4 Signs of a Bad Personal Trainer

I'm a certified personal trainer and my first and foremost goal is to get my clients the results they seek. I cringe when I see other personal trainers not giving their clients their money's worth. Here are 4 red flags to look for, if you are seeking a great personal trainer.

ONE: Weak communication skills. A trainer may have all the knowledge in the world about the human body, but this doesn't mean he or she can adequately get messages across to stubborn or "intimidated" clients. Some trainers simply cannot get their clients to do things correctly, because they lack communication skills or the gift of gab. So instead, they stand back and allow their clients to execute sloppy form.

Some trainers take the easy way out and just stand by passively while their headstrong client continues to do something wrong, such as grabbing the treadmill while walking on it, or swinging their back backwards while doing biceps curls with dumbbells. If someone has lousy form, even an inexperienced exerciser will probably detect it.

TWO: Being overprotective and condescending. Ever see trainers helping their clients too much? While the client is using a resistance machine, some trainers can't keep their hands off the hand-holding portions of the machine. This cheats clients out of the full experience of exertion and a jubilant feeling of, "Wow, I did that all by myself!"

Of course, when the client begins struggling near the end of the set, the trainer should apply minimal assistance to help the client get the lift out. But a trainer can also be too helpful. This overly-helpfulness is almost exclusively committed towards female clients. Though women aren't naturally built as strongly as men, this shouldn't matter, because a woman should be given the opportunity to match a man in EFFORT. Beware of trainers who seem to be helping too much, instead of empowering their clients.