Personal trainers can be an accelerant to achieving the body you always wanted. Unfortunately, the industry is flooded with many unqualified personal trainers that provide no value add. Here are some common signs that your personal trainer won’t help you build muscle and get fit:

They DO NOT deep-dive into your goals

All personal training programs should start with a conversation around your goals. If your personal trainer does not ask questions around why you want these goals or what your lifestyle looks like then they won’t be creating a plan targeted for you to succeed.

There are no defined progress indicators

This is surprisingly a common occurrence. If you’re trainer does not provide a tangible way on how progress will be measured, then how do you know what you are working towards? How do you know these personal training sessions are paying off? If you ask and your trainer can’t provide any, then just leave right away.

Nutrition is rarely mention

Working out is only one part of building muscle and getting lean. If you are not seeing results and your trainer never inquires about your nutrition, then they are doing you a disservice. A caveat could be if your personal trainer charges an upsell to cover nutritional aspects but even without that they should be able to point to some minor aspects holding you back like what are the best protein sources to build muscle.

They DO NOT focus on form

I see this all the time. The client starts the exercise and the personal trainer starts to look everywhere other than the actual movement. If your trainer is not a stickler for form, then it’s only a matter of time before you get injured.

The conversation continues mid-set

If your personal trainer enables you to keep a conversation going while you are in mid-set, then they are not holding you accountable to keeping up the intensity and they are just stringing you along for the sessions. Theoretically, you should be able to carry on a proper conversation in the middle of a movement.

They struggle to adapt in a crowded gym

If your trainer does not know any variations of the best exercises to build muscle differently because equipment is being used, then his or her knowledge is limited. Nothing shows novice to me more than somebody who has to wait for the one machine to open up to train the muscle.

Cardio is “on-the-clock”

Unless you need a person next to you to literally motivate you through the cardio session, a personal trainer should not suggest using a cardio machine (for anything more than 10 minutes) as part of that days session. A good personal trainer would recommend you to do that cardio on your own before or after the session.

You’re workouts don’t get harder

This might seem intuitive, but you’d be surprised how many clients don’t realize their workouts are not getting any harder. That doesn’t mean you need completely different exercises each workout, but are you lifting heavier or is the intensity increasing? If you’re doing the same thing each time, then won’t get much results.

If you notice several of these signs, it may be a strong indication that you have a bad personal trainer. It’s important to address your concerns with them and give them an opportunity to improve. However, if the situation doesn’t improve or you feel uncomfortable, it may be necessary to consider finding a new trainer who better aligns with your needs and goals. Remember, a good personal trainer should be professional, knowledgeable, attentive, and dedicated to helping you achieve your desired results.