Have you had a personal Trainer, how did it workout?

EmelyJ
EmelyJ Posts: 208
edited September 25 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm thinking about hiring a personal trainer, but my fear is "will it really work?". Has anyone had a personal trainer and has it worked for you? I'm hoping to lose an additional 17-20 lbs with the personal trainer in 4 months. I think excising with a trainer will help me achieve it verse me excising a lone.

Please help. Let me know how it went for you if you had a personal trainer.

Replies

  • autumn13
    autumn13 Posts: 295
    I think it is a great idea....I had one for awhile and he taught me a lot:)I liked having a partner, it was a plus!
  • josavage
    josavage Posts: 472 Member
    I love working with a trainer. I just started in January. I started by signing up for small group training. There are four of us plus the trainer and we work out 2 days a week. I also train with him by myself once a week. Since I've been working with him, I've lost 12 pounds, my endurance is way up, I'm stronger, and I've increased my running speed quite a bit.

    I don't feel like I get quite as good of a workout with the small group training but it's a lot cheaper. He really kicks my butt when I'm alone. I love it!
  • ablueskier
    ablueskier Posts: 104
    When I first joined my gym I had a personal trainer for 1.5 months because it came free with the prepay option I did. I was 17 at the time and had lost about 60 lbs with my dietician. At that time I was at a weight where I shouldn't be losing more but needed to build muscle and cut down on body fat. There came in the personal trainer. In my situation I didn't lose any weight with him, in fact I think I put on 5 lbs, but all of that was muscle. That was the best shape I have ever been in my life. 7 years later and a whole lot of life and that weight came back, but I am back to the routines my personal trainer taught me, I am seeing a marked difference in my legs and stomach. Now that I am getting comfortable with the routine again I am thinking of hiring a personal trainer to help me mix it up so my body can get confused again. I definitely think they are great resources :)
  • BecksgotBack
    BecksgotBack Posts: 385 Member
    i had one...boy did she work my butt off...literally. find one that will teach you moves you can do at home vs. just working you on machines at a gym. amazing how proper form and technique can totally change your work out, they can help you with that. i only did 12 weeks with mine twice a week but what she taught me will stick for the rest of my life.
  • drachac
    drachac Posts: 15
    I think it is a great idea but be careful who you pick. I had one and it was horrible. He was unprofessional and I ended up dreading going to the gym and actually gained weight. If I could currently afford it (Im in nursing school and still trying to work lol) I would do it again but with someone different. If you dont see the results that you want dont be afraid to switch to a different trainer! :) Good luck!
  • aflane
    aflane Posts: 625 Member
    I have a personal trainer now. In fact, we have a session tomorrow night. There are pros and cons to hiring a trainer.

    PRO: If you hire a good trainer, you WILL sweat, your heart will race at times and you'll get stronger and fitter. Remember, you've hired him to make you WORK. No slacking off... no whining... no excuses. If you have a physical limitation (not a mental one), it's okay to say so (I have long term back issues -- some exercises will throw it out, so I then do diff exercises).

    CON: It's not cheap. And it's not just the expense of hiring a trainer, it'sthe additional equipment that you'll need to get. First, my trainer insisted that I get a heart rate monitor. I had been thinking about getting one, so it was a reasonable demand to me. Latest expense, boxing gloves. We've started boxing as a core work-out routine (I LOVE it), but the communal gloves are kind of icky. They're only $30-40 -- so I'm hitting the store this weekend.
  • cjduckie
    cjduckie Posts: 78 Member
    Ha, I've actually JUST THIS MINUTE posted a topic "Shout out to the trainers" :laugh:

    I started my journey in July last year, and worked alone for the first 2 months - in those 2 months I only lost 2lbs and was not at all impressed! I had said to myself that if I wasn't seeing results by the end of September I was going to give up on this whole thing... the end of September came, and I wasn't happy to just give up, and I was seriously p*ssed off that I hadn't lost more after all the work I'd done - so I decided to give it one last shot & hire a trainer. Kelly & I have been working together (2 sessions/week + cardio by myself twice a week) since October now and I've lost 46lbs!! He's guided, advised, shouted, scolded, scorned, motivated, listened, teased, laughed and celebrated each and every little win with me along the way. He's helped change my life, and I am every grateful! Accountability to someone other than just yourself goes a very long way!

    If you have the chance to get a trainer - absolutely go for it! But: choose your trainer well, and make sure he/she has the right qualifications and credentials, then you can't go wrong.

    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • pandafoo
    pandafoo Posts: 367 Member
    i've had 3 personal trainers, with 1 of them being my current trainer. my experiences have been different for each.

    1st trainer: he pushed my body to the max with mainly cardio based exercises, such as burpees, having me race up the stairs, jumping in and out of a vinyl ladder on the floor, etc. the results with him were almost immediate - my colleague could tell my body was smaller after just 2 sessions

    2nd trainer: she was just okay - had me do moves on weight training machines. i feel like i could have done them myself and didn't need her instruction. but it was still good to see her weekly. the most helpful thing she imparted to me was, it doesn't matter how much you exercise if your diet is crap. your muscles can be more toned but bad eating choices will just deposit fat on top of them.

    current trainer: exercise-wise, he resembles my 1st trainer, and has me do more cardio-based exercises, with some traditional moves on weight training machines. personality-wise, he's my favorite. plus, he's a metabolic specialist so he knows tons of useful info, and told me about these specialized fitness tests i could take at the gym. he also recently hooked me up with the gym's nutritionist. overall he's my favorite trainer so far.

    i think a trainer is worth it, and before you decide on which trainer in your gym to go with, it'd be helpful to think about what you really want from a trainer and what your exercise goals are. would you like a trainer to help you make exercising a habit, until you get to the point where you can strength train on your own? do you want a trainer who's also a metabolic specialist or knowledgeable about nutrition? is your goal to lose fat and/or gain muscle? do you want to work out mainly on weight training machines or do more strength training exercises that also elevate your HR to a cardio level? just some food for thought :) hope this helps!
  • anitanz
    anitanz Posts: 72
    My boyfriend and I train with a trainer once a week, with a group once a week, and by ourselves once or twice. We have only been training with him for 5 weeks, but we definitely work harder when we are with him and we are already seeing results. He has us doing a mixture of kettlebells, boxing and running, and he always mixes up the workouts so we don't get bored.

    I would totally recommend it! But I reckon you have to pick your trainer carefully, because it costs a lot of money so you want to work hard and get results. I think lots of trainers talk too much and let their clients have too many breaks!


    Go for it!
  • EmelyJ
    EmelyJ Posts: 208
    i had one...boy did she work my butt off...literally. find one that will teach you moves you can do at home vs. just working you on machines at a gym. amazing how proper form and technique can totally change your work out, they can help you with that. i only did 12 weeks with mine twice a week but what she taught me will stick for the rest of my life.

    Do you remember how much you loss in those 12 weeks?
  • LareishaH
    LareishaH Posts: 205 Member
    I have had two personal trainers. The first personal trainer was awesome. Shoutout to Tanner! (Even though he will never see this...lol) He pushed me and I lost 20 lbs in about 2 1/2 months. I also lost mega inches. Unfortunately, I relocated to a different city because I got a better job. And now I have a new trainer. The first trainer and I really clicked. Our personalities clicked and he understood the results I wanted to get. This new personal trainer is so-so. He doesn't quite get me, yet. I have to tell him that he isn't pushing me hard enough, and that's a no go! So it is really important to get someone who you click with. If you are paying don't settle.....switch trainers. My new job provides free trainers so I will stick with him for a little while, but if I don't see a decrease in inches within the next three weeks....I am moving on to the next one. All in all---I would say they are definitely worth the money.
  • rharris86dc
    rharris86dc Posts: 635 Member
    When I first joined my gym, there was a deal on personal training, so I signed up. It was probably the best idea. She was awesome, very laid back, but would kick my butt! During the workouts, it wasn't so bad, but I would definitely be sore for at least the next day, lol.
    I only had 5 one-hour sessions, but I totally wish I could afford more. But either way, she taught me some workout ideas that I probably would never have done by myself, and she taught me how to do them with good form.

    Also, my friend Candice (my gym buddy, lol) is former military. When I made the decision to go with the personal trainer, she made a good point that it can't hurt, and even people who are in shape and know how to work out alone can still benefit from a trainer.
    So as long as you find a good match for you, I think you should give it a try!
  • ebgbjo
    ebgbjo Posts: 821 Member
    Just started seeing a personal trainer last week. Before that I was doing Insanity and TurboFire. Lets just say the personal trainer kicks my butt A LOT more than those DVDs
  • nam14uk
    nam14uk Posts: 556 Member
    I have a trainer and it was the best decision I made. While the cost is something you really have to think about I decided that it was an investment in myself and was worth the cost. Be careful to choose the right trainer for you. Try one out and if you don't get along or don't feel like you are being pushed then move onto the next one until you are happy.

    I started off using my trainer a couple of times a week and now only once every couple of weeks or so. The workout I get through my trainer has really changed how I think about exercising in the gym. It forced me to get up early and workout on days that I probably wouldn't have bothered. Also I've learned how to use all sorts of equipment in the gym that I always stayed away from so now when I go in on my own my workouts are that much more dynamic and not boring at all. Even now when I'm not really in the mood she pushes me that much harder and I always feel great after.

    Good luck with your decision.
  • EmelyJ
    EmelyJ Posts: 208
    Thanks guys...
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