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 By: Ivan Blazquez
Today more and more people are looking for better ways to get into shape and other options besides plastic surgery when it comes to reshaping their bodies. Fortunately, this interest has led many people to seek additional help from personal trainers in sculpting the body through more natural means. Personal training has been a profitable commodity in the fitness industry within the past decade. Despite this widespread popularity and due to the unregulated nature of this profession, many people hold different perceptions and opinions of personal training. Some people believe a personal trainer is like having a workout partner or spotter who simply counts reps, while others look at personal trainers as motivation that gives them more of a reason to go workout. Although these conceptual beliefs are true for many personal trainers, they do not do justice in fully defining the competent and fully qualified personal trainer.
A fully qualified personal trainer in my professional opinion would be an integrative fitness expert who gets results for his/her clients through a sound application of exercise and motivational science and who holds people accountable thereby promoting long-term consistency. Results are both intrinsic (feeling better) and extrinsic (looking better), but the bottom-line is that we do our job in satisfying the customer and exceeding their expectations. Personal trainers wear many hats in the fitness industry. For example, personal trainers can be considered counselors, educators, innovators, motivators, and inventors. Although personal trainers wear many hats, it is also important that they stay within their scope of practice and work together with other corresponding medical professionals.
  Click Image To Enlarge.A Qualified Trainer Gets Results For Their Clients. Being a personal trainer is about helping people and improving their quality of life (Yoke, 1997). Interestingly, there are several studies that have found significant improvements in exercise adherence and various performance and health variables during training when supervised by a personal trainer (Coutts et al., 2004; Maloof et al., 2001; Mazzetti et al., 2000; McClaren & Steven, 2003; News Briefs, 2000, Wing et al., 1996). This research provides solid concrete evidence that we are effective at helping people get better results than they would training alone. This is not to say personal training is for everyone, however, it can certainly help the majority reach their goals and dreams. The reason why a professional personal trainer can be the difference is because we have spent a great deal of time studying what many would say is the most complex machine in existence, "The Human Body." So in a way, we actually have to study and work harder than a rocket scientist! I mean lets face it, a rocket is "Man-made."
Griffin (2004) reported "Nor are personal fitness trainers just for the buff, spandex-sporting crowd" says Fred Klinge, chairman of the Health and Registry Board at the American College of Sports Medicine. Klinge emphasizes that the scope of personal fitness trainers has broadened. "It's not just about weight lifting and cardio work anymore," he tells WebMD. "It's more about assistance in developing a healthy and fit lifestyle." Although there haven't been too many, some studies have shown that personal trainers can help people stick to their exercise routines more effectively than they would on their own, according to Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief exercise physiologist at the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
 Click Image To Enlarge.Personal Trainers Help People Stick To Their Exercise Routines.
For example, the cost of attending college for 4 or more years can be very costly, but the money spent working with a personal trainer for 1 or more years perhaps only 1-3 days per week, is a very small price to pay relative to the profitable health and intellectual benefits gained.
Griffin (2004) reported "They're really much more affordable than people would think," says Hagerman, who is also a board member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and owns Quest Personal Training in Oklahoma City. The National Strength and Conditioning Association conducted a recent survey of prices and found an average of $50 per hour with a range of $15 to $100 per hour. Prices do vary depending on region, according to Hagerman, and naturally, they will be higher in urban areas than in rural ones.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Personal Trainers Teach Clients How To Maximize Their Efforts In The Gym.
Hagerman emphasizes that money isn't everything when it comes to choosing a personal fitness trainer. "Don't just shop for the lowest price," he tells WebMD. "Cheaper trainers aren't necessarily better trainers. They may not be worse either, but there are other things to consider."
Griffen (2004) reported "Just about any trainer you find is likely to have an impressive-looking diploma or certificate indicating that he or she has been certified as a personal trainer; in fact, the lobby of your fitness center may be lined with them. But don't be dazzled by just any degree. Instead, it's very important to find out just what organization performed the certification." According to Hagerman, there are about 400 organizations in the U.S. that purport to certify personal fitness trainers. Of that number, about a handful are considered legitimate by most professionals. Among the most respected are the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
 Click Image To Enlarge.Find A Trainer With More To Offer Than Just A Degree.
The requirements for other organizations may not be so strict. Some award certification after an Internet correspondence course or as little as a weekend retreat, according to Hagerman.
And be sure to read those acronyms closely, since many dubious organizations have chosen names and initials that are very close to the well-known and legitimate groups. If you're not sure about them, Klinge recommends writing down the names of the organizations that certified your trainer and looking up their requirements on the Internet. "A lot of these organizations like to throw in words like "national" or "international" in their names even though it doesn't mean anything," says Hagerman. "There's a "national" one in Oklahoma City that nobody outside of the city recognizes. In fact, I'm in Oklahoma City and even I don't recognize it."
Griffin (2004) reported "A properly trained personal trainer will know how to deal with that and how to establish the scope of their practice," Klinge tells WebMD. "They'll know when to hand off a client to a registered dietitian, physician, or physical therapist."
 Click Image To Enlarge.A Properly Trained Trainer Knows When To Send A Client To A Dietitian.
"If a trainer starts giving specific diet prescriptions or a lot of advice on ways of treating medical conditions, that's a problem," says Klinge. "That sort of information should only come from a medical professional."
The bottom-line is, anybody can call themselves a "personal trainer," but the true difference is "quality of knowledge." If they do not have an accredited and reputable certification and a 4-year college degree in an exercise-science-related field, they are not truly qualified (Malek et al., 2002). Just to play devil's advocate, lets say a trainer has none of these qualifications but is an expert through personal experience and years of training. This is more the exception than the rule, and one can always find an exception in any area of life.
 Click Image To Enlarge.The True Difference Is Quality Of Knowledge. Bottom-line is if they do not have the academic qualifications, they are NOT qualified, no matter what. Having experience is a bonus not a requisite. Same goes for an attorney, sure one could claim to be experienced and know how to debate and argue, but without that college degree and license, they are NOT a legal attorney. And this should be the standard of excellence we all should hold in our own chosen profession of practice. Why should this standard be any different for personal trainers?
Furthermore, since personal training is mainly an unregulated profession, based on the fact that there isn't a state or national licensure to practice, the next best approach is to chose your personal trainer wisely based on the above criteria. To tell or show someone an exercise is simple, but addressing the "how to" and "why" of an exercise is where the competent personal trainer truly solidifies his or her place as being classified, personal trainer. References
The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not serve as a replacement to care provided by your own personal health care team or physician. The author does not render or provide medical advice, and no individual should make any medical decisions or change their health behavior based on information provided here. Reliance on any information provided by the author is solely at your own risk. The author accepts no responsibility for materials contained in the article and will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages arising from the use of information contained in this or other publications. Copyright © Ivan Blazquez, 2007. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission of the copyright holder and author of this publication. Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
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