The Truth About Personal Trainers

Don't Be Fooled Any Longer!

So what does it mean to be a certified personal trainer? Don't be fooled again into thinking that just because someone works at a gym that they're certified by a nationally or internationally recognized organization. Reason being is that a lot of personal trainers are not. When shopping for a personal trainer make sure you do a little research before you invest your hard earned dollars. Without naming names there are plenty of franchise gyms that hire people as personal trainer who have absolutely no experience or certification to be a personal trainer in the first place. In fact, some of those large franchise gyms will certify people they hire off the street in a weekend seminar and call them personal trainers under their own umbrella of credentials. These 'trainers' are now certified as 'Gym Name' Certified. In actuality that means absolutely nothing. So what kind of certification does mean something? Those that are nationally or internationally certified or NCCA accredited organizations such as The American Council on Exercise (ACE), Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), International Sports Science Association (ISSA), American Fitness Training of Athletics (AFTA), National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT), or National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) just to name a few. Make sure to ask if the trainer is certified with one of the leading fitness associations, that way you'll have a better chance of working with a professional that knows what they're talking about and won't hurt you. That brings me to my next point, there are some strange methods of teaching out here about health and fitness that could end up hurting you in the long run. For example, if you're told that there is only one way to train every different body type and that everyone can do the same thing all the time regardless of fitness level, then run; run as fast as you can from there and don't look back. This is a very dangerous practice that has the potential of either not getting you the results you're looking for or even worse hurting you. Although the body is a marvelous creation that is capable of handling a lot of stress and increased demands very well, it's is important to recognize that everybody works a little differently and designing a fitness program cannot be a one-size-fit-all strategy.

Here are a couple of things that you can look for when you go in to talk with a personal trainer:
1. Are they certified and with who
2. Do they take a complete medical history
3. Do they discuss setting realistic goals
4. Do they go over nutrition
5. Do they explain that there is no quick fix, that it will take time
6. Do they ethically design a safe, effective fitness program with your goals, time schedule and financial ability in mind

This is what a personal trainer does, they don't just count reps. A good personal trainer has knowledge on how the body operates from the inside out and understands how to get results for all kinds of body types in all kinds of fitness levels.

So don't be fooled again into thinking that just because they call themselves a personal trainer that you're really getting what you're paying for, because a good personal trainer is worth every penny. Plus, would you rather give those pennies to the pharmaceutical companies? I didn't think so.