How to Choose a Trainer

The problem with choosing a personal trainer is that all trainers are not the same.

Yes, I know there is no profession where all of its practitioners are the same. Not all teachers are the same, not all lawyers are the same, etc.

But all personal trainers are REALLY NOT THE SAME.

This is because the personal training industry has no regulatory bodies that govern minimal qualifications to practice.

All lawyers are not the same, but they all went to law school and passed the state bar exam.

All teachers are not the same, but they all graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in their field of practice.

Personal trainers have no such regulations. YOU COULD BE A PERSONAL TRAINER RIGHT NOW WITH NO PREVIOUS EDUCATION OR EXPERIENCE.

A Doctor from Stanford with a Phd in physiology, and a 20 year old who just read “Muscle and Fitness” could train you and they would both simply be called your “personal trainer”.

Obviously, there will be a big difference between the two, but guess what? Their business cards will both say “personal trainer”.

This is why it is CRUCIAL that you perform some research before choosing a trainer and/or training facility. Here are some things you should look for:

Ask about the trainers’ educational background: Are they certified? If so, from what organization? How long ago were they certified and how have they progressed their knowledge since then?

If they don’t have a certification, do they have an associates’ and/or Bachelors’ degree in a related field?

Does anyone on the staff hold a Masters’ Degree in Exercise Science, Physiology or Bio-Mechanics?

What about practical experience? How long have they been a trainer? Full time or part time? How many sessions have they performed with what client base?

I don’t want to go into a detailed explanation of my competitors qualifications and lack thereof, but here’s what I can tell you about the staff at The Training Rim:

The LEAST educated trainer has a nationally recognized personal training certification that required a 6 week hands on course. All programming and exercise methodologies are designed and supervised by a trainer with a Masters’ Degree in Exercise Science.

The LEAST experienced trainer has over a year of training experience. Training is programmed, designed and overseen by a trainer with over a decade of experience in the field.

You can try, but YOU WILL NOT FIND A TRAINING STAFF WITH BETTER CREDENTIALS.

And when comparing cost, you’ll find The Training Rim’s one on one personal training packages are LESS than our competitors in almost all cases.

OUR SMALL GROUP RATES ARE ABOUT HALF THE COST IN MOST CASES.

So again, we encourage you to shop around – when comparing apples to apples, you’re going to be surprised at what you find.