Hiring a Personal Fitness Coach
by Mark Irvin
“I FOUND I WASN’T GETTING OUT TO THE GYM AS MUCH AS I WANTED, SO I HIRED A PERSONAL FITNESS COACH. It gives me that added push I needed.” Typical enough comment, coming from a private sector executive. The catch – she’s the vice-president of GoodLife Fitness and works right next door to their gym, and still struggles with the same time pressures as the rest of us.
To climb the organizational ladder, and survive, managers tell me, they must train their minds and their bodies. Just as we sign on with teaching professionals to upgrade certain skills to excel in the work place, some are signing on with personal fitness coaches in order to maximize their production in the gym.
In our overloaded work environment it is easy to find reasons to postpone exercise. A personal fitness coach can provide a program tailored to fit the schedule and needs of the on the go manager. The coach will provide an exercise routine to increase the client’s fitness level while maximizing their use of time. Personal coaches can also design programs that work around an individual’s physical restrictions keeping those active individuals exercising while they are recuperating from the injury whether the injury was work related or not.
This is their profession – they’ve usually worked for years to build their skills, and select from a broad range of options to meet the client’s need, rather than impose the same program on all. But more than the skills, the number one reason that individuals decide to hire a fitness coach is for motivation. It’s easy enough to postpone a trip to the gym. It’s tougher to call up your coach and explain why you are canceling your appointment, and losing your $35. “It’s so easy for the urgent to drive out the important,” a federal exec said. “I started seeing a coach a year ago for an hour every day at noon. At first, I had to retrain people. Our team meetings often slipped over into the lunch hour. At a quarter to twelve, I said ‘I’m leaving in 15 minutes, if anybody needs my input, you better ask now.’ At noon, I just picked up my gym bag and left. After three months, they had adjusted, and our meetings are now more efficient. Over the year I lost 90 pounds, have more energy, and am more effective.”
You can have the coach come into your home. There is the convenience of training in privacy, saving time on the trip to and from the gym, and using your own equipment. The downside is, most home gyms don’t have much equipment, and the cost per hour is higher – about $50 to $75 per hour in home, $20 to $50 in the gym. How to find a good coach? Most health clubs and corporate fitness facilities have them. But a reference from a friend or colleague works best. Things to look for when interviewing a prospective coach are:
• certification from a nationally recognized institute of fitness coaching (ie: Can Fit Pro, or ACE) that is well know and tests graduates. The fitness industry is not yet regulated by the government, so anyone can claim to be a fitness coach.
• how in depth the consultation and assessment are – to determine clients goals and potential challenges.
• do they ask for a comprehensive medical history?
• the cost to the client per session or package is clear
• clear specification of what is expected of you, and you can expect from your coach.
• someone you will enjoy being with
• do they discuss setting long, medium, and short term tangible goals that can be physically measured? For example, wanting to lose 50 pounds should be broken down into a reasonable target for the first week (say one pound), the first month, the first year. Fitness is not instantly achievable. Reaching small goals one at a time protects you from the frustration of not seeing monumental changes in the first few days.
A coach can make the difference between achieving the next level of fitness or not. Exercise takes many forms from walking to pumping iron, but the most important thing is that exercise you enjoy is exercise you will continue. We all know the benefits of being fit. For some, the added motivation and skill of a personal coach makes the difference in being able to achieve those gains.
Mark Irvin is an SPI Personal Trainer
