We live in a competitive town - Washington, DC, so make your personal training candidates aware of this when you’re looking for a personal trainer to help you to get into great shape. So many people end up very disappointed at the end of their relationship with their Washington, DC personal trainer simply because they go with the first one they find. When you consider the fact that you can get certified without ever leaving your house it makes sense to do a little research before picking a Washington, DC personal trainer.

1. Do your homework

Decide on your goals - performance, fat-loss, etc. and pick a budget. Now you can start comparing trainers. Just like you wouldn’t buy the first car on the lot, you wouldn’t hire the first personal trainer you talk to in Washington, DC. Look for a proven, documented track record of consistent and lasting results. Starving someone and working them to death takes no great skill, and sure that will get a few pounds off, but its not something that will keep anything off. It will probably do more harm than good long term.

2. Meet with them

Since you’re the on doing the hiring, treat this like a job interview for your potential Washington, DC personal trainer. You want to try before you buy - really try. You want to get an experience of how the relationship will go before you commit to anything. You want to be sure to read their training philosophy - this should be written, not floating around in their head.

3. Have your own goals

Meaningful, SMART goals should be set on the first meeting. You want to come to the first meeting with a clear picture of where you want to be - don’t hand someone a blank check and have them do whatever. You should have an idea what you want when you step into the personal trainer’s office, and you all should sit down together and create a deadline and a time budget for how much time you can spend exercising.

4. Do they have relevant experience?

You want someone with experience that is relevant to you and your special needs - if you have any. If you are very overweight, or very busy, or anything else. Make sure that they actually listen to you and have experience.

5. Expect results

Set a clear deadline by which you expect to start seeing progress towards your goals. If you do as instructed by your Washington, DC personal trainer, and you don’t see anything, then its time to move on. Don’t let 2 weeks without progress turn into a year of wasted time and money.