If you could interview a personal trainer....

[wingsfan]

what questions would you ask him/her?

Let me clarify. Let's say you wanted to hire a personal trainer to train you and you want to make sure he/she really knew their stuff and could give them a multiple choice test. what kinds of questions would you ask?

and to get the first funny question out of the way that i know someone would post:

1. should you:
a. curl in the squat rack
b. not curl in the squat rack

so, on a serious level, here would be an example of a question you might want to ask:

The shoulder movement in a side lateral raise moves across this plane of movement:

a. transverse
b. sagittal
c. frontal
d. eccentric

thanks in advance for your help on this.

[Buk]

How important is that definition when it comes to their ability to help you reach your goals? I would want to know more about their methodologies, how up to date they are with techniques, and how well they have adapted over the years. Are they prescribing textbook crap that you can read for yourself, or do they have a feel for discovering strengths and weakness that you would not be able to find on your own?

[Charger]

Since I'm not a CSCS I wouldn't ask questions that technical.

I'd ask their thoughts on cardio, lifting heavy, how long a workout should be and how often, what they think about isolation. Maybe, how many crunches a day do I need to get abs.

I'd like to see if their philosophies meshed with mine, and if they didn't I want proof as to why they think they're right. Though I'd want more than that's how I train Brad Pitt.

[Lou Schuler]

Wingsfan, I don't think it would be a good strategy to start a conversation with a "gotcha" question. That puts him on the defensive and makes him think he has to get the upper hand by proving he's smarter than you.

I've been around plenty of trainers who try to knock you out with jargon, but don't a fully formed, multi-dimensional grasp of what that jargon means in application.

I think Charger has the right idea here. Ask open-ended questions that reveal the trainer's true philosophy and grasp of current theory and practice. Don't let on right away that you, the client, have your own well-reasoned thoughts about these issues.

Because I'm at the NSCA conference in Las Vegas, I'm going to take off and hear a really smart trainer, Juan Carlos Santana, talk about his multi-disciplinary approach to conditioning athletes. He's a great speaker. I'll try to share some of what I pick up if I get a chance to go online again later today.

[laxcdn]

I am going to see Craig Ballantyne at the end of the month when I go to TO. I won't be asking any questions about him knowing his stuff. I will take his knowledge and use it when I get back. But when I get back I might see another trainer. I don't know much about him, but I do konw that all the local bodybuilders use him and are winning. So I am assuming that he knows what he is doing and will go see him. I will pay the money and see what he says. If I like it I will go back, if not then ?
If you have to go in and question him, don't you think he will be put back by it. Get some references and ask around. Just think if someone came to you and started asking questions like that in your job. Wouldn't you be upset? I hate it when people come to me and start questioning my knowledge about my job. If you don't think I know what I am doing then go somewhere else.

[laxcdn]

I am going to see Craig Ballantyne at the end of the month when I go to TO. I won't be asking any questions about him knowing his stuff. I will take his knowledge and use it when I get back. But when I get back I might see another trainer. I don't know much about him, but I do konw that all the local bodybuilders use him and are winning. So I am assuming that he knows what he is doing and will go see him. I will pay the money and see what he says. If I like it I will go back, if not then ?
If you have to go in and question him, don't you think he will be put back by it. Get some references and ask around. Just think if someone came to you and started asking questions like that in your job. Wouldn't you be upset? I hate it when people come to me and start questioning my knowledge about my job. If you don't think I know what I am doing then go somewhere else.

[GqArtguy]

What Lou said.

[Jean-Paul]

Originally posted by Lou Schuler:
Wingsfan, I don't think it would be a good strategy to start a conversation with a "gotcha" question. That puts him on the defensive and makes him think he has to get the upper hand by proving he's smarter than you.

I've been around plenty of trainers who try to knock you out with jargon, but don't a fully formed, multi-dimensional grasp of what that jargon means in application.

I think Charger has the right idea here. Ask open-ended questions that reveal the trainer's true philosophy and grasp of current theory and practice. Don't let on right away that you, the client, have your own well-reasoned thoughts about these issues.

Because I'm at the NSCA conference in Las Vegas, I'm going to take off and hear a really smart trainer, Juan Carlos Santana, talk about his multi-disciplinary approach to conditioning athletes. He's a great speaker. I'll try to share some of what I pick up if I get a chance to go online again later today.

Cool! I have always wanted to meet Juan Carlos. Tell me what his presentation is like. I don't know whether his programs are good for athletes or not, but its not really relevant since I don't currently train any competitive athletes. However, his workouts look like a lot of FUN, and THAT is what retains your 40+ crowd that is burned out on the "clipboard cowboys" who escort you through a sit-down routine on the circuit equipment. His workouts just look like they are high-energy, and the clients will most certainly not get bored.

I'm so jealous, Lou! Don't forget to review the whole conference (a la Bill Hartman style from last year's conference) so we can all benefit from what you learned!

BTW, I bet you are the cock-of-the-walk in that crowd, eh? Anyone asked for your autograph yet? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Fitness4Living]

just a question, how many of you have personal trainors? also how much do they cost?

[DKing]

Originally posted by Fitness4Living:
just a question, how many of you have personal trainors? also how much do they cost?

Does it count that I have been a personal trainer and I come up with my own workouts?

Cost will be very dependant on who you are hiring and where you are. It can also depend a lot on what you are buying. The Golds I worked at training ran between $48-$53 on average with some trainers costing more but the club I am a memeber of now charges much closer to $70 a session for most trainers.

Danny

[Mahler]

Cost?
Cost?

Danny is priceless!

Mahler

[emartin10]

WF - JP posted on this a bit ago, I just remembered it when you posted.

http://forums.jpfitness.com/cgi-bin/.../t/000023.html

Might not be exactly what you are looking for, but it is a start for sure!

[Craig]

Lax,

Just to clarify, I don't train any bodybuilders that win, let alone even compete. I hope that at no point I ever implied this in my writings.
The bodybuilders are all just recreational bodybuilders. The athletes on the other hand, are the winning clients.
craig

[laxcdn]

Originally posted by Craig:
Lax,

Just to clarify, I don't train any bodybuilders that win, let alone even compete. I hope that at no point I ever implied this in my writings.
The bodybuilders are all just recreational bodybuilders. The athletes on the other hand, are the winning clients.
craig

Sorry if it came across that way. There is a local trainer that everyone says I should go see that trains local BB. I plan on seeing you in a couple of weeks and then in the future I might go see him.

[Lou Schuler]

[quote]Originally posted by Jean-Paul:

I bet you are the cock-of-the-walk in that crowd, eh? Anyone asked for your autograph yet? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

If anyone in that crowd asked me for my autograph, I'd run the opposite direction as fast as I can. I go there to learn from those guys. I know a lot of the guys who present at the conferences, but that's just because when I was writing for MF and MH I would call them up and pester them for information I could use in articles.

Some of them are interested in publishing articles and books, and I'm always happy to share what I know if anyone asks.

But other than that, I'm there to learn and hang out with good people who have common interests.

As for Santana's presentation, I won't try to sum up his training advice. But in his introduction, he said some things that are really smart.

His book point is that a trainer who isn't using every tool at his disposal -- free weights, machines, body-weight exercises, and "functional" movements -- isn't doing the best he can for his athletes.

He also said something interesting that I know I'll use in an article or book: Diets work. We just think they fail because people stop using them. So we should be telling people that diets work as long as you stick with them. People shouldn't get the idea that they can lose weight on a programmed diet, then go back to whatever they were doing and not regain the weight.

It was just an aside in his notes, as a way of emphasizing that trainers need to be open-minded and not fall prey to marketing and spin.

[Mahler]

Just a few tidbits, Lou, but some great stuff. Prince Othmar of Latvia must be traveling incognito these days.

Mahler

[laxcdn]

It is a "dietary change" not just "a diet". That is the way I look at it. I changed the way I eat for life.