Personal trainer?

47Jacqueline
47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm at goal and have been doing group exercises: body pump, shred, kickboxing and Zumba. I'm thinking about signing up for a program of using a personal trainer for a period of time because I would like support in serious weight training and the online programs I've looked at don't give any guidance on how to start, i.e. how much weight to begin with.

I can afford to indulge in this even though it's a bit pricey, but am not sure how often to schedule working with a trainer. BTW, I'm the one on the right in my profile picture.

Any suggestions?

Replies

  • dt3312
    dt3312 Posts: 212 Member
    Make sure you get a good personal trainer. Maybe some of your friends can recommend one. I've never used one, but I have observed them training people at the gym. Some of them don't make sure that their clients are doing the exercises correctly.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    How to Select a Personal Trainer
    http://body-improvements.com/articles/industry-articles/how-to-select-a-personal-trainer/
  • JoshD8705
    JoshD8705 Posts: 390 Member
    I have 3 sessions with my personal trainer. I did the 1st 2 in a month, and won't bother with the 3rd session until I need a real shock to my system. My trainer did help me decide starting weights, and helped me with form. Don't accept a routine that uses to many machines. Free weights help build your core, so you have balance.
  • kristinemaravilla
    kristinemaravilla Posts: 7
    I have had personal training before and what I can say is that it is MOST IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE PERSON YOU ARE DEALING WITH. Before you even sign up, you have to meet the prospective trainer, and treat your meeting like a job interview. Ask the potential trainer about his or her qualifications, certifications, specializations, and more importantly his philosophy in health and fitness. It also helps to ask him to he normally conducts his sessions, or better yet, ask for a free trial to see if you two are a good match. A personal trainer always does a fitness assessment of the client prior to the first session, and then regularly goes back to this assessment to see if there have been improvements.

    Five-start tip: WHEN YOU MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE GOOD TRAINER WILL ALWAYS ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR GOALS, YOUR CAPABILITIES, AND YOUR LIKES AND DISLIKES WHEN IT COMES TO WORKING OUT AND DIETING. EVEN THOUGH THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING IS FOR YOU TO KNOW HIM, HE SHOULD GET TO KNOW YOU TOO.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    getting a personal traner to show you good form is a great idea... you dont need to see them often once you have an idea of what you're doing.
  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
    You can look into a routine like Starting Strength or Stronglifts, a 3 times a week routine. 2 Different workouts, and you only would need 2 personal training sessions to cover the workout. Also, the beauty of theses routines is that you start with the standard Oly bar and add lbs each workout, therefor, no need to worry about what weight you need to start with.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I have had personal training before and what I can say is that it is MOST IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE PERSON YOU ARE DEALING WITH. Before you even sign up, you have to meet the prospective trainer, and treat your meeting like a job interview. Ask the potential trainer about his or her qualifications, certifications, specializations, and more importantly his philosophy in health and fitness. It also helps to ask him to he normally conducts his sessions, or better yet, ask for a free trial to see if you two are a good match. A personal trainer always does a fitness assessment of the client prior to the first session, and then regularly goes back to this assessment to see if there have been improvements.

    Five-start tip: WHEN YOU MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE GOOD TRAINER WILL ALWAYS ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR GOALS, YOUR CAPABILITIES, AND YOUR LIKES AND DISLIKES WHEN IT COMES TO WORKING OUT AND DIETING. EVEN THOUGH THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING IS FOR YOU TO KNOW HIM, HE SHOULD GET TO KNOW YOU TOO.

    Very well said
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Thanks for the advice. I was thinking that a month of working with a trainer would give me a good sense of form and what weights I should start with as well as having them check my form. I started at this gym with a good trainer for strength training, but we didn't use weights much. Mostly she worked in the UXF studio with me. I could see differences, but that's not what I'm looking for this time.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    Personal training is a great way to get out of your comfort zone and learn something new that you may not have considered before. Good friend of mine was a personal trainer and her clients would "hate" her at first for kicking their *kitten* and making them do things they didn't want to do, but after she finished working with them she would see that person happy and doing the "hard" things she taught them.

    If you can afford it good for you, make you find a good one. Ask plenty of questions and have the trainer pay particular attention to your form and etc. Take advantage of his/her knowledge best you can.
  • gotolam
    gotolam Posts: 262 Member
    Just don't "sign-up" for huge blocks of training sessions....no matter how much cheaper the sessions become. Totally not worth it until you've gotten comfortable with the trainer. My gym sells training in 3-packs or 12-packs. Get the three and make sure they're doing something that works for you.

    Also, a lot of trainers seem to neglect strength training/free weights. I always see new trainees being put through a regimen that consists of resistance bands and bodyweight exercises. There's nothing wrong with doing that; but if you want to lift, make sure they know that up front. And make sure that you walk from any trainer that insists you have to "work your way up" to lifting.

Categories