Gone are the days when only the rich and famous could afford personal trainers. Today, personal trainers are affordable, more abundant, and an option for anyone looking to achieve their fitness goals. Often the most daunting task can be finding a qualified personal trainer Austin that best suits your training style. This article is dedicated to providing you with the information and resources you need to learn how to find the right personal trainer for you. 

If you're still not convinced that hiring a personal trainer is the best route for you, consider the benefits: 

Responsibility: Scheduling a fitness appointment with a personal trainer ensures you won't waste it like a trip to the gym on your own.

Reduce Injuries: A certified personal trainer has the qualifications to ensure you use the correct form and reduce the likelihood of injury.

Motivation: A personal trainer will push you to the limits of your body, while on your own, you are likely to give up earlier when you should. 

Get Results: If you've been training on your own and aren't seeing results, a personal trainer can help you achieve them.

Fight Boredom: A good personal trainer will mix up your workouts just enough to keep them interesting.

What should I expect from a personal trainer?

When embarking on your search for a personal trainer, you are likely to find coaches with diverse backgrounds, specialties, training locations, certifications, fees, and personalities. It's important to set a few parameters for yourself before beginning your search to ensure that you narrow down to the personal trainers that will work best for you.

You can find personal trainers who specialize in certain areas. For example, a personal trainer who specializes in losing weight or one who specializes in helping athletes achieve their goals. Ask candidates what their specialty is, if any, and assess how it fits with your own goals. 

How to find a personal trainer in your area 

If you belong to a gym or fitness club, most have personal trainers on staff. Many gyms offer reasonably priced personal training packages. However, determine if you will be assigned a coach or if the coach will vary with each session. You are more likely to get the best results if a single personal trainer tracks your progress. Also, gyms have different requirements for trainer certification, so make sure your personal trainers are certified through one of the more rigorous programs. Also, keep in mind that large gyms tend to pay coaches less, making them more likely to quit and go elsewhere. This can be detrimental to achieving your fitness goals. 

Let your fingers run through the local yellow pages. However, most freelance personal trainers try to keep their expenses low and don't list them in the yellow pages, so this shouldn't be your only source.

Many of the personal training certification programs maintain online databases of participants. This is a great place to start, as the question of whether the candidate is certified is already answered.

Of course, if you can get a recommendation from someone who is already working with a personal trainer, this would be a great starting point. Your contact can provide you with the first-hand experience of what it is like to work with the trainer and clues to your training style.