Getting in shape can be a difficult journey, and many people find it much easier if they receive expert help and encouragement along the way. It takes more than just a bodybuilding.com promo code to whip yourself into shape.

A personal fitness trainer can give your conditioning efforts a huge boost, but you can also waste time and money if you receive poor advice – not to mention risking your health through badly thought-out exercise routines. What should you be looking for when you choose a personal trainer, so you can be sure you’ll be getting the full benefits?

Credentials

Just as a competent trainer can be a huge help in achieving your fitness goals, an inexpert and unqualified one risks doing you physical damage. Before signing up, you need to know that a personal trainer has the correct credentials and has the necessary knowledge. Ask what certifications they hold, and which accredited organisations they are members of. The precise details may not mean much to you, but any reputable trainer should be willing to demonstrate their qualifications.

Experience

There’s nothing to say that a newly qualified trainer can’t do an excellent job, but as in most professions, experience counts for a lot. A well-practiced trainer is more likely to quickly identify issues holding your fitness efforts back, and will be better able to adapt your routines to your needs and preferences. Of course, a trainer with an impressive track record will usually be more expensive to hire than a newly qualified one, so it’s up to you to decide on the balance of experience versus cost.

Specializations

Are you looking for a specific kind of help from a trainer? Maybe you’re training for a future sporting event, or maybe you want to achieve quicker and healthier weight loss? Personal trainers should have a wide grounding, but will naturally have greater knowledge and enthusiasm in some areas than others, so it makes sense to find out if a trainer has expertise relevant to your individual needs.

Personality

To fully benefit from hiring a personal trainer, you’ll need to develop a good working relationship together. Although this relationship will be strictly professional, it will obviously help if you get on with each other on a personal level too. Working effectively with a trainer will be extremely difficult if you’re constantly going through personality clashes.

Cost

A more expensive trainer isn’t always a better one, but it’s usually true that you get what you pay for. Lower fees can mean your access is restricted just to fitness sessions, while higher fees may provide you with more extensive support by email or telephone. However high or low the price, ensure you know what the package involves and that it represents good value to you.

Location and Availability

If you can find time for a regular appointment at a local gym, the location and availability of a trainer aren’t major concerns. However, if your lifestyle means you need flexibility from your trainer, make sure this is understood from the start. Home visits, unsociable hours, flexible session lengths and so on are all possible, but aren’t necessarily part of a standard deal.

Wider Knowledge

A personal trainer needs to know about more than muscle groups and workout regimens. What can your potential trainer tell you about nutrition, supplements, and general lifestyle issues that will help you get fitter faster?

Therapies

Lastly, can the trainer provide other health services such as massage or minor physiotherapy? Alternatively, can they arrange priority access to experts in these other fields if necessary? Your trainer should be able to act as a one-stop source of fitness advice and treatment, providing a holistic approach to your training.

If you want to improve your health and fitness a good personal trainer can be a great ally in your quest. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true: if you make a bad choice, you could quickly regret your decision. Taking the time to find out about a trainer before signing up will help put you on the fast track to better fitness and health.