Have you had a personal trainer? If so, was it worth it?

Yes I have, and yes it was. I saw my trainer twice a week. If you find someone who is able to give you the results you want, it's absolutely worth it. Not only is it motivating, but you learn a lot that you can use on your own.

It totally depends on the trainers. There are great ones and there are flaky ones.

I'm someone that thrives on someone telling me what to do in a workout setting. I don't want to have to go wander a gym and think about what I need to do next. So from that respect I do really well with a trainer there making me move from one exerccise to the next. But, whenever I've used trainers, they've been at gyms where the only option was to workout with a personal trainer. I think those gyms tend to get better trainers than your average Bally's or 24 Hour Fitness type gyms.

These days, I use Shawn T (INSANITY) ~ I can workout in my basement and it's a video that's finally challenging enough to keep my interest.

If you do end up working with a trainer, yes it holds you accountable because you have to show up, but make sure you hold them accountable too! They should have plan for you. They should know - in advance - which major muscle groups you're going to work that day, they should be providing you with what you should be doing on the days you don't meet, etc.

When I started back at the gym November of 2011 I was really feeling defeated and out of shape. I never really knew what to do at the gym, how hard to push myself, how little to push myself. So, I hired a trainer. I tried 2 and the 2nd one really jelled with me. I liked her knowledge, her attitude and she a pleasure to work with even though I'd tease her and say I hated her. She said she knew she'd done her job when I said that. Whenever I'd feel like I wanted to quit she kept me going. I've learned a lot about how to work out in the past year. I've lost 75 pounds doing the exercise too. So, for me it's been great. Right now I'm transitioning to more group classes that are like the personal training sessions, because now I know what to do. I know how hard to push myself. I'll still do personal traing now and then, because now I have different goals. Not so much lose weight, but to get stronger. A trainer can help me do that.

It totally depends on the trainers. There are great ones and there are flaky ones.

I'm someone that thrives on someone telling me what to do in a workout setting. I don't want to have to go wander a gym and think about what I need to do next. So from that respect I do really well with a trainer there making me move from one exerccise to the next. But, whenever I've used trainers, they've been at gyms where the only option was to workout with a personal trainer. I think those gyms tend to get better trainers than your average Bally's or 24 Hour Fitness type gyms.

These days, I use Shawn T (INSANITY) ~ I can workout in my basement and it's a video that's finally challenging enough to keep my interest.

If you do end up working with a trainer, yes it holds you accountable because you have to show up, but make sure you hold them accountable too! They should have plan for you. They should know - in advance - which major muscle groups you're going to work that day, they should be providing you with what you should be doing on the days you don't meet, etc.

^^^^^^^This 100% I don't have to plan what to do, it is done for me. I love that. I'm very busy so one less thing to worry about.

Intro trainer sucked. The guy I decided I like and hired... AWESOME.

It depends on the trainer. See if someone you trust, and value their opinion, can recommend one. You could also look into the free one time sessions most gyms offer. Also, a lot of training packages have a satisfaction guarantee. If you're not happy with your experience, you can always get your money back. Just make sure you read the fine print.

Here's my experience:

Few months ago I bought an intro deal with a "master trainer" at 24 hour fitness which consisted of 3 sessions, 50 minutes each. It was only a $100 and figured it was a good way to get into it a routine again. This trainer was AMAZING! I told him what I was looking to achieve, what areas I had problems in and what I actually liked doing in terms of exercising and he did an awesome job getting me going. He gave me the first session for free and we went through a bunch of core exercises, leg exercises, cardio and calisthenics to see where I stood, physically. Then from there, he worked me to the bone. And I'm not an exercise dummy. I've done P90X, JM videos, weight lifting programs, and plenty of running programs. But having him made a world of difference! The prices at gyms like 24 hour fitness can be ridiculous. But a lot of times, they can work with you and your budget. After my three sessions, I couldn't afford to buy more sessions even after he offered to give me a MUCH better deal than what was on paper. He saw how serious I was about and was trying to help by giving me almost a 30% off discount. Of course, it was "under the table" prices. He was considerate, dedicated and knew how to motivate me. You can tell the guy was a sought out, popular trainer when everyone in the gym that passed by us would say hello and tell me to "listen to this man!"

Hopefully once I've got more wiggle room in my budget, I'll buy some more sessions with him. To me, he was definitely worth it. And he was worth buying more sessions too. I just couldn't at the moment.

I am using one , and can say that it has made a big change for me. I have lost 73 inches off my body in 6 months. Not only does she help me see the goal I want to reach, she also helps me see the progress I am making weekly. She also meets once a month with my Nutritionist just to check on my progress in whole. Don't get me wrong, some sessions I think she is a Bear- but that is what I pay her for. If I could do this on my own, I would not be in the condition I am in right now with being overweight. Personal opinion ~I think if someone did not like a trainer they had, then they should try another trainer. You are going to get mixed reviews on this topic, so the only honest advice I can give is to give it a try with a few different ones. Here is how I found mine, maybe your new gym has an internship program for new Trainers. Worth a shot. This is what worked for ME: There is a local college here in Cincinnati that offer several different Trainer degrees. They have to have so many people to train in order to get their degree's. My Nutritionist came from there, and she is the one who told me about the program. These students are placed in different gyms and fitness sites throughout the tri-state area and have to do an internship. The training they did on me was free. I got to try a few different sessions with different Trainers in different locations to see what worked with me. I found a trainer I love, and she is excellent. She does weight training with cardio, and kicks my butt weekly. Good luck on your journey

They are worth their weight in gold! However, with that being said, I would not go to someone who was being pushy. Just like anything, there are good and bad trainers out there. If you don't find one you like, keep looking. You will know when you have found the right one. They will push you harder than you even thought possible, plus it helps with the accountability of getting your workouts in. Good luck!

getting my trainer was probably the best money i spent at the gym.

you don't have to buy a person. you don't have to get the three training sessions a week for six months package. i bought the two sessions a month package. a good trainer can help you out, teach you, and provide you with some work outs to do in between sessions. i also went to my trainer with clear clear goals. "i want to be fit," is not a clear goal. "i want to dead lift and squat," is.

when i talked with gym management, i talked to the guy about what i have been doing, and what i was looking for in a trainer. i got a kid about my age, not some jacked up pretty boy, or an overweight guy, or some waify lady. the guy could squat and dead lift ridiculous weight, and was crazy fast too. we did a work out outside, where i did 40 yard dashes. he was done with his before i hit the 20 yard line.

it's all about compatibility.

It is entirely entirely dependent on the quality of the personal trainer. Unfortunately these days (at least in the UK) they hand the certifications out like candy so the result is a bunch of people who become personal trainers simply because they "like to work out" and have literally NO idea how to design an intelligent and effective program or how to even teach proper form or technique.

However, if you find one that knows what they are doing they can be invaluable. Try to find one with a degree in sports science or one who has been in the business for at least 5 years. Grill them hard in the interview, ask them questions, and make sure they are worth your hard earned money.

I'm hoping to hire a trainer soon. the trainer who works the floor at my local YMCA seems like he would be able to help me reach my goals. I've been eyeballing him for MONTHS, and shamelessly watching him with his personal clients. I all but drooled when I saw him work with one girl and he had her doing almost exclusively free weights. That is what I want to do!

I must say, even though he has never actually trained me, he has been super sweet any time I have interacted with him. He's helped me adjust machines, loaded the leg press for me when I had a sprained wrist, and taken the time to coach me on my squat. Just today I told him that I had finally squatted 70lbs, and I thought I could hit 100lbs by Christmas...and he smiled and told me he had no doubt I would do it. he also knows my schedule by heart.

I have had one and I found it helpful at the time, but I didn't need her for motivation, I just needed her for programming and form. Now that I have the form down, and I can do my own programming or find a program to follow elsewhere, I don't need her anymore.

It really depends on you. Its worth getting one to work on form with you for a lot of lifts, but FRANKLY most of the trainers at the big box commercial gyms are kinda bad. Check and see what kind of certifications they have. If they have a real one, go for it. If they are just certified by their GYM to be a trainer, steer clear.

When I decided to join a gym and get serious about losing a butt-load of weight at the end of July, I never imagined I'd end up with a personal trainer. But they had an intro package of six sessions, and signing on for those training sessions allowed me to have lower monthly payments forever....so I took the plunge. I worked out with my trainer every couple of weeks and then did the workout he designed for me every other day, plus cardio of my choice on the "off" days. By the end of our sessions I was losing weight steadily and saw progress in my fitness level. So I signed up for 50 sessions - I'm committed for a year! We now meet weekly, then I do the workouts on my own during the week. He pushes me beyond what I would EVER do on my own, and that alone is valuable! It will probably take me well over another year to lose the weight I need to get off, but knowing I have a date with Greg every week and will be accountable to him for continuing my workouts through the week, is motivating for me and helps me continue to push myself. I did choose a trainer with a BS degree in exercise science who is also certified, and he is tough but kind -- it's a good mix of confidence in his knowledge and the love/hate relationship with our sessions that made me decide to make this investment in myself.