A good personal trainer?

What makes a good personal trainer?

Great question.

It’s what I was asked when I told a friend I wanted to hire a personal trainer for myself.

Life’s gotten crazy busy and showing up for weight training is easier if you’ve booked a specific time with someone. A ready-made incentive. It’s all about that commitment thing.

Years ago I hired a trainer and he was good. Really good. In fact he was so good he left Vancouver and got a job training Farah Fawcett. I do know he enjoyed training her more than me. Yes… hard to believe, but true.

The bottom line is a personal trainer has to be certified. That is a given. You need credentials.

What people might not know is there are different types of certifications from different governing bodies. I’m certified with the International Sports Sciences Association out of California. They fit the philosophy and style of training I wanted to pursue. So far, so good.

But no amount of certificates or credited courses or years in the business will make you a great trainer. Sure, it all helps, but I believe there is only one deciding factor.

A great personal trainer has to care about their client.

It took me years to embrace this concept but once I did my business started to really grow. I made the decision to only work with people I liked. That way it was easy to care about them. And when I cared about them I genuinely wanted them to be happier. I was much more motivated to help them reach their specific goals.

And trust me… everyone has different goals. You have to find out what they are.

When I take on a client I end up spending hours and hours with them. Life is just better when you are with people you like and appreciate.

And as much as you think you can fake caring about a client, in the end it doesn’t work. At least it hasn’t for me.

The guy who left me for Farrah Fawcett? I always got the feeling he enjoyed my company. Yes, I bitched when he had me do too many squats, but we laughed the whole time. When he told me he was leaving for LA he seemed sad to go. He said he would miss our sessions. I believed him.

And because I felt he cared, I did squats to make him proud.

Everyone ends up happy.

So will I get a great personal trainer to help me get into better shape?

Maybe the bigger question is…

How can you tell if someone really cares?

Maybe it’s the person that will be with you at the finish line?