you as long as th trainer knew what he/she was doing and could give you the results you wanted. also what would you say is a fair price to pay for personal training

The trainer just has to be good – after all you are paying him / her. looking the part doesn't always mean they are the best, perhaps more pricey. I'd just be interested in having good results.

Well, if I knew they weren't doing the programme I wouldn't mind what they looked like! but if they were obese and claimed the exercises I was doing helped get them fit…I wouldn't like them. Otherwise I believe it's possible for them to know the theory behind exercise and good exercises and motivation without needing to train themselves. I think $50-100 an hour is a good price but I think it's usually more than that, and I probably wouldn't go for it anyway.

I agree that professionalism is the most important thing.
However, as far as I am concerned, I must admit that having an attractive trainer made the work out that little bit less painful… (We are only human!!)
I cannot remember how much I paid but it was reasonable as I hired my trainer via my local gym.

Professional knowlege is obviously the most important aspect to being a fitness professional.

However, I am a believer in leadership by example.
For example: if a trainer has never worked out, how would he know what his clients are going through?

How would he explain how to fit healthy eating in a busy lifestyle if he has never done it?

As an analogy, imagine a group exercise instructor that cannot keep up with his/her students.

Book knowledge is essential but is not the only necessary attribute when dealing with people. In some fields, we have to be able to walk the walk before we can talk the talk.

If your goal is to LOOK GOOD, then you can certainly assess the effectiveness of your trainer's methods by looking at your trainer.

Similarly, if your goal is to win medals, then you can believe in the advice of somebody who has won medals, more easily than the advice of somebody who hasn't.

Fitness isn't about either of these things, though. The positive results aren't visible. You can't see protection from a bad back later in life (a six-pack is usually an indication that a bad bac is waiting for you). Confidence in your own body doesn't show ('fitness' advertising is designed to inspire confidence in a tanning product, or a fat-loss product, or a gym machine).

Personal training is available from £35 to £80 per hour (and upwards). The price won't affect whether it's worth paying for, only the way it's presented.

If you are paying any less than this, the trainer simply cannot afford to spend enough time on your own personal issues. A lot of 'personal' training isn't personal at all; you are just supervised while doing 'standard' exercises such as pressups, squats, various kinds of lifts. You will be encouraged to compare yourself to others in a similar category, perhaps by reference to distances, times and other measurements. Your safety will only be catered for, by the statistical likelihood of a particular exercise causing injury. more and more exercises are being 'contra-indicated' because they are found to be dangerous. An exercise is only dangerous when it is being recommended by somebody who doesn't understand its effects. The 'fitness' industry increasingly relies on contra-indication, rather than genuine knowledge of physiology, to keep people safe. That's why injuries ar becoming more common, and falloff rates (gym members losing interest) are rising.

A good trainer can invent safe and specific exercises that suit your own goals and capabilities (which are unique to you). They will be able to tell whether you need to work on flexibility, or breathing, or posture, or just confidence. They will have a wide range of exercise knowledge, from hardcore sports training and martial arts, to meditation and psychological techniques. They won't compare you to 'norms', or population averages, or age groups. these people are very rare.