At the same time, if you do ultimately decide to hire trainer at some point, I want to make sure that you are going about it in a way that will bring you the absolute maximum benefit. I wouldn't be a good fitness coach if I did anything less.
There's no doubt that getting a good personal trainer has many benefits, including but no limited to:
- Speeding up the learning curve
- Great source of motivation
- Getting increased results
- Having a training partner to hold you accountable
At the same time, it is a HUGE mistake to simply rely on any old trainer to help you to consistently get the results that you desire. I can't tell you how many people pay tons of money for expensive personal trainers and get little to no results after months and months of working with these people.
To keep as many people as possible from this horrific fate, I've put together a little check list to help you in choosing a trainer that is worth your money, time, and efforts.
- All trainers are not created equal, so you do the picking
- Don't Listen to a trainer who does not look
any better than you do - One Size Does Not Fit All
- Expect the Unmagical
- Be a Good Student
There are a lot of gyms and health clubs who will literally assign you a trainer when you sign up for the 1 on 1 option. Don't fall for this. With the time, effort, and discipline that it takes to get great results for your body---even with a trainer---you want to make sure that you are getting someone that you are going to be both happy and comfortable with.
You will want to meet several trainers, and may even want to ask a couple of them for a trial session to get a feel for their coaching style, depth of knowledge, and motivational skills. It also would not be a bad idea to talk to some of the members of the gym who are already in great shape and ask them which trainer or trainers they think knows what he or she is doing. You'll
be surprised at the quality of information that you will get.
I literally gasp for air everytime I walk into a gym and see a trainer with a
client and noticing that the trainer is in no better---if not worse shape than the person who is paying them to improve their health and physique.
I mean really, do the math on this one. How can someone who has not achieved what you want to accomplish possibly help you how to get there?
You wouldn't take investment advice from someone who was broke; you
wouldn't pay for piano lessons from somoene who's tone def; and you certainly wouldn't ask for tutoring from the class dunce and then pay him to do it. So why in the world would you pay someone to help you have the body
you want who has not already accomplished it for themself?
Just like you tend to wear clothes that compliment your particular body composition, there are numerous aspects of working out and dieting that will cater to making the best out of your very unique body type and its characteristics.
Make sure that whatever trainer you use is not only knowledgeable of this fact but makes it a part of your program to evaluate specifically what should be done to best enhance your body type, not someone else's.
Rome was not built in a day, and neither will your best physique be. It is not what you do in spurts, but what you do consistently or a long period of time that determines what your body will look like and how well it will function.
Hiring a personal trainer may slightly accelerate your results, and will most definitely focus them. Nevertheless, a trainer is not the end-all to your development, and getting what you want out of this will take just as much if not more work than you would have to put out anyway.
Think of your trainer as a guide and a coach---not the silver bullet to Your Best Body in 30 days or less. Just know that as long as you are consistent, your results will gradually take care of themselves.
Once you've picked a good personal trainer who you feel comfortable with and confident in, LISTEN to them! Make sure to really take advantage of not only the precious time that you have with them during your workouts but also to their wealth of knowledge regarding your health and fitness that you can apply to your life outside of the gym.
Many of the information and techniques that you learn from a good trainer can serve you well for much of your life as you constantly improve your overall health and well being.
Whether you are a fitness newbie, or a seasoned exercise buff looking to take your workout program to the next level, a well selected personal trainer can be a HUGE benefit to the attainment of your fitness goals. Just make sure that you are shrewd in your selection of them and that you sponge all of the good information that you can for yourself. If you truly take on the task of doing it right, I assure you that you won't regret it.
To YourBestBody,
Lawrence Cole
Your Lifestyle and Fitness Coach
