10 things to look for when hiring a personal trainer
Decided to invest in a personal trainer, but not sure what traits are good and bad? Reading on will show you some green flags to look for and red flags to avoid. I am very passionate about what makes a good personal trainer, as it can be easy for people to claim they’re a PT nowadays - plus “qualifications” can be earned entirely online, often quickly, without even setting foot in a gym. I wrote this article to help as much as I can, as there can be a lot of information out there to sift through. As a personal trainer, I hold myself to all these standards, and any trainer you give your hard-earned money should too.
Please keep in mind article is about general tips that people can use when looking for a personal trainer to help them improve or maintain their everyday health and fitness. It may not be suitable for athletes who are looking for personal trainers with specific niche knowledge.
So, what should you look for?
1. Certification and registration
There are some bare-minimum qualities that as a client you should insist on.
Personal trainers MUST be certified, and that certification should at a minimum come from a Registered Training Organisation (Certificate III & IV in Fitness) and be presented on request. They should also have a current First Aid Certificate and Insurance coverage. Following on, personal trainers should also be registered with a national body like FITREC, Physical Activity Australia, or AUSactive. This is not a legal requirement in Australia, though it is highly recommended and a good gauge of whether the personal trainer is a professional, as registering with a national body helps maintain industry standards and individual accountability. Additionally, prospective clients can verify any certifications trainers have on their registration page. My registration page is here: Kyle Seaton-Giles - FITREC
2. Look after your mental AND physical well-being
Personal trainers should always treat you with respect and compassion.
Personal trainers don’t only look after their client’s physical prowess. Sometimes, as a client you will need extra motivation, encouragement, or even new ideas. Additionally, people don’t always train at their best – especially if they aren’t feeling their best! It’s up to a personal trainer to take care of their client, be attentive, and foster an environment that puts people at ease and ensures their safety. Sometimes they really need to put the “personal” in personal trainer.
3. They only want to sell you their time and knowledge
Is your trainer is recommending a product for your benefit, or for theirs?
A lot of personal trainers supplement their income (no pun intended) by on-selling many different products to their clients, sometimes even insisting on their clients buying these products in order to start/continue their training. This should raise the question of whether they are recommending these products for their client’s best interest or if they are simply trying to line their pockets with extra cash. Additionally, it’s not actually in a personal trainer’s scope of practice to recommend a client takes supplements – this needs to be monitored by a GP or dietitian (see below for more). This is something I am exceptionally passionate about, as I really don’t like seeing people get taken advantage of.
4. Personal trainers should welcome questions
If your personal trainer doesn’t love answering your fitness-related questions, find one who does.
Personal trainers provide a service and should be able to justify their decisions to their clients, all while doing it with a smile. Your trainer should be able to answer any questions you may have, ideally with evidence; if there is ever a question that your trainer can’t answer and they don’t offer to find out and tell you as soon as possible or better yet suggest you find the answer together right away, they might not have your best interests at heart.
5. They can educate people of any experience level
If your trainer isn’t asking you specific questions, then your training isn’t personal.
Personal trainers should be well-versed in teaching people of any experience level on many different aspects of health and fitness, from the more basic factors such as how nutrition impacts your training results, the correct form for exercises and which muscles they target; to the more advanced ones like the optimal weight and proper number of repetitions of the exercises you need to perform to reach your personal goals. Having a personal trainer to ask you specific questions means getting detailed but more importantly personal answers that will help you reach your goals faster than if you were working out on your own.
6. Instruct proper form
If your trainer isn’t demonstrating the exercise and explaining the form to you, they could be putting your health at risk.
A personal trainer should be able to both instruct and demonstrate the proper form for the exercises in your fitness program. Quite a few factors go into performing an exercise as efficiently and safely as possible: posture and balance, technique, breathing, experience, and more. Injury risk rises higher the less experienced a trainee is in performing an exercise, however even experienced trainees can make little mistakes that reduce an exercise’s effectiveness, and a good personal trainer can help you fix these to maximise your training results.
7. Design your program, catering to your personal requirements
If your trainer insists on a predetermined program or doesn’t adapt to your needs, it could come at the cost of causing or exacerbating an injury.
Every single client’s ability, requirements, experience, and goals are different. A personal trainer should be able to adapt to all of these. If you can’t perform squats without pain, for example, a personal trainer who insists squats be part of your program probably isn’t the right one for you. Personal trainers, under the guidance of an Allied Health Professional such as a physiotherapist or GP, can help administer exercises to help rehab an old injury that wasn’t properly taken care of to build muscular strength and mobility. Additionally, if one of your fitness goals is to be able to perform a handstand push-up one day, then your personal trainer should include exercises in your program to help you progress to that level, such as balance training and shoulder presses.
8. Set realistic goals, achieve specific goals
If your trainer only tells you what you want to hear but not what you need to hear, then your goals are not going to be achievable in a reasonable timeframe.
One of the things a personal trainer should be good at is tempering the expectations of a new client. Some clients can misunderstand just how much effort and consistency is needed to reach some goals they have, and if a personal trainer only ever tells you what you want to hear or how easy getting fit will be they might be trying to take advantage of you. That being said, when you and your trainer have developed specific, achievable goals a good personal trainer will do everything they can to help you achieve the goals you’ve set in a realistic timeframe.
9. Accountability buddy!
You should be able to sense your trainer’s passion for helping people. They should lead by example, inspiring you to make healthier choices.
One of the hardest parts of an exercise program is simply the consistency needed to achieve results. Personal trainers should love to help keep you motivated and focused on your goals, teaching you how to make small, more sustainable changes to improve your overall health and fitness, while tracking the progress you’ve made. If your trainer (or you) insists on a complete overhaul of your lifestyle from the get-go, you’re much less likely to achieve results. Trainers should also be able to shake things up if your goals are taking a little longer than expected, things are becoming a bit repetitive, or your progress is plateauing. When training becomes boring it’s harder to stick to it, and your body adapts to repetitive training quickly – meaning if your trainer doesn’t vary your workouts now and then, you aren’t getting good value for money.
10. Personal trainers and nutritional advice
Anyone can call themselves a “nutritionist” in Australia – there is no regulatory body. Any dietary changes beyond what’s listed in the Eat for Health guidelines must be monitored by your GP or an Accredited Practising Dietitian, not your personal trainer.
Personal trainers can help teach their clients how to be more mindful of their nutrition, but there are limits. This involves things like being aware of the ingredients list for their favourite foods (sugar is everywhere!), whether the client is getting the right range of macronutrients (protein, fats, and carbs) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), how to recognise calorie-dense foods, and making recommendations adhering to the Australian Government’s Eat for Health Guidelines. Clients should be aware that it is outside of a personal trainer’s scope of practice to recommend fad diets, supplements, and the including or eliminating of specific foods from a client’s diet. These can only be done under the supervision of an Allied Health Professional such as an accredited and practising dietician or the client’s GP.