Let us break it down to you why and how to choose the best one if you are ready to work with one.

It doesn’t matter if you are an absolute beginner or preparing for your next health check-up or even a running competition.

Having a trainer means you will have a personal supporter who will guide you in the most challenging moments of your health and fitness journey.

Sure, having your loved ones nearby might be helpful, but if they are not understanding, the chance they know what’s going on in your head is minimal.

That’s why having a person who is working with other clients with similar goals is helpful.

In today’s article, you will learn why it is crucial to hire a personal coach.

Hiring a personal trainer as a beginner

Remember the first time you entered the gym. Or if you have never entered one before.

How did/would you feel?

Were you nervous?

Would you feel lost?

If you’re lucky, you might have one friend who was more experienced than you who is willing to show you around.

He showed you some of the basic movements, directed you to some machines and then did his own workout.

Now, imagine that from the first day at the local gym, you had a trainer.

The trainer was a professional who took you from the door, explained the entire journey, and guided you through the whole time you were there.

In fact, he/she was there every time you came for a session.

He/She showed you the proper execution of the exercises, which is one of the most important things when it comes to your safety.

He/She created a well-thought plan for you and taught you how to stick to it and be as effective as possible to achieve your goals.

If you haven’t hired him/her and trained with your friend instead, you might have stopped at the second visit.

Paying for a personal trainer also makes you more dedicated to succeeding because you’ve put some of your hard-earned money into this.

From our experience, people who hire personal trainers progress faster and get better, safer results than others who train alone or with friends.

And if you’re worried about who’s the right trainer for you, check our sites like https://www.trustedmalaysia.com to compare the best option for yourself. They help you do the hard work of comparison so you don’t have to waste your time checking out one by one.

Hiring a personal trainer when you think you can do it on your own instead

You may ask yourself – “Why would I need a coach when I already have everything on Google or YouTube?”

Think for a moment for every professional athlete out there.

They have been training all their lives.

Do you think they don’t know how to train efficiently?

Fact is, they have not one, not two, but plenty of coaches guiding them towards their success.

If you have decided to make a serious transformation or change in your life, having a personal trainer with you might be one of the best investments you can make.

It is one of those investments that you cannot see directly but you know will change your life.

When you are dealing with your busy life at work, at home, with your family, you are not only physically tired but also mentally.

But if you have a person who takes care of your fitness plan and diet, then it is just one burden less on your shoulders.

Moreover, having a person who has been through all of this might play a role in your ranking.

Perhaps, he or she can make some change in your daily routine, play around with your program to help you release some stress after a long day at work, or just be there with you for moral support when you need a little push (which can also reduce stress levels).

All of this would make a difference for you if you didn’t hire a trainer.

Hiring a personal trainer out of boredom

“Boredom?” You’ve read that right.

Many busy individuals are bored of the same pattern over and over again:

Get the new year motivation, work out for two weeks, then roll back to the regular routine.

Got a little warning from the doctor saying you have to change your lifestyle before things get worse. Then you get an exercise machine and then nothing happens.

A lot of these people quit because they just get tired of this cycle.

Having a personal trainer will remind you to keep going when you feel like giving up or skipping your exercise.

A personal trainer will help mix up the training a bit. He/She can add some fun challenge, training for a specific goal like your first pull-up, or even make you try new equipment.

He/She can get you out of the weight loss plateau with a combination of those mentioned above.

Getting through a plateau will motivate you even more to chase that dream physique of yours.

While working with hundreds of clients from all walks of life,  we also noticed a pattern in our clients who are successful.

Experimenting with a personal trainer who knows you might be the key to levelling up your performance and energy levels so you can live a better quality of life.

Takeaway message

A personal trainer can lead you throughout your training and shorten the path to your best self (not shortcuts) while teaching you the proper execution of every movement and healthy eating habits.

If you are already busy pushing through with the struggles of life, he/she might also be your biggest support during your tough moments and give you that little extra push when you feel like giving up.

All you need is to just take the first step and then the next, and the next, and one day you will get there.

Consistency is the key to all success.

So, what are you waiting for? Reach out to a local professional!

And of course, if you are looking for a personal trainer in Penang, click here to claim a free consultation to kickstart your journey.

It is a great way to kickstart what may be the year that you get to see the best version of yourself!

So, in our opinion, YES you definitely should have a new years resolution but more importantly, you have to stick to it.

We will be using cat memes this time because it is the year of the Tiger! Rawwmeeooww…

It’s one more day to January 1st, and we’re sure that you’re feeling great about the new year and opportunities it might bring after a long year of pandemic and lockdowns.

But how many of us have stuck to our fitness goals for more than a week or two? (It’s okay, it was tough for us too!)

How many managed to improve our health and blood test results?

If the answer is “not me,” then this article is for you.

The new year is right around the corner so if you want to optimize your health and smash your new year’s resolutions before the new year begins, keep reading as we give you a few tips to get you through to your goals.

Exersize..geddit..? No? Okay…

#1 Plan Ahead

If you think about it, fitness (like everything else important in life) is quite predictable, there are sets of laws and rules that everyone knows will bring you success, which comes with a well-thought-out plan of action.

So before you rush into doing the things you have to do to improve physically and mentally, you have to, well, know what you’re doing!

Think about the results you want to achieve in the upcoming year and build your plan accordingly.

This would entail careful programming of physical activity and nutrition so if you are a newbie in this regard, your best bet is to hire a professional trainer/coach/nutritionist, who can help you figure out what’s best for YOU.

Please Choose A Garfield!

#2 Find Quality Food Sources

In the health and fitness world, it’s all about quality over quantity so if you plan on achieving great health and fitness goals in the next year, your nutrition should be of top priority.

You have to know what foods are going to help you get there faster while minimizing any negative effects or sacrifices along the way.

Improve your relationship with food and it will be much more enjoyable. Understand the difference between cravings and hunger.

There are a lot of opinions regarding healthy nutrition, but if we had to get it down to a couple of bullet points, here’s how it would look like:

• Derive sufficient essential nutrients (Carbs, Proteins & Fats) from quality sources (foods from well-raised animals & dark leafy greens)
• Avoid processed foods, focus on whole foods
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat mindfully

#3 Get A Training Buddy

Odds are that at least one of your closest friends has also set fitness goals, meaning that, well you have someone like-minded close to you!

Share your resolutions with friends and get yourself a training buddy!

In doing so, you can open ground for accountability and exchange information about training and nutrition.

Last but not least, sharing healthy habits with a close friend can create a strong bond that lasts a lifetime!

Hint: We can be your fitness buddy too!

#4 Monitor & Adjust

Even if you do hire a professional to create tailored training and nutrition plans, you must keep in mind that nothing works forever.

Throughout your fitness journey, you must track your progress and adjust the plan as needed.

This is the exact reason why, in working with a professional, you should be required to have regular check-ins and monthly assessments, besides the creation of specific fitness programs.

Send us a message if you want a FREE copy of our 2022 fitness planner!

#5 Start A New Activity

Fitness training, good nutrition and proper sleep should be three fundamentals for everyone’s new year’s resolutions as they are a never-ending journey.

We hope the next chapter of your fitness starts when you realize how much more you can do with your body and mind.

In the new year, choose a new, fun activity that you truly enjoy engaging in and stay consistent with!

Feel the magic of using your body for a variety of activities – training isn’t just weights and cardio!

To Wrap It Up

The time has come to make a new year’s fitness resolution. The question is, what are you going to do for your health this year?

For some people, it’s easy because they already have an idea of where their challenges lie and the changes they need to make in order to get healthier.

But if that doesn’t apply to you then don’t worry!

If you’ve never set foot into a gym before or barely know anything about any kind of exercise routine, reach out to us and we’ll get you started on your resolutions!

Get a free KD Trainer fitness planner and have a chat with us by clicking here.

Happy new year and keep moving!

KD Trainer Team

Gyms were not relevant in our lives anymore and this caused a huge health problem among us; an international research survey involving 1047 respondents(1) reported that COVID-19 home confinement has resulted in a decrease in all levels of physical activities and about 28% increase in daily sitting time as well as an increase in unhealthy patterns of food consumption.

Does this count?

But with gyms and studios reopening soon, we really need to know how safe it is to use one. If you have no interest in visiting one anytime soon, you can stop reading and go to this article instead. But nonetheless, we decided to write this article for those on the fence in hopes to clarify some doubts that you might have.

To help you make the best decision, we boiled it down to 3 factors to consider when you make your choice: Standard operating procedures(SOPs) adherence, facility traffic, and overall supervision.

Adherence to standard operating procedures

This could be the most important factor on the list simply because; the higher the protocol adherence, the lower the chances of cross-infection happening. The ministry has provided strict guidelines(2) for all operators to follow and they are expected to carry out their due diligence.

Recently, there has been an emphasis on the importance of ventilation for gyms which we haven’t seen the exact SOPs yet* but there is a study(3) that found combining proper ventilation and air cleaning can reduce aerosol particle concentrations by 80 to 90%, depending on aerosol size.

*UPDATE: Gym Ventilation guidelines have been clarified by the Ministry Of Health Malaysia. (7)

But what happens behind closed doors are only known to those inside those doors. We suggest doing a couple of things that might ease your worries:

• Giving the gym a phone call and ask them to clearly state what and how are they carrying out the responsibilities of adhering to these SOPs. Look out for elaborate and detailed answers as this might show us how serious they are in keeping you safe.
  

  Hellooo, is the gym open already or not?

• Observe their social media for their facility arrangements and activities. These are huge clues for you because this will give you an idea of how observant they are to little things such as notice reminders, physical distancing, masks and sanitization.
  

  Yes, a shameless plug to get an IG follow from you, so click to follow, please?

• Ask a friend or a trusted employee to give you an overview of how particular the management is in handling the situation. Obviously, people going to the gym are also concerned about their own safety so they will be open and transparent with what’s happening in the facility they’re visiting.

After getting the confidence you need, you can then make the best choice according to your analysis and calculations. Just make sure you are also adhering to the SOPs once you are there!

Facility foot traffic and capacity

This is also a big factor for you to consider due to the simple fact that the fewer the people that visit the facility, the lower the chances are for you to get infected. There is a huge risk difference between a gym with 1000 daily customers and a gym with 10 daily customers. The odds are just much lower with low-traffic facilities.

But what about winning the lottery?

On that note, it might be important to understand the different types of fitness facilities that exist in Malaysia:

1. Big box gyms – These are the gyms with names you are probably most familiar with and they are also usually the largest in terms of size and membership. These gyms are most likely to be located in shopping malls and have the most equipment and amenities to boast. They usually have at least over 500 members coming in every day when things were normal.
2. Boutique gyms – These are mostly your local mom-and-pop gyms which averagely take up a couple of shop lots around your neighbourhood. Members usually know each other and you can expect 100 – 500 daily visits prior to the lockdown.
3. Private studios – This type of facility has the lowest traffic on the list which includes personal training studios and small group personal training studios that emphasizes more on coaching you rather than the size and equipment in their facility. You can expect no more than 100 people visiting per day to as low as only 10 per day.
4. Yoga/dance/martial art studios – These are facilities with the least equipment on their premise which means that sanitization is probably the easiest to do here. Depending on the nature of the business, whether it’s private or group-based, you are looking at numbers like those seen in the previous item on this list (10-100 people) but usually on the higher end as they are more likely than not to do classes in a group setting.
5. Rock climbing gyms – These facilities vary accordingly as you can find small ones to really huge ones so numbers of visitors will obviously be higher the bigger it is. However, it is important to note that there will most likely be shared equipment in these places such as harnesses and climbing shoes so that could be an additional point to consider if you do not have your own.
   

   Last one there is buying lunch!

Note: These numbers are estimates based on our experience and knowledge of the fitness industry because we couldn’t find any concrete data on the actual numbers. So the numbers you see might slightly differ on a gym to gym basis.

There you go, now that you know the difference, this could also be a good time for you to try out a different type of facility than you were used to. And once you have made your choice, of course, do run them through the first factor as well.

Supervision and monitoring of safety procedures

We know that standard operating procedures are vital to prevent unwanted incidents but enforcement of these protocols are not done by having words on a piece of paper but by the presence of responsible humans, to be more specific, staff members of the facility.

Of course, other members play a role too but it is down to the management and employees to make sure that everybody on the gym floor is held accountable to the SOPs.

This is proof that we do :p

Not only would reliable personnel keep you safe from COVID-19, but they should also keep you safe during your exercise routine. But if this is your first time choosing to work with a fitness professional(kudos to you!), you might not know what a reliable one means in the fitness world but there are breadcrumbs you can follow.

With new regulations and safety tools implemented, things would be a little different from previously. Hence, it is important to have staff members who are clear, careful and firm with all safety procedures to create an environment that wins your confidence and other members too.

Have a chat with us if we are not alert during a missed step, tell us to be caring to the ones who might not comprehend so well, remind us when we forget to wipe off the bench after being used. After all, we are also just like you, learning how to live with this new norm and are pretty new at this.

Takeaway

The fitness industry has taken a huge hit during the pandemic despite the numerous studies that have shown it is fairly a safe place to patronize, like this study from the USA(4) which showed of more than 49.4 million health club visits, only 0.0023% tested positive for COVID-19.

This one from the UK(5) ironically demonstrates that non-gym goers are 160 times more likely to get COVID-19 than gym-goers.

Or if you prefer local Malaysian data, take a look at this one(6) from the president of our National Sports & Fitness Venue Owners and Operators Association (NSFVOOA) stated that data collected from within the industry showed only one reported on-site transmission for every 2.85 million check-ins.

So do your own risk analysis, take steps like the above, don’t worry too much and do support this struggling industry when we reopen and give us a chance to help you become a healthier and fitter version of yourself.

Hey, if you happen to be reading this in Penang and you’re looking for a highly monitored, low-traffic, and professionally supervised training facility in Penang, click here to book a free consultation for yourself.

REFERENCES

(1) Ammar, Achraf, et al. “Effects of COVID-19 home confinement on eating behaviour and physical activity: results of the ECLB-COVID19 international online survey.” Nutrients 12.6 (2020): 1583.

(2) Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia 2021, SOP SUKAN DAN REKREASI, accessed 9 September 2021, <https://www.kbs.gov.my/en/sopsukanrekreasi.html>.

(3) Blocken, Bert, et al. “Ventilation and air cleaning to limit aerosol particle concentrations in a gym during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Building and environment 193 (2021): 107659.

(4) International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). (2020, September 2). National Study Confirms It’s Safe To Work Out At The Gym: Current Data Shows No Evidence of COVID-19 Spread in Gyms. <https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-study-confirms-its-safe-to-work-out-at-the-gym-current-data-shows-no-evidence-of-covid-19-spread-in-gyms-301122664.html>.

(5) Walker, T. (2021, September 2). Link between gym visits and COVID-19 continues to weaken. <https://www.healthclubmanagement.co.uk/health-club-management-news/Link-between-health-club-visits-and-COVID-19-reduces-during-2021-less-gym-goers-get-COVID-in-2021/348388>.

(6) Lee, C. Y. & The Star. (2021, September 10). Gyms reminded not to place equipment outdoors. <https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2021/09/10/gyms-reminded-not-to-place-equipment-outdoors>.

(7) IAQ & Ventilation Task Force Engineering Services Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia. (2021, September). KKM GYM Ventilation Guidelines. Https://Www.Kbs.Com.My/. https://www.kbs.gov.my/sop.html?download=1472:092021-kkm-gym-ventilation-guidance

Then you recalled one of your friends who had this great success and still living a healthy lifestyle until today. How in the world is Christine doing that? You heard there are actually individuals who offer help to people struggling like yourself..and they do it for a living! You found out they are called personal trainers. So where do you start?

Hiring your first personal trainer could be an exciting and scary process for most first-timers. Plenty of questions to ask before swiping your credit card.

What if it doesn’t work out? How do I know if this trainer is really qualified? Why is this person forcing me to take sessions?

The list goes on, so let us help you out.

Here are seven things that we believe will help you with your quest.

They talk about YOU

This one is very important because it can determine your future client-trainer relationship. If the entire initial conversation is centred on you and your problems, you will probably have a trainer who’s very dedicated to help you achieve your goals. It shows that they are truly concerned about their clients’ problems and take the time to address what you are going through. Here are some golden questions a great trainer might ask you:

• Why are your goals important to you?
• What are the challenges you have faced in the past?
• How can I add value to your current situation?
• What can I do for you to make you feel better?

Another bonus tip is that they actually sit through the entire conversation listening to you at least 80% of the time. If they spend their time talking about their past achievements and go on and on an on about themselves, run. (Well, of course, unless you asked them about it)

Testimonials

These are a great way to see if your future trainer has actual clients and on top of that, has actually helped individuals who have been where you are right now. Of course, when offering their services, they will say everything you want to hear. But if those words are from other individuals who have received similar services from the trainer, you know that there’s a certain level of experience you can expect from this trainer. Oh and also be on the lookout for real, genuine clients. Not their family or friends who are forced to shoot a video in exchange for a cup of coffee.

Proven track record

After looking at those testimonials, it would be good to dig further to see if they actually have a proven track record of helping people in the past who have suffered what you are facing right now. Which means they might have a high probability of having the right skills and tools to get you out of your health problems. It’s also a great way to filter out trainers who sometimes specializes in a certain group of clients. For example, if you are looking for a trainer to help you train while being pregnant, you are not going to get much from a trainer who specializes in training marathon athletes. After all, you are hiring one to help you achieve your goals. So if they can’t get you there, what’s the point?

Practice what they preach

Well, this is one which can be subjective but if you are going to hire a trainer, make sure you hire someone who is practising what they preach. Out of shape trainers are like car salesmen who don’t know how to drive, they sometimes don’t really know what they are talking about. So looking for a trainer who has personal experience in what you are looking to achieve is definitely a plus as he or she will have high levels of empathy for you when you are going through the process of your own transformation. A doer will always beat a talker.

Willing to commit the time you want

One thing you should have in your mind before finding a trainer is your own personal schedule. It’s best if you already have your training slots in mind and the days or times that you are willing to block out for your training time. Here is what you should prepare before meeting that trainer:

• The time you want to train
• What are the days you can train
• How long you want to train for every session
• How many weeks or months or years you are looking to engage a PT

That way, when you meet the trainer, question if they can commit to your schedule because if he or she cannot, there’s really no point in continuing the conversation anymore. Pretty straightforward but often overlooked until the end of a 2-hour consultation. (Welcome, for saving your time)

Any hidden agendas

Hidden agendas here mean that they might have something else up their sleeves when they offer their personal training services. Some trainers might use personal training as a façade to actually sell you a certain product later on when they have won your trust. Not all bad but these trainers might not have your fitness goals at best interest because the main goal of this trainer is now to offer you entry or sell you their intended product/service. Be on a lookout for trainers who make your training and fitness goals their main concern, they usually have nothing else to sell or offer later on. Your goal is their end product.

Certifications

This one is really a complicated one as there are many organizations that offer personal trainer certifications and not much regulation you can count on from authorities. The best bet you can have is the NCCA accredited certifications from the USA which is a body who really takes into account the standard of certification with quality control systems. So, some organizations that are accredited by them are like :

• ACE
• NSCA
• NASM
• ACSM

But if you are looking for a personal trainer in Penang or even in Malaysia, not much intervention from the government has been implemented thus far to regulate the local personal trainer certifications. However, a certification is not the be-all and end-all for a great personal trainer. There are some trainers without a certificate who are more qualified than certified ones. But the saving grace of this situation is you know that a certified trainer has invested time and personal finance into his or her career as a trainer, so that shows a commitment to professionalism.

Suggesting shortcuts

Well if you are looking for a personal trainer, you know that achieving the results you are looking for is no easy feat or else you won’t be looking for one. And no matter how many shortcut ways are offered and marketed out there, they all don’t work. If they did, we would not have so many health problems out there and most certainly personal trainers would not exist. So be on a lookout if your future trainer offers you unbelievable promises that sound too good to be true, oftentimes, they are not. Achieving great health and fitness goals are always long-term and there’s no real shortcut in getting them. Just hard work, discipline and consistency. Find a trainer that is willing to go through all of those difficulties with you.

Well, we hope these tips will really help you hire your first personal trainer. Having a trainer is really a wonderful relationship that can be life-changing. The important thing is you go ahead and start, don’t overcomplicate your decision-making process until it doesn’t happen. The worst that could happen is picking a personal trainer that you don’t like, that’s it! So don’t worry even if you found one that doesn’t match, there are plenty of them out there that will help you achieve your goals!