How to recognize a bad personal trainer

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How to recognize a bad personal trainer in 6 steps

article contributed by Jelena

Your relationship with your personal trainer can make or break your fitness regime. Finding someone who can encourage you, understand your needs, and come up with solutions is invaluable, whilst a trainer who turns exercise into a drawn-out punishment can put you off exercise for life.

It can be hard, however, to figure out just how good your personal trainer is until the damage is mostly done. You don't have to like your trainer to get results, but there's a thin line between effectively strict, and pointlessly pushy.

So what are the warning signs that you should run a mile (or thirty) from?

1 - Signs You Don't Have a Great Personal Trainer

They love to remind you that "No pain = no gain."

There is no denying that you'll have to work hard to get results, but there's a line that needs to be drawn between pushing yourself and risking injury. When you are injured, you cannot work out at all so pushing yourself to that point is counterproductive. Should you be sore the next day? Absolutely! Should it be hard to go and down stairs after leg day? Absolutely, otherwise it's not effective. HOWEVER, some trainers take "no pain, no gain" a little too literally. Stay safe!

2 - They did not give you a full assessment before beginning your training.

A lazy trainer will just take one look at you and think they know your needs. A great trainer, however, will have you take a well thought-out fitness test so they can actually assess your abilities, your needs, and the areas you need to focus on.

3 - You are not seeing any results after a month.

You can't expect massive results right away, but if you are following the nutritional guidelines set out by your trainer and putting in work at the gym, and you don't notice any difference at all after a month or two, it's time to reevaluate your program. Keep in mind you might be losing fat but keeping the weight on as you grow muscle to replace it, but you'll notice a difference in your appearance even if the scale doesn't change. Keeping measurements can help track progress, too. Ultimately what matters is, how do you feel?...better? Then you are on the right track.

4 - They ignore dieting; instead, they try to push supplements on you.

Supplements can be great, but the first step is getting your nutrition in check. If they are just trying to sell you supplements and not talking about actual nutrition from real food, that's a red flag. There is nothing wrong with using supplements, so don't shun your trainer just because they mention it, but if you're looking at hundreds of dollars from all sorts of crazy powders and they've yet to address things like healthy smoothies or protein-rich meals, just be weary.

5 - They are very out of shape.

We discussed this one in the introduction. A personal trainer doesn't have to be chiseled out of granite in order to help you, but if someone is in terrible shape it might be a warning sign. Either that or they are such a good trainer that they don't have time for their own nutrition and exercise? (That is a long shot, though. You need a trainer who is at least in half-decent shape, not hundreds of pounds overweight.)

6 - It Can Be Hard To Find a Great Trainer…

…but they are out there! So keep these points in mind and just try some out. It is okay to do a few trial classes with different trainers until you find the one that fits your goals, your needs and personality the best. Just remember, the trainer who gives you the easiest workout isn't necessarily your best friend even if it feels like it at the time! You should have a tiny bit of hatred for your trainer after a great workout, which means they're pushing you further than you knew you could go.

Photo Credit: Flickr