photo credit: Personal Training Corpus Christi
Do you find it increasingly difficult to find the time to join an exercise program or yoga classes at your local health club? Personal trainers now make house calls, too. There are many individuals who want and need to exercise but are unable to find enough time after a busy day to include needed time for personal health and fitness. They just don’t have time to go to the gym and do a two or three times a week exercise workouts. They need to to trim down their bulging hips or regain those long lost six pack abs to slim down their body but they just can’t find the time.” alt=”" />
If you haven’t been to the gym in a while you might be surprised to learn that many personal fitness trainers now make house calls as an added service. You may wonder if it is practical to have a personal trainer come to your home. After all, can they really perform their services in a home environment and would it be worth the extra fees or service charges?
As a matter of fact, most personal trainers employed in your local fitness gym can also go to your house. Some of them do their services outside the auspices of their gym employers. Either they work part time or will make independent house calls after normal working hours. Some trainers do this as a regular part-time job. In many cases, they are able to charge better, lower rates than their regular full time employers because they have little or no operating overhead. Of course this means you won’t have access to or benefit from the large heavy exercise equipment you would expect to find in any well equipped gym.
If you are interested in a personal trainer, the next time you are at your gym you can just ask if any of them make make house calls. If you are a paying member of the gym you should check with their business office first. You may be violating your contract with them if you try to recruit one of their employees for private service. If you are not a member anywhere, you might ask at the local gym if anyone is available for house calls. Your local telephone directory can be another valuable source. Look under personal trainers or personal fitness trainers. Of course if you are a “techie” you can also check the Internet. Go to your favorite search engine and type “Personal Trainer Wanted”, “Home Service Personal Trainer” or even “Personal Trainer” in the search box.
This activity should produce several candidates whom you can schedule for interviews. First, find out how much experience they have and in what areas. Weight lifting is not necessarily the same discipline as weight loss. You should also be interested to know if they are licensed and insured and whether or not they are certified or belong to a professional organization such as the IFPA International Fitness Professionals Association, the IDEA Health & Fitness Association, or the AFPA Certified Personal Trainers & Certified Fitness Instructors . These are only three, there are many others and I am not making any recommendations here.
Other questions you should include in your interview are:
1.) Educational background. Is your trainer a graduate of a physical training course? Does he have a physical therapy degree;
2.) Certification. Is he certified by a reputable certifying organization or one with a respected national reputation. If not, you should satisfy yourself that he has an acceptable physical training background and with a wealth of knowledge and experience to cover your requirements.
3.) Licensing. Because of the personal connections and close associations inherent in the physical training industry, many state and local municipalities have instituted licensing of personal fitness trainers. Make sure your trainer is licensed if required by your jurisdiction.
4.) Insurance. Make sure your own insurance covers your trainer as your employee or have him give you his own Certificate of Insurance issued by his insurance company.
5.) Sex and Gender. Gender can be an important factor in your choice of a personal fitness trainer. Understand that some touching or physical contact with your trainer is inevitable. If you are uncomfortable with this you should consider hiring only a trainer of the same sex. Keep your relationship with your trainer a professional association and maintain a level of appropriateness and courtesy that you would with any employee.
6.) Celebrity status. Unless you are a high power celebrity, you probably don’t need a personal trainer with star material? Unless you are rolling in dough and money is no object, you probably don’t need a celebrity trainer. Pound for pound, trained, competent, one personal trainer is as good as the next. if the one you choose doesn’t work out you can always get rid of himause the first one can charge you more because of their star quality but in the end point of view, in terms of service, the non-star quality can train you as equal with the star quality or even more;
7.) Wages and Payment. You must determine the rate of pay expected. Will your personal trainer be paid on an hourly or daily rate? Don’t hesitate to ask, how much you will be charged for the training you expect. Can you pay by cash, check, or credit card? Don’t hesitate to ask if there is a discount to do the training in your home during off-peak hours or include other family members in the training sessions.
Some good reasons to hire a personal trainer in your home are that you save the time commuting to and from the gym, you set your own time and schedule, and the benefits of the personal back and forth comments and conversations concerning your personal fitness goals.
