There always seems to be some athletic-looking guy yelling at a poor sweating, gasping victim on the beach, but how did they get in touch?
Finding a personal trainer is easy, but finding the right personal trainer can be a very hard job indeed. The key things to ask yourself before you start your search are:
- What are my training goals (weight loss, fitness, toning etc)
- what kind of personal traner would I respond to best - do I need to be shouted at or should i go for a more gentle trainer?
- What days and times work best for me?
An internet search is always a good start. www.activeunlimited.com provides a summary about the trainer, his background and experience as well as insurance and qualifications details.
Qualifications:
Always look for a traner who is CERTIV qualified as a very minimum. If you want to do more specialised training look for their 'electives', additional courses they have done as well as their CERTIV.
Industry Associations:
Some organisations are well set up to help with finding a personal trainer. In Australia The Australian Institute of Fitness is a good place to start (and would be able to point you to other organisations internationally). They have an extensive database of trainers who have graduated from their courses - so you can be confident that their qualifications are genuine. They provide the 'elective' courses too, so could put you in touch with a specialist trainer if that's what you are looking for.
Essentially, it's worth spending time on your search as finding a personal trainer who's right for you is critical to your enjoyment of your fitness training. There are thousands of Personal Trainers out there - but you need to know what you are looking for if you are to find the one who's right for you.