So Are you are looking for your first sessions with a Personal Trainer?

A new year usually means health and fitness resolutions for many of us. You may seek help from a personal trainer, which is a great investment into accountability, motivation, technique, strength, and efficiency.

If this is you or you are considering hiring some professional help with your training and nutrition in 2019, here's my take on what to expect.

Okay I may have different views to other guys in the industry but in my personal opinion your first PT session should be used to screen your movement and ability to highlight if your body is actually ready to perform compound lifts. (Because many of you unfortunately are NOT mechanically in a position to go straight into squats or deadlifts for example)

Under no circumstances should you be being hammered with maximum lifts on the first sessions because the personal trainer does not know your body well AT ALL at this point. Unless you are an athlete with a good background of lifting you should not be going straight into heavy lifts.

Also for those of you who fear personal training because you feel you will be 'beasted' to death... if this is the case, I say your trainer may not be paying much attention to your safety. If they just want to get a picture of you laying on the floor sparked out then for me you need to seek someone who has more than one gear to their training approach.

Trainers that lack proper and thorough education can potentially injure a client, or create a bad experience for the client, and this makes it bad for the good personal trainers out there.

Safety of the client must be of the utmost priority... not feeding the trainers ego!

How do I go about choosing the right personal trainer? Don’t just go with the first one or the one that’s in the best shape because often that’s not always the best indicator of how professional they are.

The Number One thing I would do, just talk to them. Make sure they give off a really positive vibe when you meet them, make sure they’ve got qualifications, if they seem eager to learn and are professional with you. Don’t fall for these fitness sales when you join up… More often than not you will be given a pt that is ‘Friends’ with the sales team, which means your not necessarily going to be getting the best pt for you.

Also whoever you choose, make sure they’re checking up on you in the early stages, they’re doing questionnaires, they’re making you sign different forms. If they’re not even doing those basic things then it’s a red flag from the beginning.

Here are a few key points when you meet a Personal Trainer:

Experience. How much experience do they have? Minimal experience isn’t necessarily a bad thing (everyone has to start somewhere). If they have a solid education and certification, experience might not be an issue for you. But It should be something to think about, Just because a Pt has a degree doesn’t always make them great a great trainer, That takes Time….

Education. Where did they receive education and/or certification? They really should be certified? Most commercial gyms will check this out, but smaller private gyms may not check. Ask them for their certificates, A legit Pt Should have them or Google it— look into their certification and education to make sure it is legit.

Attention. You Pt should learn about you, your lifestyle and goals and then create training around that, and not force you into a program that is unrealistic. During the session, their focus is on you, not their mobile phones, talking to other Pt’s or other people in the gym. How can they help you if they don’t pay attention to you?

Adaptability. Sometime a pt may have to work around you, Pt’s should be open to other training protocols and what fits for YOU. There is no ONE right way – it always depends on the client. Lets say is you have any injury, A good pt will adapt a program to fit you whilst still providing a quality workout.. A Trainer that just says ‘just push through it’ is possibility not good for you.

Continuing Education. For myself this is the most important..

Ask Since their initial certification have they continued to learn, grow, evolve? Has the Pt gone out and invested in themselves in other courses A PT that is always learning is one that that is passionate about their clients and more over their career.

These are just some things you should think about when looking for personal training.

But NOT ALL Personal trainers are equal.. So it really comes down to BUYER BEWARE. Take the trainer for a test drive like you do for a Car…

So before committing to 100 sessions. Buy a few sessions first to make sure it’s a fit with you!