How to search, compare and choose personal trainer

Finding a coach that fits your needs is, against popular belief, something extremely difficult. This is the reason why so many people try the service, they end up leaving, and only a few last over time with the same coach. Most people who at some point raise the idea to hire this service consider that the important thing is to have a personal trainer regardless of the suitability of this and the selection criteria.

The same thing happens when someone decides to go to the doctor or the physiotherapist. The important thing is to go to a doctor or physio, regardless of whether we choose the appropriate doctor or therapist. When in these latter two professions it could be normal due to the high standardization and regulation that govern these sectors, the disparity in training, facilities, and methodology of work between coaches far surpasses these two professions. This makes the choice of the coach suitable for certain needs, get you to the desired destination in the safest and fastest way possible, and in addition to a sustainable way in time, cannot be solved simply by deciding to hire a trainer without prior use for this, some objective criteria for selection.

To this day, when someone is considering hiring a coach, you have several options. First look on the internet, this being the most usual, asking for references to someone we know informed about it, or simply requesting one in the gym where we usually go. These options, as we will see below, are tremendously limited which makes it possible for the client to rarely find the coach that really suits his needs and expectations.

  1. Internet (Google): The options are very limited. Exactly 10 per page and the average user does not pass the first page, few of the second. This gives us a maximum of 20 options that, if we subtract the links to personal coaching courses, news or links unrelated to what we are looking for, further limits the options. In addition, not everyone has the knowledge to appear in the first few pages of Google nor the economic ability to appear in the first results of sponsored links (AdWords).
  1. Personal References: Word of mouth has always been a good search and selection of products and services but is largely limited. When we ask an acquaintance this can give us his personal opinion about a professional but, unless he has changed every three months of coach, for 10 years the range of options will be very limited. In addition, that our prescriber has done well with a coach, has obtained the desired results, and the personal feeling is appropriate, does not mean that in all cases will be so.
  1. Fitness: The problem here is, again, the limited supply. Gyms usually have a limited portfolio of trainers. In addition, in most cases coaches are freelancers, each with a different work methodology. Once again we lack the options and the optimal framework to select the right professional.