(s) accredited by the NCCA. Be sure to check out what’s available before becoming a member.

Most important tip:

Once you find your gym match, invest in your relationship by visiting your new partner in health regularly—at least five times a week.

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Fitness motivation

Weight loss and exercising more among the most common resolutions every New Year day. And surprisingly, statistics are not all that bad – about 60% of people who make a resolution will stay consistent for around 6 months!

But since we all know that exercising comes with a host of mind/body benefits, it's important that exercise is part of your lifestyle. You don't have to run a 5K or do a triathlon to be healthy or even join a gym. You just have to move your body and do so daily (and often). 

1) TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

The best way to reach a fitness goal is to be consistent. We don’t want perfection, we want progress. It’s easy to sign up for a gym membership and then tell yourself that you are going to workout for 1 hour a day, 7 days a week until you reach your fitness goal. But that’s not practical to be superhuman in your first week of working out with a new or improved plan.

 In order to set yourself up for fitness success you have to adapt to the stress you put on your body and then you have to recover. 
I recommend to write down short and long term goals and then have a plan and track your progress in a journal. Start slow. Every two weeks you should be making a small change in your routine to move you closer to your goals.

2)BE YOUR OWN COACH

Having a personal trainer or coach is great for they help you make the most efficient use of your time and customize a plan to your own goals and lifestyle. But with the help of apps on your phone or tablet, you can be your own coach to keep yourself motivated with purpose to every workout. Also, use social media to let others know about your workouts for accountability or join a group so that your friends can make sure you don't fall behind while others in your group are making fitness gains.

3) REDUCE RISK FOR INJURY

Before every workout, dedicate 5-10 minutes to warming up your muscles with dynamic stretching or foam rolling, especially if you workout first thing in the morning or after sitting at work all day. Foam rolling is an effective and affordable way to wake up your tendons and muscles. After your workout, light stretching is recommended. 

4) NEW GEAR = INSTANT MOTIVATION

Having the right gear is instant motivation. Anytime you are feeling a plateau in your workout routine, by a new outfit or consider using technology to give you instant feedback during your workouts. For clothing, choose moisture wicking material that is breathable and flexible. If you workout in the dark, choose reflective gear. Also, layers are great as your body warms during a workout.

Also, music is a great way to improve your mood, just be sure to get a good pair of headphones that allow you to move without the buds slipping out of your ears (especially when you sweat).

5) RECOVERY NUTRITION

After you have damaged your body, it's time to do the serious work...recover! This is where the magic happens. To be consistent you want to adapt to training stress and recover to repeat it all again during the next workout. Cow's milk is a great recovery drink to deliver a nice mix of carbohydrates, protein, fluids and electrolytes to your damaged tissues. Your type of recovery nutrition may vary based on your fitness routine.

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