Personal trainers...

lglg11

I finally rejoined the gym and I'm so excited ! I have an appointment with a personal trainer on Sunday just to get me started.

I have worked out with personal trainers before but I feel like I am much more educated now, since joining this site and reading the book New Rules of Lifting, then I was then so I kinda have to 'unlearn' stuff that I thought was accurate and relearn the things that are actually true .

My goal is to lose about 10-15lbs and add more muscle. I want to lift heavy weights and work my body to its potential.


Does anybody have any suggestions on questions that I should be asking ? Or is there any advice thats commonly given that I should steer away from ?

TIA !

1dragonfly

I love working with my trainer. He watches posture/technique and pushes me beyond what I think is my limit yet somehow knows when not to push me too far. He also provides enough variations to keep from becoming boring. I have taken to journalling each session to prepare workouts on my own.

He also gives feedback on nutrition and meals--monitoring myfitnesspal entries--tweeking things to help me get thru plateaus.
Those have been great aspects of my trainer.
See what areas you need work on and if your trainer has or can get you the info you need.

lglg11

Would it be weird if I bought a notebook with me to take notes ? lol

JennaHigg

Great idea to start with a personal trainer! After you really get technique down, I highly recommend crossfit. Don't jump into until you know how to isolate muscles, but it will kick your butt when your ready!!

I still see my personal trainer once a month, but I have switched to doing three to four INTENSE workouts at CrossFit. It's much better for the budget as well.

thefuzz1290

I hired a personal trainer when I first started working out, because I had no clue what I was doing. It was the best $250 I had ever spent!

The most important question is "What are you qualifications?" If they don't have some sort of certification, ask to see someone else. Most gyms have qualified trainers on site, but I know LA Fitness has "Professional Rep Counters." They're just employees who go through the LA Fitness personal trainer program, with no certification or extensive education, and use the same routine for every member they "train." Pretty much they bring you to a machine, add some weight, and count for you.

lglg11

I hired a personal trainer when I first started working out, because I had no clue what I was doing. It was the best $250 I had ever spent!

The most important question is "What are you qualifications?" If they don't have some sort of certification, ask to see someone else. Most gyms have qualified trainers on site, but I know LA Fitness has "Professional Rep Counters." They're just employees who go through the LA Fitness personal trainer program, with no certification or extensive education, and use the same routine for every member they "train." Pretty much they bring you to a machine, add some weight, and count for you.

It is LA Fitness! So glad you said that , I will ask . Thanks!

dad106

I'v gone through three personal trainers in the last year and all three brought something different to table.

Trainer #1- He was good, but was really there for the money. He was so concerned with how much he was getting paid and proving himself that I wound up getting injured more times than not. No surprise that he is now fired from the gym.

Trainer #2- I only had the chance to train with him for about a month before he was promoted to manager, but it was the best month of my personal training journey. He introduced me to so many different styles of working out, and did everything that my first trainer neglected to do. I feel like I learned a lot from him, even tho it was such a short amount of time.

Trainer #3- Is a bit like trainer two, but also very different. He's all about me and what I want to do.. and since I do a split body training program on my own, thats a good thing because I don't want to be working the same muscle groups back to back. Like yesterday for instance, I said oh I did lower body on Wednesday, so lets do upper body today. He then looked through my file to figure out what sorts of upper body stuff we had already done, and then decided that yesterday would be chest focus and working on my endurance.

All in all my experience has a been a positive one.. and I hope your's is to. If at any point you don't feel comfortable, then ask to be put with a another trainer. All trainers should be focused on you and what you want to do... not what they think you should be doing.

skullkrusher22

I am a trainer, and first I would say ditch the heavy weight idea. If you are wanting to lose those lbs then stick to high reps and lower weight. Reps maybe in the 15-18 range. Try and condense your rest periods in between sets and try and get to the point where you are moving from one exercise to another. Keeps the HR going and burning them calories at a higher rate. Plus, it saves you time in the gym.

If I was you test the knowledge of your trainer. Just ask questions esp if you already know the answer to some of them. Ask a lot of Why's. Be sure they know what they're talking about and good explanations are given; nothing vague. Make sure he is tracking your progress as you are training w/ him/her and see if they offer a fitness test before your 1st session. A good trainer with track your body fat% & your measurements, not just your weight. Also, he/she should have a cardio plan for you as well, and not just be telling you do 30-45 minutes of cardio 2-3 times a week or whatever. If target heart rate or rate recovery isn't mentioned then ask.."What is my target heart rate suppose to be?" If you are given a number w/o your resting heart rate being taken then your getting an average figure. Basically, he is just a trainer, not your PERSONAL trainer. Lastly, make sure he is explaining what muscle and/or groups the exercises are working and not just there counting reps. Just a few tips. Hope this helps.

lglg11

Thank you all for the advice and encouragement! I'm getting started today and can't wait

Halothane

As others have mentioned......make sure that YOU are being paid attention to, trained appropriately, explained what and why, etc.

I worked out with some trainers at my gym and they were all just basic count and add weight. I went to another trainer that trains at a small private upscale gym and it's been a total difference. He's very attentive, works me out hard, keeps me going, keeps me motivated, doesn't waste any time, etc.

vingogly

Last year, I decided to invest my bonus and income tax refund on myself, joined a local club and hired a personal trainer. Best investment I've ever made. I learned a lot about exercise and my body. i would ask: where did you go to school, how long have you been doing this, and where are you certified? Here are a couple of articles on selecting a personal trainer:

http://www.60in3.com/2008/11/26/7-ways-to-spot-a-good-personal-trainer/
http://exercise.about.com/cs/forprofessionals/a/choosetrainer.htm

Most personal trainers are going to be told by their management to sell services. They may try to sell you equipment, or nutritional supplements, or additional assessments or services. It is, after all, a business. Don't be afraid to "fire" your trainer if you're not happy with the direction things are going, or feel uncomfortable with him/her.

tuffytuffy1

I am a trainer, and first I would say ditch the heavy weight idea. If you are wanting to lose those lbs then stick to high reps and lower weight. Reps maybe in the 15-18 range. Try and condense your rest periods in between sets and try and get to the point where you are moving from one exercise to another. Keeps the HR going and burning them calories at a higher rate. Plus, it saves you time in the gym.

My trainer has me not rest really at all between sets, so I totally agree with that, but we lift heavy weights and I am seeing a huge iimprovement in my body shape as a result. I have never heard a trainer recommend low weight high reps, at least not in the past few years. I'm just surprised to hear that.

Lift_Run_Eat

My personal trainer now has his own gym. No treadmills, machine weights, free weights, etc
I had the best workout in my life with all the "toys" he had. He now has resistance bands, A big jungle gym looking contraption, sledgehammers, huge tires, large ropes, kettlebells, medicine/slam balls. boxing gloves/pads etc.
(The old gym training room at the gym only consisted of dumbbells, steps, medicine/slams balls, yoga balls, and boxing gloves/pads. I got a good workout, but the new toys are AMAZING!)


When we meet, it is just one on one. No one else is there. He is more attentive to me than I am. He pushes me when I think I can't do any more, but he can tell when I am over exerting myself and makes me rest.

He sets my meal plans for the week, and looks over what I have recorded for the week, making adjustments as needed.
He also sets my home workouts for the week.

If I slack during the week, he pushes me harder during out training sessions.

He also calls me 1-2 times during the week to check on my progress.