I saw this question and read the other answers and just had to respond. First the direct answer:

Not just yes, but HELL YES, depending on a few relevant issues.

As of today I am in my mid 50’s and have worked out most of my life. Not a gym rat, but someone that needed to be fit for my daily professional and recreational pursuits. After 35 plus years working out, I was sure that I knew what I was doing. Still, my wife encouraged me to try a trainer many times but I brushed off the suggestion. My opinion was that I did not need a guy saying half halfheartedly “OK, just 3 more, 2 more andddd you are done, good job”. What a waste of money. After all, years in the gym had exposed me to many trainers just like this and so I looked no further. I was soon to learn that judging the trainers that I had “noticed” in the gym as being standard fare, was like analyzing a Ferrari’s performance by driving a Yugo.

About 2 years ago, my shoulders had about had enough. Pain, limited range of motion and reduced strength. Went to the Doc and he said PT first and if that does not work then surgery. Looking around at the “Low speed - high drag” individuals in the PT’s office left me thinking I needed a better way. That’s when I listened to my wife and tried personal training with a good coach.

The first thing I learned was that I was wrong in almost everything I did in the gym. No one had ever taught me the right way, or possibly I just did not listen. Light weights and a fastidious attention to proper form was the outline for the next few months. I learned what exercises I should do and which to avoid. I learned how to do them right. I also learned that even once I had perfected a particular technique, I was still prone to slipping into poor form. The progress I made was incredible. Not just in regard to my shoulders but my numbers (lbs on the bar) as well.

Good personal trainers are worth their weight in gold. You may not need them every day (I use Orville twice per week) but periodic visits can keep you on the right track and motivated. If you do not think you are getting any benefit then try another. Then another and another again. You have to find one that shares your goals and one that you can relate to.

Fitness is a never ending journey. There is no final destination other than continual achievement of your daily goals. A professional and knowledgeable guide will help you stay on track.

Had I known this 30 years ago, my shoulders would likely never had to endure the degradation they have.

I'm technically a personal trainer and I've hired personal trainers.

Here is single-handedly the most effective part of hiring a trainer:

Objective Feedback

Seriously, I do this for a living and I tend to think that I'm pretty good at it but I can't be objective about myself, no one can. Nothing beats an external point of view and feedback from other people who also know their stuff. They see things I don't and often simply can't.

It accelerates progress.

More often than not we believe we are doing all the right things, until someone shows us otherwise.

People often have this perception that needing help, somehow makes you 'weak' or 'incapable' and yet the most successful people in history have all leaned on coaches and mentors to help them grow. Being open to constructive criticism is a huge component of success, you need a stimulus (a coaching cue for instance) and a consequent adaptation to continually create success.

Perfect case in point, former CEO of Google Eric Schmidt on coaching.

Lebron James has a coach, Michael Jordan had a coach, Wayne Gretzky had a coach, Peyton Manning has a coach, hopefully you get the point.

So yes, I think you should hire a coach but I think most people generally go about this in the wrong manner when it comes to trainers.

They tend to view trainers as 'the accountability' factor, i.e. someone you pay to hold you accountable. The only problem with this is that it's extrinsic in nature and finding lasting success requires intrinsic factors. Relying on other people to motivate you is generally short-lived, it's really about finding ways to motivate yourself, or perhaps in this case, having a coach help you find ways to motivate yourself.

People push harder when someone is watching (anyone at all), that doesn't have to be a trainer though and more often than not, it's more effective to have a peer you view as your equal present, you'll push yourself even harder. When you have someone watching who you view as vastly physically superior to you, the effect can actually be the opposite, it's demotivating. When you see a teammate pushing a little harder than you though? That's inspiring...

Do you honestly think Phil Jackson had to 'motivate' his players. Nah, you give them appropriate feedback at the appropriate time and then the people you work with give you an appropriate response back, it's as simple as stimulus and consequential response in most cases. It's really not about motivating or 'pushing' other people, it's about giving them appropriate cues to help them learn how to push themselves and inspire others around them. It's about giving them the tools to take ownership over their situation, to give them the feeling of control. To help them feel like they are growing physically and mentally. To see to it that they are appropriately stimulated to induce the adaptation they are looking for. To give the whole process a sense of purpose. To get people on the same page.

If you're hiring a trainer just to be held accountable and get 'pushed' I think you might be better off signing up for a bootcamp or some kind of group thing that requires you to be at a certain time and location with a bunch of other people (who can all hold you accountable). It will be a lot more affordable, but yes you won't get the same kind of detailed attention that a good trainer can give you. However, it might be a cheaper place to start for getting yourself out of this rut, if you're not quite ready to take the leap into the more expensive option of one-on-one. It's good to test the waters sometime, find out what you need as a person.

A trainer is in my mind, more of a coach and a teacher. Most people generally believe that they are better at things than they are, so don't be surprised if you don't have as much mastery over the basics as you might think. Speaking candidly - I've been weight training since I was 16 and there are things that I continually do to refine the basics; There is always more you can do, you can always get better. You might learn more about yourself than you expect, especially the first few sessions (which are typically sensory overload for a lot of people), and not just weaknesses, your strengths too; Things you can lean on.

I think good trainers show people how to train, they are effectively trying to put themselves out of a job (even though objective feedback is valuable no matter what your level of ability - so it's sort of technically impossible). I suggest you find a trainer and view it as an investment and if they aren't providing you a service as an investment, find another trainer. They are there to teach you how to train, how to get through a program, what to look for in a program, how to increase and improve your output, how to eat better, how to look after your environment, how to get more from your desired lifestyle, etc...etc... If you're not learning something about yourself at every session, I consider that a bad investment.

As a manager at ATP Personal Training I’ve spent many years and thousands of hours observing personal trainers at work with their clients in commercial gyms. I’ve noticed that all kinds of personal trainers are loved by their clients because of the potent combination of camaraderie and endorphins, but neither of these require the trainer being very good at their job, which is to train you safely and effectively to reach your fitness or body composition goals.

I’ve noticed that when people choose a PT, they often tend to look for the same qualities they would look for in a friend, and often end up with the trainer their friend has recommended, but would you trust your mate’s advice with something as important as your health without looking into it a bit more carefully?

Ask these 8 questions before making a decision that could change your life:

1. Has the friend who’s referring you changed their body or lifestyle for the better?
   Have you noticed any positive changes in your friend since they started with their trainer, or do they talk about them as though a PT session is a social event? Have they started to eat better, are they drinking more water, have they lost any weight or do they tell you they feel fitter?
2. Is the personal trainer accountable to anyone?
   Big commercial gyms or franchises pay their trainers based on the number of PT sessions sold, showing that they only care about sales, rather than client results. Independent trainers can make any kind of claim they like, (“I was the top trainer in Singapore in 2020!”), with nobody to hold them to account and often no evidence to back up their claims. That’s why we think your best choice is a professional gym that builds a reputation around 3 key areas; education & quality control of their employees, visible client results and improving client health.
3. Does the personal trainer practice what they preach?
   Does the trainer look like a trainer? We aren’t saying you need to train with Mr. Olympia or an Olympic athlete, but a PT should practice what they preach. To us, this means that they should be in good shape and in good health, not disappearing off for a cigarette break between sessions or eating fast food for lunch every day. They should be able to educate you about the importance of diet (and even suggest meals for you to cook) rather than relying on steroids and heavy gym sessions so that they can get away with eating rubbish. It is a good sign to see them eating a home prepared meal from a Tupperware container!
4. Does the personal trainer listen to you?
   Do they take into account your goals, history and preferences (workouts and diet)? Of course it is unlikely that you will be able to eat absolutely everything that you want in large quantities if your goals involve any kind of fat loss, but the trainer should be able to design a gym and food programme for you that you can implement and fit into your lifestyle. You may have to compromise in certain areas, but the point is that your trainer should make the time to sit down with you and discuss everything on an ongoing basis.
5. Does the personal trainer appear to use gimmicks?
   A lot of trainers like to implement the latest fad, or whatever course they’ve recently taken. But this is for their benefit, not yours, to keep their job interesting. Often the most effective exercise is the least exciting for them to teach, especially over 8 or more sessions every day.Many trainers will have you do ridiculous exercises just to make a workout seem complicated or to make you feel that you wouldn’t be able to do it without them. This is not beneficial to you. Your trainer should add value by providing safety and motivation during your workout, as well as designing a sensible program that doesn’t require any special skills for you to perform. Learning to balance on one leg on an exercise ball will not improve your body much at all.
6. Is the personal trainer certified and audited under supervision?
   These days some of the better personal trainer qualifications are very comprehensive, but they are mostly taken online. Make sure that your trainer has worked in person under an experienced mentor and don’t be afraid to ask them questions about their experience.
7. Do you have special needs?
   If you have special needs or any kind of injury, your potential trainer should consider them carefully. Too many will flippantly dismiss your needs as easy to deal with, even if they are not trained or don’t have experience with them, so that you will sign up and they can get their commission. Ask them if they have worked with this type of injury or condition before – if they haven’t it is not necessarily a red flag, but they should be open about it and prepared to do their research before training you.
8. Is the personal trainer insured?
   Especially in Asia, a lot of freelance trainers don’t have any kind of insurance at all. Unlike in the US and UK it’s difficult even for large gym companies to arrange, so it’s next to impossible for independent trainers working alone to obtain proper insurance. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?
9. Can they show you their results? A good personal trainer should be able to point to successes they’ve had working with other clients. You should be able to read testimonials from happy clients and you might even be able to reach out to other clients to ask about their experience.

Absolutely. There are several benefits to working out with a personal trainer:

1. For beginners: You will learn new exercises and proper form, which is crucial to produce results.

2. Motivation and discipline: A specific appointment will make it more likely that you regularly workout, arrive in a timely manner and allocate the appropriate time to a useful workout. I often argue that this is the real benefit of Kaplan or Princeton Review in preparing for an LSAT or similar standardized test.

3. Safety: It is risky to push the envelop of your capacity without a trained person spotting you. Of course, many of the best benefits are a result of pushing your muscles to near capacity.

4. Avoiding mental fatigue: It is substantially more relaxing to workout when you can turn your brain "off" for an hour. When you train alone, you need to devoting energy to constructing your workout which renders it much more draining. Having an hour per day where you don't need to think is refreshing.

5. Efficiency: Returning weights to racks and setting up exercises is time-consuming. WIth a trainer performing most of those tasks, you will find that you accomplish between 20-40% more per hour. Coordinating a workout time with your friend can also be shockingly time-consuming.

Quora User asked: What are the steps involved in finding a good personal trainer, when you have absolutely no experience and no connection to the fitness community?

My answer: I don’t have much to add to Quora User answer. That is what I did. I joined a gym on the advice of a physical therapist who was treating me for a minor muscle tear. She told me I needed to cross train because cycling tends to create muscle imbalances.

At the gym I was completely bamboozled by all the equipment. I didn’t have a clue as what to do- I ended up on spin bikes. Two of my cycling friends were using a trainer and I signed up with him. It was just OK. He was transferring out in a couple of months so I knew I would need a new trainer.

I spent my time observing the various trainers. One stood out as really observant and seemed to taylor workouts for each of her clients. I caught her between clients and we had a talk- I would put her up against any physical trainers in my area. Turns out she did not learn PT from the internet but actually has degrees and has done continual education. Unbeknown to us my other 2 friends signed up with her as well.

First off, make sure you are engaging a certified trainer. If you are paying for the service, then get someone with the proper qualifications. Some gyms have regular and elite trainers. The elite trainers have more training and charge more. If you are a beginner, you probably don't need an elite to get a great workout.

If you go to a gym, try watching several of the trainers and how they work with their clients. If you gravitate towards a certain person, you may wish to enlist them for a single session. Many gyms offer a reduced rate for a first time session. If not, then ask. You are allowed to negotiate a price... it never hurts to ask and see if you can get a discount to try a few trainers. You can also ask to talk to a trainer before booking a session... ask about their approach, what to expect during your workout, etc.

Once you book someone, during your session pay attention to whether the trainer is focused on you. A good trainer should begin by asking you how you feel that day. They should also get some baseline statistics about you and your body - including asking you about your current health and goals and measuring your weight, body fat, etc. Also - if you have a specific goal or like a specific workout - speak up. I went several months doing a workout I didn't like before telling my trainer I wanted to focus on weights... I wish I had just told her sooner. She was more than happy to design the workouts to suit my needs - and your trainer should also be able to adapt and customize to your needs.

During your workout, do they answer a cell phone, text, or talk to other clients during your session? If so, that is (in my opinion) unacceptable and you may wish to try someone else. You should be the center of the session. Do they chit chat? Some friendly talk is OK - but too much chatter = not enough exercise for you. The trainer should be checking your form and offering corrections and tips for proper form throughout. S/He should also be sensitive to how you feel - and push you - but not push you to the point of dizziness or vomiting.

Another option is to try some group sessions. You can often sign up with 2-4 people for a group session... that can help save money and give you a sense of what type of trainer you might like best.

Before I became a personal trainer, I had gone to culinary school, and had worked in restaurants and as a pastry chef for many years. I gained weight and it was starting to affect my overall health. i developed high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and irritable bowel syndrome. i was on all kinds of medications.

I was tired of feeling bad all of the time, and I decided to hire a trainer to help me lose weight. I hated it at first - but I stuck with it. Not long after, i started to notice a difference in how I looked and felt. After about 10 months, i was 40+ pounds lighter and strong as a beast - i was beginning to feel lie the athlete I was when I was doing martial arts years ago - I used to compete and I loved it. I love feeling strong and in shape - i never want to go back to my unhealthy ways. Exercise is an important part of my life again, and I eat healthy (and tasty, thanks to my chef skills) meals.

I went back to college and got my degree in Exercise Science, and I earned one of the most respected certificates in the field from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.I love helping others find the motivation to get strong and healthy - whatever that means to them. That said, I want to teach people to feel confident and safe working out in a gym, as well as be able to structure an effective workout on their own. i am not getting rich off PT, but I couldn’t think of doing anything else for a living.

You don’t work out, Bot. You’re not real.

At an absolute minimum , they should have a ISSA CPT and/or NASM CPT certification. This proves that they took formal training, passed exams and have proven themselves to be knowledgeable on the topics of anatomy & physiology, kinesiology and biomechanics, health and physical fitness, nutrition, and general fitness. The cost for the program is over $1000 and the pass rate is fairly low (only 72% for the NASM course, slightly higher for ISSM). Those with certs have proven their commitment and ability.

ISSA concentrates more on athletes, powerlifting and peak performance. NASM focuses more on healthy lifestyles, muscle imbalances and post-rehab.

Don’t pay someone without a cert and don’t take advice from the Planet Fitness part-timer Tiffany Starlight just because she looks really good in yoga pants. You’ll likely to be injured.

That depends what you want from a personal trainer?

Do you want someone to motivate you and keep you accountable? If that's the case then find someone who you clique with.

Do you want someone to coach you to become a better athlete?…. Oh boy… well that's going to take a lot of work. Depending on where you live the qualification to become a personal trainer ranges from an absolute joke to just a joke.

In Australia you have to do a 3 week course.. in some places in America they smash it out over a weekend. This is a serious issue that's honestly industry wide.

I did my certificate 3 in 2012, further training in 2013 with a certificate 4 and finally went to uni for sports science. I could link you to 5 Jeff nippard YouTube videos which would take you an hour to watch and you would know more about powerlifting and bodybuilding than I did up to 2016.

Sebastian Oreb, an amazing Aussie personal trainer who's been training the Mountain! In powerlifting, during an interview with Stefi Cohen said he had been a personal trainer for 16 years and for 10 of those he didn't know the difference between a high bar squat and a low bar squat….. and he's one of the best.

The bare minimum you should expect is that they have been involved with and winning competitions in what you want to be competitive in. Check their qualifications because anyone can win if their the only one who shoes up. Apart from that your going to have to do your research and not afraid to be wrong about people.

Regardless of the type of trainer you select, it's helpful to review the following checklist and give your trainer an objective assessment of your own. If your personal trainer doesn't pass each item on the list, you may want to continue looking for a trainer who does.

• You should check to see if your trainer is certified. There are many degrees and certifications for personal trainers, so it's not always easy to distinguish the good from the mediocre.Remember that having passed the test doesn't necessarily translate into being a skilled coach or personal trainer. Excellent personal training is as much of an art as a science, and your trainer should be able to translate all the research and best practice into a routine that works for you.
• They Perform Assessments a competent, qualified personal trainer not only has a plan but also documents your plan and tracks your progress. Without a baseline assessment, fitness training is like setting off on a journey with no map: you can still have a lot of fun, challenge yourself, learn something, and maybe even get results, but it's far less efficient and focused than when you have a map.
• They Focus on Progression and Rest after you've completed your baseline assessment and had a fairly extensive discussion about your goals, history, and lifestyle, a great trainer will do some homework. By the time you return for your first session, they'll have spent time reviewing your fitness assessment results, your daily commitments, and your overall goals, and they will have determined a reasonably detailed training plan.
• They Have Happy Clients most great trainers have happy, successful clients. You can ask for references and call a few of their past clients, if you have permission, and ask about their experience with that trainer. You can also have a meet and greet session to introduce yourself and get to know each other. Being able to get along and mesh well with your trainer is vital to a successful relationship.
• They Believe In You

There is a lot of types of (online) personal coaches. In my years of working out and running an online coaching business that consists of a large team of fitness professionals, I’ve seen people who:

• need the financial means to support their competitions (either bodybuilding, powerlifting or crossfit) - often the least interested in the clients themselves, they tend to look at the clients as ATM’s;
• think they are privileged to be a personal trainer just because they’ve been working out for years - a dangerous type, mostly in it for the ego and it’s pretty strange as they are often lead by dogmatic old believes, and they don’t really follow the trends or read studies;
• lost their identity- athletes who have been athletes their whole lives, and gym is the only safe zone, or where they can get hired easily;
• lost a lot of weight/put on a lot of muscle/got over some health problem and turned over their life around - can be a dangerous type, especially if they are in the game for a short period of time, but if they stick to it, read and learn a lot, they tend to understand their clients and speak their language better than the former groups;

And my personal best and favourite group of people to work together/hire them for my business:

• Personal trainers who are in it for the learning and experimenting, a.k.a. the crazy scientists - these tend to be fascinated by the human body, the anatomic and physiological processes and don’t just care about your regular presses and flexes. These coaches have very broad knowledge (strength, hypertrophy, mobility, nutrition, hormones, supplementation, plyiometrics, etc.), they get their certificates because they love learning and excelling, they’ve tried competing as a part of the learning journey, tried all their diets on themselves (because they are crazy scientists!) and don’t see you as their ATM or their frustration relief. They see you as a human, with your own characteristics and try to get the best out of you. They are professional, and know this is a business, and they are covered with marketing and customer service knowledge as well.

I gotta agree with Leonid up there.

I always viewed myself as a teacher first and foremost. I tended to get pretty involved with my clients, so their successes and rising self-esteem was incredibly gratifying for me. As a result, I didn't want to be just a temporary bandaid to their fitness/weight troubles. I wanted them to keep succeeding post-trainer - I wanted to teach them how to manage their weight, eat healthy, squat, deadlift and bench properly and safely on their own.

So, I think a trainer is worth it if you are willing to learn and apply the principles to your life independently of a trainer. Otherwise, you may just be dumping money at someone who simply counts out loud for you.

My initial motivations were that it would be a way to stay inside the athletic community. I was a multi-sport athlete, strength and conditioning as a profession allowed me to continue to be, rather than focusing my coaching ambitions into one sport specifically.

Ironically the newer research into motor skill development, and athletic development now generally follows that a multi-sport approach at least initially. A general skill-set period of development are key for people to specialize later in life anyway. I still get quite a bit of joy out of working with kids and setting them up for long-term athletic development, though I do not do much of this work anymore.

The longer I'm in this industry, the longer I realize that misinformation is the real problem more often than not. That and absolute statements. Human beings are biased, so we make biased and un-restrained claims. People truthfully say a lot of stupid stuff when it comes to fitness and diet and infer completely erroneous conclusions.

Stuff like Deadlifts or Squats are bad for you. Squats a certain way might be bad for a certain type of person, and glorious for another. There are generally modifications that can be made though to make an exercise suitable to a person too. Likewise, if you can't squat due to knee issues for instance, than a deadlift is a great alternative. Hence the deadlift is glorious for that person, but might be an issue with someone with terrible motor control and a disc issue. Or on the nutrition side, one that has recently become popular is that carbohydrates are bad for you (never mind that your body converts everything else into them for energy usage). They aren't; Over-consumption might be, but you could say that about any macronutrient. There are benefits to eating certain types, at certain times, for certain people. Or how about this one 'Fructose is bad for you,' which yes, if you're pounding back a few cokes a day, it probably is in the form of high-fructose corn-syrup, but the fructose found in fruits should hardly be a concern for 99.9% of people. Unfortunately, people don't seem to understand and be capable of applying CONTEXT. They'd rather just make sweeping statements about broad subjects.

In many cases the accusations are totally unwarranted; For years, we merely assumed that weight training was bad for kids, because it just seemed to make sense. There was no rhyme or reason, no research to indicate that strength training was bad for kids development. We just took what we knew about growth and development, and bone plates, and inferred that load must somehow impede growth and development.

I continue to battle this notion 20 years later. Despite a plethora of research indicating that it is actually really good for kids and getting exposure to a variety of stimulus is ideal; Particularly at a young age. The more general skills you develop early in the life, the easier it is to develop more specific physical skills later in life. Most of the movements in a gym setting are as 'general' as they get.

The 'crunch' might be another great example of a fallacy in fitness. We just love to feel the burn. Most educated people have known for decades that you can't spot reduce fat, so why do 100's of crunches post-workout all the same? I honestly think that some people just think it feels good (until they get injured) so they do it. Spine research in the last 15 years has clearly indicated that the traditional crunch movements puts 3000 Newtons of force into a small segment of the spine (rather than dispersing them more evenly into the active restraints like muscles) and this leads to a faster degradation of the spinal tissues particularly in the lumbar spine. Add rotation and flexion to the mix and you speed that degradation up even further (why is anybody doing bicycle crunches still?). The research is fairly clear that the primary role of the muscles in this part of the body are to provide stability (i.e. plank and variations) not movement. It's a fairly useless exercise, particularly at that volume people tend to do it at. You'll get enough bending and flexing and rotating of the spine in your natural movement environment, without deliberately trying to train it in such a way. You can get the same benefits with better exercise selection and a reduction of volume. I'm simply cannot fathom that I still even see trainers do core circuits at the end of workouts with 100's of repetitions of various lumbar bending. It makes no sense to do; Do 20-30 McGill Crunches every now and then maybe but there is no need to do so many more of any other style. Use a get-up sparingly for better effect, with a fraction of the volume. If you can do something for more than 50 reps and not feel completely spent, you're wasting your time.

At the other end of this spectrum you still have to provide context. Yes, many crunching type movements might not be particularly effective for training purposes (with some notable exceptions like gymnastics or dance in some cases). However, you're not likely to blow out a disk doing crunches either. They aren't 'dangerous,' just low reward, higher risk. Doing a few or including a few in your program isn't a terrible idea. I'm fond of progressing crunch type movements to get ups, hanging leg raises, etc... Where it makes sense.

So there is that, that really motivates me as well, the spread of bad information; Particularly in the absence of context. Clearly a lot of what I observe annoys me, unfortunately. Hopefully I see the day when very little does. People deserve to know and understand better information, how to make it applicable to their needs and learn how to better filter out terrible advice. The lack of understanding even with people who have degrees and diplomas in exercise science, is baffling to me sometimes.

However, all of this fails in comparison to my main motivations these days, that stem from my parents believe it or not and I've more recently diverted my focus to obesity. Both are overweight, one would be considered obese. Watching their pain, health problems, and general decay of their quality of life over the years is enough to motivate me to stay strong, athletic and pain-free personally -- However I've also been able to see what maintaining that lifestyle does to people in their 60's, 70's and 80's and lets just say that I want to be that guy when I'm that age and I see no reason why everyone else couldn't be there too.

No one should have to watch their health deteriorate, while they view the situation with hopeless abandonment. Most of the changes one sees from an exercise regime will still occur no matter your age (yet again another fallacy I suppose I'd like to right), and yet the older people get, the more they tend to give up on the idea or just continue to put it off.

We currently have a strong reliance on the medical system, unfortunately, and not a lot of self-reliance, which I believe is everyone's right. Everyone has a choice in and its become my mission to help people make better choices in this regard. There are basic skills and habits a person can form/learn in a relatively short amount of time that leads to prevention of an assortment of issues. Skills you can learn the same way you can learn about history or learn to knit, or write better, or build something. They just require a consistent effort over a period of time.

The thing about obesity I've observed is that what we're doing isn't and hasn't been working at all. My research points to psychology and behavior science delivered via feedback (which is the role of a coach essentially - to provide feedback) as a key component in its solution. Most people try to find 'the problem' as if it were only one, but in this case, the problem is multi-centric, so the answer must also be multicentric. A crucial component then in solving this particular problem is knowing that multi-centric problems require multi-centric solutions, and that's where I believe coaches (personal trainers, whatever...) will play a very influential role in the future. Disseminating quality information over a multitude of fields and helping people make influential tweaks based on solutions that ideally serve their needs. That's the next frontier to me.

In my pursuits, I've come to learn that the physical realm of our existence is a foundational level that allows all the other great stuff to happen in our lives. Good physical health translates into good cognition and intellect. It induces neurogenesis, forming new synapses within the brain (i.e. making you smarter). It provides a spiritual release, while also contributing heavily to mood and our emotional health. It allows us to do better work, contribute more to society, form better relationships, maintain better relationships (it brings people together too - like food), and handle our environments to better resolve. If you take the time to think about it everything needs to start with looking after ourselves to some extent. It sounds selfish, but how can we help others, if our lives are in shambles themselves? All of these components in life are of inter-related importance. I just believe that physical well-being is ignored by too many and provides some of the best transfer to improving all of those other areas.

The best personal trainer should possess the following qualities:

• They're Relatable.
• They Walk the Walk.
• They ask questions.
• They educate their clients.
• They're easy to understand.
• They Give Their Clients Homework.

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A great personal trainer listens to you and what you want to accomplish. A great personal trainer starts with you in the shape you’re in the day you both meet and works with you to develop your body to whatever fitness goals you want to achieve. A great personal trainer knows the balance between challenging your body but not causing injury. And of course there has to be that connection between the two of you of trust and admiration. I’m really intuitive. I can tell when someone is the right fit for me. I had a great personal trainer. I still think about his confidence in me to accomplish things beyond anything I could have imagined. I hope you find the same thing. Best of luck…

There are many people out there who are in fitness industry. Many of the best trainers are underdogs because they don’t get any platform to grow. And many of them are really very famous out there. Now if you are planning to get trained by a personal trainer, you must test them with your questions. Before surrendering yourself to them, test their knowledge, communication skills, behavior, etc. Ask them as many questions as you can imagine. If they are able to answer all your questions with all based on facts backed by science, that person is right for you. If that person diverting your questions and not answering them directly or indirectly, forget that guy and run from there. There are plenty of things with come into play. See we like to get trained by a personal trainer but when it comes to actual training, we back off and try to ignore their instruct. The best trainer will take out the best of yours in your worst condition. They have their ways to influence you, like some verbal ques that will inspire you to keep going. You must enjoy training with them and people does obey them when they believe in them that whatever that trainer is teaching me is based on facts and not misguiding me. So choosing a best trainer in town also require some efforts and skillset. Nowadays, we are lucky that we are surrounded by literate and educated trainers. Still keep these points in mind. Never ever get tired of asking question your trainer should not be getting tired by listening yours.

I think with anything you are going to have to try a few different trainers around.

• Trust your instincts
• Don’t let them sell you on some contract
• Make sure they understand YOUR needs

There are so many different kind of trainers so make sure you know what you want, then you know what kind of trainer to look for.

Don’t think just your personal goals, i.e. lose weight, gain more muscle.

1. What kind of person would motivate me? A hardass, comforting
2. What kind of workouts do I honestly like to do? Lift weights, sport specific, high intensity, running
3. What is the one thing is stopping me from getting to my fitness goals and how can a personal trainer help me? <<< This is the most important one.

Good luck with your search. Keep us posted.

tl;dr. They care and make you feel like they genuinely care. They make you want to get better. They give great advice in a way that you can handle. They push you and show you techniques to do new, fun exercises and use different machines.

It's a lot like having any coach, mentor or tutor who's great.

I've never paid for a personal trainer. Because I'm cheap and sometimes I didn't have to pay because it was part of my membership or a work perk.

When I was at Morgan Stanley and a member of the Harvard Club in New York City, I either had free personal training sessions - like when I worked in London - or the personal trainers just helped me.

It was great. The best gyms I think have personal trainers that are paid a salary.

The good ones really care. You can tell.

They're super happy when you work out a lot and ask questions and let them show you ways to do different exercises and use the machines correctly.

When I had periods when I couldn't make it to the gym, they would ask my coworkers where I was. Like all the time. Until my coworkers would tell me and be like, they really like you.

I dislike gyms where the personal trainers loiter in the gym, looking for new clients. I feel like I'm at some MLM place where I'm a potential victim.

The best personal training program is the one that gets you the job you want.

There are many companies that can award you with a personal training certificate, but like any job, it depends on the company what they want. Some companies prefer you’re are NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) certified. Some prefer ACE (American Council on Exercise). Some gyms don’t require you to be certified at all. Some are fairly dismissive of just a certification, or certifications at all. Some gyms have a proprietary certification that only they issue.

Think of where you might want to work. Check their website, talk to the trainers at their gym. The program doesn’t necessarily make you a good or bad personal trainer, it’s everything else you put into it. Do you shadow other trainers? Do you read books on nutrition, genetics role in athleticism, the psychology of habits? All this will contribute to making you a personal trainer worth paying for.

5 Best Personal Trainer Certifications [2020 Prices & Reviews]

Was asked to answer this:

• Most high class gyms have personal trainers connected to them and work for the gym or know who you can contact.
• Clinical physical therapists also have PT certifications and or do work extra as PT when it comes to rehab work and further training. These are some of the best trainers who can show you moves you haven't even thought of. You find those people within the healthcare sector connected to your doctor's office, your local hospital or that they have practices of their own.
• Look for training courses called army training on the internet and if you have firms close by where you live. Army training is a new training form and as the name says adapted from the army. Often these courses have personal trainers connected to them, where you can hire people.
• You also have mobile apps now on the market that you can download and that work with recommending personal trainers in the PE section.

The internet will solve most of your problems if you know what to look for, and you personal network.Personal trainers are like wives (or if you are women) like husbands. If you find one, it does not mean it will work out. Checking out their credentials will only get you to a certain level. A lot has to do with personal interaction and chemistry and if you believe that a PT can help you. Also, most of these PT sessions are expensive, so see to it that you have a budget for it.

I guess it depends on how much you value your health. If you value your health as I do, as the most important asset in life, then you will find the engagement of a quality personal trainer, to be the best return on investment decision you will ever make in your life.

Sure it cost money to engage a quality personal trainer, but what quality product doesn't. But compare that cost of engaging a personal trainer to the benefits you derive from the engagement, and you will soon discover the great value that a quality personal trainer can make to your life.

Here is what my quality personal trainer Jonny "B Bad" from Fortitude Barbell, Brisbane has done for me in the past 6 years that I have been with him:

• He gave me the motivation and program needed to reduce my weight from 120kg (265lb) to the 88kg (195lb) that I weigh today.
• He taught me how to safely train with and lift weights like bench press, back squat and deadlift and has coached me to a world record for my age and weight class with a 220kg deadlift.
• He is constantly looking out for my overall health including what I eat, my stretching exercises, my water intake and my cardio workouts that have resulted in 100% of the recent 50 blood test markers, all positioned within the healthy and acceptable ranges.
• His skills, training programs, motivation and encouragement has given me a vitality at 60, when most people my age are struggling to manage and cope with the debilitating physical effects of aging.

I depend on my personal trainer so much that my family believe that I have outsourced my health to him ... it's hard to argue against their assessment.

It’s a trial and error process. Try out a few sessions with a couple trainers. See which one you like and go with them for a bit.

If you’re totally new to fitness, just go with a personality hire on the first one. You’re much more likely to be consistent with a trainer you enjoy spending time with. Reevaluate after the habit is formed if you aren’t seeing the results you want.

If you have an idea of what type of training you like, shop at gyms that focus on that. No sense trying to find a cardio trainer at your local strength gym. If you want a casual environment, don’t go to a CrossFit gym.

Gyms have a culture to them, the trainers are likely part of it.

You could try a gym and ask the people there, both staff and members what they think of the trainers.

Another option to consider is an online trainer. If you have baseline movements down already, this can be a great option. Having more availability to trainers means you can find a trainer for your exact situation. If you’re a pilot and mainly have access to hotel gyms and a weird schedule, there is a trainer that specializes in just training pilots. Probably going to be more expensive, but just google for the profession or skill plus “trainer”. Look through the top couple options.

Lastly, if you want an in home trainer, I have no clue, but you probably have enough money to access better resources than me.

Bottom line here, try a few trainers from a couple different gyms, maybe even online. Pick one based on personality and past results.

A personal trainer is like a guru guiding you in your difficult times. He is the company you would like to have both in the gym and outside too, constantly motivating and enriching you with knowledge as to how to keep your body and mind fit.

I would suggest you understand your daily routine in life. If you are dedicated and passionate about fitness and bodybuilding and can give adequate time every day only then I would recommend you to have a personal trainer. Training your body and mind is not an easy task. There are a lot of things to take care of. A person has to be knowledgeable to get results quickly. This is because no matter how hard you are working out if your posture and your diet are not correct then my friend you will not see results any time soon.

A personal trainer is one who can guide you overcome all these difficulties. However, at the same time, there is only one thing that he will demand and that is your time. So, if you are sure that you can devote time to your future to lead a healthy life than there is no need for any second thoughts. Invest in a personal trainer.

He is the one who will help you get what you always desired. Starting from a regular regime to planning your day to day meals to motivating you outside the training center as well, he will take care of all your needs. Patience is the key. Believe in him and you will definitely see results.

Just do simple finger exercise by clicking on Upvote, it triggers me to write more on Health & Wellness :)

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I would advise you look at the profession in the big picture.

1. Are you doing it for the right reasons?
2. Do you know how much money personal trainers make?
3. Do you know what the business model is?
4. Are you fit or strong yourself?
5. What can you bring to the profession that will help people?

I ask these simple questions as they are important in developing yourself as a PT and as a business person. It is idealistic to venture after a profession such as PT because it is a lovely profession to have. It comes with lot of perks but also is prone to burnout and people usually have short careers 5–10 years because they haven’t thought of the bigger picture.

Usually it just involves taking a private course in personal training followed by continuous professional development. You need to be somewhat fit but not superman/woman. Your most important asset will be how you can connect with people. Empathy is a hidden trait of the PT that does not get enough attention.

I am sure you will be a fine PT, here is a video of me with a client after she came through anorexia, bulimia, and depression through PT. The client in question failed to connect with psychotherapists, and psychiatrists. I completely respect both fields and have the upmost respect for both fields but sometimes in PT you will be cases where you need to notice these behaviours in people. I kept myself well read and communicated with her family about her previous attempts at therapy. PT’s can make a real difference in peoples lives. This was the source of my inspiration for PT. I met thousands of people like this young lady and is the reason I am pursing higher levels of care.

The OCEAN model of personality traits is a good model to read up on and the book by Matt Jarvis on Sports Psychology a students handbook is a excellent source of information to learn about people. People will tell you everything about themselves so you need to be aware of the professional boundaries involved. There is so much more involved than just teaching fitness classes if you want to become a competent professional. It is good to link in with like minded therapists in your area to refer clients on when you are unsure. If you do become qualified, I would advise linking up with a psychologist as a resource to refer clients whom you suspect could benefit from their help.

Which is the best personal trainer certificate comes down to evaluating some individual factors, such as:

• Your career goals
• Your budget
• Your schedule/timeline

Take some time to think about these first. Then, you can pick the best personal trainer cert based on your needs. Here are some to consider:

• IPTA: This is the least expensive and fastest cert to earn. The program is 4-6 weeks long, 100% online, and very affordable. It is NCCA-accredited, and goes in-depth while still being approachable to newbies. The focus is on teaching practical skills for real world application.
• NASM: This is a good certification for applying to gym jobs, or for working with people who need to do corrective exercises.
• ACE: ACE is a general-purpose personal trainer cert. While it is a quality cert, it is not as affordable as IPTA, and is also more challenging.
• ISSA: Nutrition and other specialties are combined with personal training certification.
• NSCA: This cert should be considered if your goal is to train athletes.

Out of all of these, my personal favorite is IPTA. This is the cert that I earned. It took me about a month, and helped me get my current job as a personal trainer at a private gym.