Starting Out: Tips for Beginning Physical ActivityStarting Out: Tips for Beginning Physical Activity

Personal Training

The following is some advice from Personal Trainer Diane Howell of Equilibrium Fitness Ltd.

What's it all about?

A personal trainer is someone who conducts 1 to 1 training with a client at a time convenient to both parties. This training can be in a variety of forms and take place in varying locations depending on what the training is for that session.

Personal trainers have individual personalities, specialities and target audiences they would like to help. It's essential to find one that suits you so you have a positive experience and achieve the results you want! Not every trainer will suit everyone...

Personal Trainers will often offer you a complimentary session as a means of introduction to them and their services. Take them up on it... you get to see how they work and the premises they use. This will give you a great indication of whether they will work for you or not.

If you are considering employing the services of a personal trainer some key ways to start your search are highlighted below

You may want to consider using  the services of a Registered Exercise Professional which is one way to ensure that the trainer has been trained to a level where they are competent fitness professionals and can keep you safe whilst exercising.

The first thing any quality Personal Trainer will do is meet with you and complete a "screening form" (or do it by email before your first appointment). This is not as scary as it sounds. It should cover things like medical / injury history, contact details, exercise likes / dislikes, smoking history, blood pressure, lifestyle goals that are important to you and the key goals you want to achieve with the help of the trainer. There may also be a section on how you like to be motivated and how you will feel when you achieve your goal, this helps you to visualise it in reality. Finally you are likely to be asked to sign a disclaimer, this means the trainer will do everything they can to keep you safe but as with anything nowadays you take part in exercise at your own risk.

Taking your "Blood Pressure" is the 2nd thing a good trainer will complete. This allows them to consider anything that needs to be changed (during your sessions) depending on the result. If you have "high", "low" or "normal" blood pressure you can exercise it just means that if it is above a certain level then they may ask you for a doctor's clearance to ensure you are safe!

The 3rd key element for any quality trainer is ensuring they know what their client wants to achieve and relevant timeframes... i.e. running a marathon, toning their tummy, putting on muscle, improving their balance etc. Everyone's goals will be different and not all clients require the same type of training and not all Personal Trainers will be able to offer what you want. Think about what you want to achieve before you go to a trainer this will ensure you pick the right one!

Benefits of Personal Training

What does it cost?

This will vary from Trainer to Trainer so best to do some shopping around and consider the personality and skills of the trainer with the cost of their service to ensure you get what you need. It is generally more expensive than going to a gym but then the benefits can be seen in a shorter time frame and with more time efficient workouts.

Hope this has helped explain what you should expect from a Personal Trainer and what some of the benefits can be!

Have fun and enjoy your chosen exercise!