“Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result.”
Bob Proctor
What was your last health and fitness goal? Be honest with me and answer this - did you accomplish that goal ? If your answer is yes, are you still maintaining that goal ? If your answer is no to either of these questions, it means you are here to find out why you need a personal trainer - or even better, me!
Accountability
We all crave someone to tell us when we have done a good job. Maybe even more important, is someone who can tell us when we need to improve. A person to keep us accountable once we’ve committed. A person who makes us look in the mirror and see our only opponent. Someone who tracks our progress so we don’t have to. You hire a personal trainer to do all of these things. They will hold you accountable and free up that brain space, so you can improve your health and fitness with ease, without even thinking about it.
Let’s talk about what makes a good personal trainer. First and foremost, a personal trainer will hold you accountable, ensuring and encouraging you to SHOW UP for every session. They will always put your safety first when working out, and pay attention to your form, teaching you to understand how it feels when your form is good or bad. A legitimate health professional will make you feel confident about the exercises chosen for your program, guiding you every step of the way. They should recognize when to push on the gas as well as when to take the foot off of the pedal.
Your personal trainer should listen to you, motivate you, inspire you and answer any clarifying questions yo might have (save the life questions for after the workout, form and fitness questions only during sets, haha). Now that you know what you are looking for, we can get to the rest.
Safety
The most important reason to hire a personal trainer is safety. “Safety First” is what the world tells us be for any and everything we do in life. Before you start a car you put your seatbelt on, prior to getting on a roller coaster you have pass the height test and before we jump into the deep end of the pool the lifeguard must be sure you can swim. It is the same in health and fitness. Before you start a program, a personal trainer needs to to be sure there are no injuries or concerns stopping you from proceeding with your program. If there are injuries or concerns, your trainer will need to figure out how to work around them, or, if the injuries are too big to work around, you must wait to begin. Safety should be your trainer’s number one priority.
Once your new coach has all the information they need, they are going to supply you with a variety of options to not only make you stronger, but to also teach you the best ways to avoid getting injured or ever being concerned about getting injured again. A great personal trainer will make sure your workouts are strong as well as safe on a consistent basis. Be sure to communicate with your trainer about how you feel in mind and body. It helps no-one to be shy about these things. In case of a fire, “Stop, drop and roll.” Safety tip number one when stepping into any new gym.
Confidence
Confidence is key when it comes to a wellness program. Confidence begins with trust in your personal trainer. When you step into any new program it is important to know you are on the right path. Know you’ve chosen the right gym, the right class, and of course the right trainer. Every great personal trainer has been trained in the art of teaching, inspiring and motivating you. It is the job of your trainer to instill the knowledge necessary for you to confidently flow through your individual workouts as well as the entirety of the plan laid out in front of you both. Without confidence there is doubt. When there is doubt we are unsure. When we are unsure it leads to insecurity and this leads to a lack of progression. Confidence is the key to unlocking the door to the next level of your progression.
Guidance & Clarification
Let’s use this broccoli analogy to paint a picture of why you need guidance and clarification. Broccoli is known to have a phenomenal nutritional profile, containing Vitamin C, antioxidants and it is also loaded with fiber. It is also a cruciferous vegetable and can cause gas and bloating for some people. More often then not you have run into an article with a headline reading something like this, “Is Broccoli Responsible for the price of gas?”, with a photo of broccoli and a person with a bloated look on their face. Chances are you did not read the article. This was enough to stop you from eating broccoli and reaping the benefits of a healthy vegetable. Is it possible that too much or an ill prepared serving of broccoli can make you gassy ? Yes. Is it common when broccoli is prepared properly and you consume the correct serving size ? No. Which brings me to guidance and clarification. Who are you supposed to ask ? How much? How often? How to prepare? You ask your personal trainer! Even if they do not know off of the top of their heads, it is their job to find the answers top the pressing questions that are playing on your mind. Your coach is there to clarify the misinformation and guide you to the pearls of wisdom.
Guidance also plays a huge part of when it comes to exercising or working out. When you are at the gym, you hear, “lower, higher, keep your chest up, lean back, send your hips back and let me show you.” The list goes on. A trail mix of different training styles and ideas that you are supposed to decipher into your own exercise, workout or training regimen. Because there are so many different fitness cocktails on the menu it is important that you have a personal trainer to clarify. Proper form is paramount to your safety, clarification works wonders for your confidence and your personal trainer should guide you through both.
Listener & Teammate
If your personal trainer does not listen to what you have to say, run for the hills because it means they are not interested in you. When it comes to the health of another human being, listening may be the most important topic of this article. It goes both ways. If you are not going listen to your trainer then what did you hire them for ? You need a personal trainer who listens to the buzz on (e.g., new studies that disprove the old, changes in diet ideologies, and even new workout equipment). You want a personal trainer to listen to you and you should want to listen to them. You need them to be a good teammate you can work with, trust and grow with. You’ll want to bounce ideas off of one another in order to create the confidence necessary to succeed everyday. Your trainer is there to motivate you, rise with you in spirit everyday and attack it as if it is yours, because it is. Your trainer will inspire you to push through every second like a champion. Everyone needs a personal trainer. Even other personal trainers.
One last thing before I conclude. If your trainer does not walk the walk and talk the talk, again you run for those hills into the sunset. Take your time to find the right trainer for you. Find the coach meant for you as you set out on this journey to build and strengthen your health and fitness goals. The right trainer is key to having the experience you deserve.
In conclusion...
I am that type of coach. I will make you feel safe. I will make you feel confident. I will guide you. When you have questions I will clarify for you. I will listen to you, take what you give me and teach you like a true health therapist. I will breathe with you every step of the way. Inspire when you need need it, motivate you when you don’t have it as well as when you do. It is what I do.
Are there other great trainers out there ? Of course there are. You just have to know what to look for. I hope this article helps. Find the right fit for your lifestyle, let them work their magic and fly.
“If you can achieve victory over your body, no one in the world can exercise power over you.”
Katotrainmeplease 🦅