Personal Trainer Series: What To Look For in A Personal Trainer--Part 4

No formal education can beat getting down and dirty and working with all types and levels of clients day after day. An excellent trainer who has been certified and training clients for a minimum of three years. You want a problem-solver who has seen a lot of different kinds of people in many different situations.

Staff Trainers in Public Gyms vs. Independent Trainers: When trainers first begin training, they tend to work on staff at training facilities in order to help build their clientele. That doesn't make them bad trainers—but they don't necessarily have a lot of experience. Often these trainers will graduate to training independently in these gyms or in trainer-only facilities. Either way, ask for a list of current clients as references so that you can ask them more about the trainer's style and dependability (for example, are they generally on time, do they regularly use new material, are they safety focused, and so on).

Assessments: Good and experienced trainers will always carry every client through a very detailed assessment of their bodies—including strengths, weaknesses, posture issues, body measurements, and so on. And all of that is before starting any type of workout program. Always ask a potential trainer about the details of his or her assessment before starting to work with together. If your trainer does not appear willing and able to do an upfront assessment of your entire body, this should be a big red flag.

Documentation of Workouts/Progress: Good and experienced trainers will always document every client's workouts in terms of the exercises and weights they are lifting in order to accurately track their progress and results from week to week. If your trainer does not show up to your workouts with a written plan of what he or she wants to accomplish on that day, then this is another red flag. Your trainer should also be prepared to give you copies of your workouts so that you can do them on your own—the documentation of these workouts should be exact and accurate and easy for you to understand.