Appropriate Goals For Personal Training
The primary job of a personal trainer is to provide knowledge, keep track of your fitness level, and offer encouragement. The success of your personal training depends in large part on your own goals and your own motivation. A personal trainer can help you progress, but having appropriate goals and expectations for your personal training sessions are very important. Women as a group tend to underestimate the time it should take for them to lose weight and get into shape. It's important to set realistic goals, share them with your trainer and together work to achieve your end result.
Finding a Personal Trainer
You will probably find at a few personal trainers at your local gym. However, it is very difficult to distinguish one qualified trainer from the next without a little help. Ask your friends, family, and acquaintances for recommendations for personal trainers. Women should especially focus on asking other women who they would recommend. If a female family member, friend or acquaintance makes a recommendation, it is a pretty good indication that the trainer in question works well with women and has the knowledge to address fitness issues, for example injuries, preventing osteoporosis and the like, that are specific to women.
Education for Personal Trainers
When evaluating a potential personal trainer's education, it is important to go beyond the basic certifications. In addition to a well-regarded certification like the ACE or ACSM, women should look for trainers with college degrees in fields like kinesiology, biology, or sports medicine. Finding a personal trainer with a degree in a physical-fitness related field will help insure that the trainer is knowledgeable and professional. A highly qualified and educated trainer is more likely to be familiar with the injuries women are prone to and will be able to offer tips and advice on how to avoid injury.
What are the Major Personal Training Certifications?
There are four major personal training certifications. Most well-qualified personal trainers and fitness instructors will have one or more of these certifications. They are: the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the International Fitness Professionals Association (IFPA). While there are differences in the methodologies that each of these certifications employ, the biggest difference to note is that while the ACE, ACSM, and IFPA are more general certifications, the NSCA certification is specifically designed for sports training/coaching and professional strength coaches.