--- title: 4 Rules for Hiring a Personal Trainer description: A personal trainer from the gym can help you meet your exercise and workout goals, but do thorough research before choosing one canonical: https://time.com/4068008/personal-trainer-workout-exercise/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-12T15:09:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:31.464Z article:section: Health og:title: 4 Rules for Hiring a Personal Trainer og:description: Do thorough research before choosing one og:url: https://time.com/4068008/personal-trainer-workout-exercise/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37890aa7f3eb8697/6988679cf887dc696ce92cab/women-gym-high-five.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5700 og:image:height: 3206 og:image:alt: women-gym-high-five og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 4 Rules for Hiring a Personal Trainer twitter:description: Do thorough research before choosing one twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37890aa7f3eb8697/6988679cf887dc696ce92cab/women-gym-high-five.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 4 Rules for Hiring a Personal Trainer > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: How $1,000 Could Help Your Health [Watch (HLS stream): How $1,000 Could Help Your Health](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EILRa37f.m3u8) (2:01)  _Published 2014-08-22. From acupuncture to yoga, $1,000 can go a long way to improving your health._ by [Jennifer Cohen / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Jennifer Cohen / Health.com Contributor Oct 12, 2015 3:09 PM UTC  Happy women at health club Happy women at health club Getty Images by [Jennifer Cohen / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Jennifer Cohen / Health.com Contributor Oct 12, 2015 3:09 PM UTC In my experience, everyone can benefit from a [personal trainer](http://news.health.com/2015/06/29/this-trainers-before-and-after-selfies-teach-a-very-important-lesson-about-fitness/)—even personal trainers have trainers! Having a pro by your side is not only a way to stay motivated, he or she can also keep you safe from injury when you’re taking your fitness to a whole new level. The problem: a good trainer is hard to find. Once you decide to spend the money, it’s very important that you hire someone with the right training, experience, and personality. It’s like finding a good doctor all over again. That’s why I’ve created a list of the four essential steps for hiring a personal trainer. **Research, research, research** Most people start by asking after trainers at their local gym. It’s not a bad way to go, especially if you like your facility and the people there. But you should still do some extra due diligence. Most personal trainers these days have web sites to promote themselves and their services. Look over their site, paying close attention to any certifications they have. National Strength and Conditioning (CSCS) is considered the gold standard, but certifications from the American Council of Exercise (ACE) and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) are also widely respected. You also want to note what they say about their training style. Look for someone who offers a customizable approach, and stresses how they’ve helped people with a variety of different goals. This suggests they have plenty of experience and they know how to adapt. **Talk to former clients** Next, ask the trainer for references. A pro will be happy to provide you contact information or testimonials with a few happy customers. Even better, though, is if you have friends or friends-of-friends who’ve trained with this person. So ask around! This way you can find out what people are saying, both good and bad. **Book a consultation session** When you believe you’ve found someone you want to work with, book an introductory session with the trainer to see if it’s a good fit. Most trainers will do an initial session for free or at a very reasonable price. This is a good time to ask questions and get a feel for their training style. **Keep looking** Don’t be afraid to “shop around” if something doesn’t feel right with the first person you see. After all, if you’re going to pay someone money to train you, you want to make sure you get along well and that they are there to help you achieve _your_ goals, not theirs. And if, for whatever reason, you’re not seeing results after a while or it turns out she shows up late or he’s not pushing you hard enough. Repeat this process as needed until you find your perfect match. While having a personal trainer year-round may not be necessary, when you’re looking to kick things up a notch, are stuck at a plateau, or just in need of some fresh ideas, having the right personal trainer can be one of the best investments you’ll ever make. _If you’re looking for more tips, check out this article:_ [_Working Out and Still Not Losing Weight? Here Are 7 Reasons Why_](http://news.health.com/2015/01/26/working-out-and-still-not-losing-weight-here-are-7-reasons-why/) [_This article originally appeared on Health.com_](http://news.health.com/2015/09/29/4-rules-for-hiring-a-personal-trainer/?xid=time) _More from Health.com:_ * [9 Fitness Trainers to Follow on Instagram](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20911536,00.html?xid=time) * [4 Things Your Personal Trainer Wishes You’d Do](http://news.health.com/2014/06/13/4-things-your-personal-trainer-wished-youd-do/?xid=time) * [Tone Your Legs & Abs in Just 1 Move, From Celeb Trainer Erin Oprea](http://news.health.com/2015/03/25/tone-your-legs-abs-in-just-1-move-from-celeb-trainer-erin-oprea/?xid=time) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4068008/personal-trainer-workout-exercise/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4068008/personal-trainer-workout-exercise/"},"headline":"4 Rules for Hiring a Personal Trainer","datePublished":"2015-10-12T15:09:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:57:31.464Z","description":"Do thorough research before choosing one","url":"https://time.com/4068008/personal-trainer-workout-exercise/","keywords":["Exercise & Fitness","fitness","Workout"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37890aa7f3eb8697/6988679cf887dc696ce92cab/women-gym-high-five.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jennifer Cohen / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37890aa7f3eb8697/6988679cf887dc696ce92cab/women-gym-high-five.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"women-gym-high-five","caption":"women-gym-high-five","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/exercisefitness/","name":"Exercise & Fitness"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4068008/personal-trainer-workout-exercise/","name":"4 Rules for Hiring a Personal Trainer"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How $1,000 Could Help Your Health","description":"From acupuncture to yoga, $1,000 can go a long way to improving your health.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/EILRa37f/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-08-22T16:19:48.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EILRa37f.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4068008/personal-trainer-workout-exercise/","duration":"PT2M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4068008/personal-trainer-workout-exercise/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```