Getting in shape on your own can be a challenge with our busy lives and hiring someone to help might be what you need to get the job done. When using a personal trainer to achieve your goals can be a tool to get you over the hump and prevent you from hitting the fitness plateau.

Before hiring a personal trainer it’s important to understand why you’re hiring the coach and what to expect from your program.

We have put together some of the things you should know before hiring a personal trainer. After reading this you may decide that you don’t need a personal trainer or you might decide that working out with a group might be a better choice than one on one training.

Here are some things you should know before hiring a personal trainer.

Outline your goals

 Before reaching out to a personal trainer you should outline why you’re doing it. Before making the call to set up a session write down what you’re trying to accomplish. When you do this, you will help your trainer build a program to help reach your fitness goals. Many people go into a training program with vague goals of training to improve fitness but they don’t have a set goal they want to tackle.

Side note: When picking, your goal make sure it has some emotion behind it. Maybe you broke up with a partner, have fitness related health issues or someone said you’re overweight. Whatever it is use the emotion to drive you to crush your goal. Picking something vague will not have emotion behind it and you most likely will fail.

Check your budget

 Hiring a personal trainer isn’t cheap and only training for a few sessions won’t help you. A personal training program should last at least 3-6 months because your personal trainer will be designing a program that progresses you over time. If you only train for a few weeks, then stop you’re wasting your money and shouldn’t have started a program in the first place. Check your budget and make sure that you can hire a personal trainer before starting a program.

Side note: If you check your budget and can’t afford training you could consider group training classes at a cheaper rate. This will allow you to get a great program at a cheaper price. A personal trainer will make sure that you show up to the workout so you must hold yourself accountable.

Manage expectations

 When you hire a fitness trainer, you should manage expectations because the trainer isn’t responsible for your results. We aren’t with you when you’re eating and we are with you to make sure that you’re doing your cardio workouts. Having a trainer is like having a guide but if you don’t follow the personal trainer’s direction you won’t get results.

Check qualifications

 Before hiring a personal trainer it’s always important to check the qualifications of the trainer. Always ask the fitness trainer to show you their certifications before they start working with you. The personal training industry is highly unregulated but if the trainer has a NCCA accredited certification you should be good to go.

After you check the fitness trainer’s certification it’s always a good idea to ask for references from current clients. This will give you an idea of what other people think of the trainer before you start working with them. This is proof that they’re professional and will take care of your needs.

Pick a trainer based on your goals

 When picking a fitness trainer, you should find one that has a specialization in the goal you’re trying to accomplish. Picking a trainer that is great at working with athletes but stinks at weight loss wouldn’t be the best idea if your goal is to lose weight. Make sure you ask the trainer what specialization they have before hiring the trainer.

Work with a company

 Many trainers work on their own to train you and this is fine but there is a lot more risk working with a personal trainer that is on their own. They could walk away with your money and there is nobody there to hold them accountable to training sessions with you. Many companies are customer service oriented where freelance trainers my not be. Some companies guarantee that you’re happy with the service or they will return your money. Most freelancers won’t provide a refund when you’re unhappy. Having protection is the biggest benefit of working with a company.

Check out our 3 reasons to hire a trainer