Choosing a Personal Trainer

A personal trainer (PT) is a person who helps you to achieve your fitness goal in the shortest and safest way. PT should not only have a passion for good health & fitness and balancing life, they should also be willing to share their knowledge to help others.

PT does not do his/her services for free. The rate for a PT can be as cheap as $30/session/hour to over $200/session/hour. The rate will depend on the value the PT rates himself. (Will be referring a PT as a guy in my article)
Paper credentials are good to the extent of being knowledgeable in the field, but this does not necessarily make him a good PT. A good looking PT can be helpful in his image, but it is not important to determine if he can help his clients to reach their goals.
These are the factors which I will rate as important.

1. Constant update for knowledge
   A PT should always need to update their knowledge through seminars, workshops, books etc in order to provide his clients with safe and effective information.
   A PT should also look to improve his personal skill in order to communicate well with his clients.
   
   
2. A PT should have time for his client according to their demand
   There’s no point in having a PT if he cannot work with you 1 to 1. There’s no point in getting a PT if he cannot afford to have those precious few hours with you every week.
   
   
3. Budget
   The PT should not only be qualified, he should also suit your budget comfortably. Do ask if there’s any extra hidden charge. (e.g. cost to enter a gym)
   
   
4. Policies of the PT
   Do ask all policies of the PT beforehand. It can be cancellation of a training session to billing procedures.
   
   
5. Role model
   Although I mentioned a PT may not need to look good, but he should look decent to set a role model to his clients.
   
   
6. Clients’ progresses as priority
   A PT should be more interested in the progress of his clients than finishing the sessions. Ask yourself, did the PT ask questions about you and your lifestyle? I hope the PT do.
   By asking questions about you, the PT should have a program that can be blended into your current lifestyle. There’s no point in sticking to a “dead program” which strictly require you to eat or do whatever exercise at certain timing.
   The PT should also be experienced enough to give substitution exercise if his clients are not good enough to handle certain exercises.
   
   
7. Communication skill of the PT
   A PT should have good listening skill and communicate well.
   A PT should know when to keep quiet and listen to his clients.
   It’s pointless if a PT has the best knowledge in the world, but he doesn’t pass any knowledge to his clients.
   
   
8. Trust
   Clients must trust their PT before they can cooperate. There will be some physical contacts in a training session. A PT should gained trust of his clients by being professional at all times. A PT and his clients should get along well.

I hope this will give you an idea on how to choose a PT that can meet your needs and guide you the path to the right lifestyle. Hope you will get along well with your PT and look forward to work with him.