When Is It Time To Fire Your Personal Trainer

 

If you’ve been following along with the IIFYM approach to shed fat, build muscle, and achieve a better body, chances are, you’ve been working hard in the gym as well. You likely have hired a personal trainer and have been going at it at least three times per week in an effort to reach your goals.

But, when is it time to part ways with your personal trainer? How can you really know if they are helping you in the manner they should be? Too many people make the mistake of getting in the ‘comfort zone’ and never questioning whether their trainer is doing all they could be for them.

It’s time to question it. Let’s look at some of the clear signs that it may be time to fire your personal trainer and find a new one to help you with your workouts as you use the IIFYM program.

Personal Trainer Check Point #1: Are You Seeing Results?

The first and probably the most obvious sign that you want to look for is the results you are seeing. Now, whether or not you are following an IIFYM approach will have a huge influence on your results, so you must always keep that in mind.

But, assuming you are following the program just fine, you should be seeing changes taking place in your body every two weeks or so. If you have gone for a month of regular training without so much as seeing a change in the scale or in the mirror, it’s time to ask some questions.

Of course, your trainer can only do so much for you – you have, to be honest with yourself about whether you are putting in the effort, but if you know in your heart you are, your trainer may very well be the problem.

If they have not prescribed you a workout that is built to get you results, you may be spinning your wheels for months before making any progress.

At the same time, don’t be unrealistic in your expectations. Change doesn’t happen overnight so don’t jump ship on your personal trainer if you don’t see success after the first week. Give it that two-week time frame and then evaluate.

 

AdobeStock

 

Personal Trainer Check Point #2: Are Your Workouts Constantly Changing?

Another good question to ask about your personal train is whether your workouts are constantly changing. If you are starting to feel psychologically bored with your workouts because you are doing the same thing day in and day out, this is a good sign that your body is bored as well.

A bored body never responds properly to training as if you want to see the change in your body, change with your workouts is required.

Some personal trainers, unfortunately, get caught up in the thinking that their job is simply to just show up, make sure that you execute the exercises properly and then count reps.

This is not the case. A good personal trainer knows that if you are to succeed with your workout and IIFYM diet plan, you need to be challenging your body every step of the way. This means dynamic workouts that are constantly incorporating new exercises into the mix. If your personal trainer is not being creative and adding new exercises regularly, that’s a sure-fire sign they are not training you to their full capacity. It’s time to consider looking elsewhere.

Alternatively, you can also check out our own personal training program where our experienced and diligent exercise director creates and adapts a program based on your changing needs. It’s the convenient approach for those who want to get fit quickly.

Personal Trainer Check Point #3: Is Your Trainer Engaged?

A great personal trainer is not one who’s constantly checking their iPhone, running late for your sessions, or chatting up other gym goers or trainers while you are working.

Instead, they are focusing on you and what you’re doing, always ensuring that they are maximizing your training sessions. If your trainer seems to be relatively distracted and is only partially engaged, you aren’t getting what you are paying for with them.

This is your time and your workout trainer needs to realize this. If they are not paying attention to you, why you are you investing time and money with them?

Good trainers put their phones away and are there on time or early for your training sessions. They know that you are their top priority during this time and don’t let anything come in the way of that.

 

 

Personal Trainer Check Point #4: Are Your Sessions Relatively Easy To Schedule?

Another consideration you’ll want to keep in mind is how easy it is to book a session with your trainer. While some trainers differ in demand and thus run busy schedules, others are only working part-time and are available at certain points during the day.

If these times rarely match up with the times that you can exercise – or the times that you prefer to exercise, this can become a real headache over time.

And while an overly booked trainer, because they are just so excellent is exceptional, if they don’t have time to see you often, they aren’t going to be doing you much welfare for you.

Ideally, you want to find a personal trainer who can see you at least two times a week if not three or four times depending on your financial capacity. If your trainer cannot commit to this, chances are, you won’t be making all that much progress.

An exceptional personal trainer knows that sometimes desires can change over time, so they should be checking in with you frequently to see how you are doing and what’s changing.

While there are exceptions to this rule – if you are someone who is well-versed in working out and can pretty much self-direct yourself, one session per week may be enough. Yet, most people will require multiple sessions per w

It’s an excellent idea to always inquire about your trainer’s schedule ahead of time before booking in with them so you get a definite idea of what you’re up against schedule wise before even starting.

Beyond that, be sure to book your sessions early for the weeks ahead. This way, you get first pickings. Plus, it will help you stay committed for the long-haul if you aren’t just going week by week.

If you find that you have such a hectic schedule that planning any sessions with a trainer is challenging, you might want to check out our program where you can get your very own workouts created for you by our exercise director.

Personal Trainer Check Point #5: Are They In Tune With Your Desires?

It’s important that any good personal trainer takes some time before you begin working together to really come to understand your goals and desires.

Are they checking in with you on how you are enjoying the workouts? And when you give them feedback stating you don’t particularly enjoy one certain type of exercise, are they coming up with alternatives?

Excellent personal trainers want to make sure that you are enjoying the workout sessions because chances are, you’ll put in more effort and thus get satisfying results. On top of that, the more you enjoy them, the more likely you are to rebook with them into the future.

You can’t out work a terrible diet, let one of our coaches tailor your Custom Macro Blueprint so you can start seeing true visual change

Trainers should know your goal set inside out so that each workout they prescribe for you is one that will move you in the right direction. If all your trainer knows about you is that you want to ‘lose weight’, this is going to help them program a properly designed plan.

Of course, it’s up to you to share your preferences and desires with them, but they should be asking you – and asking you regularly. An exceptional personal trainer knows that sometimes desires can change over time, so they should be checking in with you frequently to see how you are doing and what’s changing.

If there is no back and forth dialog between you and the trainer and your sessions are entirely just about exercising, this could be a sign it’s time to hunt for a new personal trainer.

 

 

Personal Trainer Check Point #6: Is Your Trainer Nutritionally Informed?

While not a firm requirement, it’s always a good thing if your personal trainer is nutritionally informed. Do they understand the concepts of the IIFYM approach? Are they able to help you out with IIFYM when you have questions or are struggling?

What you always need to keep in mind is that diet and activity go hand-in-hand for the weight loss and body transformation equation. You truly can’t have one but not the other, so your trainer should be focusing on doing everything they can do to make sure that you take a well-rounded approach to it all. This means addressing both diet and exercise.

If your trainer has no clue what sort of diet you are following and hasn’t even heard of the IIFYM approach, they’re really only addressing half the formula here.

how much of a ‘psych up’ energy does the personal trainer give off while you work with them? Are they helping pump you up to go for that last rep on your PR set? Or are they simply standing back, counting your reps?

While it’s true you can find a nutritionist to help with the nutrition side of your program, it’s far better if this is all coming from one person. That way, they know the in’s and out’s of both programs and there isn’t going to be that disconnect.

When your trainer knows and understands nutrition, they can give you more specific nutrition advice pertaining to the IIFYM plan based on the workouts that you are doing.

Some days you may need to add more calories and carbs to your plan so if your trainer has a good understanding of this, they can help you do so.

Our exercise programming offerings all account for this, so check them out if you need more assistance in this area.

Personal Trainer Check Point #7: Are You Having Fun?

Next question: are you having fun? This goes hand in hand with your trainer knowing and understanding your desires. If you aren’t having fun during your workouts, something needs to change.

While it’s true, there may be particular exercises that you don’t really enjoy but do them anyway because you know they are so effective, for the most part, you should be excited about getting your workout in.

Diet usually comes with as many trials and tribulations as exercise, make it easier on yourself with a plan that evolves into a lifestyle with your Custom Macro Blueprint

If your personal training is creating sessions that are dull and boring, how likely do you think it is that you will stay the course? The drop off rate with exercise is almost as much as it is with diet, so you must be doing all you can to help prevent this.

The great news is on the diet side of your program, the IIFYM approach makes it easy to adhere to the plan and stay excited about it, so if you find an excellent personal trainer who creates fun and interesting workouts for you, you should have no problem with this issue.

 

 

Personal Trainer Check Point #8: Do They Inspire You?

It’s also important that your personal trainer inspires you to better yourself. While you can, of course, get a mentor for this, if you find that you personal trainer is rather lazy and unfit looking, how well are they really motivating you during your sessions?

And to that end, how much of a ‘psych up’ energy does the personal trainer give off while you work with them? Are they helping pump you up to go for that last rep on your PR set? Or are they simply standing back, counting your reps?

Ideally, you want a personal trainer who is high energy and is there to help push and motivate you. This is what will land you the best result over time.

Personal Trainer Check Point #9: Have Your Goals Changed?

Finally, the last question to ask yourself is whether your goals have changed. Sometimes, the sole reason you need to find a new personal trainer is just because you are now working towards a totally new goal that the current trainer you are seeing isn’t so experienced in.

When this is the case, don’t feel bad. There’s nothing wrong with them, it’s just that you are not the right fit for each other any longer. Explain this to your personal trainer and chances are, they will understand.

For instance, if previously you were using the IIFYM approach and were working towards the goal of weight loss but now you plan to run a marathon event, you may be seeking out more of a running coach rather than a workout trainer.

This is a specific goal and unless your trainer has completed marathons before, chances are, they won’t give you the best care that you could be getting elsewhere.

So there you have all the different reasons you might consider firing your personal trainer. Constantly be evaluating your situation for these. If any do start to present themselves, start your search and see if there isn’t a better fit out there for you.

The post When Is It Time To Fire Your Personal Trainer appeared first on IIFYM.

from Articles & Interviews – IIFYM http://ift.tt/2kF1PT0