By: Jessica Armijo, Regional Personal Training Manager

Working with a personal trainer can be the gateway to a whole new level of fitness, health,and fun. A personal trainer helps you progress faster, and to benefit most from the experience it’s important to match with the best trainer for you. All the professionals working in Wellbridge facilities have the certifications and expertise to help you reach your goals, but making a personal connection with the right trainer can boost your motivation, enhance your results, and elevate your performance.

What are the benefits of working with a personal trainer?

The benefits of working with a personal trainer extend far beyond workout design and counting reps, which is why connecting with the best trainer for you is so important. A few of these benefits include:

– Having an accountability partner: Research shows that being accountable to a trainer can increase adherence to training and weight loss programs as much as 65% (Lemstra et al., 2016). When someone is waiting for you, you’re going to show up. When someone expects you to finish the set, you’re more likely to get those final reps.

– Building confidence: Working out solo can be intimidating for some people, but for trainers the gym is our comfort zone, so we can make it more comfortable for you, too.

– Learning new skills: Trainers know more exercises, countless variations and modifications, and innovative combinations to keep exercise fun, safe, and effective.

– Making corrections on the fly: Proper form and technique are important for effectiveness and safety. We’re watching and adjusting your movement patterns, resistance, and exercise selection in real time based on how you’re doing.

– Looking at the bigger picture: Your life outside the gym affects your performance inside it. Getting to know you enables us to adjust your workouts, the prompts we use for motivation, and the guidance we provide for your activities before your next session.

How do you get the most out of working with a personal trainer?

Engagement is the most impactful way to get more out of working with a personal trainer. And that’s what we want, too! We’re passionate about personal training. All the benefits mentioned above are more attainable when we can establish a strong personal connection with you. So, let’s talk about exercise, and food, and goals and life! And if you have a lot on your mind and need someone to quietly guide you through today’s session, we can do that, too.

What should you ask a personal trainer before you start workouts?

An initial conversation often includes questions about a personal trainer’s credentials, education, and experience. Trainer profiles are also available on club websites and Wellbridge has a proven system for evaluating their performance, continuing education, and advancement. During an initial consultation, we can guide the conversation by asking about your goals, training and health history, how many days and hours you’re available for training each week, exercise restrictions, and more. And although that’s necessary information, personal training is a craft. We are working with you, and you are more than a collection of data points. We encourage questions like the ones below to help you find the trainer who matches your personality, values, philosophy, and communication style.

1. What is your approach to goal setting?

You may be motivated by big, audacious goals or find that approach overwhelming. Goal setting is an important part of any successful training relationship, so it’s important to be on the same page in terms of creating goals that challenge and inspire you in positive ways.

2. How do you motivate people during training sessions?

Some people want an enthusiastic cheerleader and others prefer a calm presence during their sessions. We adjust the ways we motivate and communicate based on what delivers the best experience and result for you. At the same time, some trainers are naturally more exuberant than others and it’s perfectly okay to choose a trainer whose motivation style matches your vibe.

3. What is your philosophy on nutrition and supplements?

As professional trainers, we are knowledgeable about a wide range of diets, nutritional strategies, sports nutrition for fueling exercise, and supplements. We understand people follow specific strategies for a variety of reasons and our goal is to help you fuel your training and lifestyle. Discussing nutrition and supplements at the beginning helps ensure productive conversations about fueling as your training progresses.

4. How should I expect to feel after a workout?

Exercising takes energy and trainers always design workouts that are strenuous enough to move you toward your goal. But some people like to give everything they have and finish exhausted, whereas others like to finish training and feel bright and energized. This is an aspect of training that you can discuss and modify at any point.

5. When should I expect to see results from training?

Changes in fitness, health, and performance don’t happen overnight, and many factors will influence your rate of progression. How frequently you’re available for training, the exercises and intensities that are appropriate for you, and the specific aspects of fitness or performance you’re targeting make a difference. “More” and “faster” aren’t always better, and some improvements are more noticeable than others. It’s important for you and your trainer to communicate about what changes you should expect and a realistic timeline to notice progress.

6. Can you describe what a “good training session” looks like?

This question can prompt a discussion about how trainers conduct sessions. We use evidence-based practices to design and guide workouts, but there is a lot of room for variation, personal preference, and unique style. When you enjoy the person you’re training with and the way they communicate and guide your workout, your training sessions will be more fun and more productive.

Lemstra M, Bird Y, Nwankwo C, Rogers M, Moraros J. Weight loss intervention adherence and factors promoting adherence: a meta-analysis. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2016 Aug 12;10:1547-59. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S103649. PMID: 27574404; PMCID: PMC4990387.