What is a Personal Trainer?

Hello again everyone, and I hope you had a safe and Happy Easter. The trees and flowers are in bloom and everywhere you look you see new growth.

About a week ago there was a question from someone in my local newspaper: “Does anyone know of a good personal trainer in the Williamsburg area that charges reasonable rates?” Having owned a Personal Training business here for the past three years I can understand this question.

However, I have found that “reasonable” is not always “realistic”. To some people paying more than $10 for a Personal Training session is not reasonable; for others, that have worked with Personal Trainers, they know that quality Personal Training will cost more than just joining a gym.

I have also found that most people have no idea what a reputable Personal Trainer is, or what they do. You can go to almost any fitness studio and contract to work out with a so-called personal trainer. That person will usually show you how to use various exercise equipment and set up exercises for you to do. Almost anyone that exercises on a regular basis can do that for you.

A few months ago one of our clients was at a local family fitness center. While her child was playing she decided to get on one of their treadmills. She noticed the center’s “personal trainer” put a client on a piece of exercise equipment; then proceed to talk to another trainer and text and talk on the phone while that client was working out. He then approached my client and asked if she was interested in hiring him to train her. She told him that she already had a Personal Trainer and that she had noticed how he treated his client. She told him that her Trainer would never walk away from her while she was exercising; that he worked her through each and every exercise in her session and she had his attention 100% of the time.

A true Personal Trainer is certified, usually through one of the Top Five Certification Programs like the American Council on Exercise (ACE) or has a Degree in Kinesiology. When I was studying for my ACE Certification my wife commented that the study guide looked like one that a doctor would use. A true Personal Trainer has to know all the bones and muscles in the body, how they work and how to use those muscles to either tone up, gain strength and lose weight. Each session should work towards the client’s fitness goals while providing a safe exercise program. The Personal Trainer must take into account each client’s physical or age limitations, and must be able to work around any unexpected daily problem.

If you look at session sheets for 10 of our clients on a daily basis, each one is different, because each client is different. A Personal Training session is not “one size fits all”.

Because of the fact that most people here do not know what a Personal Trainer does, there are often many misconceptions. One of my clients was talking to my wife the other day; this client has been with us a while and looks and feels wonderful. She happens to own a business here in Williamsburg and said that many of her clients have noticed how great she looks. However, when she tries to explain what she is doing to look so great they will often come back with “oh, that must be expensive” or “that sounds hard; I couldn’t do that”. Well, of course you can’t do that; if you don’t try you can’t do anything!

Most people will use anything as an excuse. I have people constantly come into my Studio complaining about how they are out of shape, feel terrible and are on a list medications. However, when it actually comes down to committing to a fitness program they just can’t do it.

The most common excuse today is the expense (of anything!). We have clients from all walks of life and some of them truly cannot afford our services, but somehow they do. They feel that the cost is worth the results; they can get off medication, look and feel great and are proud of their accomplishments.

What kind of Quality of Life will you choose? You have but one Life to Live.