Posted on November 13, 2015 by Jenny Cromack

Over the past year we have seen an increasing number of parents getting in touch with us about personal training for their children. Most requests are for teenage children, who might be overweight or unfit and their parents are worries about the impact it is having on their health and well being and, maybe more importantly, their confidence.

When most people think about personal training they think of adults working with a trainer, not personal training for children, but children can benefit as much as adults can from having a personal trainer.

Before we look at the benefits of personal training for children, I wanted to look at a few key points about making sure hiring a personal trainer is the right move for your son or daughter.

1. Do THEY want to make a change to their lifestyle? Remember the old saying….you can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink….they have to WANT to make a change, you can’t make them do it.

2. Do they want to work with a personal trainer? Maybe joining a local sports team might be a better, more fun way of getting them fitter and healthier?

3. Find a trainer who can relate to your son/daughter and will make exercise fun for them. The personal trainer you choose must be able to relate to children.

4. Find a trainer who has experience and is insured to work with children. A good Personal Trainer will know the right intensity at which to work your child, and which exercises are suitable and which aren’t.

So, what are the benefits of personal training for children?

1. Education – If you’re anything like me when I was a teenager, anything my Mum told me I rebelled against, but I listened the teachers at school and did what they said. Sometimes, your son/daughter just needs to hear good advice from someone else. Mum and Dad’s just sound like they are nagging….

2. Expertise – A good Personal Trainer is an expert in their field. They will give the correct exercise and nutritional advice to achieve your child’s goals, taking away all of the guess work for you.

3. Setting The Foundation – Much of what your child will learn during their personal training sessions will set solid foundations for your child to lead a healthy, active lifestyle with a sensible approach to food long into their adulthood.

4. A Role Model – We all know that Mum and Dad aren’t cool, but often Personal Trainers become role model’s for your children, someone who they can look up to and want to be like. Hiring a Personal Trainer for your child might be just the inspiration they need to eat better and move more.

Although , as a business, we specialise in personal training, it does make me sad that parents feel they have to resort to hiring personal trainers to improve their child’s health. I believe that more should be done in schools to address this, but if you live in Leeds and are considering hiring a personal trainer for your child, all of our trainers have experience in working with children so please drop us a line or call and we would be happy to help.