Description

What Should You Expect at the First Session?

You might feel nervous about the first meeting. The trainer feels the same, trust me.

In the end, the first session is an opportunity for you to decide whether the trainer is a good fit for you. They’re also deciding whether they can help you achieve your goals or if they should refer you to another certified trainer who might be a better fit.

Before your session, the trainer will send you some forms and a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire. You’ll discuss these during the first session, so fill them out and get them back to the trainer.

When you show up, the trainer will greet you. You might go for a tour of the gym or jump right into “ice-breakers”. Small talk helps you both relax and settle into the session. Your trainer might ask questions about your family, work, hobbies, personal preferences, etc. Feel free to ask questions and learn more about the trainer, too.

The conversation will naturally flow to you and your reasons for hiring a trainer. Share your short- and long-term goals. If you want to lose weight, tell the trainer why. And get ready to answer more questions. The more transparent you are, the better the trainer will understand your current level of fitness to help you reach your goals.

Don’t worry, you’re not about to jump into a high-intensity workout.

Assessments

Next up are fitness assessments. It’s important for your trainer to understand your current fitness level. They’ll look at a few key areas. Which assessments they choose are dependent upon your answers to those questionnaires. Here’s what you might expect:

• Weight and height

• Body composition measurements

• Cardiovascular health

• Muscular strength

• Muscular endurance

• Flexibility and range of motion

Final Summary

Don’t expect a full workout during this session. It’s a time for you and the trainer to discover more about each other. A good trainer won’t want to put you through any exercises until after the assessments, anyway. It wouldn’t be safe and could lead to injury. Besides, you two still have some things to talk about.

The end of session comes soon after the fitness assessments. The trainer will ask you about anything that may have come up during the assessments.

• A brief summary of your current fitness level and what it means for your health.

• Suggestions for short- and long-term goals for strength training, cardio, movement, weight loss, etc.

• The results you should expect and how long it might take to reach your goals.

You will have the opportunity to ask questions. Don’t be shy. Ask every question you can think of.

Oh, and expect to be sore a few days after the workout session. Even if you didn’t get in a full workout, those assessments will have challenged your muscles enough to make you a little sore!