Why You Cannot Do Personal Training in a Vacuum Part 2: Client’s Perspective

In my last post, I wrote about personal training and it’s similarities to refereeing fencing. Wait, what does refereeing a sport that most people are unfamiliar with have in common with my job as a personal trainer? The answer is both have multiple components occurring simultaneously that the personal trainer (or ref) must be able to process all at once.

Personal training is much more than counting repetitions and setting up weights. When you’re working with a good personal trainer, he or she will be trying to take in all of the information that you provide, whether verbal or non-verbal. From when we say “Hello, how are you doing?” and “How did you feel from the last workout?” we’re trying to assess where you are today, how well you felt from the last workout, what has happened with you during the days between our sessions, which allows us to better probe how we can make the best out of your workout today and in the future.

A good personal trainer is going to learn the trade. Our business is to know and understand how the body works, it’s structure, and how it functions during exercise. We need to able to explain the reason and benefits for a given exercise compared to another, and be able to adjust and substitute different components of the workout to fit each individual.

If you work with or are looking for a personal trainer, make sure they are really doing their job. Is your personal trainer taking the time to ask how you are doing? Are they willing to adjust their program to fit your specific needs and capability? Are they doing the most possible to be reassuring and gain your trust? Most importantly, are they listening to what you are telling them and taking that into account during your workout? Personal trainers need to be good communicators, but more importantly they need to be good listeners and observers. The best personal trainers are going to make an investment in your success and are genuinely interested in how you are doing.

Tell us about your experience with personal trainers, what in a personal trainer do you consider to be most important? Tell us what you think, Leave a comment below.