Let’s face it..

Every month, there are hundreds of personal trainers getting certified in the country and therefore it’s not hard to find one to train you.

I have good news and bad news. 

The good news is,

Having a certified trainer to train you will give you some assurance that he or she had gone through the necessary academic route to learn the essential theories such as human anatomy, energy systems, physiological functions, injury prevention and the list goes on.

And most likely, the trainers will have also gone through some practical coaching techniques to deliver what’s in the book to the gym floor.

The bad news is, not all certified personal trainers are created equally.

In fact, there’s a huge range of competency amongst all certified trainers.

Why is that so?

Some personal trainers got into the fitness industry due to their deeply rooted passion in training and/or athletics over the years whereas some only got into it after a few weeks training at the gym.

Having worked internationally as a personal trainer in New Zealand, Thailand and Malaysia for over 10 years,

Plus the past 5 years as a personal training studio owner of 2 different brands,

I’ve witnessed first hand more than 100+ personal trainers in action both on the gym floors with their clients, as well as behind the scenes of what happened when clients were not around.

In this 4 minute read,

I’m going to pull back the curtain to reveal the “4 Point Must-Have Checklist” when you’re in the midst of choosing a personal trainer so that you can avoid:

• Regretting your commitment after paying thousands of Ringgit or Dollars.
• Spending months with your personal trainer but ended up with no results
• Getting more harm than good in your personal training journey.

Given that you already know all the advantages you can benefit from having a personal trainer, which are namely receiving…

1. Safe and effective exercise guidance,

2. Getting yourself a personalized program,

3. Real time techniques feedbacks and coaching,

4. Accountability and all around support.

So, here is the “4 Point Must-Have Checklist” to help you qualify a personal trainer from the get go (sequence might vary).

1. Length of being a certified personal trainer

Though the competency of a personal trainer cannot be judged purely based on the length of time spent in his/her career, disregarding it altogether will not do you any good as coaching experiences need time to accumulate.

Put it this way, a personal trainer who’s newly qualified compared to one who’s been serving clients for over 2 years (given that they had the same self training background and theoretical knowledge)

…Which one is most likely going to serve you better?

But how do you spot a personal trainer who’s been doing it long enough (at least 1 year) without having to ask directly from the get go?

You can always do some background checks on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn where no personal trainers will ever be shy to publicise every certifications they acquired over time via postings and bio.

If someone managed to acquire 3 different certifications, it would have probably taken 9 to 12 months.

Moreover, this allows you to identify your prospect personal trainer as a lifelong learner who’s always looking out for better ways to serve you.

2. Self training experience of your prospect personal trainer

As a personal trainer of 10 years prior to my entrepreneurship journey, I’ve got to say that a lot of my learnings came through using myself as the guinea pig.

As much as the theories in textbooks were proven to be accurate for decades, a great personal trainer needs to be able to connect the dots in a real life practical way to allow timely technical cues delivered to clients effectively.

And still, social media auditing is one of the simplest ways.

It’s a green light when a personal trainer has been consistently posting about their own fitness journey for the last 12 months because as the saying goes, if someone can’t help themselves, they can’t help others to the full extent.

3. Clients Testimonials

I’ve seen numerous times when clients signed up with a personal trainer just because the trainer just happened to be at the gym when clients walked in.

In many cases, clients signed up without asking for proof of results from personal trainers.

Though you might get some results.

But mind you, what if you just happen to be the unlucky one to end up with a personal trainer that hasn’t produced results just because they haven’t been capable of?

You’re not just investing thousands of RM or Dollars, you’re also putting your health, fitness, time and emotions on the line.

So you’ve got to screen through your choice of personal trainer before committing to the program and service.

4. Do your research

If you were to buy a car, insurance policy, a computer, a smartphone or even supplements or pills…

What will you do? RESEARCH.

Not just about who in the market is selling it, you’re also going to research its functionality, the possible outcome, the pros and cons and a bunch of comparisons right?

Same goes for knowing which personal trainer is good for you.

You must have a fundamental understanding of how the goal you have in mind could be achieved by asking around and searching on Google.

By doing so, you will be able to filter off personal trainers who might have inadequate knowledge from miles away. At least that would set you up for a good start.

Additionally, you’re able to put it out there to see how your potential personal trainer responds even though you might not fully know the complete answers to things.

If your prospect personal trainer is able to instill confidence while sharing with you their knowledge and advice, then you know you can proceed further.

The “4 Point Must-Have Checklist” above should get you one step closer to hiring a great personal trainer to journey with you in the pursuit of better health and fitness.

Though the “4 Point Must-Have Checklist” might cause some disagreements by some personal trainers in the market as we were always told not to judge the book by its cover in life.

But I’m here to tell you that at the end of the day,

your time is limited, your goal is important, your safety is paramount and your motivation needs affirmation from the results you get along the way.

Therefore, your selection process is made easy here with the “4 Point Must-Have Checklist”.