< previous page

In fiction, mentors abound. Rocky had Mickey; Luke had Obi-Wan; Harry Potter had Dumbledore. Despite an abundance of courage and strength, it’s likely these heroes would still be toiling in meat packing or Wampa-hunting if not for the guidance and wisdom provided by their teachers.

Your goals may not equate to KO’ing a heavyweight champ or blowing up a space station, but anyone looking to get their fitness goals in sharper focus would be wise to consider enlisting a personal trainer. A qualified private instructor can help custom-tailor an effective exercise program, provide accountability and ensure proper form.

While the rewards are great, so are the risks: with a confusing alphabet soup of governing bodies, enlisting a tutor with dubious credentials is dangerously common. “A research study in 2003 determined there were at least 70 agencies certifying personal trainers in the United States,” reports Fabio Comana, MA, MS, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise (ACE). “Those range from legitimate organizations to the online diploma mills.”

Overwhelmed? Don’t be. Good trainers are as common as fleas on a Wookiee if you know where to look.

Pretty much anyone with a tan, a heart-rate monitor and a duffel bag full of creatine can label themselves a personal trainer.

“When we look for a doctor, we at least know that anyone with the label ‘MD’ has gone through the government-certified course of training,” says Paul Chek, HHP, NMT, founder of the C.H.E.K. Institute in California. With personal training, he observes, “You could get somebody at my skill level who is training world-class athletes, or you could get somebody who looks good on paper but is licensed from the Internet.”

IHRSA recommends that its member clubs hire personal trainers holding at least one current certification from a certifying organization/agency that has begun third-party accreditation of its certification procedures and protocols from either the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) or an accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education or Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Of the dozens of outfits operating, 10 organizations have been conclusively identified as NCCA-compliant, while at least two others are accredited by an organization recognized by USDE or CHEA.

While not absolutely necessary, it’s also beneficial for trainers to have a degree in exercise science, exercise physiology, kinesiology or physical education; it further reinforces their ability to provide reliable advice about your specific situation.

Go to a tanning salon, gym or health food store, and chances are terrific you’ll see a stack of business cards from a local trainer. While you can pick one up and head online to research their reputation, you should try the analog approach first.

“All the best personal trainers I’ve found and worked with, I’ve found through friends and word of mouth,” says Charlotte Hilton Andersen, a fitness blogger for GreatFitnessExperiment.com

“Go to someone satisfied with their current personal trainer,” says Ron J. Clark, president of the National Federation of Professional Trainers. “If you respect their opinion and the results they’re getting, a referral would be the best way to go.”

Ask your club if they have personal trainers on staff. Trainers affiliated with your club are great options since they’re already on premises and familiar with the equipment and layout of your gym.

If your gym doesn’t have personal trainers on site or you can’t secure references, try the Web: Clark’s NFPT.com site has a database that lists trainers by ZIP code. (Prices vary widely by region, but $50/hour is the national average.)

If you had a stint in the military, maybe enjoy someone screaming in your face and motivating your quads to pump out another squat, if you’re a career woman with diabetes, maybe not so much.

“Every good personal trainer I’ve ever met has been willing to sit down with me and talk for a half-hour off the clock, with no money at stake, just to make sure we sync up,” says Andersen. “See if their personal philosophy matches up with yours.”

That sit-down will also give you an opportunity to gauge the trainer’s commitment to his own health. In talking to several personal trainers, Andersen discovered that some used questionable supplements and health practices in order to achieve a beach-ready look—all while hypocritically proclaiming they’d never advise a client to do the same.

“The first question I’d ask while I look them directly in the eyes is, ‘how congruent are you with the philosophy of exercise and health that you teach your clients?” says Chek. “Do they get nervous, do they look away, do they begin to sweat?” If they do, walk away.

If your dream is to run a 10k without crumpling to the floor like a used tissue, a trainer with biceps like grapefruits may not be your best choice. Finding one who understand and can custom-shape a routine to meet your goals is probably the most critical part of the process.

“A specialist in women or in body-shaping or in training for triathlons should be able to demonstrate clear evidence of expertise in that area above and beyond reading an article in a magazine,” admonishes Chek, who has found numerous instances of trainers setting up an identical protocol for clients regardless of their aspirations. “Find someone who can give you references from satisfied customers who have achieved the objectives that you want to achieve.”

When consulting with a trainer, there’s an expectation that no health question is outside their comfort zone. But depending on their qualifications, orders to ingest certain foods or supplements should be taken with a grain of salt.

“A personal trainer can make fitness-related recommendations like total calories, or the percentage of carbs to fats,” says Clark. “But they can’t say, ‘if you eat lentils, your arthritis will go away.’ Telling someone what a supplement does or what function it serves is one thing, but you can’t tell someone to take a particular supplement to get a specific result.”

To help offset concerns, ask your club if they have an on-site nutrition expert, or look for a trainer who’s also a registered dietitian (RD) or registered dietetic technician (RDT).

Having an open dialogue with your trainer extends to more than just the weather—you want them aware of any medical issues, especially if you feel you’re being pushed too hard.

“If someone has a high blood pressure, they’d better tell their trainer,” advises Clark. “The trainer needs to know so they can get the appropriate health-care professional involved in that consultation.” (Don’ be surprised if the trainer asks you to sign an informed consent waiver to disclose any relevant medical issues. Most liability insurance companies require it, especially if you’re being trained at home.)

Trainers with accredited certifications are taught to recognize signs that their client is being overtrained: dizziness, heart-rate elevation, and nausea. Unfortunately, these symptoms need to be communicated to them, and it’s sometimes difficult for a person to admit they’re failing physically.

“If the exercise is too intense, the client needs to tell the trainer,” cautions Comana. “They’re paying for a service. A client has a right to go to a trainer and say, ‘this is too much, it’s too hard.’ If they don’t the trainer is going to assume everything is good.” But don’t be too forthcoming when it comes to non-fitness woes. Unless you’ve had your trainer sign a confidentiality agreement, there’s always a chance your personal hardships could become gym gossip.

“I would stay away from the personal details, if you’re not getting comfortable with them getting out,” says Andersen. “Anything that does not affect your workout, keep to yourself.”

Rarely, a trainer may withhold information in order to keep a client on the vine indefinitely, but “the good personal trainers will set up a plan to make you independent of them, to where you don’t need their help anymore,” says Andersen. “They teach you the skills.”

“You should put yourself out of business,” says Chek. “It’s very important to teach people to be self-sufficient.”

Ask a trainer for a written description of routines. If he waffles, he’s probably looking to keep you dependent. Once you’re comfortable working out on your own, consider making monthly appointments so your trainer can make sure you’re retaining proper form and adding—or subtracting—exercises for variety’s sake. You can always return to your trainer periodically for a tune-up if necessary.

“At some point, it’s the trainers ethical responsibility to wean the client off them,” concludes Comana. “Ultimately, the client has to do it on their own.”

Get Active! By the Editors. The Active Life. Exercise and Fitness.

< previous page