As with any new experience, preparing for your first personal training session can seem daunting. Yet, you’ll be far more at ease if you know what to expect. While each session can look slightly different depending on your goals and other key variables, in general, most initial sessions follow a similar trajectory. Here’s what to expect the first time you meet with one of our Scottsdale personal trainers.
Most people meet with a personal trainer to achieve a specific goal. For example, you may be looking to lose weight, return to fitness after an illness or injury, or train for an upcoming competition. No matter what your goals entail, your trainer will need to learn about them in detail to come up with a program that will help you meet them.
Any type of exercise you do can help improve your fitness and overall wellness, but personal trainers are there to strategically program your workouts in a way that makes the most of your efforts. In other words, they’ll make sure the work you put in will actually get you the results you’re after. They take the guesswork out of the best exercise regimen to make your fitness goals come to fruition.
In addition to your specific goals, your trainer will also want to know about your current fitness level. While you and your trainer may not be able to determine precisely how fit you are until you start actually doing the workouts, factors such as how much exercise you do each day and week will help frame their approach. You’ll also want to discuss any recent life changes that may have affected your workout regimen, such as having a baby or recovering from an injury.
How will a personal trainer help you meet your goals? During your initial session, you can expect your trainer to answer this precise question. While it will take some time for them to develop a detailed program based on your specific objectives, they’ll be able to give you a basic overview of what training will look like. This could include how many days per week you should be working out (both with your trainer and independently), which types of exercises you’ll be doing, and what efforts you can take to reach your goals even sooner. For example, they may discuss your nutrition, sleep patterns, and recovery strategies.
Be sure to use this time to ask any questions you may have, and discuss training preferences. For example, if you’re someone who prefers strength training over cardio, your trainer will take note of this. While it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to skip cardio altogether, they may use this information to structure your workouts to make them more enjoyable and engaging for you.
Your trainer may also perform fitness assessments during your first session. Not only do these assessments give them the information they need to structure your training program, but the information can also serve as your baseline. After you’ve been working out for some time, you can come back to these numbers for a comparison to see how much your work is paying off.
Some trainers take tape measurements or use a client’s weight as a starting point in weight loss journey. Here at Mobile Trainers, though, we know that these numbers only tell a small part of the story. Our trainers therefore use advanced 3D body composition scans which provide far more comprehensive insights of key fitness indicators, including fat and muscle mass. Our team measures body composition on a monthly basis to continually track progress and make any necessary program changes so metrics continue moving in the right direction.
Depending on how much time is left after the above details have been put in place, your trainer may go through some basic exercises with you during your first session. By guiding you through these initial moves, your trainer can begin to show you proper form for the most effective results and injury prevention. They can also gauge how challenging certain moves are for you, which can further help to inform their program decisions.
If you’re ready to begin working towards your goals, schedule your first complimentary session with Mobile Trainers here.