A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client's strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments. These fitness assessments may also be performed before and after an exercise program to measure their client's improvements in physical fitness. They may also educate their clients in many other aspects of wellness besides exercise, including general health and nutrition guidelines. Qualified personal trainers recognize their own areas of expertise. If a trainer suspects that one of his or her clients has a medical condition that could prevent the client from safe participation in an exercise program, they must refer the client to the proper health professional for prior clearance (Continued below image...) 

Proper exercise prescription may result in improved body composition, physical performance, and health outcomes. The decision to hire a personal trainer may be related to a perceived ability to facilitate these factors through proper prescription and instruction or factors related to motivation and adherence. A personal trainer will pay close attention to your exercise form, workout routine, and nutrition plan.

Few studies have investigated personal training for men. Personal training in women has been shown to exercise behavior patterns, improve perceptual benefit-to-concern ratio for exercise (decisional balance), and increase confidence to choose exercise in the face of other time demands (scheduling self-efficacy).Personal training results in higher strength, higher workout intensities, and higher perceived exertion during exercise in women. Although women working with personal trainers do self-select heavier loads than women who did not, the loads used are still below recommended training load percentages.

A number of certifications are available in United States of America, although a number are not accredited. Most require a high school diploma, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) certification, and some type of examination.

A 2002 investigation evaluated a random sample of 115 personal trainers using the Fitness Instructors Knowledge Assessment (FIKA) (which measures knowledge in nutrition, health screening, testing protocols, exercise prescription, and special populations). The study described that: 

• 70% of those surveyed did not have a degree in any field related to exercise science.
• Those who did not have a bachelor's degree in exercise science-related field scored 31% less than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher in the field.
• Those holding either an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) or the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) certification scored 83% of the questions correctly.
• Those holding any other certification (not ACSM or NSCA) answered 38% of the questions correctly.
• Years of experience was not predictive of personal trainer knowledge.

In partnership with the fitness industry, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) (which represents over 9,000 health and fitness facilities) started an initiative in 2002 to improve standards for both its own clubs and the industry as a whole. In January 2006, IHRSA implemented a recommendation that its facilities only accept personal trainers with certifications recognized by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) or an equivalent organization. IHRSA considers other accreditation agencies if recognized either by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). As of January 2010, the ACSM and NSCA certifications are among the 15 accredited certifications recognized by IHRSA, two of which are accredited by an agency other than NCCA (the Distance Education Training Council (DETC))^.

Mike George Fitness System' staff must have a college degree in the field; and/or a national certification; at least 1500 hours of hands on experience and complete our rigorous in house certification process that usually takes 40 to 80 hours depending on knowledge and experience.  Rest assured that our trainers are the most highly skilled in the industry.

Call 312-943-6700 or email: frontdesk@mikegeorgeinc.com to schedule a consultation today. <a href="http://www.thumbtack.com/Private-and-group-fitness-training-services-409 West Huron ST #300 Chicago-IL 60654/service/229350">Private and group fitness training services