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Your ultimate guide to hiring a Personal Trainer

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Alex, Staff Writer

Thursday, 6 May 2021

Whether you’re looking to tone up or just aiming to overhaul your lifestyle, hiring a personal trainer is a great move. However, you've probably got a lot of questions about hiring a personal trainer, especially if you haven’t used one before.

This article will explain what a personal trainer does, what you should look for when you’re hiring one, and where you can find the perfect trainer to help you to achieve your goals. Read on to discover everything you need to know about hiring a personal trainer.

What does a Personal Trainer do?

A personal trainer is a professional who can help you to achieve your fitness goals. This might include weight loss, toning, muscle-building, strength training, and overall health and wellbeing.

Your personal trainer will tailor your fitness plan according to your individual goals and current fitness level. Your fitness plan may include personalized workout routines, strengthening and conditioning exercises, and stretches to improve your flexibility.

Whatever your personal goals might be, a personal trainer can help you to achieve them. Hiring a personal trainer can give you the motivation that you need to work towards and achieve your goals.

Where do Personal Trainers work?

You'll find personal trainers working in a variety of different locations. Some personal trainers will come to your home, whilst others may have a dedicated studio for training. You may also find that some personal trainers conduct their training sessions in public spaces such as parks.

Some personal trainers work within gyms, using the equipment for their workout sessions. They may be employed directly by the gym or simply rent the space. 

Many personal trainers also offer their training sessions online. Virtual personal training sessions are a great option for people whose hectic lifestyle means they don’t have time to travel to the trainer.

What to look for in a Personal Trainer

It can be hard to know where to start when you’re choosing a personal trainer. Here are the top five things to look for when you begin your search.

Qualifications

Anyone can call themselves an expert, but do they have the qualifications to back up their claims? In the age of social media, it’s becoming increasingly common for people to claim to be experts and gain a huge following, without a single qualification to their name. And although qualifications certainly aren’t everything, they do prove that your trainer has completed the education needed to keep you safe when you’re working out.

The most common certifications for a personal trainer include NASM, ACE, and ACSM. They may have also studied athletic training or exercise science at university. These qualifications mean that there will be a method to their training style, and they’ll know how to keep you safe. They should also hold an up-to-date first aid qualification.

Experience

It's not just qualifications that are important - experience matters too.

It's a good idea to make sure that your chosen personal trainer has experience working with clients who have similar goals to you. Whether you're training for a marathon or looking to lose weight, look for a personal trainer who is highly experienced in helping people to achieve these goals.  

Personality

You want to choose a personal trainer with whom you have good professional chemistry. They might be an experienced and highly qualified personal trainer, but if you don't get on with them on a personal level you might struggle to follow their instruction and it may be more difficult to maintain your motivation.

Look for a personal trainer that you feel like you can get on with and whose personality you can relate to. This will give you the best chance of success when it comes to achieving your fitness goals.

Style

Different personal trainers will have different styles of training. Some may work in a boot camp style, whereas others may have a more relaxed style, encouraging you along the way.

The type of personal trainer that will work for you will depend on the type of style that you prefer. Some people require strict instruction to stay motivated, whilst others prefer gentle encouragement.

Look for a personal trainer who works in your preferred style. You may find that you need to try out a couple before you find the style that works best for you.

Reviews

It's always a good idea to ask for recommendations from others and to read genuine reviews from former clients when you're choosing a personal trainer. After all, former clients are the best proof that a personal trainer gets results.

However, it isn't always easy to separate genuine reviews from marketing hype. You need to be sure that the reviews and testimonials that you're reading are genuine so that you can be sure you're making the right choice.

Using a website such as Bark to search for a personal trainer enables you to read through genuine reviews from former clients, ensuring that your chosen personal trainer gets the results that you're hoping to achieve.  

Where to find a Personal Trainer

We know how hard it can be to find the right personal trainer to help you to achieve your fitness goals. 

That's why we want to make it easy for you to find the right personal trainer for your individual requirements. When you search for a personal trainer on Bark, you can browse through the profiles of trusted local personal trainers. You can read reviews from genuine former clients and request a quote from any that meets your requirements, making it easy to hire a personal trainer on Bark. 

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