Each month Elite Strength will provide training tips to assist you in your workouts or nutritional suggestions that can assist in your eating habits. This page will also serve as a question and answer page.
Are you looking for a personal trainer? This month we are talking about personal training. Personal Trainer is a noun that really has no meaning. Anyone can call themselves a personal trainer. There is no law or rule that says a "personal trainer" has to have a degree or even a certification.
A personal training certification can be obtained by reading a couple of pamphlets and taking a two hour course. Many trainers have been working out for a couple of years and decide they want to show people how to do it themselves. They have had no official schooling or scientific background. Most will tell you how to do an exercise but will not be able to tell you why you are doing it. You would not want to go to a doctor that tells you to take a pill with an explanation of; "I saw someone take it and it worked for them."
Many of today's personal trainers get most of their exercises or routines out of muscle magazines. These routines or exercises may work for the bodybuilders in the magazines but are not right for the average population. Most clients have real jobs and do not strength train for a living. They are also not able to recover from workouts without the use of training supplements.
Here are a few guidelines when looking for a qualified person to put you through a workout.
- Look for an Exercise Physiologist, Exercise Specialist, or Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
- Check their office for a diploma from a reputable school, if you don't see one ask what kind of schooling they have. Look for degrees in Exercise Physiology, Exercise Science, Athletic Training, Fitness Management or Sports Medicine.
- Also look for certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS) or American College of Sports Medicine (Exercise Specialist).
- If they don't have a degree, a qualified trainer needs at least a certification from National Strength and Conditioning Association (CPT) or American College of Sports Medicine (HFI).
- The best recommendation we can give is to ask questions. Hire a trainer for a few sessions, some may even give a free first session, and ask why you are performing the exercises he or she is prescribing. If they cannot answer why or they answer with, "I saw it in a magazine or I heard that it worked for someone," find a new trainer.
