About that personal trainer ...

Personal trainers are a phenomena of the millennium.

Before the year 2000, you could count the number of personal trainers in Sarasota on your fingers and toes.

Sure, there was the “Y” and a couple of other fitness clubs, and they had people on board to maybe show you how to use a machine or lead a group exercise class. But once the 20th century passed, personal training took off like an elliptical machine out of control. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Always being an early adapter of things that eat up my disposable income, I began working out with a weight lifter in 1998. He had a home gym on the second floor of his house, which was located close to Jungle Gardens. 

That first foray into training didn’t last long, but it did teach me what is important in training and investing in personal training. Here’s my take on the ladder of training actualization.

Your first decision to train is most likely motivated by social persuasion. This persuasion could be your class reunion (that was mine), or any of a plethora of other events in your future. For example: One of my friends had her daughter’s wedding coming up and she hadn’t seen her ex-hubby in a decade. Increasingly, more people seem to be motivated — especially in our community — by health issues.

And that is self-efficacy reason No. 2.

Physiological issues drive individuals to personal trainers as injuries or major system breakdowns occur. You could be preparing for joint surgery and realize the recovery will be much easier if the supporting muscles are already strengthened. Or post surgery, following the prescribed physical therapy, you may be motivated to continue to work to reach a level of fitness that you didn’t have  in recent history.

And that is self-efficacy reason No. 3 — mastery experiences.

Many people reach a level of what is called mastery experiences that become self-motivating. Bingo. You really feel strong and powerful when you learn to correctly lift free weights and you want to continue to build muscle and change your physique, for example. Or, Pilates. Or, a triathlon. Having a trainer to lead you on that journey can be influential.

Finally, social modeling is another influencer. We see people who are trainers and we want to look like them. Perhaps we want to act like them, as in having a total commitment to exercise.

If you think you fit into one or all of the above, what’s a good relationship look like between a trainer and a client? I asked Lauren Elford, a trainer at HealthFit.

“The client needs to be able to trust their trainer to make educated choices for their individual needs. The trainer needs to be able to trust that their clients will let them know if they don’t understand something or if it feels wrong,” she said.

Doug Sham, one of Lauren’s colleagues at HealthFit, joined the conversation by saying, “A trainer needs broad knowledge and education to meet the individual’s needs.

“The second component is a strong match of personalities. You need to be able to open up to the trainer with your honest personal goals in order to set the objectives of the training experience,” Sham said.

But wait, there’s more.

Personal Trainer magazine identified 19 different certifications available to become a trainer. These include the highly rigorous American College of Sports Medicine health fitness instructor, which is based on extensive scientific data. There’s also the National Strength and Conditioning Association. 

Kristine Nickel is a marketing communications consultant and former marketing and public relations executive. For more than 30 years, she has relieved her stress by writing features for publications across the country.