How to choose a Personal trainer

I am a personal trainer in Tampere, Finland. There are others here too. There will be quite a few personal trainers where you live as well. And how to choose a personal trainer may seem like a harder task than it should.

Personal training is exactly that: ‘personal’. It’s not like buying an iPhone, in which they are all the same and do the same thing in the same way. Nor is it like choosing a car, where you have a number of different models. Because it’s a personal, human service and can’t really be commoditized.

Now, there are A LOT of personal trainers these days, and to be honest, I think that’s not a bad thing. A lot of my fellows in the industry like to complain about it, that it is ‘oversaturated,’ but I think that’s actually quite a good thing. It means there are a lot of options for people to choose from, a lot of new ideas and methods entering the field, and also it’s a clear sign that there is real opportunity for people to start a fitness business, help people, and do what they love.

I always say that there isn’t really competition in the fitness industry, among PTs at least. If someone chooses one coach over another, it is because they were a better fit, did something right, and established trust.

There are signs of a good personal trainer and warning signs of a bad personal trainer, or one that doesn’t fit you. And in this blog, I’m going to show you. So let's begin…

First and most important green flag: If they are a personal trainer in Tampere, ginger-bearded, bald, from Scotland, and named Kjartan. That’s it, thanks for reading.

Just kidding. I’ve worked with a lot of people but am under no illusion that I’m a one-size-fits-all trainer perfect for everybody. But there are a lot of standards to meet that I’ve learned over the years, make sure I follow, and encourage other PTs who I help to follow as well. But let me share them with you, the customer.

Green flag: They listen to you.

The personal trainer or online coach should want to know A LOT about you and your situation. What your day consists of, your working life, how and what you eat, your exercise history, and so on. Because all of this affects what you do inside and outside of the gym, what your goals are, and how you’ll happily reach them. The sign of a good personal trainer is to get to know you so much that by the time you start training together, they have developed a plan that is very well-suited to you. A long questionnaire, video call/ in-person meeting before ever starting are very encouraging signs.

Red flag: If they don’t ask much about you.

If they just talk about themselves or how they do the training without asking much about you, then it’s not a good sign. If the first time you meet is at your first session or if they do the consultation right before your one-to-one session, then they are just interested in getting the work over and done with. How do they know your goals and situation and what to plan in your sessions, plans, and programs if they’ve hardly spoken to you or gotten to know you?

Green flag: Freelance

If you want a good personal trainer in Tampere or anywhere else, get a freelancer. Because personal training is personal, it can’t really work in other formats. Your personal trainer needs to have autonomy and control over your training because only they know you, how you operate, and what you need. As well as this, it needs to be attached to their livelihood. Freelance personal trainers survive and make a living by having clients, keeping clients, and getting new ones. They do this by being very good at what they do, getting clients the results they ask for, and getting referrals from other happy clients. If they couldn't, then their business would dry up and die. It’s Darwinian, and so it should be. Think about it, if you want an excellent steak, you don't go to McDonald's. You go to the place that does the best job and gives their customers the most excellent of experiences.

Red flag: Employed

As said before, personal training can only really work if it's freelance. An employed PT will probably be good as a gym instructor, but they are inhibited by the processes and regulations put upon them by a gym. And while that might sound professional, it is detrimental because the people making those rules are not the ones in the know. Think about it, if they knew best, they would be freelance PTs, helping people and making a good living. It’s commonplace for most gym managers to be personal trainers who could not quite hack it. There is nothing wrong with that, but they aren't very good authority figures for actual personal trainers to answer to. The gym and process it sets in place will be a one-size-fits-all approach, robbing the personal trainer of individual autonomy to really analyze and help their client, who is a unique individual. Personal training cannot be commoditized.

You also have the element of income. An employed PT's income isn't incentivized by success like the freelancer. They get paid to show up. They don't have to care about their clients like a freelancer does. If they had the same skill levels, they would freelance and make a bigger income and be able to help people much more intuitively. Personal training is a livelihood that enables someone to help people while making a living and doing what they love. To gyms, it is just another way to increase profit. Remember, you don't go to McDonald's for good steak.

It's worth noting, especially in the UK, that most commercial gyms contract freelance PTs. They might be in the gym uniform but will have an agreement with the gym to operate there on a freelance basis. (This was nearly taken away from them in 2019, but some work in court saved that). Working for a gym is a good way for personal trainers to start and learn, but it’s still always better to freelance, more risky, perhaps, but that’s Darwinian.

Green flag: Simplicity

If you want to impress people, make it complex. If you want to help them, make it simple. You want a process you can stick to and even enjoy. A good personal trainer or online coach WANTS to help you. So they will try to keep the process simple and manageable for you.

Red flag: Complexity.

Making the process seem very complex might look impressive, but it isn't going to help the client. Sure, it might appear like the coach knows so, so much, but what is really happening is that you're being made to be dependent on that personal trainer. And so, you will think it's impossible without them and keep paying and paying. There are simple ways to get in shape and feel better. Understand that. The coach may feel under pressure to demonstrate their worth, but that can be done by getting the client the result they asked for.

Green flag: Social proof.

You need a trainer that actually gives a f*ck about getting you your results. Not just lining their pockets. If they have a portfolio, examples of people they've helped that you can relate to, before and after pictures, and testimonials, then they are going to help you. It's a sign they can simply get results for their clients and not just talk a good game. Referral from people they have worked with previously also goes a long way. For the record, Instagram followers, professional photo shoots, or cans of NOCCO are not social proof.

Red flag: No social proof. If a personal trainer cannot give any evidence of people they have effectively helped in the past, then you may have a hustler on your hands. However, I feel I should cut a little bit of slack on this one for new coaches. Yes, having social proof is very reassuring and clear evidence your money will pay off. But if a personal trainer is quite new and without experience, it could be that their clients are still working on getting their results. So they might not have as many testimonials. So, look if they display the other green flags we have discussed and decide if you'll give them a chance. However, if an experienced personal trainer, or one that claims to be experienced, has no social proof (and it doesn't just have to be before and after pictures), that would be a red flag.

Green flag: They are a personal trainer and/or online coach.

Well, obviously, right? I'm a personal trainer in Tampere and an online coach. I help people to get up off their bottom, be proactive, and feel good about themselves. That's what I am and what I do. Yes, I do this freelance, but I'm not really a 'businessman'. What I do is who and what I am. My focus is always helping my clients, and how I format everything is based around doing exactly that. Sure, it's a business, but the most important thing is delivering what 'my business' (me) aims to do and help my clients with. I'm not an 'entrepreneur'. I do what I do to help my clients on their fitness and wellness journey.

Red flag: They market themselves as 'entrepreneurs'.

It's a pretty clear sign the personal trainer is more interested in self-aggrandizement than helping clients. A personal trainer needs to be the VERB, not the adjective. They need to be and do what they set out to do. Their priority should be helping their clients with their fitness and wellness journey, not using them for their own 'entrepreneurial' journey. Such coaches will bombard you with a lot of jargon, talk, and processes but deliver very little of actual substance. Some people are more interested in being businesspeople or entrepreneurs and just use the fitness industry as a means of becoming that. That means you, as the client, are just another tool in that. Get a coach who wants to be a coach.

Green flag: Pricing.

How much does a personal trainer cost? Well, how long is a piece of string? They usually cost what they are worth. And actually, a higher price is a good sign (only if they have social proof, which we mentioned earlier). Because higher value goods and services cost more. At the end of the day, you’re paying for the results that you want; that’s where your money is going. You’re also paying for all that coach's experience, research, and development. All of this gets you a result that you value. If the cost is high, it means that the personal trainer or online coach is going to have the time to put a lot of work into your development. The other thing is, you’re going to stick to it. If you invest good money into it, you’ll be sure to get your money's worth. If it was cheap, you’d both care less. More on this later.

Red Flag: Pricing

Believe it or not, pricing that is too low is a red flag. How much does a personal trainer cost? Well, it depends on how good they are or how bold. If the price is too low, it means that the coach is desperate for clients. Why would that be? Another reason you don’t want the price to be too low is that people put in the work they are paid for. Remember earlier when we went over employed PTs caring less about the work because they aren’t getting as much for it? Well, it's similar. Now I know not every trainer is money-driven. But they are going to care less about work they do for a small amount. And so will the client. You value what you invest in. If you put a small investment into something, there is less incentive to stick it out. How many times have you seen something offered for free online and you haven’t bothered with it or wondered what the catch is? Also, a trainer who has a very low price will need to rely on a high volume of clients to make a living and therefore be unable to put much focus and work into just one client.

Neutral flag: Pricing.

It is entirely possible for coaches to totally overcharge. I once went to a course for small businesses (I went because I paid for it and didn’t want to waste my money. I valued my investment, see) and the guy pretty much just said, “Triple your prices and work with fewer clients, bye.” It's common now among freelancers to attach a high cost to their services so that it is perceived as more valuable. Remember, social proof is the indicator. VAT will also dictate price, unfortunately. You pay a coach their income for a service, they pay tax on their income, but on top of that, you must pay extra tax to the trainer who has to pass it on to the government. This will make it more expensive for you and the trainer. Make of that what you will.

It also depends on location. I’m a personal trainer in Tampere, Finland. Here, coaches charge very high fees for what they deliver. Remember: social proof. If they have the other green flags, then it may be worth it, or maybe you’re about to become another chapter in someone’s entrepreneurial journey.

Red flag: Contracts.

Now, a contract of expectations and Ts&Cs is not a bad thing. For example, a contract that you will not miss sessions and so on. But if a trainer makes you sign a contract promising you will stay on for longer than a month, drop them. Personal training is a personal business and is sold on credibility. If they are confident they will deliver, there is no need for a contract. It's like a gym membership. I've been a member of a lot of gyms in Tampere and never took a contract. I go because I like the gym, not because I'm made to keep coming back.

Likewise, with my personal training clients in Tampere (and online), they keep working with me because I deliver and keep them happy with what I provide. If I fall short, they'd leave and I'd have only myself to blame. But is a contract needed for security? Well, it has happened to me that I have had a client delay payment repeatedly and then straight up not paid for services rendered. And a contract would have given me grounds for legal intervention. But that was one time in my entire career, and I learned my lesson.

Remember, contracts serve the trainer, not the client.

Red flag: Charging by the hour.

If a personal trainer charges by the session or by the hour, then they are kind of just a gym instructor. Because your goals take a lot more than just hourly sessions. There are the training, nutrition, and habits that you have outside of the gym as well that get you results. And that comes from consistent work over time and the right guidance. A one-off session isn't personal training.

Green flag: Charging by the month.

A monthly payment that includes your choice of weekly sessions plus all the back of house work to help you on your way is what a personal trainer worth their salt would offer. The price should be high enough that it's a significant investment for you, but also one you can sustain. If it is so much you have to save up for it and can't keep it going, then it probably won't get you many results. Results come from what you can sustain.

Green flag: Straight talk.

A good personal trainer will tell you what you need to hear. Sometimes that will feature doing things differently, making changes, telling you to work harder. If they have taken the time to get to know you as mentioned previously, they will know your thresholds, domestic situation, and what you're capable of. Sometimes that means they'll tell you to go faster and do more or do differently, sometimes it will feature them telling you to take your foot off the gas a bit and stick to the plan. If they know you and want to help you, they will tell you what's needed.

Red flag: They tell you whatever is needed to make you stay.

It isn't going to do you any favors as a client if your trainer just tells you what you want to hear. Sure, it may appease you, but it won't get you results. They need to say it as it is. This also means not just rolling with what's trendy or 'as seen on Instagram.' They need to use training methods that work. Not what looks or sounds cool.

Green flag: Experience.

That is what makes a trainer good. Actually working with a lot of people. That's the only way they can learn. And this will be reflected in their social proof. Independent educators and writers offer a huge amount of insight and learning. But going and practicing, training, and helping are what make a trainer good. I'd never ask my clients to do training routines, dietary methods, or anything else that I hadn't done myself and seen work firsthand. This comes from experience

Red flag: Formal qualification.

Okay, I'm not saying they are bad. Not at all. They just don't mean much. I have a bucket load of certificates, and I learned more in one month of actually training and working with people. If a trainer is just talking about their qualifications, it means they spent too much time jumping through the hoops of some regulatory body and studying out-of-date material than actually helping and learning. Don't get me wrong, education is incredibly important. But in the fitness industry, that comes from skilled, independent educators, not government-sanctioned ones. Tell me this, when you went into a tattoo studio, did you ask the artist where/how he studied, or did you look at their portfolio of previous work and how clean their station was? Delivery is more important. Because anyone can pay for a course.

HOWEVER, a trainer that doesn't learn is an idiot. There are so many books and YouTube channels out there than you can learn so much from, and it's important for coaches to do exactly that.

Red flag: Instagram influencers.

Now if Instagram followers made someone a good coach, I'd be sorted because I have a fair few. But let me tell you that has no bearing on my skills as a coach. Getting popular on social media comes from making content people want to see, regardless of how factual it is. If I do a steroid cycle, put on fake tan, get a pro photographer to take some photographs of me, edit them and upload them talking about whatever is in fashion and what people want to hear, then I'd be super popular, and my coaching abilities would remain the same. The best coach I know has fewer than two thousand followers.

A reason we often see influencers become 'coaches' is that they want to capitalize on the followers they have, whether they know how to do it or not.

Green flag: If they are in shape themselves.

This is the truth. But it doesn't need to be in incredible shape. Look at me, I'm very happy with the shape I'm in, but I'm hardly top tier. My older brother, who I coached, is more ripped than me. But if a trainer is going to help you get healthy, get into shape and feel good using their methods, then they have to be methods they know and know are sustainable. I wouldn't make my clients do anything I couldn't/wouldn't/haven't done myself. How can I tell them to consistently do something that even I can't manage?

If your coach is (naturally) in good shape, especially if in line with what your goals are, then they are setting the example and clearly know what needs to be done.

I hope you find this useful in your search for a Personal trainer. If you want to save but still testing the water, go ahead and do my free analysis and get your first five steps.