Hiring a personal trainer can be one of the best decisionsyou ever make in your life. Depending on WHO you choose, it could also be oneof the worst mistakes you ever make as well.

 

Personal trainers provide valuable services. Their vastknowledge on the world of health and fitness can cut your learning curve in halfand help you speed up the process of getting results. They can also act as yourpersonal cheerleader in helping to keep you motivated throughout the process.Finally, a personal trainer will protect you as you work out to make sure youperform exercises correctly so as not to cause you pain or injury. That is,unless your personal trainer is more interested in themselves than you.

 

Below is a short list that will help you decide if yourpersonal trainer is a personal waste of time. Here are the 5 signs that yourPersonal trainer may be a dud:

 

1. Showing up later or rescheduling appointments-Ok, to befair, everyone has thing that come up from time to time, but your personaltrainer shouldn't. You have hired your personal trainer as a professional; thisis not your workout buddy. If it feels like your trainer has skipped out onetoo many times, then they have and that is all there is to it. Tell them to hitthe road and to make sure the dumbbells don't hit them in the butt on the wayout.

 

2. Socializing during your workouts-We are social creatures,sure, but your time with your trainer should be about working out, not talkingabout last night's rerun of King of Queen. In addition, while it is certainlyacceptable for your trainer to wave hello to those he/she may recognize at thegym, it is NOT ok for them to walk over, strike up a conversation OR helpsomeone else workout. This is 100% unacceptable. That this is YOUR time. Youpaid for it and you need to make that clear. I have seen so many examples ofthis it makes we want to break a 45lb plate over their head!

 

3. You are entering your 2nd year of training with yourtrainer, and still look exactly the same as when you started-Seriously, ditchthe excuses. If your trainer can't get results, fire them, now. I have beengoing to the same gym for 3 years now. I have seen the same people working outwith the same trainers since the day I joined. They are in no better shape thanwhen I first saw them struggle to do a pull-up 3 years ago. Their trainers area joke, bottom line. As far as I am concerned, they are stealing money.

 

4. It is clear that your personal trainer knows less aboutworking out than you do-If you are working out with a trainer, and they aretelling you to do something that you know is wrong, speak up. Ask them wherethey got this info. The behind the neck pull down is a BIGGIE in this category.If I hear a personal trainer instruct a client to do this risky move, I step inand explain to them just a bit about the physiology of that part of the bodyand that if performed incorrectly, even just SLIGHTLY incorrectly, they couldseriously injure their client and possibly face a lawsuit. I then remind themabout pulling the bar to the chest, a less risky and more effective exercise.If they proceed to challenge me, I simply jump up to the pull-up bar and crankout 30 reps. The trainer will usually shut up at that point.

 

5. They are more interested in selling you some new productthan getting you in shape-Finally, if your trainer ever begins talking about anew product they have discovered that you just HAVE to try, tell them sure. Aslong as they are paying for it. If they continue their pitch, it will beobvious as to where their intentions lie. Leave them in the gym drowning in thepile of pills they are trying to get rid of.

 

I certainly don't want to make the point that all personaltrainers are bad. I personally feel like most folks will greatly benefit fromhiring a qualified one, but the bad ones that are lurking out there need to beidentified and fired. Your job is to know the difference between a goodpersonal trainer, and a dud. I hope this list has helped.