A Personal Trainer...

Is a trainer in your future?

Have you ever thought about having a personal trainer? Check out these reasons why runners may choose a personal coach instead of the "do it yourself" approach:

You've promised your significant other you'll be ready to run a 10 (or a 100) km race with them. And the race is 'way too soon!
You are really busy with career and family and you absolutely need to get the most efficient workout in the least amount of time.
Injuries, aches and pains are your constant companion and you just can't shake them.
You're not fond of the "group approach" to fitness, as in group runs or group workouts, group confessions and group weigh-ins! (Very scary, right?)
Corporate challenge is coming up and you are determined to squish that conceited little co-worker in Payables! (Even if it means practising!)

These are the times when the advice of a personal trainer / coach can be priceless! A good trainer asks the right questions and provides professional assistance helping you reach your fitness goals faster.

Personal trainers are especially valuable for runners because they can observe our running style, strategies, stretches and help us establish good training strategies before we develop our own beloved bad habits.

Here's how they help. A practical example

I had a habit of "over striding", causing knee and leg pains. My trainer saw the problem helped me pick up my pace the right way. This is the kind of specific help personal coaching can provide. Now I know how to maintain a faster pace when I want to! (Notice I said fast-er, not fast...)

Your first personal training sessions

Your first few visits to your personal coach are usually one-on-one sessions. It's a perfect way to get into "fitness" mode if you don't want to share your fitness anxieties with a group. It's also a great way to avoid the nuts who what to share their deepest fears with you! A good personal trainer works with your situation as it is today. The information you share with a trainer is private - between you and your trainer.

Later, as you gain fitness and self confidence your trainer may suggest group runs and workouts with athletes of similar abilities - by then you have confidence and you are ready to enjoy your workouts with others. Your trainer has helped you develop as a person and as an athlete.

Growing your skills and confidence

Running with a group is a real confidence builder, it's a great way to meet people, and (let's face it) running with others helps get you out exercising after a long day's work! We all have the same challenges, and we all need a little extra help! And that's one of the most valuable things a trainer can provide: experience - their own, and the collected experiences of their clients.

For intermediate and advanced athletes personal trainers still have their place. Many master runners want to race, and they want to race well. Master runners often have many demands on their time and a trainer can really help them make the most of their training goals in the limited time they have. Sometimes we hit training plateaus where we need a "second opinion" to move us to the next level!

Signs of a great trainer

Look for these characteristics in your trainer:

Experience - we're looking for expertise here, so our trainer needs to have practical experienceCertification - our trainer should have a personal training certification. This tells us that they are committed to her craft, and are invested in their career.Personal Achievements - what has your trainer accomplished. Have they run the times you want to run, the distances you want to cover? If so, you can be confident they can help you achieve your goals.

I've benefited from the expertise professional trainers have to offer. Beto Bustos of BeStrong Personal Trainers here in Edmonton, Alberta works with runners and master runners to help them achieve their maximum potential. Beto has been an instructor for Marathon and Personal Best clinics at the Running Room for many years and he is a Certified Personal Trainer. He's a great combination of strength and experience mixed in with humility and wisdom. (He's also good at demanding your best!)

Beto lives in Edmonton, but he would be glad to help you with your personal training questions. Use the form below to ask you questions.

Time is money, and life is short - get the most out of both. You will get good value for a personal trainer's professional services. If you have a great personal training assistant to recommend let us know!

Return from Personal Trainer to the Master Runner