Warning signs to watch out for in a prospective personal trainer

I've already written some general tips I learnt during my own journey to find a physical fitness trainer, you can read about them here.

In this post I just wanted to touch on part of that general topic in order to help people who are going through the same fitness journey as me.

I want to talk to you about warning signs you will see in some trainers that you communicate with while you are looking for somebody to help you.

I learned quite a bit while researching and with the three personal trainers I had before I met Colin.

What you are looking for a danger signs that their methods or outlook are potentially unethical or damaging.

My top tips to screen personal fitness trainers are...

1. Watch out for people who have no interest in screening out people they don't want to work with, if they don't seem to care who they work with then that's a warning sign.

2. If they are unwilling or unable to produce any credentials, or supporting evidence that they have a track record in success and safety and training personal fitness then you should walk away.

3. If you asked for reference, they should be able to provide several.

4. If they try to force you into signing a contract before or during your first session then walk away.

5. If they try to sell you extra services, supplements or other aids that they claim will help you then you should be extremely sceptical.

6. If they try to convince you that non-physical work can also help you to improve your body shape, such as saunas or other passive exercising techniques, for example electric muscle workout machines, which they will try and sell to you, then that's a real danger sign.

7. They should be flexible. If they tell you they have a way that works and that you have to fit into that way, then that could be very dangerous to your health.

Another warning sign which is more general is that they should be a reliable person, friendly and approachable.

If they are constantly difficult to approach, or you can't get in contact with them by phone regularly, or they don't reply to emails, or they insist in using text only, then they are keeping you arm's length and not embracing you and your needs.

Remember that you are going to be paying this person to help you, and it is not a case of you doing a favour for them, they are meant to be looking out to you using the professional skills that they should be demonstrating they have both in terms of exercise expertise and personal interaction skills.

I hope that this blog post has been useful to you. Now it's back to reality and instead of losing myself in writing on the Internet I now have to go make tea for a hungry husband and two children. Hey, this is meant to be the age of equality.