by Detric Smith, CSCS, USAW, ACSM-HFI

A good personal fitness trainer is going to want to do an assessment of you before you agree to work together. To assist the trainer in their evaluation, you should have a clear set of goals.

Think about your reasons for approaching a trainer. What is it that you are hoping to achieve? Do you want to run a marathon? Are you trying to lose a few pounds? Are you trying to maintain your flexibility level for your golf game? Or do you simply want to get into better shape?

A personal trainer cannot do their job properly, if they do not understand what you are trying to achieve. You can help with the evaluation if you are prepared and know what you want.

Knowing exactly what you are striving to accomplish will allow your trainer to be able to design a program that will be geared not only to your personal fitness level, but one that will help you to reach your goals faster. Fitness training falls into all kinds of different categories.

If you are endeavoring to lose weight, your trainer may want to design a balanced plan. They may want you to do aerobics training and cardio. Additionally, they may also want to discuss your diet. Numerous fitness trainers have a good understanding of nutrition and diet. Their recommendations may include ways that can help you to lose extra pounds by modifying your eating habits.

If you are planning to run a marathon, your trainer will want to work on increasing your stamina. Stamina exercises are geared to enable you to have more energy for longer periods of time. Your trainer may want to have you doing workouts on the treadmill, bike or swimming.

If you are hoping to stay in shape during the winter for your golf game, the trainer may want to incorporate various exercises towards improving your flexibility. Their focus may be primarily on maintaining your current fitness level while striving to expand your range of motion. Your diet may be discussed, but it probably will not be top on their list.

Determining what your goals are will enable your trainer to design a more specific program. The trainer will focus the curriculum towards exercises that will be of the most value to you. Additionally, having a clear objective will give you a better way to measure your rate of improvement. Setting a series of small goals will give you a sense of achievement. One of the main reasons that people lose interest and stop training is because they do not feel as though they are improving. Achieving set goals and moving forwards is one of the best ways to ensure that you will stick to your plan.

During the evaluation, you should talk to your trainer about what kinds of activities interest you. It is important that you enjoy your sessions. If you are not interested in a particular kind of exercise, you need to speak to your trainer. There is usually another option. For instance, if you do not enjoy using a treadmill, they might be able to accommodate you and have you workout using an elliptical or a rowing machine instead.

A personal trainer can help you to get into the best shape that you have ever been in. However, you must remember that if you want to accomplish your objectives in the shortest amount of time you will need to assist your trainer.