January 2017

A personal trainer is a very useful profession. Bringing help, on a mission. Everyone benefits from cooperation with a personal trainer. The client, because he gains health and form, the state, because a healthy and fit taxpayer lives longer, a coach, because he earns, and finally the economy, because everything is spinning. No wonder the number of personal trainers is growing at a galloping pace. Recently, I spoke to my brother. We don’t do it often, but when we do, we exchange observations. To our mutual surprise, this time we agreed with each other. And the observation was as follows:

In the last decade, maybe even twenty years, the two most developing industries are those related to new technologies and a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, in the last few years (two or three) we have been seeing a flood of the market by personal trainers and photographers. Brother is a photographer, of course.

And great, there is demand, there is supply. As I wrote, everything is spinning. The trouble is that there is no law to regulate these professions. Currently, it is enough to buy a Canon or Nikon and one becomes a photographer. Likewise, if you’ve acquired a fairly good body and / or god was kind to you, and you can use this Nikon to snap attractive pictures of your body, you become a personal trainer.

So what is worth paying attention to and what questions to ask before going on an individual training?

1. EDUCATION

Consider a change if your current coach, very personal after all, barely graduated from high school, did not take his final exams because he was approaching dead lanes. And it is not just about the proverbial paper, or even about the fact that in higher education, at least in principle, you should acquire certain knowledge. Graduating from university requires developing consistency, perseverance, flexibility, resourcefulness, goal orientation and a few other qualities that a good trainer should not lack. It is also good for your personal trainer to be able to show off a red ID issued by the Minister. This means that he is a sport instructor of a specific discipline and has not completed the weekend online course. Believe it, it makes a difference. And do not be fooled by the text that the most important thing is experience, and he “has been trying since he was a teenager”. It should be both.

2. EXPERIENCE

And the second point will be about “this”. You should be puzzled if your trainer proudly states that he already has 2 years of experience in the profession. Sure! Better than 2 months. However, remember that usually the longer the better. And of course, since he is a 20-year-old young god, it is also difficult for him to have 10 years of practice. It is good, however, that he should at least be proud of cooperation with people who pursue various training goals. And this is Magda’s weight reduction, and this is Szymek’s specialist sports preparation for skis or football, building muscle mass for Karol, or correction of posture defects and getting rid of back pain in Mrs. Krysia. It is even better if these people really exist and you would have the opportunity to meet them, exchange two words and ask about your satisfaction with the cooperation. It never hurts to ask which fitness clubs he has cooperated with before.

3. LOOK

… That is beautiful me. This will be the next point – a warning. Of course, the body is the trainer’s showcase. This is also the case. Such a profession. If someone raises a ruckus that you should focus on a beautiful interior, let them choose to work in a museum. However, it is worth approaching the topic with a cold head and assessing whether the shapes that seem to be humming “I am sexy and I know it” by themselves, were developed through a tedious and long-lasting activity, or are the work of chemistry, optionally a successful cut. It could be sneaky. Sometimes the perfect steroid gentleman has never done the correct squat by himself, and he is certainly not able to teach him to you (therefore he never presents the exercises, but only explains the technique by gesticulating in the air as if dancing macarena). In turn, a great specialist and physiotherapist could, for various reasons, let’s say for random and / or health reasons, lose his sports figure and be in the phase of its recovery. Of course, in this profession a shoemaker cannot walk without shoes, he has to use AirMaxes. However, remember that perfect and perfect people do not exist by nature. It’s good to be able to tell the coach from the client, right. However, I like to define the body shape requirements for a trainer in terms of neatness and decency.

4. PROFESSIONALISM

You can forgive your individual trainer for various shortcomings: in education, experience, and maybe even teeth, but the sin of neglect is the unforgivable one. If the trainer is more focused on: a) his own reflection in the mirror / presenting himself to others in the gym, b) his own phone, c) his own meal, which he eats during personal training than on the client, then know that it is not going well . Professionalism also includes this profession. Although it may not seem obvious. So, if your personal trainer comes to you in flip-flops or a “spouse” T-shirt, with a visible or even depilated armpit, let him calmly finish the chicken with rice from the container (or now, rather, more fashionable, some paleo dish) and look around for new mentor. Really.

5. INVOLVEMENT

Lack of commitment, as well as lack of professionalism, offends in every profession. In this, however, especially. Or especially me. People standing and dispassionately counting the repetitions, those in which the client hurts the exercise technique and all those hanging / lying / lying on various equipment, I can hardly call coaches. If he himself has no passion, energy and a light frenzy in his eye, how is he supposed to grab and motivate you? Writing with such momentum and undisguised slight fervor, I decided to create a decalogue of a decent coach. More points in the next installment.