Is there such a thing as an affordable personal trainer?

LaurenBarnett2

I have been unable to secure an affordable personal trainer in the last year or two. Is there no such thing? I been trying to find a personal trainer that was comparable to the ones i had at Get In Shape For Women back in the day but i have been unable to

MaltedTea

That depends on what affordable is to you as well as your training goals.

In the Before Times, one could approach a university or college kinesiology or sports therapy faculty for students in training. Yet, while they are supervised, you get what you pay for. Furthermore, if your plan requires adaptations due to a disability then this route may not be possible.

LaurenBarnett2

MaltedTea wrote: »

That depends on what affordable is to you as well as your training goals.

In the Before Times, one could approach a university or college kinesiology or sports therapy faculty for students in training. Yet, while they are supervised, you get what you pay for. Furthermore, if your plan requires adaptations due to a disability then this route may not be possible.

True, except i am not disabled. I am missing the way my old gym used to do things but they arent around anymore and i havent been able to find anything comparable to that without paying an arm and a leg. They covered both nutrition and fitness in the same package.

springlering62

See if one of your local hospitals has a gym open to the public. Ours has a fantastic two story facility with pool, indoor track, saunas, massages, extensive weight rooms, and (normally) an extensive class schedule. It’s extremely reasonable.

Bonus! They also offer inexpensive sessions with a RD and trainers. The RD at ours encouraged me to join MFP and gave me other great advice and tips.

snuff15ee

I used a personal trainer at a cost of $900 a month for 5 days a week one-on-one coaching (roughly $45/hour). The key for me was finding a young trainer who was starting to grow his business. All the established trainers I looked into were $80-$100/hr. I don't use him anymore, but the things I learned will stick with me for life.

lorrpb

What is “affordable” and “not cost an arm and a leg” to you? Obviously a lot of people have affordable-to-them trainers or there would be no trainers anywhere.

Chieflrg

You will have to define affordable and what you are looking for exactly.

Online is usually a good option if you are lucky to find an a well rounded trainer. Ones in the commercial gyms usually obtained a cert to find a job. Much better to find so done independent in most cases.

LaurenBarnett2

lorrpb wrote: »

What is “affordable” and “not cost an arm and a leg” to you? Obviously a lot of people have affordable-to-them trainers or there would be no trainers anywhere.

Affordable to me is like a maximum of like $50 a session.

MaltedTea

Then you may need to buy in bulk in order to get a price break (as suggested by @snuff15ee) and with someone online (as suggested by @Chieflrg).

Now, all that's left is to find a trainer online who uses an approach you're familiar with (or willing to adapt to) and has some kind of pre-made/cookie-cutter nutrition program for you to follow. If that's your route, I would hope there's an initial consult opportunity (either via some kind of form-filling process or, if you're lucky a short video conference call) to ensure there's a match before you shell out upwards of $300-500 for maybe a dozen sessions.

@springlering62 I've never heard of hospitals doing this (at least not beyond the barebones physio departments with have in many Canadian public hospitals) but now I'm intrigued!!

[ETA: Allow me to disclose my bias - my mother is a registered nurse, former bodybuilder, and current gym owner whose clients pay upwards of mumble-mumble for her services. That would either be at her studio location or at-home sessions which cost even more. That said, her average client ranges from active executives to amateur athletes trying to escape their farm teams. She'll cover the nutrition piece but that is an extra/add-on fee]

CipherZero

Good, knowledgeable trainers that won't string your results along to keep collecting a paycheck aren't inexpensive.

Chieflrg

CipherZero wrote: »

Good, knowledgeable trainers that won't string your results along to keep collecting a paycheck aren't inexpensive.

I'd argue that stringing along isn't as common as ones who honestly don't know what they are doing and trying to collect a paycheck.

Dogmom1978

I would ask why you think you need a trainer. If you had one in the past that you liked, why not just follow the advice you previously got for both exercise and nutrition and save the money in general?

Also, you get what you pay for. I don’t use personal trainers, but if they are ALL too expensive for you and then you DO find someone cheap enough, I would point out that there’s probably a reason they are cheaper than the competition and the reason COULD be because they aren’t very good.

BahstenB10

Do you have a buddy or a group of people you can train with versus 1 on 1 to help save on cost?

Onedaywriter

Some trainers will offer a half session if you need it and it fits their schedule. Generally this will cost more than half (like 60%). Good for the trainer because if someone else wants the other half they get 120% and maybe ok for you.
I’ve never used a PT but a friend swears by the half session more often route. He gets PT time twice a week instead of once for the more complicated stuff and allows time for him to do simpler stuff (mainly machines) on his own.

Theoldguy1

LaurenBarnett2 wrote: »

MaltedTea wrote: »

That depends on what affordable is to you as well as your training goals.

In the Before Times, one could approach a university or college kinesiology or sports therapy faculty for students in training. Yet, while they are supervised, you get what you pay for. Furthermore, if your plan requires adaptations due to a disability then this route may not be possible.

True, except i am not disabled. I am missing the way my old gym used to do things but they arent around anymore and i havent been able to find anything comparable to that without paying an arm and a leg. They covered both nutrition and fitness in the same package.

To be honest it isn't in the scope of practice for most trainers to give specific dietary advice and/or recommend specific foods or supplements.

If you are motivated find a really good trainer (and pay for it) to develop a program and teach you the movements over several sessions, then work on your own for a month or 2 and meet with the trainer for progressions from the original program, bringing the total cost down compared to sessions several times a week.

I drive 350 miles round trip and pay $200 an hour (in what is a fairly low cost area of the US) 4 times a year for sessions with a nationally known physical therapist who is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Sure the cost per session is up there but I get much more out of the $800 than paying someone $50/hr 3X a week to count reps for a month and a half.

This obviously won't work if one needs a trainer to motive them to show up and do the work.

springlering62

@MaltedTea

https://www.wellstarhealthplace.org/

I believe it originally started as a benefit for hospital employees but was opened to the public. It’s a great facility, used by pretty fit medical personnel, healthy seniors, and a distinct number of users in poor or recovering health that have been ordered by doctors or physical therapists to “do something”.

So classes are either end of the spectrum and not a whole lot in the middle.

My husband loves the tai chi and aqua fit classes. I don’t find their mat classes challenging enough so let my membership go.

Still, a phenomenal facility, super reasonable rates, and they offer discount training, massage and dietician packages.

Not sure if other hospitals offer similar, or if we just lucked into it!

LaurenBarnett2

BahstenB10 wrote: »

Do you have a buddy or a group of people you can train with versus 1 on 1 to help save on cost?

To be honest I wish i did.

MaltedTea

If you're open to a group format then, yes, for sure that'll lower the cost. How about a Meetup group in your area or a gym offering outdoor classes?

If you're in an urban area, your municipality may already have an official website or booklet with recreational activities (led by certified instructors).

Courtscan2

Are you open to someone online? I have a coach who I work with online, we have Zoom meetings and he designs programs for me, reviews my form etc when I send him videos of my workouts, works with me on nutrition etc and it's working really well for me. Cost is (Aussie dollar) $250 per month, but I have unlimited access to him. Even accidentally video called him at like 10pm one night and he cheerily answered - so embarrassing!!

LiftandSkate

On average, good trainers run $80-100/hour. I was able to get a great trainer for $40/hour by going with her when she branched off and opened her own gym, paying in advance and in cash, and letting her use me in her advertisements. I stopped using her when Covid hit and the gyms closed, and have been going it alone ever since. I learned a lot from her, but am enjoying programming my own workouts right now. Good luck!

springlering62

I had the curious luck of stumbling upon a terrific trainer who trains for personal pleasure. I’ve told her she doesn’t charge enough, but she donates my fee to childhood cancer research in honor of her granddaughter, who is a survivor.

She owns her lovely (and very pro) lifting gym and treats it the same way. A third of the members don’t pay, whether they’re kids from the neighborhood who can’t afford (free, but they have to show her their report card), or cops, firefighters, EMS etc.

It’s an amazing place. The kids are off the street, exposed to folks they might otherwise consider as adversaries as in a communal setting, and several have gone on to be NCAA and Olympic champs, or earned athletic scholarships.

OTOH, if she feels like a user is there for Instagram photos or is trawling for a hookup, she will pull them aside and tell them they’d be much better suited to the Workout Anytime down the street and refund them on the spot.

She knows each and every members PR, and if she sees someone trying to pull something heavier, she stops whatever she’s doing, and starts yelling encouragement until the whole gym is participating.

It’s a hoot. And you better believe she has the most loyal gym members. I think we are all very, very grateful to be a part of her extended “family”, and to be able to experience this one of a kind woman. I have truly never met anyone else like her.

I sincerely wish you could all find a trainer like this one but I’m afraid she’s one of a kind.