Personal Trainers - Worth the $$$?

ninerbuff

nvmomketo wrote: »

I'd say no. They may be worth it for a few sessions to make sure you have proper technique but once they have taught you that, their presence should be unnecessary.... Unless you need someone there to spur you on. Then maybe.

I would say that lifting should be like most sports. It depends on your level and your goals. I would hate to have a coach with me on a run or everytime I played a game. Same would go for lifting. It would get old fast. JMO.

Most organized sports have coaches though. Those that play just for fun only play at the basic level, so people that want to be more advanced or better will usually require some coaching. Even the best pros have coaches.
So what your opinion is is based on your personal experience. I'll just ask that if you had a coach right now for free, you don't think you'd be better than your are now?

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

canadianlbs

dubble818 wrote: »

I'd be looking at about 5 grand to continue working with him for a year. Which means no vacation, but totally doable. Would you do it?

money numbers are so relative to a specific person's life and expenses that it's pretty hard to correlate one person's answer to any other person's.

here's my experience, for what it's worth. i 'see' a trainer [actually, a small-size barbell club] once a week for a percentage of my income that's comfortable for me. it's about the same cost as it would be for me to have a standing burger-and-beers date or whatever with friends once a week. so it's not significant, but it's the kind of thing that comes up on the 'cut candidate' list when you're not working and it's time to start paring things down. except last year i was definitely in that situation and t-day never got cut. so it ranks above burger-and-beers with my friends, in my case.

i wanted to say something else too, from the same experience but on a slightly different note. you might find it useful. when i signed myself on i was not a new lifter but i was new to having a trainer at all, and i had sought him out because i knew for sure that i needed one. the first month or so was fairly 'intense', a lot of coaching and form checking and basically, just a stronger component of his attention. i've got about a year and a half with him now, and the dynamics have changed. he does my math for me, would definitely intervene if i was being stupid about my form and would definitely respond if i asked him for anything specific again. but aside from that, i'm no longer there to be taught how to lift. i go because yes, i do like having a regular sanity check on my form. but mostly because by this point, hanging out with those guys pretty much IS my version of burger-and-beer-with-my-friends. i really notice it when a regular drops out and someone new comes in, because that's when i get reminded of how intensive the first few months were. now it's like he writes out my numbers for me, i know what to do and he's basically 'here if you need me'.

that's not a disparagement of him at all, in fact i think it's a recommendation. it's what happens when you get a good trainer. you're not supposed to need them for the rest of your life. so i guess my point would just be: think about whether you want to spend that 5 grand on something that is more likely to be, say . . . three or four months of training, at most. and then the rest of it would be more like you're paying for idk, something more like a friendship or company or a social life. it happens to work in my case but everyone's preferences and desires are different.

nvmomketo

ninerbuff wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

I'd say no. They may be worth it for a few sessions to make sure you have proper technique but once they have taught you that, their presence should be unnecessary.... Unless you need someone there to spur you on. Then maybe.

I would say that lifting should be like most sports. It depends on your level and your goals. I would hate to have a coach with me on a run or everytime I played a game. Same would go for lifting. It would get old fast. JMO.

Most organized sports have coaches though. Those that play just for fun only play at the basic level, so people that want to be more advanced or better will usually require some coaching. Even the best pros have coaches.
So what your opinion is is based on your personal experience. I'll just ask that if you had a coach right now for free, you don't think you'd be better than your are now?

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I might be. But as a middle aged woman, tweaking that difference is not a big deal. I know how to lift heavy, I bulk fairly quickly. A trainer may help that somewhat but not enough to compensate for having the trainer there. I don't want to work out with a stranger. My personality type is that I would rather not have someone there. I like to wo alone.

As I said, the pros will benefit from coaching, as will the newbies. For people like me, who know enough to get on with it and don't have lofty goals, I would not bother with a trainer.

Sp1tfire

I think PT sessions are necessary a lot less frequently than most are used. The PT I'm going to start seeing this summer is only 4x a year. I guess to me the purpose of having one is to make sure I'm being safe with my lifts and equipment and making steady progress over time.

Theo166

dubble818 wrote: »

I recently finished 7 sessions with a personal trainer. I've learned a lot about proper form and gotten some pretty good ideas for lifting routines, etc. I have to admit that the workouts have been fantastic and that missing sessions is way less likely when you're paying in advance to see them.

I'd be looking at about 5 grand to continue working with him for a year. Which means no vacation, but totally doable. Would you do it?

From your post and your profile, sounds like you work for a living. I wouldn't spend that much myself, even when I was flush.

Why do you need to meet the PT so frequently? They frequently like to schedule a couple sessions a week but perhaps just meeting every week or even every other week is enough. You should be able to lift on your own and then meet periodically to review your technique and possible changes to your lifting program. Don't let your PT control the frequency.

ugofatcat

I worked out for 2 years then I wanted to learn how to do a snatch. I looked up how to do it on youtube and realized I needed help.

I did one free session with a trainer at my gym. Even in the one session, I felt like I learned a lot from him. I coughed up the $500 for a once a week session for 3 months. I felt like he gave a me a great foundation for the snatch and clean and jerk. I have had no injuries. When I started I could only do the 18 pound bar. After 3 months I was able to snatch 60 pounds. I know I am not entering any competitions soon, but I felt like he was really helpful and would have never achieved those results on your own.

If you think the trainer's advice and guidance is worth the $5,000 and you can afford it, go for it. Everyone spends their money differently and as long as you aren't in debt, have a 3+ month emergency fund, and are saving for retirement, go for it.

need2belean

dubble818 wrote: »

I recently finished 7 sessions with a personal trainer. I've learned a lot about proper form and gotten some pretty good ideas for lifting routines, etc. I have to admit that the workouts have been fantastic and that missing sessions is way less likely when you're paying in advance to see them.

I'd be looking at about 5 grand to continue working with him for a year. Which means no vacation, but totally doable. Would you do it?

Since you now know the form, what is the personal trainer there for? Do you have the desire to show up without him/her? If so, I recommend online trainers. Some of them on Instagram are really good and much cheaper. I have one that gives me my macros and different workouts every week. She also requires weekly weigh ins, pictures, and measurements done so it helps me not to slip up. She's only 70$/month which is about 50$ cheaper than my friend pays for a trainer to train her in person 2 times a week for 30min sessions. For 70$/month I get 5 days of workouts that last over an hour and her own personal phone number if I have any questions. It's worth way more to me than a trainer that I have to work my schedule around to meet. I go at 5am when noone is in the gym and I've seen a remarkable improvement in the last 3 months than I ever did with a personal trainer I met in person. Just a though. Good luck.

KANGOOJUMPS

no, you can do it all yourself.

xmichaelyx

No. My home gym is great and cost less than $1K. Trainers offer nothing you can't do for yourself.

Even if you need form checks, you can just post a vid to BB.com or Reddit and get all the feedback you need.

YaGigi

My PT is a guy I met at a gym and we became friends. He's also happen to live very close to me. He's extremely fit (and cute) and we exercise about twice a week, sometimes I exercise by myself if his schedule is different. I don't pay him but can buy him a cup of protein shake or juice when I come by. Or you know, a gift on his bday, tickets to movies, etc.

I also have another friend who wants to train me but his gym is way too expensive for me to enroll.

helenrenee007

I paid $4500.00 a year for two years, worth every penny! Changed my life in so many ways, learned so much and got the body I had always dreamed.

Ironandwine69

I have worked out all my life and have been lifted for over ten years. Never have I pushed myself as hard as my trainer pushes me. Never. And I consider myself to take working out seriously.
But it also it depends on the trainer. Mine is awesome and takes it very seriously. I see other trainers than are just looking around while training someone.
So for me it's not about him telling me what to do, is about pushing me to get those last few reps when I want to die and would have stopped if I was by myself. It is also helping me with keeping my head in the game all week long even if I train with him twice a week.

Ironandwine69

dubble818 wrote: »

I recently finished 7 sessions with a personal trainer. I've learned a lot about proper form and gotten some pretty good ideas for lifting routines, etc. I have to admit that the workouts have been fantastic and that missing sessions is way less likely when you're paying in advance to see them.

I'd be looking at about 5 grand to continue working with him for a year. Which means no vacation, but totally doable. Would you do it?

As far as money goes. I would not sacrifice my vacation for a trainer. I would only do it if I had the extra money to blow on it. I would give up going out to eat, getting my hair or nails done often, shopping etc, but not important things. And vacation to me is important.

stanmann571

$5K is a lot... It's also very inexpensive.

For me... When I need help/assistance/advice, I prefer to drop 200-300 for a 1-3 hour consult with a trainer to get the focused specialized help/guidance/tweaking with the understanding that I'm paying a bit extra to not be re-contacted. But I've been through a LOT of different training over the last 20 years, and I know my body. So I can get maximum benefit from a consult.

Additionally, with an up front commitment of $5K, if you find you're incompatible, or that they aren't actually helping you define and achieve your goals, what is your recourse?