How to choose the right fitness program for you?

Do you know how to choose the right online fitness program for you?

Working with a fitness professional either one to one or online is a great way to get tailored guidance and accountability to reach your fitness goals. In fact, working with a qualified professional can actually change your attitude and beliefs towards fitness, helping you steer through the mass of information out there.

But with so many personal trainers out there and social media gurus, it’s critical to find someone who is certified in their area of expertise and understands your goals and motivations.

Having the support of a personal trainer online will help to keep you more motivated and accountable when it comes to weekly workouts, but he or she can also play a role in helping you to maximise your time at the gym whilst providing nutritional support so you can see more consistent and sustainable results.

Do your research!

But there’s a fine line between making a sound investment in your future fitness success and simply throwing money out the window on something that doesn’t work or just isn’t sustainable or healthy long term. Knowing how to choose the right person for you will help you set the correct goals to achieve your desired results.

So it’s crucial to do due diligence when choosing the right fitness pro for you. All it takes is a little legwork to determine whether or not someone will be a good fit for you and your needs.

So here are a few things for you to consider:

1) Credentials

No if’s or but’s, a trainer should have the right fitness qualifications in their particular area of expertise. To become certified, personal trainers must pass an exam through accredited organisations. This ensures they’ve met certain standards of professionalism and competence. Having a great body and a large social media following does not qualify as a credential.

2) Experience

A trainer who has served in the industry for some time is more than likely to understand you and get better results than a newly qualified one with no real world experience. You can have all the knowledge in the world but unless you have actually worked with one to one clients from different demographics with success then this doesn’t count for much I’m afraid when working with online clients.

In my opinion if you haven’t made and ran a successful one to one personal training business what makes you think that you can do better online? Be wary of the online trainer who never quite made it in the one to one world.

3) Personality

What motivates you? Some people do well with positive reinforcement while others prefer a more military style approach. Either way, communicate with your intended trainer and get a feel for their style to see if it matches with what works for you.

4) Philosophy

This for me is critical as it can end up making or breaking your experience. What approach does the trainer use, is it healthy and sustainable, is it something you can do long term rather than just a quick fix?

Will there be communication with you to ensure you know why you are doing what you are doing and ultimately will they be educating you so you have an overall better understanding of training and nutrition. This is vital for long term success.

5) Specialties

We have all heard the saying “Jack of all trades, master of none?” Well, if you’re looking for something specific such as improving your running goals or Olympic lifting you may want to work with a trainer who specialises in these areas.

However, if a Body Transformation is your goal do you think these trainers would be the right fit you for? Trainers that focus on certain areas / goals alone tend to have better results as they are more experienced and passionate in the field.

6) Cost

Just as all of the above can range vastly between trainers so can their online training costs. So before you begin to find the right program for you, sit down and think about how much you are truly willing to invest in yourself, but never underestimate the importance of your health when thinking about cost.

Cheap prices can come at a cost to your health and time especially online. If it sounds too good to be true then in my experience from some of the programs out there I have seen, it probably is. You may end up paying for a generic plan that has no room for flexibility to be adjusted to suit you and your needs / progress. There will be a lack of communication with the trainer as time is money and chances are it won’t be suitable for you in the long run.

7) Availability

Because consistency and support is key when working with a trainer, it’s a good idea to inquire about their availability to you.

How will they communicate with you and what level of access do you have to them?

Most online trainers operate via emails but some limit their times to when they are available which may not be suitable for you. Granted you cant always expect an immediate reply because online trainers don’t just sit behind their laptops all day, but you should expect a reply within a set time period. Limited or set times of communication with your trainer can lead to problems if you need help with a certain issue.

8) Location

This isn’t a huge issue when working online but you may have to bear in mind differing time zones of when you may not receive a response. Make sure you are aware of this before hand.

9) Progress

In addition to your training program and nutritional advice your trainer needs a method for tracking your progress so they and you can both see the changes happening. This ensures the trainer is staying on top of things and making appropriate tweaks to keep you progressing.

Personally I feel this should be done every 2 weeks where the trainer should be cross comparing images, tape measurements, body fat & weight and most importantly gathering feedback on how you’re feeling. It’s vitally Important they know how well you are sleeping, how your bowel movements are, energy levels just to name a few. If your trainer doesn’t do this then what are you paying them for?

10) Reputation / Testimonials

The best compliment any trainer can receive is a word of mouth referral. This shows that the client had a worthy experience, enough to recommend them to friends and family. Likewise if they had a bad experience this feedback maybe negative so may not be right for you.

Second to this the trainer must be able to provide you with results of their past client transformations along with a testimonial. If the client has truly enjoyed their experience and found it of value they will have no issues providing this feedback for the trainer to put on display. Granted a few people may not wish to have their photos publicly shared for a whole host of reasons but this is a rarity. In my opinion It is vitally important they have a website ( not just social media ) where these results are on display for all to see, this may help you relate to them and their stories to show you what is achievable. However, be aware as a handful of companies / trainers are using other peoples work and classifying it as their own.

In summary

Although you might be feeling a little overwhelmed right now at the prospect of choosing an online training program just remember that the above are guidelines only.

Generally speaking you get what you pay for but ultimately you must choose a program that supports, educates and holds you accountable. If it doesn’t then success is either unlikely or unsustainable.

If you’ve still got some unanswered questions or fears about signing up to the ART 12 week body transformation programme then visit our FAQ page were we’ve hopefully covered and addressed all your concerns.

Alternatively drop me an email at olly@action-reaction-training.com.

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Do you know what your goals are but you don’t know how to reach them?  Then my 12 week body transformation programme can help you.

My programme will change your life by boosting your body confidence and self-esteem.  The physical changes you will achieve will be great, however the most important aspect is how it will make you feel.

Improving your mindset is our number one goal!

If you have any questions about the plan then drop me an email, I will always respond to you: olly@action-reaction-training.com

Alternatively visit the WEBSITE for more details.

“I honestly couldn’t recommend this programme enough, it has completely changed my day-to-day life and overall happiness.” HOLLIE

“Best purchase of my entire life. I’m so happy with the physical results, but I’m even more happy about the way I feel mentally.” JUDE

Visit www.action-reaction-training.com to sign up to the 12 week body transformation programme.

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