Anyone had a Personal Trainer?

rencawdor24 · March 2013

Hello,

Has anyone had a personal trainer before? And has it helped?

I found out that my zumba teacher is also a personal trainer and I think I could work well with her. I have never had a personal trainer and was wondering if having a personal trainer allows you to reach your goals quicker? I can probably only afford to have a block of ten sessions, so am thinking of having a session with her everyother other week.

Any advice welcome

hdlb · March 2013

I meet with a personal trainer twice a week for weight training, and do cardio on my own on the other days. It does help me, because i have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to weight training. I have no idea what the machines are, or how to work certain muscles, so thats her job.

I don't know about reaching goals faster when it comes to weight, because I'm maintaining. My goals now are more towards toning and getting stronger, and she most definitly helps with that. For me its worth it.

MariaYaremchak · March 2013

I am currently using a personal trainer and I love her. I use her more for weight/strength training as well and then I do cardio after my workout sessions with her along on some of my off days. I currently see her 4x/week. Last month it was 3x/week. It is definitely not something I can afford long term, but she is definitely giving me the help and push I need and I am seeing the results. Like you, I would have no idea how to use the machines or properly do the exercises otherwise.

nikb1983 · March 2013

I have a trainer...with 80+ pounds to lose, I need all the help I can get! I was hesitant at first because of a previous bad experience with a trainer (had a free session at my old gym, felt pressured into buying more sessions...he told me I would NEVER reach my goal without him...I don't him where to shove it) but when I signed up at the gym I'm at now, everyone seemed so nice and it's just a less intimidating enviornment.

So I started with 3 sessions, yes it's cheaper per session to buy 10 or more but I wanted to make sure I liked the trainer. Tuesday was my 3rd session and I bought 10 more (hey, if hubby can pay $200 for MLB extra innings, I can pay for a trainer). I meet with her once a week and she shows me proper form and breathing and tells me things I can do the rest of the week.

I think it's totally worth it.

rencawdor24 · March 2013

Thanks for your help everyone.

I was thinking of buying 10 sessions with the Personal Trainer and using her every other week That way:
1) The 10 sessions will last me around 5 months (as the sessions are pretty expensive)
2) Knowing I have someone to answer to at the end of the 2 weeks will keep on me on the straight and narrow.

When did you all start using your personal trainer? Did you use one as soon as you decided to tone up/lose weight?

I want to lose weight and then tone up, but haven't exercised for over a year due to ill health. So I'm wondering if it'd be better for me to start increasing my exercise on my own first? And then use a personal trainer when I'm fitter. Views welcome.

I am currently nearly 13 stones and my height is 5ft 3.5". I would love to lose 4 stones in total but would be happy with 2.5 stones.

marikaCL · March 2013

Hi.

I have been using my personal trainer twice a week for about 6 weeks now.

I hadn't done much work on improving my fitness levels or increasing my fitness levels before getting a trainer. I had been considering one for a while but after some not so nice comments at work I though I would give it a go.

Glad I did it.

chymerra · March 2013

i have years ago but to be honest, if you have google and youtube, you can actually LEARN all that stuff yourself. a PT is great for motivation (and the fact that you're paying for it will push you to get your money's worth) but if it's just because you dont know what to do with weights, machines, cardio etc, then i would say save your money and research it yourself.

janetlynn31 · March 2013

I've been using a trainer for 3 months and it has been worth it for me. Keeps me motivated and going. I started out 2x a week and now go 3x a week. I do my own cardio either at the gym or at home other days. If I did strength training on my own, I wouldn't push myself to my potential - I tend to give up too easily.

jaz050465 · March 2013

I'm just going to start using one to set me programmes and monitor that I do it. I don't intend to actually work out with them a lot. My plan is once a week for a few weeks then once a fortnight.

salmonmama · March 2013

I'm on month 4 with a personal trainer.

Initially, I met her 2 x a week for 30 minutes. I would then do Jillian workouts or Zumba classes on the days that I don't see her.
Now, we meet 1 x a week for 30 minutes. I do heavy lifting and Zumba classes on the days that I don't see her. She does circuit training with me. Like a Jillian ripped workout on steroids.

Could I do this on my own? Probably.
Would it be the same? Probably not.
Is it an investment? Yes.
Do I think it's worth it? Yes, because my trainer invests as much time as I do.

She keeps me accountable. She checks in on my MFP profile. She texts me to see how I'm doing---even when I'm on vacation!

She invests time into her workouts and I don't think I've repeated an exercise (or at least I don't think I have) in the 4 months we've seen each other. She keeps my muscles guessing.

Will I be able to afford this forever? I don't think so, but I'd like to keep her in my life because I haven't been very good doing this "on my own".

_noob_ · March 2013

for me, no...

I probably know as much as the average trainer anyway. And I just went a few sessions with one that was assigned and came free with my gym membership, so not exactly the best shot at working for me.

I would probably benefit from one more accustomed to teaching proper techniques and working with powerlifters though.

MellyGibson · March 2013

I do have a personal trainer - and I also have BECOME one!

I started using her because I was doing a TON of cardio (I'm also a Zumba instructor) and really wanted to get into strength training but was unsure how to go about doing it!

I paid for a 12-week program and had GREAT results! I lost 10 pounds in the first 6 weeks.

Now I pretty much take care of myself...but I do miss being held accountable to her. Good thing she and I are friends now!

mycrobemini · March 2013

Thanks for your help everyone.

I was thinking of buying 10 sessions with the Personal Trainer and using her every other week That way:
1) The 10 sessions will last me around 5 months (as the sessions are pretty expensive)
2) Knowing I have someone to answer to at the end of the 2 weeks will keep on me on the straight and narrow.

When did you all start using your personal trainer? Did you use one as soon as you decided to tone up/lose weight?

I want to lose weight and then tone up, but haven't exercised for over a year due to ill health. So I'm wondering if it'd be better for me to start increasing my exercise on my own first? And then use a personal trainer when I'm fitter. Views welcome.

I am currently nearly 13 stones and my height is 5ft 3.5". I would love to lose 4 stones in total but would be happy with 2.5 stones.

I had several injuries when I started this process, so I purposely sought out a trainer with that expertise. I found that having a trainer from the beginning really helped me be more motivated (since I was paying), and less overwhelmed by the all the gym had to offer. I meet with my trainer every other week, and sometimes once every third week, depending on my schedule. That works out really well, because I'm motivated to improve in between my sessions, and to improve, I have to consistently go to the gym! Once I feel comfortable with what all the machines do, I will probably spread out my training sessions even farther.

MonDeee · March 2013

I've had a couple of trainers now. It absolutely depends on how good the trainer is and how much YOU are willing to put into it. The trainer can't lose the weight for you.
That being said, if you're not seeing them at least once a week don't bother. You can get the same meal/exercise plans online for much cheaper if that's all you're going in for.

1ConcreteGirl · March 2013

I had a personal trainer once. He was pretty good. A little lacking in finesse at times, but mostly satisfactory. I didn't like how he extended our sessions when I had somewhere to be, though I always arrived feeling relaxed.

taso42 · March 2013

I had a coaching session for about an hr once. We went over squats and deadlifts. It was fairly productive. I think my money would have been better spent learning the Oly lifts. I pretty much found out that my squat and deadlift were pretty much fine. But Oly lifts I am a pre-beginner on.

dward2011 · March 2013

i have years ago but to be honest, if you have google and youtube, you can actually LEARN all that stuff yourself. a PT is great for motivation (and the fact that you're paying for it will push you to get your money's worth) but if it's just because you dont know what to do with weights, machines, cardio etc, then i would say save your money and research it yourself.

I agree. I used a PT 2x/wk for 18 months. The other 4 days of said week, I ran and cross trained. I was not making any progress and finally stopped paying for the sessions (even after trying a different trainer for the last 6 months). I then took the time to educate myself with books, studies, and my doctor's advice. I bought weights and DVDs for home. I use YouTube and BodyRock. I've been on my own for almost a year now and have experienced nothing but success. I think it was a complete waste of my time and money during those 18 months.

gordonfroese · March 2013

My PT kicks my butt more than I would on my own. She keeps changing my program so I never get comfortable with my workout; always challenging me to achieve more.

MFP, the trainer and getting to the gym every day (it is now a habit) are the key components of my success. I will scale down the visits to the PT once achieve my goal and move to the maintenance portion of my life.

BlueInkDot · March 2013

I started my lifting with a trainer because I was afraid I would hurt myself with bad lifting form. Trainers have education and experience in correct lifting form. With my trainer watching my form, I can be confident that I'm doing it right and focus more on pushing myself. She will correct my form when I accidentally let my form slide because I'm tired, which I really appreciate.

I work with her once a week for half an hour. It's a bit of a chunk of money... but those workouts are very effective and I enjoy them the most out of all my workouts.

OddChoices · March 2013

Hello,

Has anyone had a personal trainer before? And has it helped?

I found out that my zumba teacher is also a personal trainer and I think I could work well with her. I have never had a personal trainer and was wondering if having a personal trainer allows you to reach your goals quicker? I can probably only afford to have a block of ten sessions, so am thinking of having a session with her everyother other week.

Any advice welcome

Yes and I learnt a lot from her. If you get one don't just follow instructions. Ask questions. Get information you can use when they are not around.

davegruper · March 2013

Last year I had a personal trainer who was great. I had twenty workouts that I spread out over twenty weeks. I admit is was hard to see the progress week to week, but it was easy to see it at the end of the twenty weeks. I didn't need the motivation to work out. What I needed was someone to teach me the right exercises and the right way to do them. Along the way he also explained how each exercise works the specific muscle type. Overall very beneficial and I have reccommended him to several people.

Anyone had a Personal Trainer?

Replies

Categories