How to best utilize a personal trainer?

coldhound

This question is directed toward people who have used personal trainers before.

I started getting my diet on track a few months ago, but the exercise is still severely lacking. I have signed up for a gym and retained a personal trainer for weekly sessions over the next three months. The plan as it is laid out is to do two workouts each week on my own, and one with the trainer.

The motivation for hiring a trainer is twofold. First, I need the accountability to get to the gym on a regular basis. Second, I need someone to tell me when I need to ease up to avoid injuring myself or push harder to get over a hump.

Two days our first session I am sore, hungry, and not at all motivated to go to the gym but know that there is going to be a steep climb to the point where I am remotely comfortable. Any tips or personal insights people may have from their own experience would be most appreciated.

HealthyEscape

All I can say is that you have to push through the hard stuff in order to grow. In our world today, we are so focued on the "now" and "instant gratification" that we don't think LONG TERM. Though you may be hurting now and hungry now and frustrated now, putting it off will only make it harder to build the path to your success later.

I have a private personal trainer and I meet with her 1x a week. We discuss my goals and she then gives me a "checklist" of things to do between our sessions. Some days I feel beat up and tired and not motivated at all, but just going and giving it my all during the work out makes me feel BETTER because I did it, I set aside all my excuses and I did it. Its the little victories over ourselves that help us get to where we want to be.

My advice to you is talk to your trainer. They are there to help you, but they need to know what you are thinking and feeling to help you keep on track. Set mini goals for yourself and everytime you have a victory, share with people who will help you celebrate. It doesn't have to be food or money driven, just being able to tell someone "hey, I did 30 minutes on the tredmil today without dying when I could only do 20 minutes before" and having them celebrate your accomplishment can be reward enough.

Good luck, and please don't give up. Think about the long term and how good you will feel when you accomplish something you didnt think you could do :-)

sunshine79

I had a personal trainer for the first four months of thi year and it was the most beneficial thing I culd have done. I did the same as you and had one session with him each week and the rest of the time I worked out on my own.

1) Be sure to tell him/her EXACTLY what it is you want to achieve as they know their stuff and will give you exercises directly aimed at your goal.

2) You're already using MFP which is great. My trainer also checked my food diary each week which also makes you even more accountable.

3) Never once did I want to go to a session with my trainer but each time I went I was very pleased with myself afterwards as he pushed me to work in a way I never could have on my own.

4) Do exactly as they say and learn to love the exercises you hate as those are the ones that wil help you achieve your goal.

If you follow your trainer's advice you will see the difference, I guarantee you. My goal was to reduce belly fat and reduce my waist by three inches. In 4 months I managed to go from a 33.5 - 31 inch waist, something I've never managed to achieve in all the years of working out on my own.

Hope this has been of some help.

All the best :glasses:

coldhound

Thanks Sunshine, that is extremely helpful. I really hated the crunches, but know that I need to learn to smile through them.

david1956

I've had a personal trainer for about a couple of months and I wish I'd done it ages ago. I'd been at the gym for about a year, but the real work began with a trainer. I do half an hour's boxing with him each week, and he changes my weights workout routine about every 4-5 weeks. They're progressive changes, becoming more demanding each time. Cardio is pretty much my own thing.

My opinion, the typical standard say 3 X 10 reps type weight training is OK for a while, but it plateaus and becomes more difficult to get gains. More advanced training keeps the body adapting and strengthening continually.

For me some of the main advantages of a trainer are...

- Subconsciously I think we tend to design our own programs to avoid what we hate (and probably most need). My trainer tends to know that when my mind is saying "no more" I most likely have more in the tank, and crossing that mental threshold is where real gains are.
- A good trainer simply has a knowledge of advanced techniques that you're simply unlikely to even be aware of
- They are likely to know how to progress your training to achieve specific goals
- They have a holistic view of exercise. Balance, flexibility, strength, cardio vascular fitness.
- They can observe and correct bad technique. My bottom line is "no injuries". I'd say the majority of people I observe in the gym are to some extent using poor technique.

If possible I'd casually chat to trainers in passing and suss who is likely to be right for you. I think a quite unique relationship develops, of trust, overcoming moments of frustration and even anger... it can become a quite deep bond and a friendship. A good trainer understands you psychologically, when to push or when to adapt to a "low" you might be experiencing. I have enormous respect for my trainer, he has my health and fitness as his own goal as much as I do.

arewethereyet

Depends...........is she cute? What??

Only kidding!

I had a great PT. She sat me down for 1 hour before the 1st session and we went over everything. She measured and weighed me. She looked at my MFP log. She discussed my weaknesses and my strengths.

I guess my advise would be:

1. Never say "I can't" say "Modify!"
there was a lot this old gal could not do, or was too afraid to attempt. I would say MODIFY please.......and she would tweak it so I could do the move.

2. Always do what they tell you to do, even if in modified form. A good trainer knows what you do not do usually, and will work on that to shake up your routine.

3. Ask for a work out plan for the days you are not working with them, then follow it.

4. I always walked on the treadmill 15-20 minutes after we were done to get the best of my burn!

5. If you feel they are not paying attention to you, or are not FOR you..............do NOT be afraid to speak up!! I know ppl who paid big money only to have a PT that did not fit them and they didnt know they had the right to ask for another trainer. The GYM is making most of the money and are paying the trainer..........not you!!

6. Look at dem muscles!!!!!!!

Good Luck!!

Jeannie

coldhound

Personal training check in number one.

5 sessions in I'm totally sold on the value of a personal trainer. Even if only for the motivation to get to the gym, though learning how to lift weights properly has been both interesting and helpful in ensuring that I do not get injured.. I went today to work out on my own and was thrilled to be able to walk up to my trainer all sweaty from my workout and tell him that I crushed the leg press at the weight I had been using with him.

I found the comment that we avoid the things we hate to be very true and have been deliberately asking to learn those tough exercises like squats, crunches (oh god so many crunches), and push-ups. Today I did a lot more cardio than weight, but that is more a result of there being lots of racquetball players around, which is rare in my gym.

For reference, I signed up for 14 sessions total with the idea that it would cover the first three months of getting into a weight lifting routine. More updates to come, but right now I am torn as to whether I will extend the training appointments once I have used them all up. Again, your training experiences are welcome.

arewethereyet

Personal training check in number one.

5 sessions in I'm totally sold on the value of a personal trainer. Even if only for the motivation to get to the gym, though learning how to lift weights properly has been both interesting and helpful in ensuring that I do not get injured.. I went today to work out on my own and was thrilled to be able to walk up to my trainer all sweaty from my workout and tell him that I crushed the leg press at the weight I had been using with him.

I found the comment that we avoid the things we hate to be very true and have been deliberately asking to learn those tough exercises like squats, crunches (oh god so many crunches), and push-ups. Today I did a lot more cardio than weight, but that is more a result of there being lots of racquetball players around, which is rare in my gym.

For reference, I signed up for 14 sessions total with the idea that it would cover the first three months of getting into a weight lifting routine. More updates to come, but right now I am torn as to whether I will extend the training appointments once I have used them all up. Again, your training experiences are welcome.

that sounds awesome! Glad you are getting your monies worth. I made the mistake of mentioning I hate squats and lunges...........so they are in corporated into each session :laugh: Funny thing is, I do them on my own now!

Cant wait to see the results :blushing: