Discussion Board

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I'm looking to hire a PT, but want to make sure it's a good fit, so I plan on meeting with a few before I hire one for the long haul.

Any guidance would be appreciated!

What I would look for is one who would not say, "I can't work with you until you go to a doctor and get cured" for the permanent physical injury/limitations I have. This actually happened to me! You want a trainer who is willing to listen to you and your needs, and modify a standard workout for your physical condition, including any limitations you may have.

There is one such trainer that I know of in the Tucson area, and he's even totally on board with plant-based diet(!), but he's way, way over on the opposite side of town from me and I can't justify the gas expense and time, sadly.

I think your idea of working with a few before committing to one is a good idea. I was lucky to find a really good trainer right away. The key thing I would recommend is that you define exactly what your goals are, that way the trainer will know what kind of a program to put together. Perhaps you could also ask around for recommendations.

Good luck with your search! Working with personal trainer was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It was expensive, yes, but worth every penny.

I would ask lots of questions about his/her dietary beliefs. It would be unfortunate to hire a personal trainer who does not believe that you can be healthy without meat, dairy, added oils, etc.

Know what your goals are and the reason you are hiring a personal trainer -- then find someone who is on board with your goals and can help you reach them. I look for someone who sees me as an individual with very specific goals. I work with a trainer at my gym (it's free and a reason I stay at this gym) -- I "interviewed" several of them before I found someone who was on board with my goals and she has been great! We completely disagree on diet -- she is on the Paleo bandwagon -- but, I don't care. I don't need the dietary advice, I need her to help me meet my physical fitness goals. We discussed diet and agreed to disagree and focus on fitness -- it's not a problem.

Sharon

This is a pretty good guideline:
http://exercise.about.com/cs/forprofess ... rainer.htm
http://exercise.about.com/cs/forprofess ... iner_2.htm

Personality is important. I think the best trainers can adapt to their clients.

One thing I would definitely look for is someone who does not practice (or encourage you to practice) "steady-state cardio" i.e. doing walks (or runs) at the same speed for 30 minutes. Many gym-goers are still working out this way (long, slow runs on the treadmill), but it is considered passe by trainers who keep up with recent developments.

One article as food for thought: http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1766.cfm

Another thing I would definitely look for is a trainer who believes in doing mostly compound exercises (multi-joint movements) for strength training. The whole isolate-each-body-part (training like a bodybuilder) has also gone by the wayside over the last ten years or so in the fitness community. So, anyone who encourages you to do bicep curls, and then do some tricep extensions, and then do a quadriceps extensions -- that's probably someone who has been training the same way since 1997.

You want someone who has you doing the "big" exercises, like some type of "push" exercises (incorporates chest, triceps at once), some type of "pull" exercises (to get back, lats, biceps at once), some type of squatting movement (hip, glutes, quads, etc.), and so on.

AND someone who incorporate all of the above into a safe program for your level, and for your age, and for any past injuries you may have.

Even if you are a beginner, I think it would be criminal to train you with 1995 best practices.

I think (and please excuse me for "going off" on this topic for a bit!) that many trainers give people what they want, which is to encourage them to do the things they already want to do, which is to do long, slow walks (or runs) on the treadmill for supposed "fat burning" and to do strength training that let's them sit on the machines and doesn't get them too out of breath.

OK, that's it for now. Please don't let any of my advice scare you off. You can do this!

Oh, and I would totally disregard any potential trainers' advice on nutrition -- wouldn't want to see you use their beliefs on diet as a criterion. (Although you may want to make sure that they don't intend to browbeat you over your choices!)

For some reason, nearly all of the reputable trainers I've come across -- people who really know what they're doing training-wise, and really have great form when they work out -- are people who believe in eating "clean" (from a fat perspective), getting ample protein (lean protein whether in the form of meat dairy or protein supplements) and eating vegetables. Most believe starches are the devil. I really wouldn't hold it against them!