How to find a good personal trainer

[MuayTyson]

Stolen from the Chicago Tribune:

To find a good personal trainer, look for four things: certification, experience, methodology and lifestyle. Holland says a good trainer:

1. Is certified by a nationally-recognized organization. The top four, according to Holland, are the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).

2. Practices what he preaches and is fit himself. “A trainer who is out of shape is analogous to a financial planner who is in debt,†Holland wrote.

3. Has good attending behavior when training clients (pays attention, doesn’t talk on the phone or to other people, is totally engaged).

4. Does not practice outside of her expertise, such as giving nutritional advice without having any training in that field.

5. Does not hijack the hour by talking about himself.

6. Does not train all her clients the same way.

7. Is constantly studying and learning.

Let me add a few more to that.

#2. Maybe not always apply I have seen people with great genetics or on loads of steroids who were terrible trainers. Mike Boyle is not in the shape he once was and he knows more about training then most people will ever hope to. It is more what is in the head then the size of the bicep.

#8. Has a good track record and solid verifiable testimonials from past or current clients.

#9. Similar to #6. He/she is not a one trick pony unless the trainer sells him/herself as a specialist they should be able to train a few different ways and service clients with different needs.

#10. Has professional demeanor insists on a Health History, PAR Q(Physical Activity Readiness Form), takes records of clients work outs and does at least a simple assessment.