In the last ten years or so, the Personal Training profession has seen a tremendous growth both domestically and internationally. As a matter of fact, there are more people these days involved with some form of training then ever before…..and the trend will continue to rise for the near forseable future. So, should it matter what kind of a trainer you should hire? Let’s take a look at some of the basic qualifications a Trainer should have:

1. Schooling…..It only makes sense that a person who teaches anything these days should have some form of education or a certification from an accredited institution. There are plenty of good ones out there and most of them are very well know…so go on the web and do a little research.

2. Experience…..If there is one field where experience should matter the most this one is definitely it. A trainer with personal and professional experience can definitely give their clients an “edge” over other trainers. When a person lives through an experience and truly understands what it feels like to be in that situation, only then, can you really feel what they are truly saying. If they cannot relate to you in some form or another….don’t waist your time.

3. Passion….. It doesn’t matter what you choose to be in this life, if you don’t have a passion for what you are doing it will definitely hurt you in the long run. I knew someone in my college days, who was really smart (an I.Q. of 148…. I believe that is a genius level ), anyway, he could have done anything he wanted in his life. Unfortunately, as good as he was at everything, he didn’t have a true passion for much of anything and therefore became bored real easily. I don’t know what ever happened to that person I knew back then, but I know one thing for sure….everyone I know who loves their job has a passion for it and they wouldn’t trade it for anything.

4. Personality…..Let’s face it, if your trainer has no personality, why in the world would you even spend a minute with this person? Personal Training ( amongst other things) should be spent with someone who is exciting, fun and has a positive outlook towards life. Our lives are hard enough as they are. We are constantly reminded everyday (by television, newspapers, magazines etc…) of all of the negativity that is happening around us and around the world…..we don’t need it in our personal trainer as well.

5. Honesty….Out of all the qualities we mentioned above, this one is the most “sacred” to me. There are plenty of honest people in this world…but, there is always a few that will try to ruin any reputation. Again, do your homework!! Make sure that the person you are entrusting with your health is legitimate and can provide you with proper paperwork that every trainer should provide. For example, a copy of their diploma or certification, a current CPR Identification Card and a list of people they have trained or networking groups they belong to. Remember…the more information you get…. the better “off ” you will be.

That’s it for now. And remember…. “the more you learn about your body…the better it will take care of you in the future.”