Wanted: everything expert.

I belong to quite a few email newsletter lists and get several emails per day from some of my mentors.  One email I received a few weeks ago from a guy who is a really smart nutrition guy stuck with me and really made me think.  He was talking about what to look for when choosing a personal trainer and here is the part that really stuck with me…

He said a great trainer can successfully train anyone.  This struck a chord with me because I see it all the time when personal training studios advertise.  Their website or print add will display their areas of expertise.

We are experts in:

• Fat Loss
• Injury Rehab
• Functional Training
• Sport Conditioning
• MMA
• Corporate Fitness
• Yoga
• Pole Dancing ….you get the idea.

I guess my colleague was right, you would have to be one heck of a trainer to be an expert in all of those areas.  I guess I feel inadequate because I am only specializing in athlete training.  If you are 70lbs overweight and you are a football lineman, then I can work with you.  If you are 70lbs overweight and your favourite sport is sofa surfing, then I am not the right person for you.  I spend hours at night reading about athlete training, not how to motivate a new exercisers or deal with emotional eating or run a corporate ‘bootcamp’.

So here is where I will respectfully disagree with my colleauge and here is my advice.  If you are choosing a personal trainer, then decide what your goals are and find someone who specializes in that area.  If you are a London, Ontario based athlete looking for training, that is my area of expertise.  If you were in a car accident two years ago and want a safe fitness program, I am not the person for you (unless you are also an athlete) since that is not my area of specialization. 

You would not want your cardiologist doing surgery on your knee would you?  Apply the same principle to selecting a trainer; you deserve a specialist.  Like any good specialist, if they are not the right one for the job, they will refer you to someone who is.  I refer people to other trainers on a weekly basis because they do not fall within my area of expertise.  So when you are interviewing your prospective trainer ask them what they specialize in and if you get a laundry list like the one above, then move on!

Cheers,
Maria