Thinking about hiring a fitness trainer? Before the exercises begin, identify the best location, figure out your goals, then get to know some personal trainers to see if they measure up.

It makes sense to hire a personal trainer to improve one’s health and fitness. For the beginner, it’s a way to develop an exercise structure, make sense of all that equipment you see in most health clubs and develop sound exercise techniques. If you are experienced in the gym or an athlete, a trainer can breathe new life into your conditioning and take you to the next level.

In either situation, you’re not only getting an expert and a coach, you are establishing an appointment schedule that will keep you honest to your goals.

But how do you know if a trainer will work well for you? For an investment ranging from $25 to $250 per session – depending on where you live, the health club setting, and the focus the trainer places on you – this is no small decision. Considering further how this directly affects your health and quality of life, the process takes on even greater importance.

Don’t let the process intimidate you too much. You’re the customer, so you can manage this with your own framework of considerations. Following is a step-by-step guide on how to shop for your best trainer – and ultimately, how to improve your health, appearance and wellbeing with professional support that’s a good fit for you.

Step 1: Location and time – what will work best in your schedule?

The best trainer in the world for you might be 50 miles away. If you have time and gas money to burn, that might work. But will such hassles of traffic and time consumption truly work out in the long run? Fitness is a bit like real estate in that location is a very important consideration.

Perhaps you’ve already joined a gym, so if that location works well for you, stick with it. Smart health club managers keep qualified trainers on staff because it contributes to the club’s bottom line.

But if you aren’t yet a member of a club you should ask yourself these questions:

Is the fitness facility near home, work or other location you frequently visit (3-4 times per week)? Sticking with a schedule is so much easier if you don’t have to make special trips.

Do you feel “comfortable” in a particular club’s setting? The common perception of health clubs being the exclusive domain of the “hardbody set” is changing, as an aging population and an increasingly overweight society have provided the fitness industry with both an opportunity and a challenge. As you visit a prospective club to join, look around at the members working out and try to get the vibe of the club’s staff. Also, visit at a time of day when you most likely will workout: the morning, afternoon and evening crowds might be different.

Note: Just because you might be “de-conditioned” (a term used in healthcare and the fitness industry) and a majority of members appear to be quite fit, try not to let that stop you. All that matters is you’re taking steps that are important for you. Every one in any club should welcome you and applaud your efforts. Remember too that almost everyone in every fitness facility is more caught up in their own appearance and performance than that of others.

If a club setting is not for you, consider either a trainer’s private gym or your own home. If you have a room that is clear of furniture and at least 100 square feet (10’x10’) with a ceiling clearance of 8’ or higher, you have a private fitness space. Especially for a beginner, there are hundreds of exercises that can be done safely and effectively at home. You don’t even need to invest in expensive equipment – elastic bands, light dumbbells and a few common household objects might be all you need (depending on goals). Many trainers specialize in this approach.

Step 2: Figure out your goals

Many new fitness trainees are exclusively interested in weight management. Perhaps you have a target weight you want to achieve in time for a vacation or special event. Or, your health depends on dropping a set number of pounds. Specific objectives attached to a schedule can be good motivators and enable the trainer and trainee to map a workout calendar and structure.

Some trainers specialize in weight loss, but you may need to also supplement your program with nutrition counseling. Some trainers have appropriate nutrition credentials, while others may be good guides because they themselves live health lifestyles. But serious weight management should be done under guidance of a registered dietitian. Be wary of fitness trainers who push non-food weight loss supplements because a true long-term approach to healthy weight management can only come through sound nutrition and exercise.

If your goal is to “tone up” or build muscle, that again provides some basis on which to build a workout regimen and select a trainer. Be prepared to discuss how you envision your body and conditioning level in three, six and 12 months.

Step 3: Tally your resources

How much money are you willing to invest in fitness? Factor it as a monthly expense, the same as housing, transportation, health insurance premiums and food. Perhaps several training sessions per week aren’t affordable, so once a week supplemented with your own independent sessions make sense. Or, this is a priority therefore you will allocate enough money to cover multiple sessions per week.

But resources include time and energy. Determine if morning, midday or evening workouts will best work within your schedule – and specify that with candidate trainers, who of course have their own schedules to maintain. Also, when might you feel like exercising?

Perhaps your most important resource is commitment. Be clear with yourself on where fitness fits among your priorities. Ask yourself what are your true motivations, and to what degree that will sustain you toward accomplishing your goals. Almost anything is possible – research has found that human muscle can be generated at any age, along with increased bone strength and fat loss. But even with a trainer by your side, it’s ultimately you who must do the work.

Step 4: Contract for trial sessions with trainers

In a club setting, you should be allowed to sample trainers for one or several sessions. Even if you are working out at home, a trainer always should consider the first few sessions as a trial; beware of aggressive attempts to put you into a long term contract upfront. As you do this, take into account the following characteristics:

A. Is the trainer a listener? Does he or she ask questions and allow you to answer them completely? Does the trainer seem to have empathy, an ability to understand your feelings, challenges and difficulties? And do the first few exercise sessions seem to address your interests and needs?

B. Does the trainer seem knowledgeable? Do his or her answers ring true – and can the fitness professional explain things in language you understand? Don’t allow him to bowl you over with information that is confusingly technical. He is not a brain surgeon and shouldn’t make it sound that way. At the same time, you will achieve your fitness goals faster, with proper technique and less likelihood of injury if you have a rudimentary understand the physics and physiology of the exercises.

C. Does the trainer appear to be fit as well? Healthy is as healthy does – and that is not necessarily a matter of supersize muscles (on guys) or a stick-thin waist (on girls). It helps to workout with someone who epitomizes what you want to become, even if that’s more a vision than reality. A big part of what trainers do is to provide motivation, and how they do that includes who they are.

D. Does gender matter? Not necessarily, if the trainer measures up well in other considerations. But working out with a member of your sex offers some advantages, such as understanding certain goals and challenges. Experience and expertise trumps all, usually.

E. Does age matter? If you’re over age 40, it is harder to find a fitness professional as old as you – but not impossible (full disclosure: this writer is 49). Some trainers specialize in working with aging populations, or those who are significantly overweight. But while there are differences between a 25 and a 65 year old, the human body responds to exercise in similar ways. Attention to safety and emotional factors are important considerations when dealing with younger trainers. Conversely, an older trainer-younger trainee situation puts the onus on the trainer to provide the level of intensity that younger people are looking for.

F. Is your trainer certified? Increasingly, certification of a trainer by a nationally recognized certifying body is playing a role in the training profession. There are many certification organizations, some more recognized than others. As fitness training becomes more accepted as a part of preventive healthcare, greater emphasis will fall on certification and standardization of training.

What does a certification mean to a trainee? It shows a commitment to the profession and a base level of competency and knowledge. They’ve taken the time to study exercise physiology, biomechanics, safety, psychological and motivation. To maintain certification, trainers need to update their skills with continuing education courses – important, because fitness science is unfolding with new information all the time.

IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sportsclubs Association) encourages member health clubs to hire certified trainers to achieve quality objectives and as a means of promoting safety. While the organization does not directly endorse any one specific certification program, President Joe Moore himself took 14 different certification tests between 2002 and 2005, from the following certifying bodies: the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM); National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM); The Cooper Institute; Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA); International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA); International Fitness Professionals Organizations (IFPO); National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); American Institute of Fitness Educators; and the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Links to each organization are provided below.

That said, there are many qualified trainers who have not successfully gone through the certification process – and a few who are certified but are less skilled in practical training than they are at taking tests. If a trainer candidate is not certified, be particularly stringent while looking at their other qualifications.

Step 5: Assert yourself

If a trainer fails to meet expectations, or is in any way unprofessional, cut them loose and look for someone else. Or, at least be forthright in discussing how you want to refocus your fitness program, perhaps by trying group exercise as a supplement to personal training. Variety is the spice of fitness, making it ever dynamic and accordingly, capable of bringing you to your next level of health, fitness and vitality.

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Russ Klettke is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified fitness trainer and also the author of “A Guy’s Gotta Eat, the regular guy’s guide to eating smart” (Marlowe & Co., 2004, with Deanna Conte, MS RD LD), available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and more than 70 public library systems in the U.S., Canada and Europe. See other articles by this writer on practical approaches to fitness and nutrition for busy people.

A mirror is an essential tool for exercise, particularly for the beginner. It helps provide visual feedback on form, how that body is effectively performing a modality. For example, a safe posture for lifting heavy free weights while standing includes bends at the ankles, knees and waist that help prevent back injury and encourage engagement of several muscle groups at one time. Using a mirror (side view, in this example) to check those angles can keep form in check and prevent injury.