Personal trainers?

beautifulsparkles

adhebert8 wrote: »

How many of my MFP friends use a personal trainer?
Do you like it? Is it worth the money?
Do you feel like you have more progress with a trainer rather than alone?

I had one for about 9 months and I am getting a new one in about a month. It was worth it for me because I was morbidly obese and had stopped exercising for a long time. I didn't get the results I should have in that time frame because my eating habits didn't change enough, but I still lost enough weight for it to be worthwhile.

Sued0nim

My trainer is session by session

I cannot force myself to do alone what he manages to get me to do when we are together, he has helped me burst through so many limitations without my realising that was the direction we are going

I have a weekly session because he motivates me to keep going, to keep it up...I started with 6 weeks prior to a holiday January will be month 20

Upstate_Dunadan

Depends on your goals. If you want someone to help train you for bodybuilding, that's one thing. If you want a trainer to help with form and motivate you to workout, that's another.

Assuming it's more the later, another option is to look and see if you have any good CrossFit boxes near you. For similar money you probably can join and get unlimited access to classes each week. Assuming they have a good coach, it's like having a built in trainer for all your workouts. They'll touch on nutrition too. A good coach will be able to help you with form, which is key to lifting heavier weights and not getting injured. The community aspect will keep you motivated and make it fun (never boring). It will also challenge you to be better so you'll want to work hard. Also, having previously done the gym thing for the past several years, where I did push myself, I can honestly say you'll also never get a better workout than what you'll get out of a good CrossFit class. Not a chance.

Sued0nim

Upstate_Dunadan wrote: »

Depends on your goals. If you want someone to help train you for bodybuilding, that's one thing. If you want a trainer to help with form and motivate you to workout, that's another.

Assuming it's more the later, another option is to look and see if you have any good CrossFit boxes near you. For similar money you probably can join and get unlimited access to classes each week. Assuming they have a good coach, it's like having a built in trainer for all your workouts. They'll touch on nutrition too. A good coach will be able to help you with form, which is key to lifting heavier weights and not getting injured. The community aspect will keep you motivated and make it fun (never boring). It will also challenge you to be better so you'll want to work hard. Also, having previously done the gym thing for the past several years, where I did push myself, I can honestly say you'll also never get a better workout than what you'll get out of a good CrossFit class. Not a chance.

I don't like group classes ..in fact like PTs group classes only work for certain types of people ...rather than being motivated by others in a group, I am far more motivated by personal development

I have a better knowledge of nutrition than a phys ed coach

And I don't know why, because I know very little about it, but I have a bad reaction to crossfit ...I think I've read too much negative about the concept...really must have a proper look at the concept I suppose

Upstate_Dunadan

Most people who hate on CrossFit honestly have never tried it. It's also not for everyone. But it is for a lot of people, many who never would have thought they'd like it.

jimmmer

Upstate_Dunadan wrote: »

Most people who hate on CrossFit honestly have never tried it. It's also not for everyone. But it is for a lot of people, many who never would have thought they'd like it.

Not doubting that'll get you in shape and is fun to do and has a good community aspect to it.

But "never get a better workout" is where I have a problem. It's a good session if it builds upon the last and takes you towards the next. And in a whole context it's a good program if the sessions hang together and move you towards your goals.

Therefore "best/better" is relative to the individual in the context of the whole program in light of their goals.

Not trying to be a dick, just point out why training is different from working out and how it needs to be tailored to the individual and their overarching aims.

Upstate_Dunadan

jimmmer wrote: »

Upstate_Dunadan wrote: »

Most people who hate on CrossFit honestly have never tried it. It's also not for everyone. But it is for a lot of people, many who never would have thought they'd like it.

Not doubting that'll get you in shape and is fun to do and has a good community aspect to it.

But "never get a better workout" is where I have a problem. It's a good session if it builds upon the last and takes you towards the next. And in a whole context it's a good program if the sessions hang together and move you towards your goals.

Therefore "best/better" is relative to the individual in the context of the whole program in light of their goals.

Not trying to be a dick, just point out why training is different from working out and how it needs to be tailored to the individual and their overarching aims.

Good points. If I defined "workout" better it would put the comment in context. That however could lead to further disagreement and that was not my intention.

kiela64

akboy58 wrote: »

stacey_marie_08 wrote: »

I want to do this healthy lifestyle for good and if I injure myself, I'm more likely to quit. So all in all, for me, it makes sense to pay for a PT because I'm new at this working out thing again and I'm obese. I can only speak for me and this is a new thing. I've only met with her once but I can't wait to meet with her again on Thursday.

THIS.

I got to be 80 lbs overweight in the first place partly because of chronic injuries, which in turn were caused mostly by my fundamental ignorance of proper exercise form (and total lack of coordination). I've been with my trainer for two years now, and while it hasn't been completely smooth sailing -- I'm 57 years old, and it's a long road up from atrophy -- with this guy's guidance for literally the first time in my life I feel like exercise can be part of my daily routine. The skilled oversight is HUGE: I'm plenty motivated, thank you very much, and have no problem pushing myself; but I need expert guidance to ensure that I push myself in the right directions.

SAME. I've been reading through this thread, and I've realized that all of my "stops and starts" to try to get healthy have come from injuring myself. I hurt my right knee 2 years ago from running on hills, and it was still bugging me until this summer when I finally did physio. Then I was swimming & lost weight, and I climbed a flight of stairs and my left knee cap slipped sideways, and we still don't know why that happened - except I'm exercising incorrectly & it's tightened my IT band, and strengthened my quads while my glutes are extremely weak. I've been trying to fix some of those problems with physio, but since I can walk again the physio is over, and I still don't really know how to actually prevent injury.

I have no idea what I'm doing. Maybe a personal trainer would be useful. I don't have oodles and goodles of money, but all of my income (tiny as it is) is disposable at the moment. I might be able to get a few sessions through my gym. How do you know if a personal trainer is going to be helpful or not? The "bad" ones sound scary though.

_Terrapin_

kae612 wrote: »

akboy58 wrote: »

stacey_marie_08 wrote: »

I want to do this healthy lifestyle for good and if I injure myself, I'm more likely to quit. So all in all, for me, it makes sense to pay for a PT because I'm new at this working out thing again and I'm obese. I can only speak for me and this is a new thing. I've only met with her once but I can't wait to meet with her again on Thursday.

THIS.

I got to be 80 lbs overweight in the first place partly because of chronic injuries, which in turn were caused mostly by my fundamental ignorance of proper exercise form (and total lack of coordination). I've been with my trainer for two years now, and while it hasn't been completely smooth sailing -- I'm 57 years old, and it's a long road up from atrophy -- with this guy's guidance for literally the first time in my life I feel like exercise can be part of my daily routine. The skilled oversight is HUGE: I'm plenty motivated, thank you very much, and have no problem pushing myself; but I need expert guidance to ensure that I push myself in the right directions.

SAME. I've been reading through this thread, and I've realized that all of my "stops and starts" to try to get healthy have come from injuring myself. I hurt my right knee 2 years ago from running on hills, and it was still bugging me until this summer when I finally did physio. Then I was swimming & lost weight, and I climbed a flight of stairs and my left knee cap slipped sideways, and we still don't know why that happened - except I'm exercising incorrectly & it's tightened my IT band, and strengthened my quads while my glutes are extremely weak. I've been trying to fix some of those problems with physio, but since I can walk again the physio is over, and I still don't really know how to actually prevent injury.

I have no idea what I'm doing. Maybe a personal trainer would be useful. I don't have oodles and goodles of money, but all of my income (tiny as it is) is disposable at the moment. I might be able to get a few sessions through my gym. How do you know if a personal trainer is going to be helpful or not? The "bad" ones sound scary though.

Hopefully your physio is giving/providing ways to stretch your glutes, roll out your IT, and teach you the chain from the ankle to your butt where the IT is part of the chain. Hopefully you can learn how to isolate the muscles to strengthen the weaker muscles and how to strengthen your core so you have a better experience while you workout. Personally, I get what I want from a PT(personal trainer). The only bad trainer is the one you can't give feedback to and either you learn nothing or they do not have the tools to help you. Good luck.

kiela64

_Terrapin_ wrote: »

kae612 wrote: »

akboy58 wrote: »

stacey_marie_08 wrote: »

I want to do this healthy lifestyle for good and if I injure myself, I'm more likely to quit. So all in all, for me, it makes sense to pay for a PT because I'm new at this working out thing again and I'm obese. I can only speak for me and this is a new thing. I've only met with her once but I can't wait to meet with her again on Thursday.

THIS.

I got to be 80 lbs overweight in the first place partly because of chronic injuries, which in turn were caused mostly by my fundamental ignorance of proper exercise form (and total lack of coordination). I've been with my trainer for two years now, and while it hasn't been completely smooth sailing -- I'm 57 years old, and it's a long road up from atrophy -- with this guy's guidance for literally the first time in my life I feel like exercise can be part of my daily routine. The skilled oversight is HUGE: I'm plenty motivated, thank you very much, and have no problem pushing myself; but I need expert guidance to ensure that I push myself in the right directions.

SAME. I've been reading through this thread, and I've realized that all of my "stops and starts" to try to get healthy have come from injuring myself. I hurt my right knee 2 years ago from running on hills, and it was still bugging me until this summer when I finally did physio. Then I was swimming & lost weight, and I climbed a flight of stairs and my left knee cap slipped sideways, and we still don't know why that happened - except I'm exercising incorrectly & it's tightened my IT band, and strengthened my quads while my glutes are extremely weak. I've been trying to fix some of those problems with physio, but since I can walk again the physio is over, and I still don't really know how to actually prevent injury.

I have no idea what I'm doing. Maybe a personal trainer would be useful. I don't have oodles and goodles of money, but all of my income (tiny as it is) is disposable at the moment. I might be able to get a few sessions through my gym. How do you know if a personal trainer is going to be helpful or not? The "bad" ones sound scary though.

Hopefully your physio is giving/providing ways to stretch your glutes, roll out your IT, and teach you the chain from the ankle to your butt where the IT is part of the chain. Hopefully you can learn how to isolate the muscles to strengthen the weaker muscles and how to strengthen your core so you have a better experience while you workout. Personally, I get what I want from a PT(personal trainer). The only bad trainer is the one you can't give feedback to and either you learn nothing or they do not have the tools to help you. Good luck.

Thanks! I guess you'd be able to tell that from the first session, to check them out. Not really stretches, just strengthening stuff. I'm doing lunges and squats with a stretchy band around my legs. I have one IT stretch, but it honestly doesn't feel like anything is getting stretched lol. I don't know what "roll out" means.