How To Hire A Personal Trainer And Get The Best Deal Possible And How To Avoid Being Scammed!

Hiring a personal trainer can be an anxiety producing experience!

Hiring a personal trainer is expensive and your concerned because you want the most “bang for your buck.” In other words you want results and you want to get those results as soon as possible, but you don’t want to hurt yourself in the process.

As in any other profession, there are good personal trainers, a few bad ones, and some nightmares!!!

As a fitness and weight loss professional for the past five years I’ve seen it all…the good, the bad and the ugly. So you see, I feel that it’s now my duty to reveal the Truth about Trainers and to make sure you get the best…and more importantly…avoid the worst!

What do all those credentials and degrees really mean?

Credentials mean nothing and the reason I say this is because when I graduated with my exercise science degree from the University of Florida, and I passed the National Strength and Conditioning Associations certification exam (one of the toughest in the industry), I knew absolutely NOTHING about working with clients and getting them results.

This is an completely unregulated industry we’re talking about here, no licensing, no state certification, no national certification, and over 75 certifying organizations for personal trainers. You could get a trainer that completed a weekend study course or one that has a Ph.D. in exercise physiology.

Now of course you’re asking…

So Adam, “If credentials mean nothing, how do I evaluate a trainer?”

The answer is simple…

Proof. Proof. Proof.

1. Proof in the form of at least 3 client testimonials or success stories.

2. Proof in the form of at least 3 fitness related professional references.

3. Proof in the form of publications they have written.

4. And finally…Proof in the form of actual before and after pictures making it crystal clear that they know how to get the results.

If the trainer can provide you with 2 out of 3 of these forms of proof then you’ve got a winner and be willing to pay a premium for their services…otherwise move the heck on because these trainers do exist.

Adam, “What about private v. semi-private v. small group training?”

Small group training and semi-private training are two of the fastest growing trends in the personal training industry. There is one simple reason for this…profit.

Yes, it may seem like you’re getting a deal with semi-private and small group training, but what kind of a deal is the trainer getting???

Let’s look at a simple example…

Let’s say that I’m a trainer who charges $65 per session for private, one-on-one training and I decide to begin offering small group training (typically 3 to 6 people training at the same time). Each person training in the small group will pay me $20 per session…not bad right?

Now look at it this way…that same trainer has now increased his per session rate by $55 to $120…and you are no longer getting the private one-on-one attention that you would otherwise.

Great deal for the trainer but what about YOU???

Now, in no way am I suggesting that you won’t get outstanding results by working in a group rather than training one-on-one. Because reports and testimonial have shown that semi-private and small group training can sometimes be more effective than one-on-one training.

The bottom line is that if you want to know what’s going on behind the scenes then you need to know why the industry is moving in the direction of semi-private and small group training and the answer is leverage!

If you decide to go with small group or semi-private training, I strongly suggest that you don’t pay for a large package of sessions up front. The reason I’m telling you to do this is because you might find out after the first session that group training is not right for you.

Adam, “Are there any trainers that actually guarantee results?”

The answer is yes and you shouldn’t hire a trainer that won’t agree to give you 100% of your money back if you do not achieve the results you desire. This is just another way for a trainer to show what they can do, and shows they stand behind their work.

There is a catch however that any smart fitness professional would include with their money back guarantee…that catch is that you must keep up your end of the bargain by doing what the trainer says, and if you don’t…the guarantee is void. And I think this is fair.

What about rates???

Adam, “What about rates for hour v. half hour sessions?”

Average rates are a difficult subject because it’s really dependant on where you live. Here in Central Florida, where I live, I would say the average rates are between $50 and $60 per hour and $25 and $45 per half hour.

Now, if you want to look at South Beach, Miami…the average rates for an hour are more like $75 and $100 and half hour sessions run $55 to $75. But…that’s South Beach.

Again, if you are evaluating a trainer that has several of the 4 forms of proof that I gave you previously, be willing to pay a premium because you are guaranteed results.

The truth about half hour sessions v. hour sessions is this…

Honestly, for most people, an entire hour is just way too long to spend training. A good trainer can get you the same results, in 30 minutes than they could in 60 minutes. But if they really, really push the hour…you should be concerned about their skill level and are they just trying to make more money.

Again, unless you are a real body builder or an athlete with some intense physical challenge ahead of you…hour sessions are just too much. Go for the half hour!!!

“If a trainer tells you this, run like heck!!!”

Almost anyone who lives in the USA has heard this age-old (annoying) mantra of the health and fitness professionals…

They say it’s unhealthy to lose more than 1 to 2 pounds per week.

Pardon my French here…but that is utter B.S.

You are born with a natural weight set point…It’s not talked about much because basically the diet, drug, supplement, and weight loss surgery industries don’t want you to know about it.

Your natural weight set point is programmed in to your genetic code…and guess what…It’s not programmed to OVERWEIGHT!

It is a proven fact that if you put the eat the rights things at the right times and exercise the right way…your body will return to it’s natural weight set point. This is the secret to accelerated weight loss.

It’s perfectly healthy to lose weight rapidly!

Here’s urging you to stay strong!

I’ve written an entire e-book about this topic and it’s called, “How I Lost 16 Pounds in 21 Days Without Diets, Drugs, Supplements, or Surgery!”

16in21 is a true account of how I lost 16 pounds in 21 days using the principles behind the body’s weight set point. It worked for me and it can work for you to.

The e-book is available for immediate download at http://www.16in21.com/

I hope I’ve helped you become better educated with this information. If you have any further questions or concerns don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected], and I’ll be happy to address them at my earliest convenience.

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