How to Pick a Personal Trainer

If you feel like you need a little help to whip yourself into shape, read these tips before hiring a personal trainer. The industry is not well regulated and as one local trainer puts it: “Don’t turn your body and your health over to someone you don’t trust.”

» Check for certification. A few national groups set high standards in the industry: The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Of course my unbiased opinion is that you should pick a personal trainer was 2003 ACE Personal Trainer of the Year (and finalist the year before) and a 3-time NSCA Personal Trainer of the Year finalist. Hey, wait – that’s me!

And don’t forget the National Board Examination through the NBFE. (I was one of the Subject Matter Experts who wrote the exam questions.) Also look for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).

By the way, the ACSM only started offering a “Personal Trainer” certification fairly recently, so you won’t find many trainers with that specific certification. Many, however, have the ACSM’s Health/Fitness Instructor (or H/FI) certification.

» Don’t assume all health club trainers are certified. Some businesses don’t require that kind of training for employment.

Obviously, certification isn’t everything but it certainly does show at least a minimal commitment to the industry.

» Schedule a free consultation. Treat this time as an interview and ask the trainer for copies of his or her certifications, references and fitness philosophies.

Hold on! I’m sure you don’t work for free, and neither should your trainer. A better (and more respectful) policy to look for is a money back guarantee.

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