Hiring a personal trainer is a big deal… and information overload doesn’t make it any easier to hire someone.

For that reason, we created a short guide to Red/Green Flags to look for when considering hiring a personal trainer.

Green Flags

1. They don’t have “personal” relationships with the clients.
   • It’s EXTREMELY common for trainers to have romantic/sexual relationships with their clients at one point or another. This is something you want to avoid at all costs.
2. They hold their profession in HIGH regard.
   • A true professional would NEVER dirty a relationship with a client by mixing business with pleasure.
3. They have a dedicated training space.
   • Are you getting bounced around from place to place? Do they rent a space? Own their own gym? Train you at the house? There are a myriad of reasons why you want a trainer with a dedicated space! Timing, convenience, predictability, etc. A dedicated space is a green flag!
4. They schedule sessions clearly and in advance – they want you to use your sessions!
   • A great trainer puts you on a recurring schedule, and makes changes way in advance. This shows they actually want you to use your sessions.
5. They have a clean training space.
   • Are they so busy they can’t clean the space? Do they have someone else cleaning it? You are paying a lot and you obviously need to be training in a clean space. If it’s clean, that’s great!
6. They plan your workouts well in advance.
   • This is a green flag because they’ve got you in a program that they know will get you results. Making up workouts on the spot is very common and not effective.
7. They meet you where you are.
   • Are they crushing you just because? Are they putting you through a standard program that doesn’t fit you? Obviously if they are meeting you at your current level, that’s a great trait!
8. They track your progress.
   • Trainers that have software to plan and track your workouts are a walking green flag! You need to track in order to get results.
9. They correct you.
   • Trust me – if you are not getting correct it’s not because you are doing everything right. They either don’t know proper technique or they don’t care. It’s a HUGE green flag if you are constantly getting corrected.
10. They have a consultative process.
    • It’s a green flag if they actually take the time to get a medical history and learn deeply about you! This is how they know they can get you results and how they are going to do it.

Red Flags

1. They “service” their clients.
   • Any evidence or history of inappropriate relationships with past clients is a sign to run for the hills.
2. They make you extremely sore for no reason.
   • This is the most common red flag. It’s extremely easy to make someone sore… too sore. And soreness doesn’t correlate well to results. If you are getting sore without enough time to recover… it’s a sign they’re making things up.
3. They crush you for no reason.
   • A trainer that crushes you might make you feel like you’re going to get results, and it’s not necessarily true. Intensity needs to be used with intention.
4. They are part time.
   • I’ve got nothing against part time trainers. Before I became a gym owner 7 years ago (at the time I’m writing this), I was part time. But, I can say I’m significantly better since being full time. When your entire life is dependent upon training, you become better at it. Be wary of someone that has a full time job and has a few clients on the side.
5. They don’t have a documented track record of success.
   • Can you see transformations and case studies? If not, red flag.
6. They care too much about their certification.
   • Most certifications actually certify that someone doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Ultimately is all about results. I’ve hired trainers with 20+ certs and Masters that were terrible trainers. I’ve also hired trainers with no certifications that were amazing.
7. They have you start working out before gathering enough information about you.
   • The whole point of personal training is that it’s personal. The whole point is that they can do a deep dive into what you need to be successful. If they don’t do a thorough intake… it’s a red flag.
8. They do not follow up with you to use your sessions.
   • This one makes me the most angry. You’re pumped. You buy 20 sessions. You personally reach out to schedule and only use 5… you get busy and don’t schedule the rest and you never hear from the trainer again. Huge red flag. At Spark Fitness, we have nearly 100% session usage – and we have a whole system in place to make sure you use your sessions because we actually care.

If you live in North Hollywood, Sun Valley, Valley Village, Panorama City, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, or somewhere else that’s close to us, submit your info and we will reach out to see how personal training can help you reach your goals!

And when you do so… make sure you see how many green or red flags we have!

Coach Connor

Book a Free Consultation Here

Find me on instagram @connorgreen3000 and the gym @sparkfitnessla

Find me on YouTube here @connorgreen3000 and the gym here @sparkfitnessla