Don't Hire Me (or any personal trainer) Until You Read This

Hiring the wrong personal trainer can be a huge waste of time and money.

I'm not the best for everyone. I can comfortably admit that.

We might be a good fit. We might not.

The truth is, there are thousands of personal trainers in Sydney. Each one is unique with a different skillset and experiences. Hiring the right trainer for you is a crucial step and unfortunately, it's often one taken away from you.

You join a gym, get paired with a trainer without any say and away you gooooo...

It's not the best way to do it and can end up in a lot of wasted time and money.

So I thought I'd give you the power to decide for yourself.

What to look for in a personal trainer.

1. Assessment & Intake Interview

A qualified trainer should always have an interview process where they sit and talk to you before you ever get moving. Rather than 'fill out this form', there should be a conversation where you get to know each other. They get to know more about you, your goals, exercise history, motivations and barriers while you get to know them better.

First and foremost, personal training is a relationship. If you don't like the trainer then and there, you're allowed to find someone else you click with.

There should also be a movement assessment. A basic physical screen where they'll take you through the simple movement patterns, see how you move and then be able to give you feedback and direction on what a preliminary plan would look like relative to your goal.

2. Experience

I'd suggest finding a trainer who has been personal training for at least 5 years. The average career life span of a trainer is 6-months, so to make it past 5 years they must be passionate about the job and be good enough to make a living from it.

3. Personal Fitness

I've heard many arguments against this, but if someone is truly educated, qualified and experienced, they should be a physical representation of their knowledge. Although an incredible physique doesn't correlate to how good they are as a trainer (it can sometimes negatively correlate), they should be relatively strong, fit and capable for their age.

I wouldn't hire a personal finance expert if they were broke...

4. A Training Philosophy

This doesn't mean they need to have written a book, have articles or run seminars, simply that they should be able to clearly explain their personal methodology to how they assess, train and progress people.

There should be a method to the madness based on science and anecdotal experience.

5. They Continuously Learn

It's also a great idea to ask them what their major influences are in their personal training education and about the people they've learned from. I'm aware that their answers probably won't mean anything to you, but its the reaction you want to pay attention to. If they are entirely caught off guard and can't recommend any reading or can't name anyone that could be considered an influence on their training, they may not be the best trainer for you.

A couple of things to avoid.

  • Anyone who is dogmatic about their approach. Their method is superior to any other ways of training and it's their way or the highway.

  • Anyone who promises magic results or a quick and easy solution. You'll be disappointed.

  • Anyone who doesn't do an assessment. If they start throwing exercises at you without asking a single question, you should be careful.

If you didn't like this article, don't hire me.

I'm thorough, objective and results-driven. Some people enjoy that and some don't.

The power is in your hands to find the best person to get you from A to B. Hopefully this article can help you along the way.

Of course, if you did like it, I'm open to seeing if we're a good fit.


This is a crucial part of my coaching.

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