Should You Hire a Trainer? (5 REAL Things to Consider, AND How to Pick GOOD One)
When it comes to peak performance, it's no secret that a little guidance and expertise go a long way. Take for example the performance of a financial portfolio, many investors choose to work with an investment advisor or financial planner to ensure that their money is working for them.
Another example I often share is Stephen Curry's shooting coach Brandon Payne. Do you really think that Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter the game of basketball has ever known needs a shooting coach? Maybe not. But I sure do, and so does he. Reaching a high level of success is one thing, but maintaining it and maintaining it for a long time usually requires objective feedback and growth that comes much more easily when there is someone whose job it is to provide said feedback.
Fitness coaching/personal training being in person or online provides many of the features mentioned above. It provides the initial education and support required to succeed long term (much like financial planning), as well as the continued feedback and "real-talk" required to continue making progress (ala, Stephen Curry).
These analogies barely scratch the surface. Let's dive a bit deeper into the 5 biggest reasons hiring a fitness coach makes sense:
Objective Feedback Trumps Subjective Feedback: Hard as we may try, we suck at giving ourselves honest feedback. Most people, simply put, are a bit too generous with how well they think they are doing. At least I have found this to be the case in my many years of helping people achieve their health and fitness goals. On the flip side, however, there are a surprisingly high number of people who self sabotage their own success by failing to recognize any of the things they may be doing right. Simply put, people tend to be too nice, or too mean, and are rarely objective. A coach can inject much-needed objectivity and act to “stabilize” things, keeping you on track to reach your goals. Bringing someone on board to manage your health, in the same way, you might your career or finances is not a cop-out, its an opt-in to preserving and optimizing perhaps the most valuable asset we have - your health.
We Do What We Like More Than We Do What We Need: Another pitfall I have found to be quite common in life, but particularly fitness is people tend to double down on their strengths and ignore their weaknesses. While I certainly won’t argue it’s important to do a fair deal of what you like, hell, perhaps even a majority of what you do should be enjoyable - you must at least do SOME of the “dirty work”. Having someone whose job it is to ensure you are doing the things you need to do to achieve the results you want can be transformative. Here are some examples:
Problem: You train hard, but you do not track nutrition. Solution: Hire a nutrition coach.
Problem: You like to work out, but have chronic back pain. Solution: You hire a physical therapist to learn some pain management techniques.
Problem: You do the same workouts all time but don’t see progress/lack of motivation. Solution: You hire a personal trainer/online coach to provide you with an unbiased, objective plan and a little bit of push to support your goals.
All of these are very real scenarios that can quickly be turned around by simply bringing someone in to provide support.
You Are Not The Expert You Think You Are/They Are Not The Expert You Think They Are: This might sound a bit condescending, but I have found it to be true over the years. Many people THINK they know what to do to reach their fitness goals, but in practice, their plan won’t get it done. In many cases, people put together sub-par workouts and pair it with a fad diet and poor lifestyle habits - none of which are conducive to reaching the goals they have. Perhaps the most unfortunate thing about the fitness space right now is how saturated with crap it is. Finding helpful information is hard, and many people fall into the trap of believing some “influencers” program/plan is the answer only to find out later they have been duped. Poorly constructed, non-evidenced based cookie-cutter programs are a dime a dozen these days. When putting a fitness program into practice for yourself, whether your goal is muscle gain, fat loss, pain management or performance it is critically important your gather advice from or work directly with qualified professionals. Here is EXACTLY what to look for:
Multiple years working with clients in an in-person setting: This applies to online coaches too. Do not hire an online coach who has never trained someone in person. This is the work that must be done to understand what a client who the coach will likely never see is going through in a virtual coaching relationship.
Several accredited certifications: This not only shows that people know what they are talking about, but also that this coach gives a rats a** about improving their craft and staying up to date.
Testimonials: If a coach does not have testimonials on their website or won’t provide them - be wary.
BONUS: A degree in a relevant field. This includes, but is not limited to: Kinesiology, exercise physiology, medicine/pre-medicine, nutrition, psychology, etc.
Having Someone There When Things Get Tough: Most fitness goals and aspirations will be tough to accomplish. This can lead to periods of demotivation and frustration. Having someone around to help you through those times is invaluable in both keeping you on track and preventing self-sabotage. A good coach will keep you on track without “cracking the whip” all the time by providing real-time support, education, and engagement.
Self Sufficiency is Born From Education: Having a “guide” on your fitness journey has its perks. It’s one thing for a program to work, it’s a whole new ball game when you start to know WHY it’s working. A good coach will make themself available to you via email, text, or phone call at a reasonable rate to answer questions and educate you. Be that an in-person or an online coach. In my opinion “weekly” check-ins are unacceptable and usually indicative of a coach who simply does not want to commit much time to clients. Usually coaches who do this run what I call “mills” where they work with anywhere from 30-100 online clients at one time and rarely do anything besides sending plans/macros. I work with 12-15 virtual clients MAX and around 10-12 in-person clients at one time. I have found this to be a “sweet spot” where I can answer any/all questions that arise. Working with fewer clients allows coaches to create a relationship with clients that is built on communication and education rather than being purely transactional. I have found many of the coaches I respect do the same. And if demand is high, they will hire another coach before adding more clients they can’t support.
So, there you have it. Hopefully, this has helped “de-stigmatize” asking for help. Coaching and expertise in any field is a beautiful thing that helps us avoid pitfalls and reach our goals faster. If after reading this you think you are someone who would thrive inside the structure of a coaching relationship and would like to work with me click HERE, at the time of writing this blog I still have a few spots left for virtual coaching.