Personal trainers either work in health and fitness centers or they work privately, visiting their clients at home or the office. As you can see, it’s not hard to find a personal trainer, but knowing what to look for in a personal trainer can be a bit more challenging. Before you hire one to help you reach your fitness goals, make sure the personal trainer you’re interested in can pass the test before they try to push you to your limits.

Here are some tips to help you know what to look for in a personal trainer:

Certification & continuing education
Do not assume that because your personal trainer is working at a gym that they are certified. If you find that they are certified, that certification should come from a legit certification body. This is one of the most important aspects to know when learning what to look for in a personal trainer. The American College of Sports Medicine, National Academy of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise are some of the most recognized and sought after certifications for personal trainers. When you find a personal trainer that you might hire, visit the website of the certification body that they claim to belong to and check your trainer's certification. However, some personal trainers may also be certified athletic trainers (National Athletic Trainer's Association), strength and conditioning coaches (CSCS) or exercise physiologists.

When your wondering what to look for in a personal trainer, you want to see that the personal trainer is also keeping his certification current. You want to make sure that when you find a personal trainer that they continue to attend classes, seminars or successfully complete continuing education courses for credit. Your personal trainer should also be currently certified in first aid, CPR and automated external defibrillator. There may be moments when a gym-goer (either you or someone else) will need medical attention. Any number of things can happen: dropping a weight on a body part, sprains and strains, fainting spells or even cardiac arrest. Your personal trainer should be able to react quickly and efficiently until further professional help arrives.

Medical history and fitness evaluation
Before a personal trainer puts you through your first workout, they should take your medical history and have you perform a fitness evaluation -- if they don’t, you should tell them what to look for in a personal trainer. A fitness evaluation may come in the form of a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q), which will ensure that your personal trainer is aware of any conditions that may affect your performance (such as asthma, diabetes, fibromyalgia, and scoliosis). Also, musculoskeletal or orthopedic injuries have to be considered when choosing exercises and any exercise modifications that have to be made. The fitness evaluation includes your fitness goals, your target heart rate, blood pressure, starting weight, and body composition. Don't forget to sign the informed consent form.

Fitness programs
Once your personal trainer completes their initial evaluation, they will set up a program that incorporates your goals, but they should also address your needs. For example, if you sit at a desk all day, your chest is probably tight and your rhomboids are probably weak. Your hamstrings and piriformis will also likely be tight and weak. As a result, postural issues and imbalances should be addressed and/or corrected. Men are notorious for neglecting their lower body and it becomes the personal trainer’s job to help you train all muscle groups. Every four to six weeks your personal trainer should make changes to your routine to avoid a plateau, helping you continue to make fitness gains.

Costs
If you are hiring a personal trainer that works for a gym, the gym will offer different personal training packages depending on how many sessions you buy. Generally, it’s cheaper to buy a package instead of single sessions. Upon joining most fitness centers, you may receive up to three free personal fitness training sessions. The price may range from $70 to $90 per session. Depending on the personal trainers level of certification, they get a cut of $20 to $40 per session. If you’re hiring an independent personal trainer, expect to pay anywhere from $75 to $125, depending on the services provided. Will they visit you at home? Are they bringing their own equipment? Are they offering sports massage after your sessions?

References
Before you hire a personal trainer, don't be afraid to get references. Talk to their previous or current clients to get a feel for how that personal trainer addresses their fitness concerns, handles cancellations and rescheduling, and whether or not they have made progress while working with them. Also, check if your personal trainer only trains a certain type of client. Are all their clients already in shape or do they have clients on a variety of fitness levels and are able to work with all of them?

getting personal
A personal trainer who approaches you to offer a session or give pointers on your form, shouldn't look like they need a personal trainer themselves; they should be in good physical shape. In the health and fitness industry, a personal trainer's appearance is definitely part of their marketing. If you've been a member of your fitness club for sometime, you may have noticed some of the personal trainers on staff working out between clients. Can your personal trainer demonstrate the exercises they're asking you to perform? Some of your training sessions may be outdoors -- cross-country running, boot camp training -- and your personal trainer will actually workout with you. It is important that before you shell out bucks and put your trust and, in some instances, your health in the hands of a personal trainer, make sure they are fully prepared, trained and professional.

私人教练或者在健康健身中心工作，或者私下工作，到家里或办公室拜访顾客。正如你看到的，找私人教练并不困难。但是，清楚的了解我们可以从私人教练那里得到什么，这更富有挑战性。在你雇佣私人教练帮助你健身之前，必须确保私人教练在上岗之前能够通过测验。

这里是一些提示，帮助你了解从私人教练那里能得到什么。

证书和继续教育

不要因为私人教练在健身房工作，就认为他们是称职的。如果他们通过某项考核，其证书应该由合法团体颁发。了解学习时我们能从私人教练那里得到什么，这是最重要的一个方面。美国学院、国家科学院的运动医学科和美国运动理事会，是公认的认证机构，私人教练可以到这里寻找。当你发现，你想雇佣的私人教练宣称属于某个认证机构，而且浏览此机构的网站，那么核对私人教练的证书。不过，有的私人教练同时也是运动教练（国家运动教练协会），力量和健身教练或运动生理学家。

当你不清楚可以从健身教练那里得到什么时，你应该看一看教练的认证领域。当你寻找私人教练时，应该确保私人教练还在继续参加学习班、研讨班或完整的继续教育课程。你的私人教练应该通过急救鉴定，包括心肺复苏或自动体外除震。去健身房锻炼的人（你自己或其他人）都经常需要医疗照顾。许多事情都可能发生：砸伤、扭伤和拉伤、晕倒、甚至心脏停博。你的私人教练应该能够在专业救护到来之前，反映迅速且正确。

病史和健康评价

在私人教练开始你第一次训练之前，他们应该了解你的病史，并对你的健康做评价——如果他不这样做，你应该告诉他，私人教练应该做什么。健康评价以体育锻炼调查问卷的形式进行，这能让私人教练掌握影响你健康状况的因素（比如哮喘、糖尿病、纤维肌痛和脊柱侧凸）。在选择运动项目时，还应该考虑肌肉骨骼和外科损伤。健康评估包括健身目标、心率目标、血压、初始体重和体组成。不要忘了将这些填入表格。

健身计划

私人教练完成最初的评估之后，会根据你的目标制定健身计划，当然，必须满足你的要求。比如，你整天坐着，你的胸腔可能会很紧张，菱形肌会很脆弱，腿腱和梨状肌也会很紧张脆弱，那么就应该校正姿势问题和不平衡感。人们常常忽略日益变差的身体，让你锻炼所有的肌肉群，就是私人教练的工作。每4～6周，私人教练都应该改变课程表，避免停滞，帮助你继续健身。

费用

如果你雇佣一个在健身房工作的私人教练，健身房会根据你的项目提供不同的私人教练组。一般地，购买一整套比单独的项目要便宜。当你加入健身中心，可能要接受3个以上的训练项目。每个项目价格为70～90美元。根据私人教练的水平，大概能拿到20～40美元。如果你雇佣一个独立的私人教练，根据所提供的服务水平，大概需要支付75～125美元。他们到你家里来吗？他们带着自己的运动器材吗？他们是否提供运动后的按摩？

证明人

你想雇佣私人教练时，不要担心找个证明人。同他以前的或现在的顾客交流，了解他怎么样消除顾客的忧虑、控制进度表，以及训练后是否有进步。还要核实私人教练是否只训练某一类顾客。他的顾客是否身体健康，或者是否有一定的运动水平，是否能一起锻炼。

了解私人教练

提供健身训练并给你指导的私人教练，看起来不应该是，他自己都需要教练。他们应有健康的体形。在健康健身业界，私人教练的外形绝对是市场的一部分。如果你曾经加入过健身俱乐部，你会注意到有些私人教练与顾客有明显不同。你的私人教练能否详细解释他要求你做的动作？有些训练项目可能在户外——越野跑、划船训练——你的私人教练必须和你一同参加。在你像雄鹿一般冲出去和完全信任私人教练之前，在某些情况下你的健康掌握在私人教练手中，保证他们是合格的、受过训练的话专业的，这非常重要。