Personal training is becoming more and more popular as people struggle with their waistlines and general health. But with thousands upon thousands of personal trainers popping up all over the place how do you know which ones are the real deals and which ones are in it just to cash in on this highly lucrative market. Don't spend all your hard earned money before you ask the following 8 simple questions:

1. Experience

Find out what previous experience your trainer has. Do they mostly train body builders? Have they trained people of your age before? Certain trainers will stick to certain types of clients, are you one of those clients? Find out how long your personal trainer has been working in the industry and doing what.

2. Qualifications

Ask where they obtained their qualification? Can you verify it on the association's website? Common qualifications are REPS in the UK and ACE in the USA. If you are not sure then ask for details so you can call or verify the information before commencing.

3. References

Can the personal trainer offer you any references? It is always reassuring to call up previous or current clients and ask questions about the personal trainer, the results, and the training programme. References on websites are one thing but talking in person is another.

4. The Package

Now you know about the credibility of the personal trainer, you can start asking about the packages they can offer you. If you are training for weight loss and they do not offer you any nutritional advice then be very weary. It is almost impossible to lose weight without first addressing your eating habits regardless of the amount of exercise you perform.

5. Results

Get down to the bare bones of why you want a personal trainer in the first place, results. Find out what results you can expect. Be very weary of personal trainers that promise you the earth just to get you to sign up. All good personal trainers should offer you a full money back guarantee should they fail to deliver the results you agree upon. If they don't, then ask for one and see how many change their minds about the results they promised.

6. Assessments

Ask about what assessments you will receive before the training begins. Blood pressure, body circumference measurements, BMI, lung capacity are all standard assessments these days. What are more important are the postural assessments, biomechanical movement pattern assessments, Range of movement tests. If you are not being tested to this degree then the personal trainer is literally guessing and using a one size fits all programme. The more testing that takes place the more specific for YOU the programme will be.

7. Training

Find out what an average training session will consist of. All personal trainers have their particular favourite methods of training. Don't get dragged into something you don't want to do. If they want you to sprint up hills and do some boxing but that is not your idea of fun then tell them so. There are many ways to achieve the same results. If they can't offer you something you enjoy then look elsewhere otherwise you'll get fed up and de-motivated very quickly.

8. Support

Do they offer you a support system? If you only see your personal trainer once a week and need help with some exercises or nutrition can you contact them? All good personal trainers will leave some line of communication open for their clients. If they don't then they don't care enough about YOU and should be dismissed.