Is it worth it? Please help a confused girl

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Replies

  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,292 Member
    Did they actually see you do the lifts? Unless your form is all wrong, there's no way a full body program uses the 'wrong muscles'. I'd be sceptical on the whole sales pitch.
    Also, IMO you don't need a trainer for each and every session, get a plan, set up with proper form, then just check in periodically to look at progress and polish form.
  • j99li
    j99li Posts: 421 Member
    He did do an assessment test with me, some reverse rows, plank, squats, and bench press. he said I had good form with my squat but i dont have enough back muscle strength to do the reverse rows fully
  • erinsueburns
    erinsueburns Posts: 865 Member
    Hi everyone,

    I am absolutely overwhelmed with happiness to see these responses and I hope to see more.

    Here are my goals in order to further what I want to do... I want to lose another 40lbs and I want to tone and sculpt at the same time. I want to do it in a slow and healthy way.

    The trainer has a kinesiology degree and he said that the stronglifts program is for more intermediate lifters, not for me (I just started lifting in april). I am an accountant so I sit at a desk all day at work, he said that my back muscles are under developed so I should work on getting my back muscles stronger before I start squatting and rowing and stuff like that.

    He said that in the first cycle where we focus on getting the "sleeping" muscles awake, I should expect to lose approx 1-2% body fat and gain 1-2% LBM. This will take approx 2 sessions a week for approx 2 months

    In the second cycle, he focuses on getting me into high cardio to really shed body fat so that my muscles can work and show up lol. I should expect to lose approx 12-15% body fat at this time and gain some LBM. This will take approx 3 sessions a week for 2-3 months

    Then we start weight training. This is when we will start lifting heavy and cutting back on cardio. He says I should expect to gain muscle and LBM. He knows that by the end, I want to be able to squat 200lbs so that's what we're working towards. This will take approx 6 weeks at 3 sessions a week.

    I know my math isn't fully adding up to 72 sessions but the price given is for 72 sessions.

    NOW, there are more sessions after this where he wants to do a bit more cardio sessions and then lift even heavier after that. The total would have been 96 sessions (approx a year) but that would cost approx $8,000! I had him reduce to the 72 sessions.

    He is trying to sell you absolute BS. Your muscles aren't "sleeping" unless you have a neurological condition that prevents you from actually using those muscles...like paralysis. And there is absolutely no way that a full body program is working the "wrong" muscles. I am an audiologist, so most of the time my job is alot of sitting. And otherwise I was extremely sedentary and I was EXTREMELY unfit. And you know what built up strength in my back? Squats, deadlits, and bent over rows. Plus the extreme expense is ridiculous. I would very politely tell him no thanks.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    I didn't read the rest of the posts, so I apologize if this has already been said.

    That trainer is either a f'ing moron or a cheat. Maybe both.

    There is no reason you can't start StrongLifts now, barring medical reasons. The only problem you may have is that you may need to start out - especially with overhead press - with something lighter than the 45 lb barbell. In that case, if your gym has lighter barbells (mine has preloaded 25 and 35 lb barbells, or empty barbells that are 15 lbs each) you could use them. Otherwise, starting with dumbbells would be fine, if necessary.

    Seriously - stay away from that trainer.
  • j99li
    j99li Posts: 421 Member
    Thanks so much everyone...I actually can't believe I almost got sucked into it haha. Thank goodness I came here and asked for all you good people's advice! You guys saved me money!

    The kicker on top is that since I cant pay the full fee upfront, they would set me up on a payment plan and I would have to pay interest........
  • tracieangeletti
    tracieangeletti Posts: 432 Member
    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.

    What this guy ^ said. The trainers at my gym tried the same bs on me. To be honest most of them at my gym know very little about heavy lifting. They looked at me like I was crazy for wanting to lift weights. They then proceeded to tell me that they would work up a routine for me to follow that would be tailored to my needs. Problem is, I see them do the same workout with EVERYONE they train, regardless of age, ability, weight, whatever. Plus, the sessions are extremely expensive and the interest level they have while training people is nil. Often they aren't even paying attention to their clients while training them. It infuriates me.

    Seriously, it is never to early to start strength training. As this gentleman said start with just the barbell at first. Stronglifts has you start that way anyway. Then add weight to the bar slowly and only by five lbs if you need to, and only when you feel you're ready for more weight. Strength training will give you what you're looking for! Good luck!!!
  • ScottF83
    ScottF83 Posts: 233 Member
    Think I'm in the wrong business!

    Drop finance and become a personal trainer haha
  • JamieM8168
    JamieM8168 Posts: 248 Member
    Thanks so much everyone...I actually can't believe I almost got sucked into it haha. Thank goodness I came here and asked for all you good people's advice! You guys saved me money!

    The kicker on top is that since I cant pay the full fee upfront, they would set me up on a payment plan and I would have to pay interest........

    Are their any other trainers or gyms you can go to?
    I see a trainer and love it. I lost over 15 inches in 2 months. So they're great, as long as theyre not taking advantage of you and thats kind of what this sounds like
  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
    If you can motivate yourself with your mind....with enough information....you can do it yourself.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    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.

    DEXA scan is as accurate as immersion and much cheaper, though still an expensive medical test. In my opinion (as an older woman) if preferable because it also measures bone density.

    Scales are iffy, some of the more expensive newer models are pretty accurate if used correctly. Older or cheaper models are less likely to give an accurate reading. My scale was < 1% different from my DEXA and will not give different readings if I measure several times in a row or days in a row. It's fairly new and was not cheap, though.

    Calipers can also be wildly inaccurate in untrained hands.

    Dexa is new to me ... Don't think I care much for the radiation, personally. I didn't know there'd been that much improvement in scales ... Mine's a cheap one from Bed Bath & Beyond. Do you know whether the Fitbit Aria is fairly accurate? I've been thinking of getting one.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    Regarding personal trainers: mine was about half that cost, but a good investment for me because it gave me the accountability I need, and the financial pinch kept me coming back every session. Plus, I learned a great deal. When I considered the cost, I asked myself: how much did I spend on booze back in my drinking days? How much does a heavy smoker spend on cigarettes every month with nothing positive to show for his habit?
  • GenF32
    GenF32 Posts: 184 Member
    I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss what he's saying. That sounds like about what I spend a month on PT, and our sessions have followed a fairly similar pattern. I've been working with the PT for a year and have had some amazing results, however as someone else said my PT does also give me really good advice about my diet.

    We had to do a lot of work getting my sluggish muscles to activate, particularly my glutes, to protect a dodgy hip and only now after a year are we getting into lifting some serious weights.

    I haven't had my body fat tested but I'm guessing it's about 30% now. The rationale for waiting to get into the lifting, was just to protect myself from injury in my case, not because she thought I was 'too heavy'.
  • shanniepk
    shanniepk Posts: 98 Member
    Glad you decided NOT to do use this trainer. This is a complete scam, and I had a similar experience and paid $55 for an "assessment" which gave me the same type of "plan". I should have asked for my money back. Not to say personal trainers aren't worth it, because good ones are worth every penny but they aren't going to tell you that you need that many sessions up front. You might try joining some strength training/bootcamp or other body weight/dumbbell type classes if they are available to you. Usually the instructor will go through good form in class for a very reduced price, and you'll get your feet wet. Remember, weight loss is mostly food and my class instructors will even go over my journals and make recommendations at no additional cost.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    Glad you decided NOT to do use this trainer. This is a complete scam, and I had a similar experience and paid $55 for an "assessment" which gave me the same type of "plan". I should have asked for my money back. Not to say personal trainers aren't worth it, because good ones are worth every penny but they aren't going to tell you that you need that many sessions up front.

    The health club I go to has nutritionists as well as certified personal trainers available. I had a fitness assessment, and they told me what plans were available ... Including reduced prices for purchasing "bundles", single a la cart sessions, as well as a variety of classes like Pilates at a reduced price. But there was never any mention of my needing a certain number of sessions up front, and I didn't feel I was overpromised results. However ... One of my trainers admitted to me they all had a quota to meet and were under pressure to produce, which meant selling product to clients, like additional services and nutritional products. I suspect many of these kids go into the field because they love fitness and love working with clients but are required to sell by the places they work for. It is, after all, a business.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    What most gym owners (and management in general in most companies) don't understand is that focusing on customer's needs, solving their problems, and providing a quality product usually results in a positive financial performance as well. But they don't have the patience to succeed on merit, so it's the hard sell, customer manipulation, etc. Plus a lot of smaller gyms are always in a price war with other centers, so they are desperate to generate as much ancillary revenue as possible. The current trend in a lot of businesses is to adopt a "hunger games" approach with their employees. The idea that if you pit everyone against each other, they'll work harder. It's a lazy substitute for using their own brains, but gym owners as a rule are not known for their intellect.

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