Deciding to work with a personal trainer is a very personal, and unique decision to each person. 

However, generally, the best personal trainers exhibit similar attributes that you should look for such as; being a professional, knowledge/expertise, personality, their location, and price. With these tips on what to look for it will help you separate the good from the bad apples and choose a good personal trainer for you. 

Professional

You should look for someone who carries themselves in a professional manner. You don’t want someone who is checking their Facebook or other social media the whole time during the session. You also don’t want someone who is constantly flexing and checking themselves (or others) out in the mirror. You are paying a premium and deserve undivided attention (unless you are doing semi-private training or group training). I’m not saying all personal trainers should wear a polo shirt-although many can/do. Look at how they talk, and respond in their communications (emails, texts, etc.). 

You should also hire a professional. It might be ok to get a neighbor to come over to help you with a quick do-it-yourself project in your garage, but you don’t want someone who is moonlighting in the profession while trying to do something else. You should look for someone who has made a commitment to the field of fitness. Many will ask how many years they’ve been doing this. This is a horrible question. I’ve been lifting weights since I was 14 years old. That doesn’t mean I knew what I was doing. 

A better question to ask to determine if this is their main profession is to ask how many client hours to you train each week. If they aren’t training over 15 hours chances are they are either just starting out, struggling, or aren’t serious about training as a career. 

True professionals are always working and learning and mastering their craft. They stay on up on their continuing education. An easy question you can ask is how many hours of continuing education did they complete in the last quarter or year. This is honestly one of the simplest and fastest ways to find and choose a good personal trainer. 

Knowledge/Expertise

Not every trainer is created equal. As with many professions, there are specialties. Look for someone who has a proven track record working with people that have the same goal as you. If you are looking to lose 50+ pounds hiring a trainer who specializes in bikini competition isn’t a good fit because they are dealing with already VERY lean individuals and the strategies to get them stage/competition ready and you to lose weight safely are VERY different. 

Again, instead of asking if they can help you with whatever your goal is, ask how many people they’ve worked with who have your situation/goals successfully. Maybe ask for their number to talk to them. 

Also, it’s sad that I have to say this but MOST personal training certifications are a joke and you can obtain them very cheaply and only spend a few hours before being declared ‘competent’ to work with someone else’s body. This is a HUGE disservice to the consumer. You should look for someone with extensive knowledge in anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, body mechanics, and extensive practical experience with exercise form. Having a degree in exercise science is always a plus-but not necessary. 

Personality

I’ve met plenty of incredibly brilliant trainers who have the personality of a rock. 

Look for someone who jives with you. This will be completely personal, but so is the nature of the job. You will most likely see this person more often than many members of your family, so choose someone you could see yourself spending time with and talking with. 

Responsive

You should look for a personal trainer who responds quickly to your calls and texts, but who also truly listens to you and adapts. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s on you to let them know. If they don’t make some sort of change or adjustment, that’s on them! 

Location

Just like real estate location does matter. Find someone that is within a few minutes or miles of your home or work. This will lead to the highest level of being able to stay consistent. 

That said, we’ve had consistent clients that come from 20 miles or more away to see us because we are the most knowledgeable and skilled for what they need. So make sure you are balancing ALL the factors addressed here, and not just someone close because they are close. 

Price

Cost is also a consideration, but it shouldn’t be the ONLY consideration. 

As I discussed in another post about how much does personal training cost, there are many factors affecting cost. 

One critical factor in looking at price is how long will it take you to reach your goals. If there’s someone who says it will cost $40/hr and take 18 months of coming 4x/week that is an investment of $11,520. If you talk to someone else who charges $80/hr but can get you your results in 12 months coming 2x/week, that investment cost is only $7,680. So while trainer #1 is ‘cheaper’ in an hourly basis, when you look at what you are hiring them for, there may be a big discrepancy. 

Choosing a good personal trainer to hire can be extremely beneficial to accelerate your progress and hold you accountable. Make sure you use the tips above to help you know what to look for when you make the decision to hire one.