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Choosing a Personal Trainer

June 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Personal trainers abound.  You’ll find them at your gym, in the yellow pages, on Craig’s list, and on Facebook.   So how do you choose?  Do you just choose the first one that comes along or the one the gym assigns to you? Or do you find the best trainer to meet your personal training goals.  Choosing the correct personal trainer will get you to your goal faster and will save you money in the long run.

Define your goals

Hiring a trainer before you define your goals is a lot like hiring a tour guide before you decide on a destination. Your goals might be to lose weight, gain strength, or train for a marathon.  Think about your goals and write them down.

Define your time and money

How much time do you have to devote to training? Ideally would you like to train every day, three days a week, or once a week.  What is your training budget?  How much do you have to spend?

Interviewing the trainer

You would not hire a babysitter for your children or a housekeeper to maintain you home without interviewing them.  You can’t afford to do less for the care and maintenance of your body.  Here are some interview questions to get you started:

  • Are you certified and can I see a copy of your certification?
  • How many years of experience do you have?
  • What is your training technique and how will it help me reach my goals?
  • Are you CPR and first aid certified?
  • What is your pricing and cancellation policy?

 

Choosing the correct trainer is as important as the exercise itself.

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How to Become a Personal Trainer

May 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Compare the number of people who pay gym membership fees to the number of people who actually make trips to the gym, and you’ll see that there’s a huge discrepancy. Many people don’t take advantage of their gym membership for a variety of reasons: some are too busy, some are not motivated, some feel intimidated and some feel that it’s not worth their time or energy.

One thing that can make it easier to go to the gym and get the most out of it is having a personal trainer. Personal trainers are in demand not only at gyms and fitness centers but also as parts of various sporting organizations at all levels. If you feel you would make a good personal trainer, it would be worth pursuing the proper education and training; consider the opportunities available online, like earning a Bachelor degree at earnmydegree.com.

If you think you would enjoy a career as a personal trainer, the following steps can get you started:

Evaluate your Skills

Are you a good motivator? Do you communicate well? How familiar are you with the intricacies of exercise and nutrition? Do you live a healthy lifestyle and enjoy teaching others? These skills are critical in personal training.

Consider Employment Options

Think about what environment you would like to work in and research what certifications they require. Remember, not only can you work at a gym, but you can also pursue opportunities with team sports or even go into business for yourself. Explore all your options.

Get Educated

If you’re serious about personal training, you will need to get the education necessary to set yourself apart from the competition

 

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Stretching Is a Vital Part of Working Out

February 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When you’re training for a sport you can expect to do a lot of weight training and straining your muscles a lot to build them. If you are not careful with your training your body can literally just shut down on you when you are in a game. It happens to the athletes that push their bodies really hard to be faster or stronger than the other guys. They focus on building their body so much that they completely forget about taking care of their body and letting it rest. Your body needs rest to build muscle as much as it needs the physical activity.

One way to make sure that your body doesn’t quit on you if you’re working really hard in the gym is to stretch all your muscles. Good stretching practices include stretching before your start your workout and after workout – don’t underestimate how badly your body gets torn up when you are working out in the gym. You need to stretch to let your body warm up to work out and to cool down after you workout.

Stretching does not only help you with your muscles when you work out at the gym. If you stretch for a long time there should be added bonuses like more energy. If you’re not an active person stretching is a great way to help your body remember what it’s like to do physical activity. You will start to have more energy and you will feel like your blood is circulating better. It pays to do your stretching if you’re working out a bunch or just getting into doing physical activity again.  Take care of your body when you beat it up at the gym and take some time to do stretching excises. If you don’t stretch your muscles you’re going to pull or snap a ligament eventually.

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