DO CERTIFICATIONS A TRAINER MAKE?

Many personal fitness trainers in Nigeria seem to place more emphasis on obtaining a certification than actually getting the knowledge required to deliver effective and safe results to their clients.

 

 

Never assume that because a trainer is certified, he is knowledgeable. The mere fact of passing an exam simply means that the individual has successfully memorised enough correct answers to pass the examination.

 

 

 Whilst working out yesterday, I observed a 'certified' personal trainer teach shocking rubbish to his client. The unfortunate client seemed unaware that the instruction she was recieving could cause her severe injury!

 

Here are some tips to protect yourself from physical damage from bad personal  trainers.

 

 Do your own research:

 

 In an industry polluted with bad information and uninformed personal trainers, a great trainer should impart further knowledge to you so you may understand more clearly the “why” of everything in your sessions, and give you the knowledge you need to train yourself!

 

Make sure you read up on fitness trends and challenge your trainer frequently with questions. If you find that your personal trainer is not as informed as they should be, please do yourself a favour and break up with your trainer before you get hurt.

 

Make sure they Walk their Talk

 

 

A ripped physique does not automatically qualify the Personal trainer as an effective service provider. Ask your trainer about their personal gains; have they been able to accomplish their own goals?  Pay attention to the way they talk about training too; are they passionate and particular, or are they waiting for the end of their shift?

 

Determine what they're selling to you

 

Personal trainers are salesmen, they make money from your subscriptions. Your duty is to determine if they are selling you results or sessions. Trainers that sell results will assess where you are before you start and guide you towards a specific goal.  They set definite timelines for the achievement of certain goals and could also refer you to other trainees who have achieved similar results.

 

A trainer that sells sessions is only after your money and will not guide you towards any specific goals. They will instead require you to take up session after session, in the hope that you will achieve some uncertain goal like 'a flat stomach', 'ripped arms', or my all time favourite 'six pack abs'.

 

 

 

 The list of celebrity trainers and fitness personalities is long, yet we as a nation are still fat, deconditioned, out of shape and unhealthy. You will notice that these activities require you to take a more proactive approach to managing your personal trainer. there is already so much misinformation and myths surrounding health and fitness. don't let yourself fall into the sales trap.