Personal trainer - what should I ask/look for?

[queribus]

In an attempt to lose weight, get fitter and improve my health I'm thinking of a personal trainer, initially for about six weeks. What should I look for, and are there any vital questions I should ask? Several PTs work out of my gym and list qualifications, interests etc. but it all gets a bit 'samey' so any advice welcomed.

I'm really keen on lifting and developing correct form rather than marathon running or anything (if that helps!)

I've only ever been with the same PT but I've found it helps to have somebody who you feel comfortable with and who will be patient and take the time to show you the correct form, even if that means showing you time and time again at each session until you get it!

After my first session I felt like I'd been pushed too hard and ached for a whole week after, but I stuck with it and since then it got a lot better. I've been pretty impressed that things I did in week 1 which seemed so impossible, are now a lot more do-able.

My PT has also given me some diet tips which have helped me, and I find that I've been to the gym so much more than before as it's a lot easier when you have somebody there tracking your progress and cheering you on to do better. I also get pushed so much harder by my PT than I would eer push myself :o)

I'm not really sure about vital questions or qualifications, I think the main thing is you feel comfortable. You could maybe have a trial session to see how it goes before signing up to anything. Also don't get pushed into more sessions than you need.

Thanks for the reply - really helpful. I agree with the 'being pushed' bit. I'm also quite intimidated by parts of the gym so having someone show me correct form and then push me on to progress quickly would really help.

About half a dozen PTs operate in the gym but only one mentions nutrition and diet, so maybe I'll try him.

I think coffeeaddict's reply is totally right. The day after the first session I had with my personal trainer, I didn't think I'd manage to get down the stairs at the station. But that was a year ago, did the exact same session last week by myself, and was barely out of breath.

For me, the best thing my trainer does is ignore me when I say I cant do something. She never shouts like some of the other trainers, which I wouldn't respond well to, just waits silently. 10kgs added to the pull down machine this week, which I'd commented on when I started the first set. Didn't get a reply until the "well, you just managed to do 4 sets of 12, so I'm fairly sure you could do it".

Coffeeaddict is right, the best thing you can do is watch the trainers when you're in the gym, and see which one seems to train in a way that you'll respond to well.

(1) Definitely watch them in action- it's a very personal relationship. I like mine a bit military, many people hate that.
(2) Have a think about what you most want to focus on- cardio or big lifting or a mixture (functional resistance+cardio), and find a PT who is interested in that. There's a brilliant PT at my gym but he's predominantly interested in heavy/olympic lifting, which isnt my personal goal so he wouldnt be right for me.
(3) be honest when they ask you your goals. My PT was saying he really appreciated the client who just said "I just want to look good naked- dont care about anything else" rather than saying what they think PTs want to hear.
(4) If you're thinking about quite a short term thing, then the key is that they teach you enough so that you can train by yourself, so ask them how they'd help you achieve that.

Some interesting replies - thank you.

I was in the gym last night and watched a couple of the PTs in action. One (recommended by a friend) did a lot of laughing and joking with the couple he was training but I didn't get a 'hard work' vibe - does that make sense?

The other seemed much more serious and focussed, but was working one to one which might make difference. As I'm initially going for a six week period of two sessions a week then I think I want to get as much out of it as possible. That's not to say I don't want to enjoy it along the way, though

I went with personal recommendation, but in a rural community with few PTs, it's a fairly limited pool anyway!

I'm happy with mine (been seeing him for over 2 years now!), but others' feedback include him being a little too quiet (fine with me - I struggle to talk when training anyway), not military, but certainly tough (like the silent person above. And if I give up before the end, he'll make me start from the beginning or do an extra set of reps). He'll usually say something encouraging once I've finished something, but also knows when I really can't do something (I'm asthmatic and have had a couple of struggling-to-breathe episodes with him), and when to tell me to keep going.

Good luck!

I'm on my second PT and I will only choose a trainer who does a sport because I want to train to improve my body's function rather than improve my appearance. My current trainer does triathlons and Iron Man, my previous one did martial arts to a high competition level. I also look for some anatomy qualifications, I want them to understand what exactly is wrong with my body so they can alter exercises if they need to and not just push me to keep doing something that might injure me. Both trainers also had sports massage qualifications which has come in useful a couple of times.

Other than that I just go for someone that I like, it makes training so much harder if you have a personality clash so I would change if I found I couldn't get along with someone after a month or so. It's good that you can watch some of the trainers in action, but also bear in mind that the best trainers change their approach to suit the client. So with some clients they may jolly them along and with others they may be more sergeant-major-ish. Personally I work best with someone who has a dark, dry sense of humour and who can bear with my cynicism, a whole hour with a relentlessly optimistic cheerleader type would drive me insane. And I know that I couldn't work with a military type shouting orders at me, I'm naturally quite oppositional so the more that I'm ordered to do something the less likely I am to do it and there would be a stand off with him/her yelling "20 lunges and make it snappy" and me saying "not until you use your indoor voice".