Hiring a personal trainer can be a big decision. For people who want to get serious about losing weight or gaining muscle but aren’t exactly sure how their bodies should be working out in order to do so, hiring a personal trainer can be a major help.
After all, your lifestyle and what you eat can affect your body and mood. Hiring a fitness expert will force you to work out, even if they train you in your own home (following COVID precautions) or online.
A personal trainer can not only give you expert advice on how to work out to shape into your ideal body, but also give you nutrition advice.
Here, this article will dive into what you need to look for when finding a great personal fitness trainer. More importantly, one who will sustain your needs at a reasonable price.
Contents
What to Look Out For
Below is a list covering every aspect a trainer is looking for when searching for a personal trainer, including:
- Price per session (or package)
- Skills and qualities
- Basic personal trainer knowledge
- Qualifications
- Responsibilities
Ways to Find a Personal Trainer
- Online personal trainer directory
- On gym websites
- The app store fitness category (for virtual classes)
- Trusted fitness apps with virtual training partners
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What is a Reasonable Price for a Personal trainer?
This is typically the first question that pops into people’s heads when they are thinking about hiring a personal trainer.
The amount usually depends on how long you want to train for. A typical rate for a 30-minute session is around $25 to $50. An hourly cost would be around $40 to $70 per session. If it’s a 90-minute session, expect prices to increase to a maximum of $100.
These ranges apply to most commercial gyms. For reference, LA Fitness personal trainers cost $45 for a half an hour session.
Some gyms, however, pay per package or give you the option for a customizable program. For example, Goodlife Fitness has a package for 3 sessions a week for 6 months, which would be $6000 equating to $80 per hour session.
This is a little over the average price. The medium for an hour session is $55. It might do you justice, though to search up on the gym company to see what perks they offer and read customer reviews.
If you want a cheaper solution, look up well-known discounted gyms such as Fit4less or Planet Fitness (includes free training with membership).
Hiring a personal trainer to come to your home would be around $60 to $100. However, due to COVID, most personal trainers offer online services for less.
Personal Trainer Essential Skills
The following list has the most important skills a fitness instructor should obtain required for credibility to meet the standard qualification in the fitness industry.
Communication skills are a must. To negotiate with clients to stick with their specific preferences and requirements to meet a certain fitness goal. Adjust the communication tone to motivate clients. Following fitness operational instructions correctly, and information related to marketing.
Problem-solving skills include anticipating staffing, equipment or facility problems and to develop several strategies to address common problems. It also includes preparing operational or business plans which deals with management of risks and different actions and strategies.
Teamwork skills involve leading and motivating diverse groups of clients or employees. Facilitating group fitness activities while proving superior coaching and support to participants involved.
Enterprise and initiative include innovative and creative ways of delivering sessions of exercise that will meet or surpass client expectations and enhances business capacity.
Organizational skills are a main part of daily tasks. Must collect, analyze, and keep track of client information in folders with efficient planning and a personal training session delivery.
These are a few of the main skills to look for when searching for a great exercise leader.
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Ideal Qualities to Look For
The qualities in character also matter when wanting to be trained by someone.
Research showed that the evidence of important qualities in a personal trainer was provided in successful personal trainers in a significant way.
The top three major qualities that were observed included credibility, reliability, and trustworthiness.
Likely, you’ll be training with this leader for a long period amount of time, even a couple of times a week. You want to be able to trust this person that they care about your growth, and that they will deliver their knowledge in visual results.
Therefore, you will be able to rely on them to take care of your fitness needs as it will come naturally once they prove to you their expertise and ideal teaching style.
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Basic Personal Trainer Knowledge
Most organizations which provide certification understand that successful fitness leader capabilities must include:
- Beyond basic anatomy of body according to science, exercise physiology and biomechanics knowledge
- Healthy health and lifestyle
- Exercise programming
- Chronic disease like cardiovascular disease
- Program management
- Nutritional advice
- Modification of health behavior
All of the above services require constant training and upkeeping with current new research. Or else, injury, client drop-out or unsuccessful programs can be the result.
Nevertheless, it is still unknown as to what level these qualities are actually practiced in places like community fitness amenities.
There is very little research which investigates the qualities and skills required for a personal trainer to be a good exercise leader.
The results of this research concluded that the practicing fitness leaders thought the most credible qualifications of being a successful trainer included using a theoretical approach, phenom logical and a focus group method.
Qualifications Needed to become a Personal Trainer
An original research study investigated the qualifications for Central Florida, Personal Fitness Trainers (PFTs) by examining the relationship(s) and differences between variables such as education, certification, years of experience and income as well as attitudes, opinions, and beliefs (AOBs)
The results of this study showed that the PFT level of education and personal training certification type does not affect income given the current system. PFTs understand that more strict guidelines are needed to limit entrance into the profession to those who are more qualified.
There are no current laws pertaining to whether or not a fitness professional needs to be certified. However, not being certified can be risky. The athletic trainer could hurt you and cause you injury if they don’t have the basic knowledge that a personal trainer certification provides them.
A study showed that a client assumed the risks associated with physical fitness, including risking a heart attack. The trainer doesn’t owe a client any protection from the risks related to exercise or to evade challenging beyond their current capability during a training session initially.
As a result, the court did not have the option to consider a statutorily defined care standard since no licensing requirements exist for those trainers who lead or design fitness programs.
The bottom line is to look for a certified personal trainer that is and do a background check if they have a diploma(s) in fitness instruction.
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Personal Trainer Responsibilities
A personal trainer must follow their daily responsibilities to be credible and accountable to train. This includes teaching the client how to work out a certain body part using a machine or a piece of equipment.
Plus, consulting with the client on what results they want to see out of their training. The personal trainer must write down goals and break down steps to do each session on how they will meet them.
For example, figuring out how many calories the person must burn to reach a certain score.
Experts have created a certain hierarchy approach in outlining a preliminary personal training evaluation system based on surveys done by experts.
The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) system holds three important factors in determining a great personal trainer:
How to Find a Great Personal Trainer Online
Finding a personal trainer online can be easier due to COVID since more people are working out at home.
Personal trainer directory. Instead of searching on a worldwide search engine for a trainer, narrow it down by searching on a personal trainer directory. It’s like an engine for fitness inquires only.
This website can help you find great personal trainers in your area online.
On gym’s websites as they have menu categories designated for personal trainers’ information. You can easily search up a gym on Google and follow it by the keyword personal trainer. You’ll find all the information you need on the gym website.
Better yet, the search results will typically show forums with reviews on certain gyms’ personal trainers’ packages or fees, and if people thought they were worth investing in.
App store fitness category will advertise popular fitness apps with personal trainers. You could also just Google “best fitness apps with personal trainers” to speed up the search process.
The App called FIIT allows you to select between 10 to 40-minute workout classes to up your fitness level from personal trainers.
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Trusted fitness apps with virtual personal training.
Look up reviews on personal training apps to select the one that works best for you.
Most allow you to track your heartbeat, calories and set in fitness goals to work towards. Look for one with personalized one on one coaching right from your screen.
The app called TrueCoach is built for personalized fitness coaching.
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The Bottom Line
Finding a great fitness instructor to appeal to your needs and athletic growth is an important aid when wanting to meet certain fitness goals you’re not sure that you can on your own.
Depending on an expert’s knowledge of everything you’re looking for can significantly impact your quality of life and your self-esteem.
Ensure you use these guidelines and facts to find a credible fitness instructor that you can rely on and trust to do their job well, and most importantly deliver the results in organized training sessions.
Comment below if these tips were valuable to you in your search for a successful personal trainer.
Send this article to a friend if you know they are thinking about finding a personal trainer, as you wouldn’t want someone you care about trained in the wrong hands.
