Is it worth it? Please help a confused girl

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j99li
j99li Posts: 421 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi!

Last night, I got a fitness test done at my gym and it showed that I am 33% body fat. I dont fully understand because when I was 200lbs, I was 33% body fat, how can I possibly still be at the same percentage? He made me step on these 2 metal pieces on top of a scale that sent electrodes through my body.

Secondly, I am currently 177lbs (as of last night's weight) and after he did some fitness tests, he says that the stronglifts 5x5 program is way too intermediate for me as currently I am not working the right muscles. So he laid out this plan for me, that I would first start by doing an activation phase where I learn to work on the muscles I dont usually use at work because I sit at a desk all day.

Then comes the athletic phase where I would do some HIIT training and stuff to really drop my body fat. Only after this would I start to do full on strength training.

The entire process will take about 72 sessions with the trainer, and of course it costs approx $484 a month.

Now I am wondering if this is true. Am I too heavy and too untrained for stronglifts? I really started to look into weights in April and I just started 5x5. Will 5x5 help me achieve what I want, which is strength and weight loss?

If you were me, would you buy the sessions?

Thanks so much
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Replies

  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    Don't let the trainer define your goals. First, electric inductance as a body fat indicator is notoriously fickle. It can be affected by a whole host of things. My scale at home does the same thing, and overestimates body fat by up to 5%. Second, there is no such thing as too heavy to learn to lift. I would start by lifting only the bar to make sure you have the forms down pat. Maybe find an experienced buddy who can watch you once or twice and critique your form to make sure you lift correctly. I don't know what he means by "not working the right muscles". A good lifting program like stronglifts engages the major muscle groups, so which muscles exaclty are the "wrong" muscles? It sounds like someone trying to railroad you into cardio sessions, and then into lifting sessions, effectively doubling his income. If you're looking to build strength, cardio is not your friend. Heavy lifting is what you need. Your instincts about this offer are correct. Either find a better trainer or do it on your own.
  • HollieDollieeeex
    HollieDollieeeex Posts: 116 Member
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    Wow that's alot of money.

    Has this trainer discussed diet and nutrition with you, this is the tool you use to ultimately lower your body fat. Try higher protein

    & it's a true statement that it's your goals, not your trainers, you need to be kept interested and look forward to your workouts.
  • ScottF83
    ScottF83 Posts: 233 Member
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    Don't let the trainer define your goals. First, electric inductance as a body fat indicator is notoriously fickle. It can be affected by a whole host of things. My scale at home does the same thing, and overestimates body fat by up to 5%. Second, there is no such thing as too heavy to learn to lift. I would start by lifting only the bar to make sure you have the forms down pat. Maybe find an experienced buddy who can watch you once or twice and critique your form to make sure you lift correctly. I don't know what he means by "not working the right muscles". A good lifting program like stronglifts engages the major muscle groups, so which muscles exaclty are the "wrong" muscles? It sounds like someone trying to railroad you into cardio sessions, and then into lifting sessions, effectively doubling his income. If you're looking to build strength, cardio is not your friend. Heavy lifting is what you need. Your instincts about this offer are correct. Either find a better trainer or do it on your own.

    +1 to that

    What a piece of sales pitch BS!

    Like you say, those scales are rubbish. I have used callipers (the preferred method) and my Body Fat scales. Completely different with the scales showing much more.

    Everyone of any size will benefit from some weight training.

    This is why a lot of people that I know do a P90X/Insanity hybrid. Some fast paced cardio combined with weight lifting. Really gets them results.

    Also, it doesn't cost $500 a month... you could probably hire a celebrity personal trainer for that to come live with you.
  • JamesDanek
    JamesDanek Posts: 95 Member
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    Don't let the trainer rip you off. Is 72 sessions his estimate?

    Stronglifts is beginner. As long as you are in deficit it is going to shed fat off like you wont believe (i speak from experience btw)

    Ditto on the electric impedance. bottom line is are your clothes too big now? that and you have lost 23lb would indicate that the BF% it is showing you is wrong.

    You said you started 5x5 already. Assuming you didn't write this in a hospital bed due to injury then i would say you are ready to lift.

    Sorry if this sounds a little ranty, the PT is obviously a money grabbing ars3
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
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    Sounds like a nonsense to get you spend more money. I may be wrong tho, but that's what it sounds to me. If you want to be strong like power lifter then it makes sense to go on some kind of strong lift program, like 5x5 or 3x3. It doesn't make sense to start with muscles you "don't use". There always will be muscles you don't use that much when training for strength but that can be taken care by incorporating some isolation exercises. Like for example power lifters usually don't use too much of middle delts so they tend to be underdeveloped, that doesn't mean that you should stop lifting heavy until you develop them, just add some side rises or something to take care of that. So basically what I'm saying... sounds like a BS to squeeze soem more money out of you...
  • Noor13
    Noor13 Posts: 964 Member
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    Get another trainer! The sooner you start lifting heavy, the better!
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    If I ever use a personal trainer I will tell them: this is what I want to try, can you help me with form.
    If they try the hard sell on anything else, I'll say thanks but no thanks!
  • Pookylou
    Pookylou Posts: 988 Member
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    Check out New Rules of Lifting for Women or Supercharged (doing the latter myself at the moment) has various stages to teach you about lifting, develop strength, has HIIT workouts for weight loss, nutrition etc. and won't cost hundreds of dollars!
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Firstly, BF% scales are genearlly quite inaccurate, and readings can be affected by water weight etc. However, on the other hand it is possible you still have a similar BF% as depending on how you lost those 23lbs some of it may well have been muscle, leaving you with the same BF:muscle ratio.

    So now is the time to take steps to try preserve all the muscle you have now. The best way to do that is strength train. There would be nothing wrong with starting now. Just start light and get used to the moves then start adding weight.

    If you are still not convinced then perhaps seek a second opinion from another trainer. It sounds as though your current one just wants to sign you up to part with a lot of cash in exchange for a lot of cardio. If all you want to do is cardio then you could just pull on some trainers and do sprint intervals outside for free.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
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    From my reading, the only accurate and repeatable BF measurement is an immersion test. Scales are inaccurate, as are caliper measurements (and caliper tests vary depending on who's doing the "pinching"). My electronic scale can give different weights if I try weighing myself several times in a row.

    Last time I had a caliper test at my health club was a year after the first and with a new personal trainer. The numbers didn't make sense, so my trainer tried several times until she got the "right" number. Which all says to me, caliper tests and electronic scales are somewhat useful as relative measurements, but don't expect accuracy from them.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    First of all, based on your numbers, the 33% BF is likely more accurate--unfortunately it may still be underestimating. Hard to say w/out measuring your myself, but the numbers result in a fat-free mass of 118 lbs, which would still be usually high--unless you are really tall, The first BF reading was almost certainly wrong.

    I read through the description of the program described and I was trying to be fair in my evaluation. I mean, there is nothing inherently wrong with taking a comprehensive, long-term approach to getting someone in the best shape possible. And I have no problem with the concept of starting slowly, building a base, and then ramping up the intensity.

    However, it's just as likely (maybe more likely?) that this is no more than a canned, cookbook program designed to sell you as many sessions as possible, not something specifically tailored to your needs.

    Even if you are out of shape and overweight, to be honest, at your age you don't need an extensive "preconditioning" program to move into a more robust workout routine. When I work with clients who are twice your age and a lot heavier, we start off by building a base, but we start getting into heavier weights and more aggressive circuits by the 8th session at the latest.
  • Antoine112
    Antoine112 Posts: 49 Member
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    I remember being weighed in at 50kg a few years ago. I'm 5ft 5 inches tall. My fitness instructor told me that my BF is 28% and I should try to bring it down further. I always ate healthy, limited my fat intake and was also addicted to exercise so felt the need that I have to burn out every calorie I took in each day!
    I'm 10 kgs heavier now but the BF percentage remains the same! I don't understand how it works!
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
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    His program may be spot on, but there is no way you need that many personal training sessions. He should help you design the program to get you started and you should check in with him periodically as needed, but $500 per month? That's the true definition of INSANITY!
  • hot2def
    hot2def Posts: 80 Member
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    Don't let the trainer define your goals. First, electric inductance as a body fat indicator is notoriously fickle. It can be affected by a whole host of things. My scale at home does the same thing, and overestimates body fat by up to 5%. Second, there is no such thing as too heavy to learn to lift. I would start by lifting only the bar to make sure you have the forms down pat. Maybe find an experienced buddy who can watch you once or twice and critique your form to make sure you lift correctly. I don't know what he means by "not working the right muscles". A good lifting program like stronglifts engages the major muscle groups, so which muscles exaclty are the "wrong" muscles? It sounds like someone trying to railroad you into cardio sessions, and then into lifting sessions, effectively doubling his income. If you're looking to build strength, cardio is not your friend. Heavy lifting is what you need. Your instincts about this offer are correct. Either find a better trainer or do it on your own.


    This is dead on.
  • april1445
    april1445 Posts: 334
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    I did a training program years ago, in which the goal was to lift as heavy a weight as you could manage, for 12 reps, one set. anyway, did that for years, and really saw no significant improvement. I notice a MUCH better change doing low weights, high reps like in Jillian Michaels videos for example (free on you tube to start). I think I cheat if the weight's too heavy, and don't use the right muscles--don't isolate as they say. I'd believe the trainer, thank him for the advice, and do something cheaper. :)
  • aaronagostini
    aaronagostini Posts: 72 Member
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    Gah, please don't pay $484 a month for training! So much good advice above. It really, truly is all about the permanent changes you can make in your life, and it sounds like the trainer is trying to sell to your insecurity rather than finding ways to show you things that you can later do on your own.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    i thought strong lifts was a beginner programme!?
  • Fuax75
    Fuax75 Posts: 70 Member
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    First, what are your goals? Do you want to be a power lifter or do you want to tone and sculpt? Second I do not want to disparage the trainer because I do not know this person and maybe they have the education to back it up, I do not know. If you have that mush disposable income then it is up to you but it seems a little pricey to me.

    What I do know is that with a little will power and a lot of support from the MFP family, you can do it on your own!!! There are a ton of programs out there that cost a lot less and work. Just look at these forums and all the people who have helped each other with workout plans as well as food.

    If you are more comfortable with a trainer well then more power to you, but here are a few popular programs that work to strengthen and tone your body. Tapout XT, Insanity, P90X, and the Beast work out.

    If you do not like to workout at home them of course the gym is great and a trainer who knows his/her stuff will help with results.
  • MissingMinnesota
    MissingMinnesota Posts: 7,486 Member
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    $484 a month for a training CRAZY. That is $77.44 per session if it goes 12 months.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    I remember being weighed in at 50kg a few years ago. I'm 5ft 5 inches tall. My fitness instructor told me that my BF is 28% and I should try to bring it down further. I always ate healthy, limited my fat intake and was also addicted to exercise so felt the need that I have to burn out every calorie I took in each day!
    I'm 10 kgs heavier now but the BF percentage remains the same! I don't understand how it works!

    Every method of estimating body fat is an estimate, and each technique has its own "error factor". Like HRM calorie estimates, common methods of estimating body fat do not measure all the fat directly. They mainly determine body density, and body density is used to estimate percent body fat. So, from the start, it is an estimate of an estimate.

    It takes a lot of time and experience to be able to look at the body fat % number, look at the body in front of you, and interpret the findings correctly. Many people doing these tests have either little experience, or a shallow knowledge of physiology/anthropometrics, or both. So they just read off the number without much thought as to its accuracy or context.

    In your case, being 50kg and 28% fat results in a fat-free mass of 79 lbs. That's as low as I have ever seen, and I have only seen that once or twice. That would mean you either had the bone structure of a hummingbird or almost no muscle. Any responsible professional who did that measurement should have immediate had red warning lights going off in their head to double-check the measurement, take a good look at the body in front of them, try to corroborate that number by asking more questions about your weight history, etc. etc. In other words, that number was highly suspect and that should have been immediately obvious to the person doing the test.

    For someone to measure someone who weighs 110 lb (50 kg), 65in tall, and 28% fat and say nothing except that the fat % should be reduced, is grossly irresponsible and incompetent, even if the figure was accurate (which it almost certainly wasn't).

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