How to Find a Great Personal Trainer (Who Isn’t Full of Crap)
There are a lot of bad ones so choose wisely.
A great personal trainer will help you achieve fitness goals you thought were impossible.
Having an expert guide you and show you the path will accelerate your results and help you avoid all the mistakes that everyone else makes. They’ll build programs to move you forward, teach you new habits, and encourage you every step of the way.
But when most people look for a trainer, they often overvalue what doesn’t matter and undervalue what does matter. (And trust me, there are way too many unintelligent fitness people out there.)
If you want to find the best fitness coach for you, challenge them and ask “why” so you can make sure you’re getting the most value.
Here are a few ways to see if your fitness coach is the real deal, based on over a decade in the industry. Each one by itself might not mean much, but when you put these all together, you’ll get the winning formula:
They Constantly Seek Knowledge
Great trainers constantly learn and improve: They’re always — and I mean always — reading a new fitness book, taking a new course, attending seminars, or flying to different cities to meet respected coaches.
In my experience, this rule instantly eliminates over 80% of all personal trainers. (Even ones who have been training for decades.)
Most of them don’t crave knowledge or growth with a passion. Many of them just see it as a job and try to get by. And plenty of others just use fitness as a “side gig” to make a few extra bucks on the side (while their acting career takes off, right?).
Ask your trainer which coaches they admire. What fitness books do they read? What recent certification did they get or workshop did they attend? Who did they recently meet?
If they can’t list a lot of names, events, books, etc., that is a serious red flag.
They Have Real-World Experience
“Knowledge without mileage is bullshit.”
—Henry Rollins
Just because someone has a six-pack doesn’t mean they know fuck all about training, fitness, nutrition, etc.
I’m deadass serious.
The problem with fitness is there’s a very low “barrier to entry.” Anyone can be fit. (Whereas not anyone can be a cardiologist, scientist, pilot, etc.) And anyone can get fit doing virtually anything.
The hilarious thing about fitness is even if you do everything horribly wrong, as long as you do enough of it, you'll get in somewhat decent shape.
I’ve personally met many people who have six-packs, incredibly chiseled bodies, and more, but I wouldn’t let them train me even if they paid me. (Also, I’ve seen them train their clients and it isn’t pretty.)
Meanwhile, I know many people who have a teeny bit of flab around their belly, yet are some of the smartest trainers on Earth.
If that seems counterintuitive, it's not. After all, the best football managers were not necessarily the best footballers. The best golf instructors were not necessarily the best golfers.
Coaching and doing are two completely different things.
Obviously, you don't want a trainer who is utterly out of shape—that would make no sense. But they don't need to have a six-pack, bench 300 pounds (136kg), and look like they could pose for a magazine cover 365 days a year.
Also, just because someone reads a lot of fitness textbooks (like in the previous section) doesn’t mean they know a lot about training either. Why? Because knowledge is just theory.
So they know the best exercises… now what? How do they put it together into a cohesive, long-term training program? How do they adapt to difficulties from their clients?
Instead, look for a trainer who walked the walk and talked the talk—ones who have trained hundreds, if not thousands, of people and gotten them real results.
If they’re new, they obviously don’t have that experience, but they can still get real-world experience in other ways. For example, when I started as a trainer, I did an internship at a leading gym where I learned more in three months than most personal trainers learn in a lifetime.
They Stay In Their Lane
Too many personal trainers exceed their scope.
They use exercises to “fix” your injuries. They use supplements to “heal” your body. They write meal plans when they lack credentials.
This is all very, very bad.
Not only are they unqualified, but depending on your region, they could be breaking the law (and could really mess you up).
Instead, the best trainers I know have a large network of licensed physical therapists, massage therapists, nutritionists, etc. And they are more than happy to refer their clients to people who actually know what they're doing.
They’re Not Always Well-Known
Some very popular trainers online are quite knowledgeable and respected. But I would venture to say that the vast majority are not.
Meanwhile, there are some extremely talented and brilliant fitness coaches who don't even have social media; they're too busy getting results for their clients.
Don't mistake popularity for credibility.
This isn’t just for fitness; this is for everything. We can all agree there are plenty of famous doctors, scientists, financial experts, etc. who have a massive following online, but they spout very dubious information.
They Write “Programs,” Not “Workouts”
When I worked at a commercial gym, I knew trainers who put together workouts minutes before their clients arrived.
But great trainers decide that stuff in advance: They design long-term programs to build specific training adaptations and systematically create results over months. That way, you don’t just do whatever your trainer feels like; you follow the plan and get results.
Ask your trainer what training “phase” you’re currently in and what’s the next one. They should know.
They Know Exercises Inside And Out
Great trainers live and breathe perfect technique and will even video themselves to improve. But I’ve seen trainers with master’s degrees, years of “experience” (lol), and plenty of certifications who teach clients hideous and dangerous exercise technique.
Go online and watch videos on correct technique and see if it looks like yours. If it’s not, show your trainer and ask them why. Also, they should be able to easily teach you new exercises without confusing you.
Also, here’s a good tip: You can often tell how good a trainer is by the warm-up drills they give you.
They Aren’t Flashy
I knew trainers who purposely showed off in the gym to try to get more clients. But here’s the secret:
Amazing workouts often look boring.
The best programs are brutally simple and effective. (Sure, speed ladders and hurdles might look cool, but if you’re trying to lose 20lbs, that won’t do shit for you.) They also give you the minimum effective dose to get results; they’re not constant beat downs that make you feel like crap at the end.
They Focus On You
You already know trainers shouldn’t play on their phones during your workout. But do they tailor their program to your needs? Do they make specific adjustments if you’re tired, struggling, or dealing with knee pain during your workout?
(Again, this is the value of having real-world experience.)
Intelligent trainers always customize their workouts to your current state. Not-so-intelligent trainers, however, put everyone through the same thing like some kind of masochistic bootcamp.
Ask your trainer how they would adjust the workout if you’re feeling tired and why. You can see their proficiency at adjusting “on the fly.”
They Evolve
The best trainers constantly tweak and improve their approach to fitness. Perhaps they learn more about specific muscles and joints, find new strategies to create changes in the body, or discover better variations to popular exercises.
If your trainer isn’t regularly experiencing “mindblowing” moments, they’re falling behind. And if you’re spending hundreds of dollars (or more) on a fitness coach they better be improving.
Ask them how and why their workout philosophy has changed. What would they have done differently a year or two ago? Their answer will tell you a lot.
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