When hiring a personal trainer you’re investing in your health and fitness, and it should be well worth the money. But it’s not a decision you should make on a whim.
Asking the right questions will help you find the perfect trainer to meet your needs. Talk to Dynamic Personal Training professional if you have questions. Some of the things you should be asking include the following:

Qualifications
The qualifications to become a personal trainer include an exercise science or kinesiology degree, a current certification, and some level of practical experience. Some personal trainers also have a business or marketing background. A fitness instructor can work for a gym or they may run their own training business. Some personal trainers also have additional specialty certifications and work in conjunction with a medical or holistic physician.
A good personal trainer should have some kind of business experience and understand how to market themselves to attract clients and grow their business. They should know how to set reasonable expectations for their clients and also be able to communicate the benefits of fitness and how it will improve your life.
When interviewing potential personal trainers it is important to ask about their education and experience. Usually the more experience they have the better, but you should also make sure that their education aligns with your needs. For instance, if you are a tactile learner you should look for a personal trainer certification program that offers hands-on instruction and learning materials.
You should also make sure that your trainer has a high level of accountability. For example, you want to know that they will hold you accountable for attending your sessions and completing all of the exercises and activities at home. They should be able to provide you with proof that they have worked with other clients, such as client testimonials and photographs.
A good personal trainer will be passionate about health and fitness. They should have a clear plan for how they will develop their career and stand out from their peers. This could involve becoming certified in multiple specialized areas, continuing their education through conferences and scientific journals, or networking with other fitness professionals. They should be able to offer clients an exceptional level of customer service, as well as a reasonable rate for their services.

Experience
A personal trainer needs a lot of skills, including being able to read people and understand the psychology of behavior change. They also need to be able to tailor their workouts for the individual clients they train. This means taking a client’s lifestyle habits into account, such as their diet and whether they smoke or drink excessively.
One of the best ways to find a good trainer is to ask for references. A trainer who can provide you with references from previous or current clients is a good indication that they are serious about their profession and have a history of getting results for their clients. Make sure to ask about what kind of results they got and how long it took them to get these results.
It’s also a good idea to ask the trainer about their coaching style. There are a few different coaching styles that a personal trainer can use, with some preferring to be more autocratic in their approach and others embracing more democratic or holistic methods. Ask what their coaching style is and see if it matches your own.
Before hiring a personal trainer, it’s important to spend some time thinking about what you want to achieve from the sessions. You can even ask your trainer for some examples of workouts they have done with past clients to get a feel for their approach. Once you’ve narrowed down the options, it’s a good idea to try a few sessions with the trainer before making a final decision.
To speed up the hiring process, you can use prescreen surveys to gauge an applicant’s fitness knowledge and personality traits. This will allow you to review applicants more quickly and hire the strongest candidates.

Personality
A personal trainer’s personality has a huge impact on their clients. It can determine whether or not they get along, and it can also help clients stick with a program and feel encouraged to show up even on days that seem like they’ll take every ounce of their strength to make it happen. A good personal trainer should be professional and courteous in their interactions with potential and current clients. This includes displaying timeliness and professionalism with their emails and text messages, as well as maintaining a professional appearance when interacting in person.
A lack of professionalism in any area can be a red flag. If a personal trainer has no social media presence or uses an inappropriate hashtag in their posts, it might not be the best idea to hire them. The same goes for a trainer who doesn’t follow gym rules or doesn’t wear appropriate workout gear for the type of training they offer.
Another important consideration is the trainer’s willingness to adapt their services to meet client needs. A good trainer should be flexible when scheduling sessions, especially during peak gym hours when it’s likely that the equipment will be limited. A lack of flexibility could lead to frustration and disappointment for both the trainer and the client if a schedule can’t be met.
Finally, a good personal trainer will be honest with their clients. This means if a trainer isn’t hitting the mark, they should communicate with their clients to figure out what the problem is and how to fix it. It’s also a good idea for personal trainers to be honest about their fitness habits. It’s not uncommon for a personal trainer to have a guilty pleasure or two in their diet (I love gummy worms!) and sharing that with a client can help them build motivation by showing that it’s okay to indulge sometimes.

Rates
There’s no doubt that hiring a personal trainer is an investment, so you want to make sure you’re getting the best value for your money. Ask potential trainers what their hourly rates are and what services they include. Also, be sure to ask how often you should meet with a trainer and how long each session will last. Lastly, ask what their cancellation policy is if you are unable to make it to a training session for whatever reason.
During your first meeting, it’s important to determine exactly what your goals are. Personal trainers will be able to help you create, work towards, and measure your progress against those goals, so it’s essential to have a clear vision before deciding to hire one.
A good personal trainer should have references and testimonials that showcase their past clients’ results, so be sure to take a look at these before you decide to commit. This will give you a sense of what to expect and how the trainer can motivate her clients.
You’ll also want to know how the trainer approaches nutrition. Although providing detailed meal plans isn’t within the scope of personal training, they should be able to provide some insight into dietary guidelines, caloric balance, and other nutritional topics that are integral for physical fitness.
Depending on your needs, you may also be interested in finding out if the trainer offers semi-private sessions (where you train with a partner or small group of people) or virtual training. These options can help you save on cost and up the accountability factor, which research shows is key to keeping you motivated and sticking with your workouts.

Insurance
Many people turn to personal trainers for help with weight loss, building muscle, or overcoming an illness. Some clients also use their health insurance or flexible spending accounts to pay for the services of a personal trainer. While this practice has its benefits, billing medical insurance providers can be challenging for personal trainers.
Before hiring a personal trainer, ask about their insurance policies. Ideally, they should have public liability and professional liability insurance in addition to general business insurance. This is to protect them in case of an accident that occurs on the job, such as a client falling off a treadmill or suffering injuries from poorly maintained exercise equipment.
A good personal trainer should also have personal accident protection insurance, which covers the cost of treatment for injuries suffered by the trainer or their employees. This is particularly important if they work at a gym, as they can be exposed to accidents that happen in the workout area.
Some personal trainers also carry cyber insurance, which helps to cover the costs of restoring data following a hack attack. This is an increasingly common risk, and it can affect businesses of all sizes. Some insurers offer this as an add-on to a standard general liability policy.
Finally, it is worth considering whether or not a personal trainer needs to be insured for work-related travel. While it isn’t always necessary, having a policy can provide peace of mind. A few different companies offer personal training insurance which offers a specialized package that includes coverage for general liability, workers’ compensation, and commercial property. Other options offer a variety of packages, with prices based on coverage limits and deductibles.

Cathy Wilson