6 Questions To Ask A Personal Trainer Before Hiring Them

Hiring a personal trainer can be a very simple process. Hiring the right personal trainer can be an extremely difficult process. There are tons of options out there, so how do you know if you are picking the right one? You are making a commitment to yourself, and investing in your health by making this decision. Now before you make a commitment to a person to make that journey with you, here are some things to consider.

Question 1: Is this a career or a hobby for you?

This is an extremely important distinction. Every time we need a service done properly, we hire professionals. A mechanic to work on our car, a dentist to work on our teeth, a doctor to help us when we’re sick. For any of the listed examples, I am willing to bet that you wouldn’t hire someone who split their time between that job and a different one.

For that reason alone, when you hire a personal trainer, a good way to know if you are making the right choice is to see whether this is their full-time job, or whether they have another job that will take up large chunks of their time.

This is not to say that anyone with another job cannot be a good option. Often when people are starting out in the fitness industry they need to work a second job while they build up their business. However, talk to them about their long-term aspirations. Are they looking to quit their second job? Where do they hope to be in the next five years as a personal trainer?

Question 2: What is your educational background?

A common issue seen constantly in the fitness industry is coaches and trainers being on the path of certification instead of the path of mastery. There are hundreds of options to “certify” as a personal trainer, most of which entail reading a textbook and passing a test. The main difference being that even if someone has 25 different certifications, this does NOT mean they will be a high-quality coach. Certifying yourself in joint mobility can definitely be useful for learning how to mobilize joints, however just knowing how to mobilize a joint does not mean that a coach knows the function of those joints, as well as the extent to which mobility in a joint is useful. Furthering education will help coaches learn the functions of the body, as well as a more holistic approach to developing the body in order to make sure it is functioning at its highest capabilities.

Question 3: What does the first month of training with you look like?

This is an important question for many reasons. First and foremost, does the first month of training look the same for every one of this trainer’s clients? If so, what is the reasoning behind that? How well are they taking into account your individual goals and needs in that first month?

If a personal trainer has a very similar-looking first month of training with every new client, this is not necessarily a bad thing. For example, when I bring a new client in, there are fundamental movements that I want to make sure are being worked on frequently as a staple to most programs. These include a front squat, half deadlift, and bent-over row. Therefore, a majority of my clients (without limiting factors) will be starting off learning these movements. However, beyond these similarities, programs will start to vary from client to client in order to make sure that we are working towards the specific goals they have set out for themselves. However, if a personal trainer starts all new clients off on the same program and does not begin to vary what their clients are doing, this is definitely an indication that your goals are not top of mind.

Question 4: Who is their coach/mentor?

This is an extremely important question because as a personal trainer, having a mentor or a coach of your own shows that you are accountable to someone besides your clients. This indicates the desire to improve and constantly help your clients improve. If your personal trainer is regularly communicating with a personal mentor, this means that they are thinking about their clients more often than just when they are in the gym with them. Training with someone who keeps you top of mind is important to ensure that you are constantly being given the thought and the effort you deserve in order to help you achieve your goals.

Question 5: How can you help me outside of training sessions?

This question is tricky. You may be thinking “ My personal trainer can’t help me outside of just training me, right?” Here is where a personal trainer has the opportunity to really set themselves apart. Are you just thinking about your training when you are in the gym, or is it having a positive impact on your life outside of the gym? This could be added motivation from your trainer with nutritional advice or challenges, at-home workouts to keep you accountable outside of your regular sessions, or even as simple as your trainer following up with you if you miss a session to keep you accountable to them as well as yourself. Your personal trainer should be a resource for you not just during your time at the gym, but for anything health and fitness-related that you need.

Question 6: How long do your clients stay with you?

This could in fact be a more telling answer than your query regarding experience and credentials. As a personal trainer, it is my goal to have all of my clients not only reach the goals they had in mind when they came to me but to reach further than they ever thought possible. Whether this is a young athlete looking to become a professional, or simply someone getting older looking to get back in shape. My goal is for health and activity to become a long-term part of your life. Therefore, if a personal trainer’s clients only train with them for a few months on average, this is a strong indication that they are a good salesperson, but not necessarily good at helping people integrate physical activity as a regular part of their lives. However, the longer a personal trainer has clients stick with them, the better indication that they are able to help their clients stay motivated to not only achieve a goal but become a better version of themselves.