“Maaaaan!

All of the good personal trainers are
in big cities training the wealthy
people or training celebrities.

You can’t find good trainers in smaller
towns.”

- Misinformed Fitness Seeker

Hey little buddy, it’s alright. Lots of
people think the best personal trainers
are in the bigger cities training CEOs,
VPs, house wives, and celebrities.

I can see why you might think that.
TV and mags point to that conclusion
and a brief look around your local gym
at the personal trainers and group fitness
instructors point to that conclusion too.

The fact of the matter is there are not very
many great personal trainers.

There are lots and lots of average trainers.
And there are lots of crappy trainers.

I’m not going to get into why there are
only a very small amount of GREAT personal
trainers in the U.S. and why there are a
plethora of crappy to average trainers.

What I AM going to get into is what a great
trainer is and what a crappy trainer is.

GREAT vs. Crappy

(1st full disclosure statement: I’m trying to set a record
for the most times the word “crappy” is used in a blog post.)

Having some sort of personal training certification
does not guarantee greatness. In fact, it’s
usually a gateway to crappiness (new word I just
invented for the sake of breaking the record).

Most great trainers have certifications but guess
what else……

so do most crappy trainers.

Having a wellness or exercise-related college
degree also DOES NOT guarantee greatness;
however, this is a better indicator than just
having a certification.

So what are indicators of greatness?

1. Good Communication

Great trainers can carry on an authentic, compelling
conversation about relevant fitness and wellness
topics.

Great trainers ask great questions.

Great trainers are great listeners.

Crappy trainers have poor communication
abilities. They can’t maintain eye contact.

They either don’t find out what you want
or…

they forget what you’ve told them you
wanted…

or they ignore what you want because
you don’t know what’s best anyway; they
do because they’re the awesome fitness
expert. NOT! They’re crappy.

(Yes, I just used “NOT!” and to be honest
I’m a little embarrassed that I did but I’m
leaving it:-)

You see, great trainers care about you.
Seriously, they truly want to learn about
you, learn what you want, and give you
the attention you deserve. And because
they care about you they become great
communicators for you.

To be a great teacher you have to be
a great communicator. Personal trainers
are teachers and it’s a disservice to those
paying the trainers if the trainer does
not learn how to communicate and why
being a great communicator matters.

Have a good, long conversation with your
trainer. Do not pay for personal training
with out having a conversation with your
trainer.

Trust me, this happens every single day in
gyms across The United States. People are
paying for trainers without even having a
conversation with the person who will be
training them.

Have a conversation with at least 2 people
who have been trained by the trainer you
are thinking about using. Notice that I said
“at least”. It’s important to use references.
Do a little homework.

Ask for references of your prospective
trainer AND demand a consultation with the
person who will be your trainer.

2. Perpetual Learning

Great trainers are always learning. They
know what is going on in mass media in
terms of fitness and wellness. They know
the latest in exercise science. They
know most of the diet fads.

Knowing the trends and knowing the science
is important because society is blown away
with information overload. Someone has
to debunk all of the crap. There has to
be a trusted source that says “Yeah, that’s
good” or “No, that’s crap.”

Crappy trainers are narrow-minded. They
have their blinders on. It’s their way or
the highway. They’ll shoot you a line of
B.S. to tap dance around a topic they are
uneducated about. They know enough
to be dangerous. For real!

Have a list of challenging, relevant questions
that you want to ask your prospective trainer.
Treat it like a job interview. Be firm because
you are about to invest some of your money
and a lot of your time with this person.

There will be plenty of time to be fun and
friendly later.

3. Results

Great trainers get great, lasting results
in a timely and safe manner.

Shoot, that should be the headline.

That’s what it’s all about: Great, lasting results
in a timely, safe manner.

To do that a trainer MUST be a good teacher
and a good learner. To be a good teacher
and a good learner takes sustained focus.
To sustain focus one has to be truly driven.
A great trainer is truly driven to deliver results
to his or her clients… the people he really,
truly cares about.

Great trainers discover your true fitness levels
and push you to that level as consistently as
possible. Great trainers realize when you’re
adapting and they tweak the intensity
accordingly. Great trainers are consistently
mindful of your current goals, long-term goals
and your ever-changing fitness levels.

(2nd full disclosure statement: This is a slightly
biased blog post since I’m a great trainer;-)

Crappy trainers have a history of slow results,
poor results, or no results. Crappy trainers
have a history of causing injuries. Crappy
trainers are passive. They don’t push you.
They aren’t aware of how you’re changing or
if you’re changing. Crappy trainers have a
history of making their clients mad or sad or
even worse… depressed.

They have a history which is great because
you can find out what their history is.
Dig deep!

Here’s a little bit of my history:

“I’ve been working out regularly for many years and frankly, started to get very, very bored. When an opportunity to try something new came up, it seemed to be perfect timing. I was in decent shape, but hitting 40 brought new challenges in staying fit and engaging in exercise. Enter Lab 3 Wellness. I started in January 2010 working out with Courtney twice a week and it has been amazing.

I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life and I feel great. Energy level is up, along with a general sense of well-being. I’m loving it. And the fact that my workouts with Courtney are just 30 minutes (30 intense minutes) means I’m in an out and ready to get on with my day. I highly recommend Lab 3 Wellness. It’s fun. I’m fit. Life is good!”

Aaron Brown – 43
Pastor, St. Paul Methodist

–>

“I will be 53 years old this year. In April 2009 I lost a very dear friend. His unexpected death at age 52 made me realize I needed to change my life. Watching my family grieve his death awakened me to the fact I owed my family the responsibility of taking better care of myself. Since I was not motivated to workout I hired Courtney as my personal trainer. At first I did not think I could do it but Courtney was there encouraging and challenging me all the way. Courtney and I have common faith beliefs and work ethic. It did not take long to build a friendship and trust in him. I have been working out 3-4 days
a week with Courtney since June 2009.

Today I am stronger, sleep better and am more confident. I have lost approx 40 lbs and my doctor recently cut my acid reflux medicine dosage in half. I am conscience of what I eat and Courtney holds me accountable. The physical conditioning has allowed me to also focus more on my spiritual, intellectual, social, environmental and occupational dimensions of life. I now understand a well balanced life contains each of these dimensions and if I am out of balance so is my life style. My challenge to anyone thinking about creating a new way of living is to try Courtney for 30 days. But you have to commit for YOU to be successful. The rest will take care of itself. Life is too short. When you have this balance you experience a little taste of Heaven on earth.”

Kenny Neal – 52
Business Owner – Midland Erector

–>

“I met Courtney in the Spring of 2009. Intrigued by his original approach to fitness, and the promise of “lifetime wellness”, I signed up for twenty sessions. I was a bit apprehensive, as I have used several different personal trainers before without lasting results. However, after my first session with Courtney, I knew that this would be my last time working with someone new. With each passing week, I changed. Not just my body, but my mind. After nearly two decades of eating issues, obsessive work-outs, and sliding up and down that darn scale…I CHANGED. By the time our time together was over, Courtney had broken the chains of confusion and contradiction that I had carried with me for so long. Through him, I achieved total wellness. And I am forever grateful to Courtney for changing the direction of my life. If you have tried it all without success, consider allowing Courtney to be your “one last shot”. If you are at the beginning of your fitness journey, then I can’t think of a better person to start it with. Regardless of where you are…or where you want to be…I personally know that Courtney can help you to make that happen.”

Amelia Maples
Super Cool Mom

–>

“I have been coming to Lab 3 Wellness since November 16, 2009. In my past, I have read and attempted numerous diets and programs. When I would try diets and exercise plans on my own, I would easily give in to unhealthy decisions when my friends or family were doing something “fun” (cookouts, birthdays, holidays, etc.). So the first thing I noticed different at Lab 3 Wellness was my ability to stick to the program. Jared and Courtney are my accountability. They are very assuring and inspiring! If I had a question about what to eat and when to eat it, I could call, text, or email anytime. That was the start of my encouraging experience. I started adding a bootcamp class once a week along with my 3 days a week personal training. About 8 weeks into the program, the compliments began surfacing. That was motivation for me to push harder and continue going. My energy levels have increased so much. I actually believe that my goals for running a 10K (and more) by summer will actually happen! Jared and Courtney make my sessions fun and bootcamp classes are great. I really look forward to going to workouts every week. I recommend going to Lab 3 Wellness for anyone who wants to live healthier in all areas of their life. It has been the most encouraging accountability with visible results I have ever had! Thank you, Lab 3 Wellness!”

Amy Wheeler
Super Cool Mom and one heck of a seamstress

–>

There’s some of my history.

Look, I’m a great personal trainer in little
ol’ Joplin, MO. Great trainers are out there
in obscure places. When the student is
ready the teacher will appear;-)

Here’s a quick little offer for Joplin-area
residents. Try our bootcamp class for
free for one week. Come hang out with
us. Get to know us. No obligations to
sign up. This is a risk free opportunity
to find out how great and cool we actually
are.

Call us at 417-781-8700 and leave a message.
Simply say, “Hey, this is Mr. Bojangles (or whatever
your name is) and I read your “Joplin Personal
Trainer” blog. I’m really rooting for you to
break the record of using “crappy” the most
times. I’d like to try your bootcamp class. Please give
me a call at 555-5555 to schedule a free consultation.”

If you don’t live in the Joplin-area I can help you
too. Email me at roth@lab3wellness.com. I have
a powerful online personal trainer service. In your email
just say, “What up? This is Mr. Bojangles from
Des Moines, IA. I’m interested in some online
fitness help. So HELP! I’m trying to burn
fat and build muscle…”

Have a blessed day!

Courtney David Roth MHA, CFT
Lab 3 Wellness

P.S. You’ve found a great personal trainer.
Don’t let him slip away:-) Call to schedule
your free consultation at 417-781-8700
and to take advantage of our free 1 week
pass to our bootcamp class.

P.P.S. I consult through email everyday.
If you don’t live near Joplin, MO then hit
me up in my inbox for online personal
training –> roth@lab3wellness.com

P.P.P.S 3rd full disclosure statement. I used
to be an average trainer. I’m grateful for
my humble beginnings. I’m blessed to have
had forgiving clients when I first got started
back in 2005.