Am I right to be disappointed in my first PT session?

Hi guys

So, I'm not a total gym noob but I haven't been in about four years. I've lost about 30 pounds just from diet so I figured it was time to incorporate a little exercise so I signed up and booked a PT session with the lady who did my induction.

I told her in the induction that what I really needed was for someone to sit down with me and make a workout plan so that I know on each day I go exactly what I'm doing from the moment I get in to the moment I leave. I can't be wandering about, I need direction and focus. I don't necessarily need a PT with me every session, I just need someone to set me on the path.

Anyway, when it came to our actual session, she didn't discuss ANYTHING with me. Not my fitness history, not my eating, not my goals. She kinda just took me through what felt like a very generic and rushed beginner's workout.

Is this usual?

Replies

  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,374 Member
    no,this is not usual and you had a crappy trainer. in my first session with a pt all we did was discuss my goals and eating habits and how we could use exercise and diet to get there... we only did enough exercises to establish a baseline of where I was and what it might take to get to the finish line (not more than 15 minutes total).
  • TurboTam
    TurboTam Posts: 174 Member
    Absolutely NOT usual! Someone should have definitely asked you questions and set up a plan for you even if you didn’t hire them to train you. Doesn’t sound like they care about health and fitness. I’d ask for another “induction” and a plan. They should also walk you through your plan and show you how to do each exercise the right way so you don’t get hurt. Good luck!
  • snapehbp
    snapehbp Posts: 64
    Not normal! What the other two posters above said!!
  • rhodria
    rhodria Posts: 7
    Thanks, everyone. I thought so. I should also mention that I told her I was using MFP to track calories and she was like 'Oh, it's not about calories. Just about eating the right things.'

    And I was like 'Well, yeah. But if I eat too many right things,, I'm still not going to lose weight.'

    Frustrating experience all around.
  • shor0814
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
    Thanks, everyone. I thought so. I should also mention that I told her I was using MFP to track calories and she was like 'Oh, it's not about calories. Just about eating the right things.'

    And I was like 'Well, yeah. But if I eat too many right things,, I'm still not going to lose weight.'

    Frustrating experience all around.

    That seems to be the new "mantra" from a lot of gyms. The theory as best as I can figure is that if you eat the right things and keep active you will feel satiated and not be able to out-eat your daily calorie burn. While that theory might sound great, some of us still got fat and need to track calories to re-learn a behavior. Funny enough, I bet your PT knows roughly the number of calories she eats on a daily basis.

    Keep counting calories if it works for you. Also, my PT's have always spent time with me to get my goals, health issues, struggles, etc as a "free" introduction before even beginning the PT session.
  • karmac0matic
    karmac0matic Posts: 285
    that does sound frustrating, sorry you had to deal with that and good luck finding someone else!
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    If you signed up for a bunch of sessions, see if you can switch trainers. When I worked with a trainer, she personalized everything. Make a stink! Don't just settle.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    silver lining: You're knowledgeable enough to not waste your time paying her to get you nowhere


    The more you know :)
  • joanthemom8
    joanthemom8 Posts: 375 Member
    Well, I have to say that it's happened to me before. I even set up an appointment, changed my work schedule so I could go in later when the girl was available and she no-showed. No call, no nothing. Then the gym receptionist person told me that "oh, she has another job and probably got called in. I'm sure she'll call you to reschedule." Never did - and I never signed up with a trainer there again. There are some good trainers that will listen, the last one I saw was great - but then he was trying to sell me on things he was doing outside of the gym. So - good luck to you. I think that most PTs aren't full-time and have other things going on .....