Ok this is such a good idea gone really bad. I have been interviewing personal trainers since last year. Well needless to say for one whole year I've been training alone. Those that are nice are too busy. Those that are mean are mean. There are ones that are completely out of shape. There are those that are in shape that are $%$^holes. I had an interview with one last night. He assumed because I was black( we are the same race) that I didn't have much money and he could talk to me unprofessionally. Bad idea! Then there are those that assume I want to lose 30 lbs in 10 days( I know I'm exaggerating) . I had one tell me that I shift my focus from competing in duathlons and focus on weight loss. Why couldn't I do both? Here's what I'm looking for, I hope it's not too much to ask.

A trainer that will take into consideration that I already workout and I have specific goals in place
A trainer that will inspire me to push harder to reach better potential
A trainer that will assist me with workouts and food suggestions
A trainer that can focus on the workouts and training
A trainer with a fun but focused attitude, nice but honest
Somone who has overcome the same obstables as me or that has worked with people like me before.

Is that too much to ask. I am grateful for all the reading I have been doing over the years, it's allowed me not to get ripped off by just jumping in with a trainer. I'm taking my time but sometimes this seem like some kind of cosmic joke. Like a series of bad dates. Anyway that's my rant feel free to chime in!

Can you try out sessions with one or more trainers? I did an interview with my current trainer and he came off kind of harsh. However, once I actually trained with him and got to know him a bit better, we developed a really good rapport.

Otherwise, move to Davis! My guy meets all of your criteria.

Maybe you should PM Meg. She's a personal trainer and can probably give you some great advice.

It's so frustrating when you meet some of these people. Some of them have never had a weight problem and treat you like you just need "will power". Some, like Meg, have gone through all your emotions and then some and changed the course of their lives because of it.

Good luck.

I think Mandalinn's idea of trying a session with a trainer is a good idea. In fact, I think it would be a good idea to stick it out for more than one session, unless you just really hate the trainer. Maybe buy a small package of sessions, if you can.

My first trainer and I developed a rapport with immediately but with my second trainer, it took a little longer to reach a rapport. If I'd made a decision about sticking with him after our first session, I would have missed out on a really great trainer. During that first session, he was super intense, no humor, the workout was way harder than I was used to with my prior trainer, and I felt like he thought I was a slacker. But as he's gotten to know me, he's relaxed quite bit and isn't so intense. The harder workouts have really been good for me; I can keep up no problem now and it's clear that he doesn't think I'm slacking. But it took a while for us both to get to know each other.

I absolutely love my trainer; sometimes I think about what would be happening if I was training with someone else. He makes our sessions really fun.
He's firm, honest, knowledgeable and I feel that he truely believes in me.. it may help that he's totally foxy ...

Oh yeah--that totally helps!