Military Muscle: When you’re looking for a trainer, ask 3 questions - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Navy Times

Military Muscle: When you’re looking for a trainer, ask 3 questions

Q. I want to get some specific help with my workouts. I have seen some trainers who do things I really question. What should I look for when choosing a trainer?

A. As with every profession, there are exceptional, good and bad trainers. There are a lot of opinions about what to look for — or if working with a trainer is even worth it.

Here are three things that I think are key issues, in order of importance:

What specific experience does the trainer have?

Look for an individual who has experience in the area that you want to pursue. Over time, most trainers will gravitate toward a specific area of interest or expertise. If you want to get into bodybuilding or powerlifting, you probably won’t be satisfied with the results if you train with someone whose focus is general or functional fitness.

Likewise, if you are looking for a trainer to help you with strength training for a triathlon program, a trainer who has a focus on muscle mass may be the wrong person.

Is the trainer certified?

The majority of trainers I associate with are certified with the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Strength and Conditioning Association or the American Council on Exercise.

Certification lets you know that the individual has a basic knowledge of the profession. Top-notch facilities will require all their trainers to be certified, and special certifications can be an additional benefit. CrossFit is a growing workout program that’s popular among service members, so trainers are picking up certifications to lead groups in CrossFit at many gyms across the country.

What is the trainer’s philosophy?

I’m looking for a workout, you might say, not a Zen master. But trainers who do not have a philosophy of how they train and why are not going to be very good. Their workouts and programs will be more of a grab bag than a specific approach with a defined end.

Do they discuss how their philosophy will help you accomplish what you want? Most important, can they tell you how application of their training philosophy has helped others improve in the area that you want to improve in?

If the answers are no, you might want to reconsider hiring that trainer and look elsewhere. A solid training philosophy is as important as the workouts themselves.

Bob Thomas, a fitness trainer and retired naval flight officer, is director of the Navy Wellness Center in Pensacola, Fla. E-mail him at jomof14@cox.net.