Hiring a Personal Trainer
Your Personal Trainer should be certified through a nationally recognized organization.
Personal Training, once considered a luxury, has become mainstream and sometimes seen as a necessity in this day and age. With all of the overwhelming information available from countless sources, one cannot possibly decipher between valuable advice and worthless gimmicks.
The Personal Trainer should be qualified
Before committing to exercise with a Personal Trainer, be sure to know the qualifications of the Fitness Services Provider who is taking your health into their hands! At the least, the Personal Trainer should be certified through a nationally recognized organization, such as American Council on Exercise (ACE), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), American Council on Sports Medicine (ACSM), or National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM). These are a few examples of leading fitness organizations certifying and supporting Fitness Professionals all over the country.
The Personal Trainer should be educated, experienced and professional
Other factors to look for in a Personal Trainer are: Education, Experience, and Professionalism. A college degree is not a pre-requisite for a Personal Trainer, however, there are many college programs offering Fitness related two- or four-year degrees. Look for a fitness professional with collegiate experience if possible.
"Before I started personal training with Karen Schutters three years ago, I'd spent years fruitlessly trying to include weight training in my workouts. Training with Karen changed all that. She and I set up a series of exercises tailored to my needs. With her calm encouragement I have made steady progress - without injury."
- Corrine Allen McArdle
In Personal Training, level of experience is of utmost importance. An experienced Personal Trainer has gained priceless knowledge throughout his or her career and is able to use this information in developing programs for current clientele. Although each person has different needs and abilities and is given a specific individualized program, Personal Trainers may clarify which approach will provide optimal results by using past experiences with other customers.
Finding a Personal Trainer with a high level of professionalism is crucial to a healthy and productive client/trainer relationship. Personal Training often involves the sharing of and therefore discussion of very personal information. Be sure that the Personal Trainer is respectful, tactful and empathetic to your needs. He or she must be willing to receive feedback in developing a fitness program, must hold confidential the information passed between the client and trainer, and must use your exercise time to fulfill your needs and not their own personal needs.
The Personal Trainer should provide support
An experienced Personal Trainer has gained priceless knowledge throughout his or her career and utilizes this knowledge in developing programs for clientele.
A Personal Trainer wears many hats. The three areas in which the trainer provides services include: motivational, technical, and educational support.
- Motivational Support: A Personal Trainer must decipher which motivational tools will be most effective for each person in reaching his or her fitness goals. Healthy rewards, written accountability, weekly journals, monthly fitness testing and periodic weigh-ins are all motivational tools, but not appropriate for all personalities!
- Technical Support: Instructing the client on proper form and teaching various progressions of an exercise are also responsibilities of Personal Trainers. Injuries are common when exercises are performed incorrectly or when inappropriate weight-loads are used. Personal Trainers have a vast library of exercises to fit all ability levels and should offer modifications to make each exercise safe and effective.
- Educational Support: Quality Personal Trainers hold the key to a customer's future success: knowledge. Sharing this knowledge during exercise sessions allows the customer to become independent and able to replicate exercises and develop fitness progressions without assistance. Also, exercise experiences far into the future will be enhanced with an increased awareness of basic exercise physiology.
Priority Fitness Mission and Goals
Our mission at Priority Fitness Personal Training Center is to provide the highest quality motivational, technical and educational support in a professional manner, offering sound individualized fitness programs that fit the specific physical needs and fitness goals of each person.
Our goal is not only to improve our clientele's physical fitness, but also to promote a safe, healthy and realistic lifestyle for their future. Our dedication to physical fitness and health is evident in our own lives, as we constantly assess and work to improve our physical well-being. We are certain that our level of education, years of experience, proven professionalism, and dedication to physical fitness shine through to everyone we serve.