services to expect from a personal trainer

Hiring a personal trainer can be a game changer for anyone looking to improve their health, fitness, physique, and strength. Expert guidance from a certified professional can mean the difference between achieving your goals and "spinning your wheels" in the gym. But what services can you expect from a personal trainer?

From customized programs to continuous support throughout your fitness journey, a personal trainer offers the structure you may need to achieve and sustain your goals. While each trainer's skill set may differ from others, there are generally specific services that clients can expect to receive from their trainer. In this article, we'll detail these services so those considering hiring a fitness professional know what to expect from a personal trainer!

Initial Assessment and Goal Setting

When starting with a personal trainer, clients can expect to participate in an initial assessment and goal-setting session. These sessions are critical for a successful fitness journey. Understanding a client's goals and experience level enables the trainer to create a personalized program that's safe and effective. While this is a common practice, some trainers may skip this step, so it's essential to ensure your trainer includes this step in their process.

An individual's current fitness level will dictate the specific exercises they can perform. An initial assessment will allow the trainer to gather the information necessary to determine the client's current fitness level and if there are any potential limitations due to injuries, lack of mobility, etc.

During an initial fitness assessment, a trainer will also identify any specific medical concerns or conditions the client may have. Designing and implementing a program that accommodates someone's ability level is essential for a safe workout experience.

Establishing and clearly identifying your goals with your trainer should be a point of emphasis for any training program. Without identifying your goals and constructing a workout plan around them, your training program will essentially be "cookie-cutter." This means it may be a program many people use (not personalized) and may not be an effective program to help you achieve your fitness goals. Understanding a client's goals and their "why" also allows a trainer to offer meaningful motivation.

Participating in a fitness assessment before beginning a training program is an essential service you can expect from a personal trainer upon hiring them to help with your fitness journey. With this assessment, you can expect a personalized program to help you safely achieve your fitness goals!

Customized Workout Programs

As a personal trainer in Austin, Texas, I've worked with many clients in a one-on-one and small group setting. I can attest a customized training program is one of the most essential aspects of a successful fitness journey. Without a personalized training program, the likelihood that someone is actually moving toward their goals is significantly reduced.

A training program that works for one person isn't guaranteed to work for another, which makes personalized programming an essential service clients can expect from their personal trainer.

In order for your trainer to design a personalized program, a client should be open and transparent about the goals they'd like to achieve. As a certified trainer, I'll share some of the most common goals clients have shared with me!

Fat loss
Muscle building
Motivation/Accountability
Strength and Mobility
Enhancing overall health/fitness
Improved body image

I always encourage clients to "over share" because the more information they can provide, the more personalized their program will be; thus, the more effective it will be!

Another benefit of a customized program is that it will likely include an appropriate amount of weight training vs cardiovascular exercise. Beginners won't necessarily need to lift weights to the same degree (volume) as more experienced individuals. Thus, adding cardio workouts (and later replacing them with additional weight training sessions) into someone's weekly routine may be appropriate in the initial training phase.

A training program should also change and progress as your fitness level improves. A stagnant program will only take you so far and result in minimal progress. A personalized workout routine that increases training intensity and volume over time will provide more significant and sustainable results.

Injury Prevention

services you can expect from a personal trainer

An effective training program is one that can adhered to consistently and for prolonged periods. This makes safety an essential aspect of an effective training program. Among other complications, injuries resulting from improper form or poor training technique often result in time away from the gym (recovery/rehabilitation).

Common Causes of Injuries From Weight Training

Incorrect form
Lifting too heavy
Insufficient warm-up period
Inadequate rest

In order to achieve your fitness goals, a great degree of consistency and commitment is required. Suppose someone can only train two or three days per week or exercise consistently for a few weeks before stepping away from the gym for several weeks at a time. In this scenario, this individual is very unlikely to see any meaningful progress toward their fitness goals.

Training safely with proper form and technique can drastically reduce the risk of injury, which enables the participant to exercise more consistently and for a longer period. Ultimately resulting in better and more sustainable results!

A certified personal trainer will have an expert understanding of proper exercise form and technique, which makes this one of the most valuable services they provide. Throughout a training session, a trainer will ensure their clients perform each exercise safely and most effectively.

Motivation and Accountability

A lack of motivation and accountability are some of the most common reasons people hire a personal trainer. Adhering to an exercise regimen becomes significantly easier when someone expects you to show up and complete a workout, on top of the financial commitment involved.

A personal trainer can act as a source of motivation as they inspire clients to push past their limits and stay committed to their fitness goals. Your trainer understands that staying motivated can be challenging, especially if your fitness journey involves specific obstacles or potential setbacks. As a certified personal trainer, I aim to provide my clients with ongoing support, encouragement, and positive reinforcement to help maintain focus and enthusiasm.

Through goal-setting and regularly tracking progress, trainers create a structure for their clients to hold them accountable for their fitness regimen. Tracking progress throughout a fitness journey enables the trainer and client to set new goals and adjust their training regimen appropriately. This accountability boost fosters a greater commitment and helps clients develop discipline and consistency in their workouts.

In Which Ways Can A Certified Personal Trainer Help a Client With Nutrition?

In addition to expert-guided workouts, personal trainers can also offer nutrition coaching services. These services usually center around nutrition education and providing clients with the tools and knowledge to craft a healthy nutrition regimen. When hiring a personal trainer, ask if they possess any nutrition-related certifications from a certifying organization. If so, they may be able to help you master your diet!

Learning healthy eating habits and strategies is essential for achieving and sustaining fitness goals. While training alone can provide a myriad of benefits, a healthy nutrition regimen will only accelerate and amplify results achieved in the weight room.

Lifestyle and Behavior Modification

To achieve your fitness goals, adhering to a healthy lifestyle in and outside the gym is essential. For many beginning their fitness journey, making the necessary adjustments can be a real challenge. After all, it's not an easy task to change chronic behaviors.

A personal trainer can assist their clients in making healthy lifestyle changes by offering them tools and techniques to overcome obstacles they might face in their daily lives. Often, the first step to adjusting unhealthy fitness behaviors or habits is by identifying them in the first place. Throughout the fitness journey, a trainer can help their client identify any potential obstacles or behaviors that may be hindering their progress (mindful eating, sleep patterns, stress management, etc.).

Having a support network is critical for long-term success, and a personal trainer can be an excellent addition to such a network. In addition, if a trainer feels that a client may benefit from the help of another professional in a separate practice (dietician, physical therapist, etc.), they can refer that client to a trusted expert.

Support and Communication

It's natural, and even necessary, for someone to ask questions when trying to learn a new skill. Living a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise and healthy eating habits is indeed a skill of its own. So, learning how to live such a lifestyle requires time, patience, and a willingness to learn.

Learning a new discipline requires the individual to ask questions and overcome potential problems and obstacles. Knowing how to overcome these obstacles or finding answers to questions isn't something a beginner is expected to master right away. This is where a teacher comes into play. In this respect, a personal trainer serves as a mentor and can teach clients the essentials of exercise and healthy lifestyle behaviors.

In addition, as a client inevitably encounters obstacles on their way to achieving their fitness goals, a personal trainer can assist them in finding solutions to these problems. With enough practice and guidance, a client will be able to take what they've learned from their time training with a fitness professional and apply it on their own, resulting in sustained success with their fitness goals.

As a personal trainer, I've observed clients deal with fluctuating levels of motivation throughout their fitness journey. From clients who have worked with other trainers in the past, I've been told that the reason they decided not to continue working with said trainer is due to the lack of communication outside of training sessions. They explained that, as a result, they felt unmotivated to adopt healthy behaviors outside of the gym as they were unsure how to adhere to them. For these reasons, it is essential for a trainer and client to communicate on a consistent basis to optimize results, making support and communication an essential service that you can expect from a personal trainer (be sure to confirm with your trainer before hiring them that consistent communication is offered throughout their programming).

What To Expect From A Personal Trainer

If you're looking to take your health and fitness to the next level or begin adhering to a healthy lifestyle routine, a personal trainer can make all the difference. Not all trainers offer identical services, but there are many standard services that you can expect from a personal trainer. Fitness assessments, personalized programming, nutrition coaching, injury prevention, and lifestyle modification support are common services that you could expect to receive from a personal trainer in 2023.

Many trainers offer free fitness assessments before they begin training with new clients; this is an ideal opportunity to inquire about the services they provide and set clear expectations as to how that personal trainer can help you with your fitness journey ahead!

*I am not a medical professional and you should always consult with your doctor before beginning an exercise and/or nutrition regimen.

What Services Can You Expect From A Personal Trainer?