First Training Session

Getting ready for your first personal training session can be nerve-wrecking whether you’re the trainer or the trainee. The first sessions are always the easiest, exercise wise that is. For the first session or two, clients and trainers will be discussing the client’s goals, lifestyle, habits, and take their weight and measurements. Yes, this part can be hard on the client. Weight can be a sensitive topic for some people who have struggled with weight loss for whatever reason – lack of resources or knowledge, medical conditions, etc. It’s important that as a personal trainer, you are aware of people’s sensitivity and be conscience about this portion of the assessment.

INITIAL SESSION

Most first training sessions last about an hour long. The first 30 minutes might consist of some walking or other form of light exercise, while the second 30 minutes consists of talking about the client’s goals, obtaining the necessary forms, and getting to know one another.  The forms that need to be filled out are mostly for liability reasons, but also for the trainer to gain insight on the health history of the client, as well as daily habits or influences the client experiences. The forms can also be used by the client to show progress throughout their journey, and to use as motivation. These forms include:

• Informed consent form
• Lifestyle questionnaires
• Fitness assessments and testing
• PAR-Q form or equivalent
• Goal questionnaires

As the sessions continue, the amount of time spent exercising becomes greater, and the amount of time spent reflecting with your trainer becomes less frequent. These reflection times do still occur, just about once a week or however you and your trainer see fit for you.

TRAINING SESSIONS

Personal training sessions typically last anywhere from 30-60 minutes. The structure of each session varies from trainer to trainer, but generally has the same layout:

            1.Warm up

2.Weight training

3.Cardio

4.Cool down

5.Stretching

My FIRST SESSION AS A PERSONAL TRAINER

As nervous as some people may be before attending their first training session, the personal trainers are nervous too. For my first session, I trained someone who was already experienced. To me, this was very nerve-wrecking because I felt like he would notice any hesitation or misdirection on the spot. My self-doubts tried to get the best of me, but I knew that I was knowledgeable.

Even though he had experience as a personal trainer, he let me lead the session and was open-minded. This made for a great workout.

Having my first training session with someone who was new to working out would have made the experience much easier for me, but I wouldn’t have learned as much. Since my client was already experienced, he showed me pointers on how to think better on my feet, and how to better interact with my other clients.

If you’re nervous about your first session, whether you’re the trainer or the trainee, remember that the other person is probably nervous too. Remember that it’s also a journey that you are both on together. Yes the trainer has more knowledge, but they are there to share it with their clients and with the community. They are not there to judge.