KEEPING FIT; Getting Personal

Wayne Westcott

Personal trainers can be the difference between exercising regularly or not at all. Before you pick a trainer, ask yourself some questions: Do you feel more comfortable with a male or a female trainer? Do you relate better to a younger or an older trainer? Do you prefer to train at home or in a fitness facility?

Next, check to see if the trainer is part of a nationally recognized certification program.

Most prestigious: the National Strength and Conditioning Association; American College of Sports Medicine; American Council on Exercise; Cooper’s Institute; and YMCA of the USA. Highly respected: International Fitness Professionals Association; National Strength Professionals Association; National Academy of Sports Medicine; and Aerobics and Fitness Association of American (AFAA). Personal trainers who have a related college degree are likely to know more about exercise physiology, bio-mechanics, motor learning, injury prevention, cardiovascular conditioning, musculoskeletal development and exercise modalities than those who have not had formal training in the fitness field. Of course, training experience may be just as important as book learning. Most people don’t want to be a surgeon’s first patient and most exercisers don’t want to be a trainer’s first client. Ideally, a trainer should score high in all three areas: national certification, formal fitness education and experience. Be sure to get recommendations from a few the trainer’s clients and ask specific questions about the personality, professionalism, etc. Find out what clients like most and like least about their trainer and the exercise programs. If possible, observe the trainer in action with another client. Once you narrow down your list, see if you can afford the trainer and if he or she has a time slot available for you. Top trainers typically have fewer opens and cost more; some can be upward of $100 per hour. Some gyms or health clubs offer discounted personal training for its members. If price is a barrier to getting the trainer you want, consider that one or two training sessions a week with the ideal trainer might be better than three sessions a week with a less motivating mentor. Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., is fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, and author of several books including “Building Strength and Stamina” and “Strength Training Past 50.”