Personal Trainer vs. Sport Specific Coach – Which is Best?

Personal trainers and sport specific coaches can both help you create a personalized training plan to get fit and tone up. When wanting to hire a fitness professional to assist you with your personal fitness goals, deciding between a personal trainer or a sport specific coach can be a challenge if you have not properly identified what your short term and long-term personal fitness goals are. Both types of trainers have jobs with fitness and both have completed certification fitness instructor courses. Their areas of expertise branch off to offer specialized specific skill sets for their areas of interest.

Personal trainers are one of the most popular professions for careers in health and wellness.  They have acquired certification and accreditation in basic training to help individuals on all spectrums of fitness to achieve greater personal fitness or help them work towards a specific goal. They may help someone who is new to fitness get back into shape after taking time off from working out. They can also be active in educational settings helping other to learn about the benefits of core exercises to improve functional fitness and overall personal health and wellness.

A sport specific trainer is trained to work with clients in a specific sport and all training programs are detailed to meet specific aspects of that chosen specific sport. For example, running coaches are great for individuals wanting to train for their first marathon. A personal trainer can help you get fit, but may lack the experience and skill set of building mental strength, endurance, and stamina. A running coach will also have unique functional fitness exercises to help strengthen and protect the joints to decrease the risk of sports injury. Plyometrics and speed drills will be used for improved performance and speed and well as techniques in stretching and foam rolling for faster recovery. A sport specific coach, such as a running coach, will also be better equipped to help you with any dietary changes that should be made that could enhance or help your performance or recovery. In this example, carbohydrates are the main source of fuel for endurance athletes and protein is used during the recovery process to help improve the recovery times and repair the micro tears in the muscles. A basic trainer without sport specific knowledge may not have the ability to address dietary habits to address sports performance and recovery. Choosing between a personal trainer and sports specific coach can be made easily after identifying what your personal fitness goals are. Be the best version of yourself with proper trainers that match your fitness goals. 

Personal Trainer Certification 

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