Is personal trainer worth it? Tell me your experience ?

cwolfman13

there are good trainers and bad trainers just like any other profession. i do have a coach and he is worth it. i only work with him about once per month now, but he has been instrumental as far as improving my fitness goes. I sought him out because I really wanted to get into Oly lifting and improve on my cycling...he is a retired BMX pro and is now a USAC licensed road racing coach. He also used to be a strength and conditioning coach at the Olympic training facility in Colorado.

I would say this...a lot of people go to a trainer with very generic goals...they tend to get very generic results. Also, no trainer is going to magically go you to where you want to be...they can show you the path to take, but it's up to you to actually take it...they can't make you eat this and not that and they can't put in the work for you. That's all still up to you.

Calliope610

nicoleexo2015 wrote: »

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and your advice. I am having a difficult time responding to some people's responses

FYI about forum etiquette.

It is not necessary to thank everyone who responds individually. A blanket "Thank you Everyone" is sufficient and appreciated. However, if you gained special insight from a specific response, have additional questions or need clarification, do not hesitate to respond directly to the poster.

singingdispatch100

As others have already said it depend on the experience of the trainer and what they are trained in. They are not all equal. That being said the key to a good experience with a trainer is your effort in following their plan for eating and exercise. Just having a trainer and "working" at it doesn't do it. You have to work hard at it and make it a life change not just something to reach a goal.
At least thats what has helped me.
Good luck.

HeatherLynn955

Most definitely. I have used two personal trainers over the years. I just finished chemo and radiation four weeks ago for breast cancer and I also have a rare auto-immune disease similar to Lupus. People can't believe how well I am doing. I credit the two personal trainers for what I have achieved. That said I think you need do your research to find a trainer that is right for you. I had a very hard time finding trainers willing to work with someone with some physical limitations. The flip side is I found two very dedicated, passionate trainers who I am now good friends with. I have consulted nutritionists as well and have found them useful. Again the key is to find someone who is a good fit for you. Do not be afraid to "fire" one if it is not a good fit. Good luck!

whmscll

cwolfman13 wrote: »

there are good trainers and bad trainers just like any other profession. i do have a coach and he is worth it. i only work with him about once per month now, but he has been instrumental as far as improving my fitness goes. I sought him out because I really wanted to get into Oly lifting and improve on my cycling...he is a retired BMX pro and is now a USAC licensed road racing coach. He also used to be a strength and conditioning coach at the Olympic training facility in Colorado.

I would say this...a lot of people go to a trainer with very generic goals...they tend to get very generic results. Also, no trainer is going to magically go you to where you want to be...they can show you the path to take, but it's up to you to actually take it...they can't make you eat this and not that and they can't put in the work for you. That's all still up to you.

What would you consider a "generic" vs no -generic goal? I have a consultation with a PT Monday. I want to learn to lift with proper form and lower my body fat. Too generic?

kshama2001

At the Y I used to belong to, I took a six session workshop called Women on Weights. There were supposed to be six other women but I think less than that showed. The goal was to get us comfortable with the equipment in that gym and to be able to walk into any gym and feel comfortable. It worked! The cost was minimal as this wasn't one-on-one and I also had a scholarship at this Y being low income at the time so the fee was further reduced.

@nicoleexo2015 - do you have access to a gym at your college? Do they have personal trainers there?

kshama2001

checkmatekingtwo wrote: »

...The next trainer was twenty years older, but had no idea how to work with older clients. I was scheduled for knee replacement surgery in six months, and I had specific orders from my doctor to avoid squats, lunges, and knee bends. This was in my paperwork and I told him personally. Next week, he tried to start me on squats and lunges -- I reminded him of my medical restrictions. Following week, he tried to start me on squats and lunges...

As someone with knee issues, I can totally relate to your frustration.

clairenicole84

I have been working out with a personal trainer once a week, for half an hour, for 6 months now, and it has made a huge difference in how my body looks. I work out on my own 4 days a week. I've found that it helps to have someone to be accountable to and she shows me different exercises that I didn't know about. A major bonus is that I no longer have lower back pain after she helped me strengthen those muscles. Working with a trainer has been well worth the time, effort, and money for me.

sarahrbraun

nicoleexo2015 wrote: »

i am thinking about getting a personal trainer/nutritionist. Because I am having a difficult time. Please tell me your experiences and things to look for. How do I know if someone is qualified ? The average cost or how much you paid? Your personal experiences good and bad?

Thanks!

If you find a good trainer, they are worth their weight in gold. I have been lucky to have 3 of them (the first two left the gym, I've been with the 3rd for 18 months). I pay $36 an hour, twice a week.

cmcdonald525

I signed up for a year of training at my gym because I had no idea what I was doing and I have a back injury that I have to be careful about. My first trainer was very energetic and encouraging, but he didn't care about proper form or really listen to what my goals are. He bought into too much diet woo and tried to sell me all sorts of suppliments. I worked with him for two months and never made much progress. Thankfully he left the gym and I was set up with my current trainer. Talk about a night and day difference! In the month I've worked with him I've made more progress than the first two months combined! He takes the time to correct my form and explain what each exercise is doing. He looks through my food diary and gives me tips to help meet my macros. He had a very similar back injury and is showing me different ways to strengthen my back, along with modifying as need be to keep from re-injuring it. Each week I have a detailed plan of what exercises to do each day so there isn't any feeling of "ok, what am I supposed to do today?" And though he's much more soft spoken, he knows exactly when to encourage and when to kick my butt. He likes to ask if I'm burning or shaking yet, and if I say yes he just laughs and laughs, then has me do something even harder. I would be willing to pay double for the sessions with him (if I could afford to lol. I'm paying about $90 a month). And I know that once my year is up, I'll be able to keep going on my own with enough knowledge to keep progressing.

lorrpb

whmscll wrote: »

What would you consider a "generic" vs no -generic goal? I have a consultation with a PT Monday. I want to learn to lift with proper form and lower my body fat. Too generic?

"Generic " goals can be ok because some of us might not know enough to be more specific or might not have reasonable goals -too high or too low. Tell the trsiner your general goals and ask for input on what is a realistic goal based on that. Every body is different too so trainer might be reluctant to say you can achieve x% BF in 6 months or whatever.

One of my goals was to walk 1 mi without stopping in 1 year, yes I was that bad off. I achieved that in 3 months. In 1 year I walked a 10k without stopping and could have gone further. O the other hand, after I saw that I lost almost 50 pds in 6 months, I wanted to lose another 50 in the next 6. That didn't happen, it was closer to 35. So goals are always changing based on your new abilities & body and life in general.

MKEgal

It would be worth meeting with someone 2-3 times as you're starting to exercise, first to learn how to do it safely,
and to have them set up a program you can follow, including how to adapt it as you get more fit.
Then maybe check in every few months for a tune-up.
But make sure they understand up front that's what you're buying. You want a written plan for exercises which
will help you lose fat, retain muscle, get stronger. Which exercises, intensity, duration, how often, how to alter them.

Make sure they have training & certification. If you can interview some of their other clients, that's good.
Here's where you can search for people in your area who are certified by the American College of Sports Medicine:
http://members.acsm.org/source/custom/Online_locator/OnlineLocator.cfm

MKEgal

+1 to what Jacqueline said:

Personal trainers should not be giving you diet plans. That is out of their scope of practice unless they
are also a dietician. They should give you general guidelines for healthy living.

Many people can point you to tools so you can get an idea of your own nutritional needs.
If you want specific advice, or reassurance that you're doing it right, meet with a registered dietician.


Here are a couple online tools I've found useful.

This calculator from the Baylor College of Medicine will tell you not only your BMI, but how many servings of
various foods to eat to maintain that weight. If you enter your healthy goal weight, this will help you plan your
food intake. Or play with the numbers to get the BMI in a healthy range.
https://www.bcm.edu/cnrc-apps/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html

A BMI chart:
http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf

cmpheng

I got a personally trainer for about a month. He was really helpful. He taught me the types of excercises and nutrition plans I should follow to achieve the goal that I wanted. I feel it was worth it to guide me in the right direction.

Kalikel

If I had to pick between a dietitian and a trainer, I'd take the dietitian every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I have a friend who sees the trainer once a week because it's like his appointment to go. The way he has it worked out in his head, if he sees the trainer, he has to do his workouts. Like, he wouldn't work out through the week if he didn't have this weekly appointment. I've never said, "You don't really need to pay someone! You could do it on your own!" It's like sports guys who don't wash their shirt or refuse to change hats because that hat helps them throw better - if they believe it helps, it does. Pointing out that it doesn't help can only make things worse, lol.

Whatever works!

eileensofianmushinfine

my personal trainers have been worth every single penny. When I first started my weight loss journey, I was 243 pounds (size 22/24) and would not have had the courage to step into a gym. I decided to hire one of the gym teachers at my school with whom I already had a good relationship. She accepted the challenge and we/I went to work. We generally worked out twice per week and in addition to physical fitness, she helped me make some major tweaks to my diet. Through working with her, I gained enough stamina to start doing cardio on my own and eventually enough confidence to join the local gym. I lost 25 pounds while working out with her.

Then I switched trainers to the one that I was assigned to when I did the gym's "Biggest Loser" contest. He specializes in fitness routines and nutrition. I also work out with him twice per week -- and he pushes me to my limits. We tweaked my diet further and have worked through a combination of strength training and heavy lifting. With him, I have lost another 25 pounds!

Yes, for me, worth every penny.

jcarouth

I had a personal trainer a while back. In my opinion the answer, like many, is "it depends." I've had three different trainers in my life. The first one was very obviously a good business man and he made it very difficult for me to try to learn why he was suggesting what he was suggesting and how to do it myself. Not saying that's bad, but that wasn't really what I needed.

The second, she was awesome. She was motivating, she got me into food journaling. She really took time to try to understand what my problems were and teach me how to address them.

The third was also pretty awesome. At that point I was mostly using him to get some variety in my workouts and learn about some methods for working around certain flexibility or limited range of motion issues.

To answer your question I think it is absolutely worth it to work with a trainer, but I would always want to meet and talk with the trainer first before I worked with him or her.