Hiring a personal trainer can be great for your health. A fitness professional can help you lose weight, tone your muscles and achieve your health goals. But personal training has its fair share of unqualified people who claim they can train, yet put clients at risk. The problem? There are no state or federal safety regulations a person has to meet before he or she can claim they are qualified in the health and fitness field. What’s worse, at some gyms – big-name health clubs included – all you need is a high school diploma to get hired. So as a consumer, it’s important to know how to hire a personal trainer and avoid the ones that are potentially hazardous to you health.

What to look for in a personal trainer
To make sure your personal trainer is on the up-and-up, here’s what you should look for.

Credentials: Ask your personal trainer where he or she went to school or what certification training program he or she completed. Did he take proper safety and technique training courses? Is she knowledgeable in training protocols for your particular fitness goals? Don’t assume that a trainer who doesn’t have a degree in kinesiology or exercise science isn’t for you.

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Sarah Kelsey