countryboy:
I was told he was "expensive".. but worth it.
A lot of times, price and worth are not correlated, though they're a good indicator. For instance, one of the worst trainers I've ever met (as far knowledge, ethics, and reliability) is a trainer "to the stars", charging astronomical rates. This person just happened to have the right connections. I also know of another trainer who also happens to train stars, but this one is quite different. His level of knowledge and his reasoning to apply it are excellent, and he is always pursuing more and more quality education. His high rates are well justified. Cameron has covered A LOT of excellent points, so I hope my contribution will help guide your decisions as far as hiring one:
1. What are the "duties" that one expects from a personal trainer?
Personal trainers are in the service business and as such, they must treat you with the utmost respect.
Your trainer should treat you like a first date, that is, always trying to impress you. That means be punctual, return your calls promptly, be well groomed, and be courteous. If your trainer shows up hung-over, or stands you up, or shows up late all the time, fire them on the spot.
Your trainer should perform an evaluation and assesment, not only to determine conditions and parameters, but also to go over your goals, expectations, and concerns.
Assesments provide with baselines that can be used in the future for comparison. Goals and programs can be derived from them.
Your trainer must ALWAYS have a program ready for you if you train more than 2x per week. The program must be custom designed for your own needs, and in this area that most trainers fall short, usually "winging" it or using cookie-cutter approaches. If your trainer shows up empty handed all the time, ask him/her to see the program he/she put for you. It must be produced on the spot. If it isn't, demand your money back. They have not been giving you the best service. A good program is your plan to success and any trainer who fails to plan, is somebody planning to fail.
Your personal trainer will motivate you and help you keep track of your goals without belittling you or using derogative remarks. Actually some people dig that kind of treatment, but that only happens after the trainer and his client have cultivated a long term relationship, but if there's name calling from the very first day, move on.
2. What is the frequency that you meet / set goals, and review progress?
Ideally, you want to meet your trainer 3x per week, with the very minimum being twice per week. Once per week clients are usually advanced and require a little adjustment of technique here and there. Beginners and intermediates usually benefit from constant supervision.
The average macrocycle of a periodized program lasts from 6-8 weeks after which you should be reassesed. The reassesment does not need to cover ALL aspects, but merely those that are affected by the length of your training. After two macrocyless (12 to 16 weeks) a full re-assesment should be done. Of course, your goals will be adjusted based on your progress. Keep in mind that programs are more of intelligent guidelines as opposed to laws written in stone, so they can be modified if the need arises. For instance, if you make fast progress and there are no complications, then you may move on to more challenging routines.
3. What are the questions (items to look for) with regards to selecting a personal trainer? (Certifications, qualifications, etc.)
This is my criteria as far as selecting trainers. I use this when trainers request referrals:
1.- Education. The most important aspect. I prefer trainers with a degree in Exercise Science, Physical Education, Kinesiology, or Athletic Training. I've also met a few trainers that even without a degree are highly qualified to train people with knowledge and safety. They hold high quality certifications from accredited institutions that in my opinion are some of the most valuable. They include the CSCS from the NSCA, the PES from the NASM (the former child of Tom Purvis), The RTS in all levels including MAT (the current kids of Tom Purvis), and the MES (medical exercise specialist).
2.- Experience, second after education. A trainer with poor education and lots of experience is worthless to me. 20 years of poor experience do not equate to 1 year of good training. The more educated trainers with the most experience are usually a safe bet, though they command higher rates.
3.- Professionalism. Include timeliness, organizational skills, personal presentation, and attitude. Mostly common sense stuff.
4.- Remember the questions that I posted in the "Heart Rate" thread? Those are just some of the many questions that I use to separate the wheat from the chaff. They require problem solving skills and logical thinking, all key points for good program design. Those who posses those useful skills can answer those questions promptly and without hesitation. Those who simple memorize info and spit it back, spend countless minutes going over irrelevant stuff (also known as BS) and never answering the questions. If you want info that hints a trainer whose education is outdated or lacking, here are some bits that can help:
- Anybody who believes that soreness is caused by lactic acid
- Anybody who preaches "fat burning" cardio
- Anybody who preaches "cardio" and resistance training as two complete an opposite entities.
- Anybody who preaches static stretching PRIOR to your workouts (after the workouts is fine)
- Anybody who still insists in working by body parts. Sometimes your trainer will referr to the movement in terms of parts to make things simpler, but if he has you performing flat bench, incline bench, decline bench, and Dumbbell fly IN THE SAME workout, he needs some serious revamping in his program designing skills, or a better education in Kinesiology.
- Anybody who relies EXCLUSIVELY in certain modalities to train everyone no matter what their goals. The most common being the "Superslow" camp and the "HIT" camp (the one endorsed by Arthur Jones, the Mentzers, Matt Brcizsky). While they all have a level of application in every program, training exclusively on them is unproductive.
4. What is the market value?
It depends on the area, and the demographics. The more competition, the better and the more reasonable the rates will be, though the price for the better trainers will in general be higher.
5. When is it a good time to start working with someone one-on-one? (Beginning? When you hit a plateau? Anytime? Once a month review?)
Anytime is good, but preferably when you're a beginner. A good trainer will guide you in the right path and prevent you from developing bad habits. Intermediate and advanced people benefit from breaking plateus and refining technique.
I am not looking for the cheapest (we all know what a $99.00 OW class gets you)
I am looking to see what peoples expectations are (were) and how they faired with those they have worked with.
As always, thank-you in advance.
I'm a big believer that we can all benefit from a good trainer. I would not call mine trainers per se, but rather, I would refer to them as coaches, and I do have several depending on the skills that I want to work on. All of them have a lot more valuable experience than I do (up to the Olympic level) and I always learn something from them, so my experience has been well worth it.
Of course, you will also hear from the bad apples, and perhaps with a lot more frequency than the good ones, but that's human nature. The more answers you collect, the broader the picture will be.
Best of luck to you! Stay positive and plese let us know how it goes! Take care.
