Everybody wants to have a healthy and lean body, as it not only extends life expectancy but also helps in boosting one’s self-confidence and mobility. That is why it’s important to do regular physical exercises, eat a balanced diet, and live a healthy lifestyle.
For many of us, working out in the gym is a go-to activity to achieve a healthy physique. In such a case, we hire a personal fitness coach (also called personal fitness trainer) to help us achieve our goals. Fitness coaches guide us in our custom fitness regimen and ensure that we’re doing it safely and properly.
But what traits should your fitness trainer have? Here are the top qualities that you must look for:
Strong credentials
Personal fitness trainers should have an appropriate fitness certification to legally practice their profession. They should pass an exam given by an accredited organization like the ACE, NSCA, and NASM. Moreover, a credible fitness trainer should also have professional training and a solid list of clients to be considered a top-tier fitness service provider.
Great example
No one would believe a fitness trainer who professes about a healthy lifestyle as a way of getting fit but is also a known smoker and drinker. It just doesn’t fit. That said, be sure to look for a personal fitness trainer who lives he or she is advocating. In short, a fitness trainer who walks the talk is someone that is more credible than a trainer who talks about one thing and then does the exact opposite.
Patient and flexible
A great fitness trainer has tons of patience inside to allow him or her to properly guide every client who wants to get a fit and healthy body. This includes taking the initiative to get to know each client as deeply as possible to have a full sense of what will work for that client and what wouldn’t.
The trainer should also exhibit great flexibility in terms of knowing how and when to adapt his coaching style to match the needs of the client. This one may seem like a no-brainer but it actually isn’t, since many trainers tend to expect clients to behave and train as they do. While it would be an ideal situation but it’s not how things work, and a good trainer knows it all too well.
Excellent communicator
Great fitness trainers are excellent in communicating with their clients throughout the training program. A trainer who talks and talks but hardly listens is not a good one. If you can meet a personal fitness trainer who genuinely listens to whatever you say about your regimen or even how your day went, then you have a keeper.
You see, some trainers tend to over-emphasize their own experiences as a trainer that they fail to realize that it is their client’s unique experiences that matter the most. In a class full of students, the great communicators are not exactly the ones who talk the most, but the ones who listen the most.
Put your trust only in a fitness trainer who shows extreme professionalism in every way. This would include the way your trainer handles your concern, communicates with you, and guides you through your personal training regimen. With these traits, you should easily find the right personal fitness coach for you.
