You’ve made the decision.
That’s it.
You’ve had it with the gym and you need some proper help and motivation to lose the weight and feel as though you should do.
Time is marching on and you’re not getting any younger, so it’s now the time to fix things once and for all and get your health, fitness and vitality on track to be the person you really want to be.
We all know that losing weight isn’t easy. If it was then everyone would be walking around with their dream figure and not looking for what to eat and the best exercises to do to actually lose weight.
So, here are ten things to look for in a local Blackburn personal trainer.
- Do they walk the talk?
Do they look energised, fit and healthy?
All of the things that they aim to offer you? If they do then that’s great. They seem to be looking after themselves.
If they’re out of shape, tired and not energised when they meet you during your consultation then how are they going to encourage you to be motivated towards losing weight?
- Do they have testimonials?
One key thing is: have they helped people in the past with what you want to achieve?
If you want to lose weight and get fit, do they have testimonials from people they’ve helped in the past and who you can see being you there too?
If they do then that’s great. If they don’t, or the people who are there proving their feedback about this personal training company, then think a couple of times about whether you want to be hiring them to become your fitness coach.
- Are they qualified?
Some people think this should be number one and, whilst we would initially agree with you, it’s important to see whether someone who is going to be potentially working with you week in and week out is going to be the best fit with you: are they going to gel well.
At a minimum they’ll need a level 3 personal training qualification to train you, and they shouldn’t be offering personal training without one.
If you do decided to reduced costs and get a low priced personal trainer in East Lancashire then be aware that they may have cut corners to offer those low prices.
- Specialities
Are they just a “general” trainer or are they specialised in a certain niche?
That means: if you want to train for a triathlon then are they experienced and train in triathlons themselves? Do they have experience of training other people for triathlons.
If your goal is weight loss is weight loss personal training (to include information and education about dieting, lifestyle changes and nutrition) what they do all of the time or are they more of a generalist?
Or, if you have a pain or injury are they experienced with the GP referral scheme or have connections with chiros or osteopaths in Blackburn?
Whichever you choose ensure they have the focus on your desired outcome.
- Experience
Realistically, anyone can come along with a personal training certification and say that they’re a “personal trainer” and set up shop. It isn’t a regulated industry like some of the medical ones and you’re going to need to check that they are the real deal.
Lots of this can be got from checking their past and current clients (as above), but it’s also worth looking at what experience they have. How long have they been a PT? Where did they train (after being qualified), do they have a mentor? Etc.
You don’t want to be playing guinea pig with a fresh person who has just qualified. This is your health we’re talking about.
- Price
See what their personal training prices are. If they’re charging anything less than £35 per session then they might not have the knowledge and experience that you need to get you to where you want to be.
Their experience, knowledge, qualifications, training and expertise will all add to the amount they charge you, and if they’re a personal training company then they might have different levels of professionals that will have different price points.
Also, you may find that if you sign up for a monthly programme that you pay an equal amount each and every month, which will make it so much easier when it comes to budgeting.
- Availability/Flexibility
Clearly you want to have your individual (or group) exercise sessions when you want to have them. You have work, family and other things in your life that do have to take priority, and that’s understandable.
So, choose a professional who is able to accommodate your chosen time. If his or her schedule is completely full then that’s both a good and bad sign. It’s good because you know that they’re busy with other people, but it’s also bead because you won’t be able to get the time you want.
If there’s a waiting list then you could go on that too.
- Location
You want someone who is close to you where you live in Blackburn.
Have a look on Google maps to see where the location is where the prospective personal trainer is and then how far Google estimates it’ll take you from where you’re usually going to travel from (whether that’s from home, work or another place).
Note: 20-30 minutes is going to be the ideal time you’ll want to travel especially if you’re getting back into health and fitness and you have a lot of weight to shift.
If you go over this period of time then you might find that you become resistant to going in the future.
If you want to train early morning or late evening before or after work then them having their personal training studio on the way to your work will be ideal.
- Progression and Achievement
How will they measure your progress? If your goal is to find the ideal weight loss service in Blackburn then you want to be sure that they’ll be taking different types of measurement along the way (if they’re only going to weight you then that isn’t really an accurate measurement because muscle weighs more than fat).
It’s important that you understand that they’ll be setting targets for you to reach and actively monitoring you at each stage to ensure you’re heading towards your set fitness goal.
- Reputation
What do local people think about them?
If you’ve asked a friend and they’ve referred you to a specific person then ask them why. If they’ve helped them then ask how they made them feel and what progress they made.
Also, take a look at reviews about the company/individual you want to speak to. Look on Google, Yell and Facebook for reviews about them. What did the people say?
A personal trainer in Blackburn (or anywhere really) is going to want to publish great stories that people have written about them, and some use videos too.
So there you have it.
If you’re looking for a personal trainer then take note of the ten things to look out for and see when you’re evaluating the best one for you.
Reach out to us and book your free 1hr consultation to talk over your goals and where you want to be.