• Article

Hiring someone to help you get in shape or just to get yourself moving again, can be a challenge. As we age our bodies go through a transition of stiffness and soreness in our knees, hips, back or shoulders which can eventually lead to pain. It’s tempting to want to hire the first person who says they are a Personal Trainer and who will motivate you to exercise. But the Personal Training industry is not regulated, so you need to do your research.

When choosing a Personal Trainer, look for these 5 things:

• Knowledge & Experience — Hire someone who has the knowledge, credentials and clinical experience to correctly help you, rather than someone who took up the profession over their lunch hour.
• Assessment — Make sure they perform a thorough client interview including health history, medications, history of injuries or surgeries, orthopaedic and neurological screening, as well as other clinically relevant tests.
• Program Design — Avoid hiring a trainer that immediately puts you on a program that is not designed for you, such as fast running or heavy weights. This can cause serious damage. A program needs to identify your goals (flexibility, strength, pain relief) and any physical limitations that may have led to your current state (pain, arthritis, inflammation), and then address these in a specific way through a series of exercises.
• Progressions — Your program should progress at your pace, without pain between visits. Don’t let anyone tell you “no pain, no gain”. If you are being pushed to the point of exhaustion or pain, you are hurting your body. Pain is a signal that something is not right – not something to ignore.
• Follow-through — Make sure your Personal Trainer performs regular reassessments to adjust your program as you progress. Different parts of your body typically need special attention and extra care to avoid causing further damage and to properly train your body to move in the correct manner.

Find out more about our in-home therapy and fitness programs using Corrective Motion to train your body to move properly, improve stability, build strength and relieve pain. Click here to book a free assessment.