If you’re looking for personal training to build a healthier body, you should shop around when choosing a coach. Why? What you see might not be what you get when it comes to a bodybuilding instructor.
The right subject matter expertise, education and training, plus the right personality for you, all must come together to create a positive and results-based relationship between you and your personal trainer.
We take a look at some qualities to consider for a bodybuilding personal trainer, what you should ask your personal trainer and how HOUSEFIT can be the right choice for you.
Essential Qualities in a Bodybuilding Coach
When chatting with your personal trainer during a consultation, you’ll be eager to ask questions on how they or the local gym they are apart of may differ from other big-box gyms.
When starting this conversation, general goals such as weight loss, training for a marathon or a specific time-based goal (how to get a sexy summer body, for example) may come up in the dialogue.
However, in this case, you’ll be asking how they can prepare your body to be leaner, more muscular and see overall growth in your time with them.
When trying to form that initial connection, these are a few questions you can consider:
What is their overall philosophy in regards to bodybuilding?
A good trainer will motivate you to become stronger, leaner, and faster than you ever thought you could be. However, the right trainer will already have some explicit ideologies and concepts on how they get their clients to bodybuilder status.
Do your homework before meeting with a bodybuilder personal trainer. Look at well-known methods, specific exercises or programs proven to create strength and muscle mass. You don’t necessarily need to understand the practices or science inside-and-out, but asking with a general understanding can help you clarify whether this coach is the right coach for you.
Some example questions include:
“I’ve heard of German Volume Training - does it make a difference in growth and muscle mass?”
“Do small weights or big weights make a difference?”
“I’ve been doing bodyweight chest exercises at home. Am I on the right track?”
“Would you create a meal plan for me to bulk and see the results I’m looking for?”
With these questions, a well-informed bodybuilder instructor will have explicit opinions. How they answer can determine what they know about Kinesiology and body movement. They may also suggest apparent alternatives, their holistic approach, or be quick to mention fundamental errors you’re making while working out on your own.
Don’t be afraid to ask “why?” Asking questions tests a personal trainer’s understanding, and this is all insight that can help you see if they can take your workout to the next level for more significant gains, strength and endurance. An active conversation like this may also help to enhance trust and compatibility.
What are the bodybuilder coach’s credentials and expertise?
At HOUSEFIT, all of our personal trainers are certified in a range of Certified Personal Training Programs, from ISSA, MCA & Canfitpro and AFAA. A certified personal trainer may mean years of experience, a better understanding of your health goals, and perhaps years of training clients to their fitness goals.
Asking your potential bodybuilder coach what their certifications are is a straightforward way to know if they will be the right fit for you. At HOUSEFIT, our staff hold some of the following qualifications:
Aspects of fitness, wellness and basic training principles
Nutrition and bioenergetics
Cardiorespiratory, skeletal, and muscular system anatomy and function considerations
Flexibility, mobility, and fascia considerations
Passive and dynamic assessments
Periodized program design and delivery
Many of our staff hold other more specialized certifications as well, including Precision Nutrition (PN1).
Also, while you might be quick to judge a book by its cover, meaning finding a coach with massive delts and an appearance as if they never skip leg day, don’t be quick to assume a fit this way. So much goes into being a personal trainer. Judge a personal trainer on how big their brains are, then say, their bigger traps. Judge your potential trainer’s know-how over how they look in their Lululemons.
Speak the Same Language as Your Bodybuilding Personal Trainer
While you may find a bodybuilding personal trainer who is bilingual, this tip is related to the overall communication and understanding you two share.
For example, are you well-versed in the difference between reps and sets? Do they understand the type of workouts you enjoy and create an exercise routine that tests your strength but isn’t dull or boring?
Alternatively, do they push you in a way that encourages you to move and get motivated? Are you someone who needs to be pushed to the max and find it exhilarating when they motivate you to “go, go, go”? Do you need someone with you every step of the way, assertively moving you forward without being aggressive or off-putting?
Within the hour sessions with your personal trainer, a communication gap or failing to understand what they seek from you means periods where you aren’t moving and a relationship where you are continually seeking clarity. As a result, this personal training relationship may compromise the results you are looking to get as you strive for a better, sexier bodybuilding physique.
You need to build a relationship with your personal trainer on trust. Much like anything hard, especially when it comes to competitive bodybuilding trainer, you won’t be likely to stick with it if the relationship is more demanding to maintain than the physical exercise.
Consult a HOUSEFIT trainer today for a bodybuilder personal trainer and workout plan
Ready to work on a better body with us and lose weight for the long term?
We’re Toronto’s favourite training gym and are proud that our clients continually recommend us to their friends. We’re pleased to have helped more than 200 clients lose over 10,000 LBS of fat!
Our focus on personal training and sustainable results at our boutique operation are because all of our staff are experienced trainers who will take your fitness to the next level.
So whether you are building a better body that would make Schwarzenegger proud, to just looking to obtain better mobility and endurance, or all three, we’re the gym for you.
Contact us to book a free 90-minute health and fitness consultation at one of our two convenient North York location. To get started, contact us today to get a free 90-minute assessment.