The fitness industry has been growing exponentially for the past several years. It’s no secret either, just look at social media. Everyone and their brother is a fitness “influencer.” Because of this massive spike in growth, the number of people calling themselves coaches and trainers has skyrocketed. Why? It’s hard to list all the reasons but the biggest one is that people are becoming more active.
The pandemic caused a lot of people to re-evaluate their lifestyles and overall health. Because of this, the demand for fitness professionals increased. As a result, the number of people entering the industry grew. This is not necessarily an issue, but with so many people seeking fitness help for the first time, there are some things they need to know before hiring a trainer or coach.
Here are 3 things you need to know before hiring a personal trainer:
1 – Personal trainer certifications are not universally regulated
To many people beginning their fitness journeys, seeing that someone is a “certified personal trainer” may look great. The issue most people don’t know is that personal trainer certifications are not regulated the same way as other health industry careers. Each organization has different requirements, some even allowing open book tests. Now, that’s not to say it’s completely the wild west.
Some organizations are quite strict and require their students to take a proctored exam. Most of these, once completed, will award an NCCA accredited certification. An NCCA accreditation is the gold standard in the fitness industry. For that reason many people with an unaccredited personal trainer certification will be unable to work at many gyms and other fitness clubs. So, when shopping around for a personal trainer, finding one with NCCA recognized credentials is a good start.
2 – A certification is just the beginning
More often than not, new trainers are just as lost as they were before they became certified. This is because these courses teach you the bare minimum in most cases, or at least close to it. That is not to say they are irrelevant, only that it is just the beginning. As with any other job, it takes a while to learn how to apply the knowledge you’ve learned. This is especially true in the fitness industry. “Fake it ’till you make it” can be a good motto, but not in an industry where faking it can get someone hurt or even killed.
Again, I’m not putting the new trainers down. We are all new at something at least once in our lives. I’m merely pointing out that the bare minimum shouldn’t be the goal. Professional development is just as important in the fitness industry, if not more, than many others.
3 – Most trainers specialize in certain areas
With so many kinds of training methods out there, it is important to consider what a coach or trainer has experience with before hiring them. There are many coaches and trainers who have experience in more than one area of physical fitness. Take me for example. I mainly coach people interested in strength sports but I was also a competitive runner. I can help you improve your bench press as well as your 800-meter time. You probably wouldn’t want to hire me to coach you for a swimming competition, though. Keep this in mind when shopping around for someone to train you.
Ask questions
A good coach or trainer should be able to explain why you are performing a particular exercise. Why you are performing a certain number of reps and sets. Why the exercises are arranged in a particular order. They should be able to explain how each step is playing a part in your overall goals. If they can’t, or won’t, then find someone else.
I see day after day, people just wanting to improve themselves getting taken for a ride by some “fitness expert.” I make it my personal goal to call them out and to help as many people as possible avoid these scam artists. Remember, they should be helping you reach YOUR goals, not theirs.