Looking for a PT? - 5 things you should think through beforehand

Introduction

Are you looking for a personal trainer? Whether you train at the top level or just want help to keep your body moving a little more, you should be able to find a suitable personal trainer. Here we review 5 aspects that, in our opinion, should be taken into account when choosing a personal trainer.

1. What skills a personal trainer possesses

It is easy to think that all personal trainers have the same skills, but this is not the case. Different PTs have different backgrounds and different amounts of experience. While some PTs have studied for one year, others have a bachelor's or master's degree in sports. There are also personal trainers who specialise in different training areas or specific training philosophies. A good example is PTs that specialise in injury prevention. These naturally possess a competence that is absolutely essential if you are particularly prone to injury, or train to compete in a sport with a lot of injuries. Certain PTs also have education or experience from other adjacent areas, such as e.g. medicine or physiotherapy. PTs with such an interdisciplinary background often have an in-depth understanding of the body's anatomy and function, which comes in handy when tailoring a training program based on desired needs. When choosing a personal trainer, emphasis should also be placed on how long the PT has been in the industry. The natural thing would perhaps be to believe that the longer a PT has been in the industry, the better he/she is. But here there is not necessarily a clear connection. Young and new PTs may have more up-to-date knowledge about training, and also be more concerned with keeping up-to-date than the older ones. At the same time, there is no doubt that long driving time contributes to learning, it is not without reason that it is said that it takes 10,000 hours to master something. The weight to be placed on age and experience is therefore not completely clear, but it is probably important to keep that in mind when choosing a PT.

2. What you want to get out of the training

Some people primarily want a personal trainer because they want motivation to get to the gym. In such cases, NPT's competence is less important than NPT's ability to motivate. Of course, this does not mean that you should neglect the competence that the NPT possesses; it is still important that the PT knows what he/she is doing, so that one e.g. avoids exercising incorrectly or too hard. The point here is to find a PT with sufficient competence, but with an insane ability to motivate just you. In other cases, there will be a need for a PT with special expertise. If you train to compete in fitness, or to recover from an injury, the NPT's expertise becomes extremely important. If the NPT leads you on the wrong track, you risk ending up with poor results, or even worse; a damaged body. Before you start choosing a personal trainer, ask yourself this question: What do I want to get out of the training?

3. PT's interpersonal skills

It is one thing to possess a lot of competence through education and experience, another thing is to be able to communicate and implement this competence. A personal trainer who knows everything in the world about strength training is of little value if he/she cannot teach this to others. In the search for a personal trainer, it is therefore crucial to look at PT's communication skills and ability to collaborate. Most of us learn best in contact with a teacher who is educational, patient and who really wants you to succeed. It is probably as important that the PT is invested in your training, as that you yourself are invested in it. The training should be experienced as a joint project and not something you do alone. This is precisely one of the big reasons to get a personal trainer.

We mentioned this above with pedagogical, but what does this term really mean? If you study world-leading coaches in various sports, there is often one thing that repeats itself: clarity in communication. After a conversation with a personal trainer, it should be clear to you how to proceed with your further training. You should know exactly how much you should train, which exercises you should carry out, how they should be carried out, how much you should recover, etc. The higher the goals you have with your training, the more details your PT should make sure to communicate in a crystal clear way to you.

4. The chemistry between you and the personal trainer

We are all different and get along with different people to different degrees. When you choose friends or a partner, you often find someone you like to hang out with. The fact that you generally like your PT is probably a good starting point, but it is not said that the kind of chemistry you have with a friend is the same one you should look for in a PT. A good PT is able to push you, perhaps says what you should hear instead of what you want to hear, and should be clear about both expectations and requirements. Apart from these things, it is very important that the PT you choose is able to motivate you. We all know that some people energize and motivate us, while others simply wear us out. Your PT must awaken an inner spark in you, otherwise it is the wrong PT.

5. How much money you want to spend on a personal trainer

You will find PTs in all different price ranges, and with different plans. How much you should spend on PT naturally depends on how much money you have, but must also be seen in the light of what you want to achieve. In general, we would argue that anything that helps keep you healthy is something you should invest money in. So if getting a PT helps you get to exercise instead of sitting on the sofa, then it is money well invested in our opinion. However, the spending must be balanced against what you want to get out of a personal trainer. If your goal is to get into the Norwegian Elite in Fitness or bodybuilding, you probably have to be prepared to set aside a good number of thousand for a PT. If the goal, on the other hand, is to get off the sofa and into the gym, the budget can be lowered considerably.