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Novice Lifter - First Time Trainer Meeting

CaptainNen

CaptainNen

New Member
Dec 21, 2011
3
0
Hi Group:
I am ready to secure my powerlifting trainer and have my first meet & greet on Saturday. (SOOO EXCITED!)

Although he comes HIGHLY recommended, I am wondering if there are any general/important questions that I should ask up front on our first meet.

Although he is ISSA Certified, I want to be prepared with questions, etc. prior to meeting.

Any suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated!
 
GreatGunz

GreatGunz

VIP
Jun 10, 2011
1,667
167
Nen,
Talk to rotten rogue she is a mod here as well as mighty mouse both of the girls compete
in strength events.
They will be more than happy to help.
 
AllTheWay

AllTheWay

TID Lady Member
Mar 17, 2011
4,240
411
I would listen to what he has to say first. You are paying him for his advice and opinion and assistance, let him earn it :). I would ask him where he thinks he can get you and how long it will take.

I'm not a trainer but I know when dealing with client I appreciate the ones that listen to what I have to say first and them ask question vs the ones that come in and tell me that they read on the Internet and think that I need to do this and that and so forth.
 
NutNut

NutNut

MuscleHead
Jul 25, 2011
865
172
I would listen to what he has to say first. You are paying him for his advice and opinion and assistance, let him earn it :). I would ask him where he thinks he can get you and how long it will take.

As a trainer my response to this would be "How far you go and how long it takes is mostly up to you, I will give you a roadmap but I won't guarantee you will follow it. I can help you approach things in a manner that helps you progress quickly, I will however not set you up for failure by setting a timer on progress.

Asking around is the best thing you can do, expect him to do an intake assessment and run you through the basics to get form down for the 1st lil while. Don't sign any long term contracts until you are 100% sure he is the right trainer for you.

I would actually recommend talking to brotheriron as he has been very involved in PL for many years and the gym he and sistersteel lift at is looking to be one of the best in the country for power athletes. Not to mention SS is a force in everything she does. RR and MM are great people and RR is a world class strongwoman however strongman type lifting is different than PL.
 
AllTheWay

AllTheWay

TID Lady Member
Mar 17, 2011
4,240
411
As a trainer my response to this would be "How far you go and how long it takes is mostly up to you, I will give you a roadmap but I won't guarantee you will follow it. I can help you approach things in a manner that helps you progress quickly, I will however not set you up for failure by setting a timer on progress.

Asking around is the best thing you can do, expect him to do an intake assessment and run you through the basics to get form down for the 1st lil while. Don't sign any long term contracts until you are 100% sure he is the right trainer for you.

I would actually recommend talking to brotheriron as he has been very involved in PL for many years and the gym he and sistersteel lift at is looking to be one of the best in the country for power athletes. Not to mention SS is a force in everything she does. RR and MM are great people and RR is a world class strongwoman however strongman type lifting is different than PL.

good points nutnut. i was thinking more a long the lines of would he be able to help her reach her goals. for example the boss asked me what all my current lifts were and where i wanted to be at the end. then he said that he could get me there if i did what he told me to do. time is not improtant to me as im not competing, just personal goals but if i was competing i would expect one to have vague ideas of when. like if all goes as i lay out then we should be able to get you near there in 3-4 months or 6 months or whatever. im sure much depends on where she is currently and where she wants to be.
 
NutNut

NutNut

MuscleHead
Jul 25, 2011
865
172
Ya contest prep is interesting, I usually tell ppl yes we can reach or surpass their goals by peak week (or that their goals are unrealistic depending on situation). I don't however give absolutes on changes because everyone responds so differently and situations change, lack of sleep, missed training sessions, unforeseen diet issues etc. I'm very clear as to what I expect and what each of our rolls is as to avoid confusion. Too many trainers make unrealistic claims.
 
shan

shan

TID Lady Member
Jul 1, 2011
980
85
Also, just have to throw in that just because somebody is a certified trainer that doesn't mean they are necessarily qualified to train anyone to powerlift. I hired a trainer to teach me basic form for powerlifting and he knew nada about powerlifting despite coming with loads of recommendations. If the trainer is a power lifter and or trains powerlifters then I would say go for it. Just be sure before you sign that contract.
 
Rottenrogue

Rottenrogue

Strongwoman
Jan 26, 2011
6,595
1,882
Just my opinion here.If the trainer does not satisfy your needs try to look around your area for a powerlifting group. Alot of SM/PL train as a group and most are willing to take new people in and show them the ropes. We have a mix of PL hybrid Sm folks in our group .

If I can help with any questions feel free to ask.
 
Rottenrogue

Rottenrogue

Strongwoman
Jan 26, 2011
6,595
1,882
And as ATW said dont forget you are paying him!
 
MightyMouse719

MightyMouse719

National Champion & VIP Member
Jul 8, 2011
1,045
103
Hi Group:
I am ready to secure my powerlifting trainer and have my first meet & greet on Saturday. (SOOO EXCITED!)

Although he comes HIGHLY recommended, I am wondering if there are any general/important questions that I should ask up front on our first meet.

Although he is ISSA Certified, I want to be prepared with questions, etc. prior to meeting.

Any suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

Ask him what his training background includes, what programs he adheres to (Westside, etc.) his knowledge regarding PL gear like bench shirts, squat suits, supplementation, etc.. If you need any help, I am a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer, and have a few years experience with PL in my own training, as well as different approaches to PL programming in regards to meet prep.
 
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