MISTAKE #1: Not making sure your trainer has expertise in the area you want to train in.

Remember: expertise in one area does not necessarily make them a good fit in another! This is where doing your homework into what type of trainer you want for your goals up front can help you ask the right questions.

How do I know if a trainer is a good fit for me?

Beyond their expertise, there are a few more important factors to consider when determining if a trainer is a good fit for your needs.

It helps to know what type of support are you looking for from a trainer?

Are you looking for a powerlifting coach to show you the basics (squat, deadlift, bench) so your form is right? Just a few sessions up front and a few later down the line to confirm you’re on the right path might suffice.

Are you new to working out and just want to kick-start your first two months of training? Finding a trainer with regular availability who can accommodate your schedule multiple times per week will be important to keep you disciplined.

Are you in need of help staying consistent for the long haul? In that case, a short upfront commitment to make sure they are a good fit is a good idea. If they are, you can sign up for a longer period of time (which will often get you a discount) and set some big goals together.

And perhaps most importantly, are they a good personality fit for you?

Don’t write off this question! You’ll be spending a lot of time and energy with this person, so finding the right coaching style can make all the difference.

Do you need more hands-on guidance throughout your workouts? Or more space to take ownership and thrive on your own?

Do you need somebody who will cheer you on? Or do you need tough love from somebody to call you on your bullsh**?

Do you need someone who’s willing to explain the WHY behind your program? Or someone who focuses on getting in and out as quickly and efficiently as possible?

Once you set proper expectations with what you need a trainer for, and what coaching style works best for you, you’ll have an even better idea of who will be the right fit.

How to find a good personal trainer A personal trainer stretching out a client.

Once you find a trainer you are considering working with, the next step should always be an in-depth conversation.

MISTAKE #2: Blindly accepting what your trainer tells you without making sure you fit together!

They SHOULD do a detailed assessment to learn about you, your goals, and your story.

They SHOULD ask about any past issues with injuries or experience with exercise. If you’re injured or have any deficiencies, they should know this so they can create a great program for you.

They SHOULD be able to share past client successes with you or point to their credentials and history of success.

They SHOULD be able to describe specifically how they can help you achieve your goals. This shows an understanding of the challenges you face and how you can overcome them together.

They SHOULD set proper expectations. You won’t get ripped in a month, but they can let you know it could take many months to get in shape or build the right kind of habits.

They SHOULD take your feedback into consideration when developing a plan. They are the expert in their field, but you are the expert in your own life. Your feedback matters!

They SHOULD ask you about your nutrition. If they don’t, you’ll be wasting your time. [2]

That’s what to look for. These are the things we specifically focus on with our 1-on-1 online coaching program. We love helping people in a way that fits their lifestyle, at a pace that they feel great about, while actually having fun.

Exercise doesn't need to suck! Click to learn about our Online Coaching program:

What are the signs of a bad personal trainer? Our Lego friend is terrified of bad personal trainers.

Beware the “entertainment exercise” trainers with a routine that isn’t catered to your goals.

MISTAKE #3: Thinking a workout is more effective because it’s confusing or exhausting.

Many trainers just try to confuse you with needlessly complex movements and put all their clients through roughly the same cookie-cutter plan.

Why? Because they know it makes them look knowledgeable without actually needing to do something effectively:

“Now balance on this bosu ball while doing these dumbbell squat lunge curls and standing on one foot with your tongue out! Muscle confusion!

I hope you saved some energy for the rowing machine.”

Make sure the training from your PT matches your goals!

Tough workouts are great, but remember that while it’s easy to get someone tired (“Go do 100 burpees!”), it’s harder to help someone make strategic, lasting changes in their health and fitness.

Sure, it might elevate your heart rate and tire you out, but if it’s not building towards your goals in a progressive, meaningful way, what are you paying for?

They might also have just obtained a basic certification and stopped their education there, relying on ‘conventional wisdom’ rather than doing the research and building their experience.

If your trainer says any of the following phrases, run for the high hills:

• “Yeah you don’t want to squat too low – it’s bad for your knees.”
• “Yes, really throw your back into that exercise!” “
• “These (ab) exercises will burn fat from your stomach in no time” (You can’t spot reduce fat.)
• “We’ll do a new workout every session to create muscle confusion.” (That’s not a real thing.)
• “Just work through the pain, it’s fine.”

I have overheard all of these sound bites from real trainers in real gyms..

Your trainer should be results-focused, not focused on building a confusing program so you feel like you have to keep them around.

Remember, your personal trainer works for YOU: Don’t let them build a program that doesn’t actually fit your needs!

Do the trainers customize your workout plan according to any pre-existing injuries you may have, or do they follow a standard workout plan for everyone?

Are they encouraging or helping you succeed in the way you want to be encouraged, or are they scrolling through Instagram models on their phones while you’re doing your sets?

Are they putting in the time so they can see you get results, or are they putting in the time so they can check the box and collect your money?

You’re paying money for this person’s expertise and attention – it’s not too much to ask to find somebody who takes those things seriously.

Getting in shape requires you to go when you don't feel like going

What certifications should a personal trainer have? A personal trainer high-fiving a client.

There are a wide variety of personal trainer certifications and other “credibility indicators.”

The more traditional path – a degree in exercise science or kinesiology may mean the trainer in question is knowledgeable about the human body.

However, that doesn’t speak to any experience they may or may not have coaching in real-world circumstances.

Here are 6 of the most popular personal trainer certifications:

• NSCA: National Strength and Conditioning Association
• ACSM: American College of Sports Medicine
• NASM: National Academy of Sports Medicine
• ACE: American Council on Exercise
• ISSA: International Sports Sciences Association
• NPTI: National Personal Training Institute
• T-Nation provides a rundown of the pros and cons from a trainer’s perspective that we feel is also useful insight from a client’s perspective. Be sure to check them out if you want to learn more about what’s behind your trainer’s certification.

We consider having one of these to be the baseline starting point for any trainer. It’s an indicator they care enough to put in the time and effort to get certified and insured.

While these certifications are a great starting point, specialty certifications indicate further expertise in specific areas. Many of the organizations listed above (NSCA, ACSM, etc.) offer specialty certifications in areas like nutrition, psychology of change, sports performance, and specialty populations. These are all great options.

In addition to those, there are other companies that are recognized for having great specialty certifications:

Nutrition

• Precision Nutrition

• Mac Nutrition University

• Strength & Conditioning

• EXOS

• Girls Gone Strong

• Barbell Logic

• BioForce

• StrongFirst

• Training For Warriors

• Mobility & Flexibility

• Functional Range Conditioning

• The Ready State

• Special Interests

• GMB fitness (gymnastics)

• Titleist Performance Institute (golf)

• MovNat (natural movement)

• WFPF (parkour)

• CrossFit

A note on CrossFit certifications: CrossFit certifications are completed in a single weekend. While a CrossFit certification does not make a trainer bad (there are plenty of excellent CrossFit coaches out there!), it does not guarantee excellence either. [4]

Here are our thoughts on CrossFit.

The bottom line: there are many continuing education opportunities for trainers. Finding a trainer who invests in their education is another good sign that they take their craft seriously.

CAVEAT TO ALL OF THIS: Plenty of trainers who have NO certification are incredible, and plenty of other trainers have the most elite certifications and are terrible trainers.

This is why, even though I just spent all that time outlining certifications for you, I want you to remember Mistake #4.

MISTAKE #4: Blindly accepting a trainer’s credentials or discounting a trainer without certain credentials.

Certifications can be a starting point, but they shouldn’t be the determining factor.

One of the most important things to look for in your trainer isn’t a credential or certification at all, but real experience and an enthusiasm for helping you reach your goals.

For example:

Looking to Powerlift or get into Olympic lifting? Look for someone who actually coaches athletes who do compete!

Need to lose a lot of weight? Ask a trainer to share with you success stories from people who are like you.

In our view, finding a trainer with proven experience and a track record of performing or coaching (or both) in the area of your goals is the most valuable step you can take to ensure quality.

The credential is only a starting point.

How much does a personal trainer cost? Are personal trainers worth it?

This Lego wants to know how much personal training costs.

The cost of a personal trainer can vary dramatically depending on:

Where you live (in an expensive city, small town, etc.).

The quantity and duration of your training sessions.

What kind of training you are looking for.

But you want specifics.

As of April 2024, the average North American trainer charges $55-65 for an hour session.

That’s an “average” so let’s break it down a little.

An hour-long session with a trainer at an Equinox Gym in the NYC area costs $100-$150+/hour on top of their monthly membership (definitely on the more expensive end.)

On the other hand, a session with a trainer at the YMCA in Indiana costs $45-$50/hour.

Those two examples paint a pretty good picture of what you can expect based on where you live and train.

If you live in a higher-cost-of-living area, like Illinois, New York, or California, you can expect to pay prices on the higher end of the range: more like $65-$115+ per session.

If you live in a lower-cost-of-living area, like Kentucky, Nebraska, or North Dakota, you can find trainers for as low as $35-$45 per hour.

Of course, it also depends on where you train and any additional membership fees.

Here are real 2025 examples of the total monthly cost of training with a personal trainer twice a week (sessions + monthly membership fees):

• In-Home Personal Training: If you don’t want to head to the gym, you can actually have a personal trainer come to your home. The cost of this could be all over the place, but a rough average would be around $75-$175 per session, or $600-$1400/mo. (Though you do save on membership fees and have the convenience of working out at home.)

• Online Personal Training (done via zoom/video): This is an alternative to in-person training, and pricing can vary dramatically depending on the experience you want. Some online-trainers will literally train you via zoom, at a specific time, and thus will probably charge you by the hour like an in-person trainer.

• Online Personal Training (a monthly experience via app) For other online coaching experiences, like Nerd Fitness Coaching (hey that’s us!), the experience is asynchronous and done on your own schedule. It can contain a custom workout program, nutrition plan, and regular check-ins done throughout the month. As a result, this is usually charged monthly (a significantly smaller investment compared to somebody paying for multiple weekly training sessions).

• Different trainers will have different qualifications and expertise, leading to vastly different training experiences.

This can be really important.

MISTAKE #5: Thinking “more expensive” automatically means “better results.”

Cost is not the right metric. VALUE is the right metric!

Depending on your goals and the results you’re after:

If you’re looking to do 5 sessions to improve your powerlifting technique, that’s different than hiring a trainer to be with you in person 3x a week to get you to the gym.

The cost-to-benefit ratio is different if your trainer also takes an active role in your nutrition.

After all, workouts only make up 1-3 hours per week.

What about the other 165?

In our experience, most people benefit from a trainer who also helps them with nutrition and accountability outside of the gym.

HOW TO THINK ABOUT HIRING A TRAINER:

You’re not just paying for an hour of somebody’s time.

You’re paying for their years of experience, schooling, training, and expertise.

You’re paying to outsource ALL of your fitness questions to somebody who knows what they’re doing.

Somebody who gives you the confidence you’re training correctly.

This Muppet knows strength training will help him gain muscle and lose weight.

So instead of “I am paying this trainer for 1 hour, this is too expensive,” what you’re really paying for is confidence, momentum, and (hopefully) results.