Screen a potential trainer with the same care that you use to screen a poten-
tial employee. And don’t be afraid to try someone new if you don’t hit it off
with the first trainer. It’s your time, your money, and your health we’re talking
about. Our friend Daniel was thoroughly demoralized by his first trainer. “The
guy kept looking at himself in the mirror and then pulling up his shirt and
showing me his abs,” Daniel recalls. “Then he’d stick me on some machine
without showing me any technique and leave me there while he’d go talk to
some girl.” It took Daniel four years to muster the courage to hire another
trainer. “I should never have waited so long,” says Daniel, who’s now a confi-
dent lifter and a regular in the weight room.
The following sections tell you what to consider when investigating trainers.
Certification .........................................................................................
As with many other occupations and professions, the fitness industry offers
certification tests. A certification is by no means a guarantee of competence,
but getting certified by quality organizations is a time-consuming, pain-in-
the-butt process. You have to study for at least a few months and then spend
a full day taking a test. At the very least, going through this process shows
commitment: You know that the trainer isn’t just doing this job because it pays
better than her old job as a bike messenger. And by getting the certification,
trainers surely pick up enough to have a basic level of competence.
Still, some mighty unqualified people show up for these exams. While proc-
toring a recent certification test, Liz asked one candidate to demonstrate a
thigh stretch. He sat down on the floor and twisted one of his legs behind
him, then began scooting himself forward on the floor. When Liz asked why
he was doing that, the candidate explained that the maneuver shocks the
muscle into stretching. He admitted that the stretch was indeed as painful as
it looked, but said that was an unfortunate but necessary part of the exercise.
Although Liz was technically not allowed to offer candidates her opinion, she
felt compelled to tell the guy that he should never, ever, everuse that tech-
nique with a client.
High-quality certifying organizations weed out bozos like that. However, some
organizations certify any breathing body. These schools are sometimes adver-
tised on late-night TV or in the back of fitness magazines (alongside the ads
for legitimate schools). You definitely don’t want a trainer who graduated
from the National Correspondence School of Diesel Mechanics, TV Repair,
and Personal Training. If you’re skeptical, ask to see a copy of the actual
certificate.
Chapter 4: Hiring a Trainer 47