We are constantly bombarded with the examples of people in their prime, living impossibly amazing lives, with body aesthetics that society dictates we covet. And that permeates historically and deeply into the fitness industry at large.
These things can then be weaponized using modern marketing techniques based in the ‘lack mentality’. This is when you see something that you didn’t know you wanted until you were shown how much you’re missing by not having said things or looking a certain way.
So with this being a really common way of trying to get you to buy services or hire a fitness professional, regardless of whether that is where you are coming from, we wanted to take a moment to go through what we think (and yes – this is subjective based on our experience both in the industry and as clients ourselves) makes a good checklist for you to go through when looking for a fitness professional to work with.
And for all of you that claim pragmatism in hiring a fitness professional, (as in – “I’m not looking for X body, I just need help with Y or Z”), we truly believe that these will still apply to you.
- What is your focus?
This one is the heart of the matter. Your goals, your needs, your focus. You’re the one that comes to the fitness professional with the ask, and based on what you’re needing / wanting, it should immediately start to filter the long list of available trainers for you.
If you’re just out of physio after a knee replacement, and looking for training to get back into hiking then you’re obviously looking for someone that has training, certification, education or experience with your circumstance. Finding someone who can train you for hiking strength and endurance would be a wider cast than someone who can do that while specifically making sure that the new knee is getting the support that it needs and safely progressing you towards your goal. - What are they offering?
Do they speak to a specific focus in their own practice with clients? Some fitness professionals offer services that work with specific populations or situations. Someone that advertises that they work with pre or post natal moms may not be the best choice for you based on the incongruence of your needs against their advertised skills.
Now this doesn’t mean that they can’t help you – and sometimes application of non-linear education or skills can be a boon for your progress, but that also requires that you take the chance on that or help guide them by maintaining your own self-efficacy with them. It’s a lot more work sometimes than you want or can accommodate. So just make sure that you are comfortable squaring their offering against your needs. - Can we chat?
Working with a fitness professional can be a premium service for many people. Making sure that you’re able to find the common language and feel comfortable with a fitness professional is vitally important to a burgeoning relationship that involves trust, vulnerability and risk.
Many fitness professionals will offer some form of offer to allow you to ‘try them out’. It may not be free, but it will always allow you to have exposure with the person before committing to any longer term service.
A really important component is your sanctity in this situation. Sometimes fitness professionals are like any other person selling an item or service, and they have a vested interest in ‘landing’ a new client. So go in with your critical thinking skills at the fore. Here are some tips about what we think are important things to check in with while in conversation (or even when looking at their ads or website). - Are they saying what you need to hear?
Sometimes part of the pitch can be fitting you into a box that they are comfortable with, and it can sound really compelling (because they’re well versed). But later when you’re thinking about it you find yourself negotiating internally or trying to convince yourself of how their statements apply to you.
And honestly – sometimes they’re right! Maybe something is hard to hear and they’re being honest – which is great.
But sometimes you can’t resolve their statements against your needs or wants. And that’s ok. If it feels like a no at that point, it’s okay to move on if you want, or commit to a shorter term service contract. Sometimes if there’s only a long-term contract and you’re not feeling good about it, there’s something wise in your higher mind that’s trying to protect you. - Are they telling you what you need to hear?
This is a tricky one, because it’s a double entendre. In our experience with talking to people for the first time, there is a fine line between agreeing to service someone’s needs to achieve a goal and ‘blowing smoke’. If someone were to come to us and say they want to lose an extraordinary amount of weight in a short time (or even a long time), we have to be honest about the circumstance with them because we’re put into a position of influence in that moment that could be taken advantage of.
Here’s the double entendre part: If we tell them that they can do it, no problem, just to get them to sign up for service, then we’re starting the relationship off on a lie that we’re aware of and that – inevitably – the client will become aware of as well when they don’t start seeing the results that they were promised. So that’s the professional telling the client what they need to hear to make the sale.
On the other side (the more ethical side, we’d argue), in the same scenario we’d have to explain to the client that the goal as stated is in an extreme that requires a lot of time, energy, resource and – frankly – discomfort to achieve. If the client can mitigate their expectation by setting a longer timeline, and agree to setting up milemarker goals along the way, there’s a much better chance of success. By having this initial discussion and being frank and honest about what we understand, we set both the client and ourselves up for a much better experience along the way, and a better relationship off the jump. And, if honest, we see those results a lot more than if someone is starting from a fraught place of extreme expectations. We don’t want to disappoint you, and we don’t want you to feel bad about yourself. You’re doing good work, have good ideas, and we’re here to support you and help you reach those goals that you want for yourself.
- What are they offering?
Sometimes fitness professionals offer an introductory period for free, or a reduced session price for the first time. They may even offer a package discount to start, which is great. But what do you do after that? Sometimes trainers offer a range of packages, but sometimes there’s only long packages on offer or contracts for service for a long time. If you’re staring down the barrel of an annual contract after a single session or short package of sessions, there is also usually associated marketing that includes pressure tactics meant to make you feel like you’re lesser if you don’t sign up to the long package. But if you block out that noise, you need to know a few things about what’s being offered: - How does the service work?
Are you limited to certain times or equipment? Do the times offered work for you now? Is there a mechanism in case you need to change because of changes in your life? What is included? Are there any ‘guarantees’? (Make notes of these types of things – they can help if you’re trying to get out of onerous contracts.) - What are their refund/cancellation/late policies?
This one is pretty normal to have clearly labeled because it benefits the professional or business that you’re working with. But even if it’s a casual contract – even a ‘handshake’ deal – make sure you know what this is and have it in writing to refer back to when needed.
Another aspect is the ‘quid pro quo’ angle. Many fitness professionals will block times where they have clients in succession, so what happens when they run late? Do you get your full value of time even if someone’s after you? Do you have to shift your time to accommodate them? If you’re flexible, that’s great – but what about when you’re not?
How about if they cancel on short notice? What will they accommodate for you then? Usually they have a 24hr cancel policy (that’s pretty standard), so what about you?
Most professionals will be accommodating in some manner of fashion, but it’s still good to have this conversation before you commit, just so that you are comfortable. And again, if this can be written down then all the better.
That brings us to the ugly word – refund. What happens if your time or material circumstance changes? What kind of accommodation is there for that? Many businesses have gotten away from the quasi-legal practice of admin-fee claw-back schemes when processing refunds, but some still do. Good to know if they have any policies as such and decide whether it feels right to continue once you know! - Prepare your questions… and also your answers
So having an effective list of questions for a fitness professional is a great thing to do. And the standards of fees, education, available times, modalities, references, or anything else are great to have at the ready…but it’s a two-way street. When a new client approaches us, we have a litany of questions that we’re going to pepper them with, the first usually being “how can we help?” This question is more than just a question, though. It’s the start of the mystery podcast all about you. We’re going to ask about goals, expectations, flexibility, understanding and start to build our case file of your wants or needs.
So much as you’re interviewing us, we’re also interviewing you. Because if we understand that we’re not a good fit, then we may know someone who is, or will want to communicate that to you at the earliest possible time so that you can continue your search efficiently.
We’ll want to talk pretty openly about physical history and any pertinent medical history as well. It’s good to have a quick look at your own history of surgeries, injuries, medications and more so that we can have a full and honest discussion that is super beneficial to you getting what you want out of the sessions with your fitness professional. - How do you feel?
Their looks don’t translate to your success.
Look at sports teams or other events where you can see the coach on the sideline. The coach tends to look nothing like the athletes that they’re working with. Ted Lasso wouldn’t be able to jump on the pitch and play any position with the Greyhounds, right?
Well in the opposite way, there is a bias where people look for a trainer that has the body that they want to have, or is in the category of ‘fit to sexy’. But this is no guarantee of your success.
Do not covet what others have, and do not use that as a measure to think that they can help you get to success.
That’s not to say that people in impressively athletic bodies can’t help, it’s just not a guarantee.
Further, how does it make you feel? You need someone who will help you towards your own goals in a way that feels good, measured and keeps you on track.
That’s more important for your long term success. If the trainer is an impressive human specimen but doesn’t help you with your fitness needs, then what are you paying them for? - Who’s in control here?
The trainer / client relationship can often feel like you’re betrothed to the trainer and their fitness knowledge – but you’re paying for a service, and just like any service you have to be satisfied with what you’re getting.
Another hyper-important point to note is that you have full bodily autonomy no matter what. There is never a circumstance where you have to do things that you don’t like, don’t trust or don’t want to do. No is a complete sentence. Any exercise should be able to be demonstrated or described without having to manipulate your body. And if someone is going to touch you for any reason, they should be asking permission every time and receiving an answer from you every time. Any time that answer is “no”, then they should move on to another method of explanation or another exercise.
And finally they have a duty (we believe) to not lead you astray or influence you towards any onerous or overt ideologies, philosophies or other world beliefs. Trying to ‘convert’ you to something is just as much an issue as it would be if you met someone on the street who was trying to do the same thing. They are in a position of trust and should know the difference between teaching you good skills, habits or ideas around your training VS trying to sign you up for the MLM that they just joined.
Your trainer is knowledgeable and we believe will be doing their best to help you achieve the goals that you discuss with them as important. Should this not be the case, then there are other trainers out there that will respect your request and assist you. - What are your Certifications, Education & Experience?
In leaving this to the end, it’s important to note that this is not the least important thing. This could have probably gone into the 3rd point here, but it also deserves its own whole point because there are some important considerations.- What are they insured as?
This is important because certain types of training are covered by insurance and certain types are not. While no one wants to sue anyone for anything, the simple fact that someone is insured as a type of professional means that they are recognized by one of the most scrupulous industries known to human-kind – the insurance company. But, it does also give you the piece of mind that if something were to go horribly wrong, there is a level of recourse available through normal legal channels. And silly as it sounds, that’s a piece of mind. - What are they certified as?
Personal Trainers and Kinesiologists are arguably whole body experts with different focuses. Personal Trainers tend to be globalists who look at the body as a whole and work everything towards the goal of strengthening weak or unequal structures, and kinesiologists tend to be more specific with the weak/unequal structures and work their way out to the whole body. Both approaches work, but one may work better for you. And the absolute world of experience that is brought from needing to educate yearly or bi-yearly to maintain the certification means that your fitness professional may be a wealth of valuable information for your needs!
There are other kinds of trainers, too – like Yoga Trainers, Pilates Trainers, etc. that you can choose to visit, but all of the same things apply here. It’s all about making sure that you have the right person for you.
What kinds of focus have they maintained their certifications with? How much extended education do they have?
As just mentioned, the longer that the person has been working in the industry the more education they’re going to have. But how they’ve focused this education is really important. Does their list of post-certification education match up with your needs? Or do they see how their education lines up with your needs? These are great questions to ask them! - How long have they been doing this?
There are definitely reasons to see a newbie, and reasons to see an experienced veteran of the industry. Sometimes taking a chance on a new person can be a way to save money if they’re using cheaper prices to gain clients and experience, but it also could mean that you’re in a different situation than you may be in if you work with an experienced trainer.
Obviously experienced trainers are going to have more ability to navigate both logistical and emotional hurdles with you as you experience them – but that also means that you are likely paying a bit more for that experience.
But there’s always the wise newbie who’s going to be a star one day and you’re in at the ground floor and the burn out battle axe trainer who is just trying to get through the day and make enough to pay an overdue bill. And there’s going to be places that charge the same for every fitness professional regardless of their experience and you get to figure out on the fly if they fit, but that’s the lunacy of the system that we exist in.
- What are they insured as?
In the end, the goal is to find someone who makes you feel welcome, safe and encouraged to proceed with the work that you need to do to get to those goals that you’ve set. And if they’re doing it right as you approach those goals, new goals can be set and they can set you up for success with those new goals as well. How you feel is so integral to the experience – but something that in our cumulative experience that is pushing past 20 years is something that we see so many people cede as a determinant of who they’re going to work with.
If you can get past ego, if you can get past vanity, and if you can have the honest talk with yourself about what you truly need, these tips can be really helpful for you to find a fitness professional that you can develop a lasting relationship with that will benefit you and all those that care about you. When you’re showing the improvements that will come from working with a fitness professional, the people around you will notice the change and be influenced positively to start making changes that will help them.
Be the change that you want to see in the world, and all of that. But go into that change with self-efficacy, determination and clarity.
The fitness industry is a really hard place to exist in as a professional. It takes a stubborn determination and a bit of self-masochism in order to truly make a go of this as a career. If you are reading this and it helps you to find a fitness professional that you choose to stick with long-term because you have that clarity in choice and efficacy of experience, then we are so happy to support our fellow professionals AND you at the same time.