How to Interview a Personal Trainer

When choosing a personal trainer, keep in mind that you are essentially taking on an employee--this person will be charged with improving your health and wellness, and you should be extremely discriminating in your interviewing process. Follow these simple tips to insure that you're prepared.

Instructions

    • 1

      Know why you want a trainer. Having a clear idea of what you need from a trainer will aid you in the interview. If you're looking for someone to train you for your first triathlon, state this at the beginning of the interview so that you don't waste time if the trainer doesn't provide that service. If it's motivation that you need, ask the trainer if he/she enjoys working with people who "don't enjoy exercise all that much" and see what kind of response you get!

    • 2

      Ask detailed questions about their certifications. Because there is no governing body for personal training, anyone can call themselves a "personal trainer," even if they don't have a certification. Ask where the trainer was certified, and then ask for a copy of their certification or go online to confirm that the cert is current. Almost all certifying bodies require a minimum number of continuing education credits every 2 years in order to remain current, so be sure to ask what type of classes or workshops the trainer has been to lately.

    • 3

      Ask about their training philosophy. If the trainer can't give you a concise, 2 or 3 sentence summary of what their philosophy is, move on. You don't want to be working with someone who has no idea how or why they got into the profession in the first place.

    • 4

      Find out what a typical training session is like. This will give you a clear picture of what it will be like to actually work with that trainer. Ask how long a session lasts, if it includes a warm-up and cool-down, and what types of exercises will be included during the session.

    • 5

      Get references, and check them! Never be afraid to ask for references. You will get much more detailed and subjective information from a client than you will from the trainer. Call at least two clients and ask what they did and didn't like about training with that person. And of course ask if they would recommend that trainer to other people!