Personal Trainer Worth it?

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miguelv06
miguelv06 Posts: 17
in Fitness and Exercise
So i just went a signed up for LA fitness and they gave me a trainer for the 1st day free, then told me that they can do this and that, and set me up with a personal trainer for $45 a session, which seems a bit expensive... Was thinking if this is worth it? i searched for this in here, but most of you claim that if the guy is good then yes, but i dont even know who the guy is... they just assigned him to me..

Replies

  • EllaIsNotEnchanted
    EllaIsNotEnchanted Posts: 226 Member
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    you could always opt out if you feel the personal trainer is not listening to you.

    Be sure to let the PT know what YOU want. Communication is huge because it is your money.

    I think 45 is a deal. I payed 60 for each session.
  • clarion_r
    clarion_r Posts: 53 Member
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    I have been working with a PT, and he's fabulous. I went to my gym, told them what my goals were and what I liked/didn't like (i.e. I really don't find being yelled at motivating - some people do) and they assigned someone to me based on that.

    Maybe have a think about what your goals are (weight loss, getting buff) if you have any preferences for the type of training you'll do (i.e. I wanted to learn weights) so they can hook you up with a PT who can support you and make sure you're getting the most out of your sessions. A good PT is really motivating and you'll learn a lot.

    I'm not in the US, so $45 for a trainer seems cheap! But I have no idea what a standard session cost is over there.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    I'm a PT.

    Plenty of good and plenty of bad. If you have no idea what you are doing then getting someone to give you a program to follow (not just count your reps) could be beneficial as well as making sure you have good form on exercises for safety.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    A good trainer is worth it.

    A bad trainer is not worth it.

    To tell the difference, Google "how to choose a personal trainer".
  • mindful2012
    mindful2012 Posts: 21 Member
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    About 5 weeks ago I signed up for a health coach and part of that program is a personal trainer. For $300 I got an initial assessment - both of my physical state (looking for injuries, weaknesses, a base line of where to start with cardio and weight lifting, etc) and the food I consume. That assessment resulted in suggested changes or adjustments.

    Then I get 5 50 minute sessions for personal training and nutrition follow up. After that I would pay $70 per hour for personal training and nutrition guidance.

    So far I've made some pretty good and relatively easy changes, have dropped a good 10 pounds and nearly a pant size and feel wonderful. Also, she assessed me with a lower back weakness and is helping me strengthen my core to help my lower back issue. I figured I was just out of shape and getting old or over doing it. She said I had to teach my body to use certain ab and butt muscles to help support the lower back. So far I've seen a huge difference.

    Wishing I had done this years ago!! But I'll enjoy the results for a long time I'm sure.

    Good luck.
  • catherinet89
    catherinet89 Posts: 60 Member
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    I think its worth it. Even if its just a few times. They teach you what to do and how and how everything works so that you can get the most out of your workouts.
  • ChunkLaFunk
    ChunkLaFunk Posts: 38 Member
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    If your comfortable in the gym environment and can put together a routine that gets results, with help from MFP and other internet resources, then just go it on your own.

    Corporate gym trainers are paid very little out of that $45, hence they are entry level, usually, and have little experience. Generally they are A.C.E. certified which the easiest of all the certifications. No offense intended for the A.C.E.trainers that post on MFP :smile: .

    Trainers can be well worth the expense though but if you want to try one, go to a personal training gym and talk to some of the trainers about your goals. Ask for referrals. Usually they will give a sample workout to see if you click. Good trainers can really be beneficial but it can be very expensive, up $100 per session.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    A good trainer is worth it.

    A bad trainer is not worth it.

    To tell the difference, Google "how to choose a personal trainer".

    This
  • kessler4130
    kessler4130 Posts: 150 Member
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    No, I had to pay almost $3,000 dollars to get out of my LA Fitness training, DO NOT DO IT. I assure you, it is an unstructured, un monitored, random work out based on the available equipment at the time. The trainers and their contract clearly state they offer 0 nutrition advice, and aside from simply writing down your progress for the day, it is completely unstructured. They also like to tell you that you can put on 1 pound of lean mass a month, and this was from their manager who weighs 130 pounds covered in concrete, and this is supposed to happen when you are cutting weight at 2 pounds per week.

    Save yourself the head ache, your money would be better spent anywhere else, hell give it to a homeless person even if he tells you he needs it for heroine, still better spent. You have to sign a 1 year contract at LA fitness and to opt out you have to pay 50% of the remaining balance. I was going 4 days a week, it isn't worth it for the 25 minute random chaos sessions, my workouts now take and hour and a half, to 3 hours and my results are ten fold.

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