Hiring Your First Personal Trainer
When it comes to crunches, burpees, and barbells hiring a personal trainer can offer a much higher success rate and give you the edge needed to optimize your performance. With that being said, you want to be sure that you’re getting a proper return on your investment when hiring a coach. The founder of Mayor of Fitness, Mario Riveira, recommends the following key elements when hiring your first fitness professional. Keep this checklist in mind when interviewing potential trainers to set yourself up for long-term success.
The first thing to take note when hiring a personal trainer is education, experience, and background. The Mayor of Fitness recognizes the value of education and experience equally. The more experience or education a trainer has can bring more value and total cost to his or her services. Its ideal to look for a personal trainer that has a healthy balance of experience and education. Trainers that work with Mayor of Fitness will always have a minimum of 2 years hands on experience with at least 1 certification or degree. We always recommend searching for a trainer with speciality certifications, which can wrap around your personal needs and goals.
Recommended Degrees & Certifications
College degree in Exercise Physiology, Kinesiology, or Psychology
NASM - National Academy of Sports Medicine
ACSM - American College of Sports Medicine
ISSA - International Sports Science Association
ACE - American Council of Exercise
The second element to consider is how your trainers personality type compliments yours. Are they an introvert or extrovert? How do you want them to motivate you? Do you need someone who is going to text you to remind you to workout or eat properly? Or do you want someone more hands-off? Do you prefer quiet sessions or someone who will keep the conversation going? Take time to think about how your personalities match. You will be spending quality time with this person and likely build a long-term relationship.
Before officially starting a program/workout regimen a trainer should always do an assessment with the client. It is important for a trainer to build a plan that is structured around your individual health and goals. All of this can be determined during the initial assessment. If a trainer jumps into a workout without properly checking your measurements like balance, posture, cardio-vascular endurance strength, breathing, or range of motion this is an immediate red flag. Clients receive a full assessment with the Mayor of Fitness to ensure they are properly matched and set up to succeed.
The final attribute to hiring an ideal trainer is documenting progress. You want to be sure the trainer you hire is organized and tracks your metrics every step of the way. This means keeping track of your body composition and weight lifting performance. Small gains can become huge when tracking numbers. These numbers will give you confidence to perform, even when you don't see immediate changes in the mirror. It is important for your trainer to track your progress over the short term and long term. Documenting will help your personal trainer assess progress and help you stay on track.
How the Mayor of Fitness can help
At Mayor of Fitness we set our clients and trainers up for success based on these standard qualifications, skills, and traits. This will insure that your investment is set-up for long term success. Our company specializes in getting you matched with the right trainer the first time-