Trainer or NOT

Are you going to go to the gym without having a trainer there to push you to do so? Be honest with yourself, and that'll give you your answer.

I lost 100lbs on my own just logging everything on here. It really depends on you. Some people need the trainer to help hold them accountable. Good Luck on your Journey

I spent the first 6 months of getting back into the swing of things doing it myself. Almost all cardio. I lost 50 lbs and a whoooole lotta inches. So probably getting started you can do on your own.

BUT

I wish I had invested earlier in advice from someone knowledgeable about the best ways to reach my goals. And really, help me figure out what my goals were. At first I thought I just wanted to lose weight. Now, I know I want to get stronger and make my body more efficient and healthy. I start working with a trainer on serious strength training tomorrow night, but wish I had started it 6 months ago.

I say defo go for a trainer. I was like you and now find myself doing things i never thought my body was possible of doing. Your trainer sounds a bit harsh in his regime.

Trainers are like cars, every body wants a different type. I would throughly investigate what type of triner would suit you and you are paying so dont feel guilty swapping for a different one if the orginal trainer does not work out.

your trainer will teach you so much you need to know at the start but once you are on fitness road you dont need them all the time to hold your hand. start to see them once or twice a month just to check in and make sure you are on track. it also gives you accountability

Good Luck

babyphat2013 wrote: »

My down fall is going to be on my nutrition and I believe the trainer can help me greatly in that area and I will be held accountable at weigh in.

Does the trainer have a degree in nutrition? If not, I would listen but not take it as gospel. If the person is very insistent you eat exactly what they say, it would raise a red flag for me.

Another person is definitely helpful with accountability.

This really just depends on you. I lost all of my weight without a trainer and just working out on my own and eating for wellness. I did perfectly fine on my own, but recently hired a trainer because I just want to take my fitness to the next level and I was getting a little stagnate.

babyphat2013 wrote:

I met with a personal training (sic) and thinking about letting him train me. Was told I train 2 times a week and follow a meal plan by him. I have to text him my meals every 2.5 hrs. No eating after 8 pm.

What agency is he accredited by, and does their accredidation (or his degree) include nutrition?
(For example, the American College of Sports Medicine certifies personal trainers.)

If it doesn't, then I wouldn't pay attention to what he says about what or how much to eat unless you can verify it's good information. (Like finding the same info yourself on a respectible research / accredidation site.)
http://www.eatright.org/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Sounds very controlling, and probably not healthy.
YOU need to do this. Don't give control to someone else.

His training consist of running, planks, lots of outside exercise, etc.

A progressive cardio program, and a progressive weightlifting program, is a good idea.
Don't jump into doing so much at once, because you'll overload & burn out.
Seriously, the first time I got on a treadmill I think I went for 5 minutes. Felt pretty pathetic, but I went back & did it the next day, and the next, and started adding a minute, then adding speed.

is a trainer necessary for someone like me or should I just clean eat and force myself to the gym at least 4-5 times per week for an hr?

No, it's not necessary.
But if you want to hire a trainer to design a program & teach you how to do exercises correctly (so you don't hurt yourself) that would be a good investment. Just make sure that s/he knows that's what you expect, not an ongoing rah-rah person that you're going to be paying forever.
Get the basics, then do it yourself.

The gym I am joining is Planet Fitness and I know they have some trainers there as well.

Their quality varies depending on their certification, so ask the one at your gym what her/his training is, what is her/his licensing body, experience, etc.
They could at least show you how to use the machines safely.

I've been at PF for a couple years, only seriously using it this year. I learned most of what I do on my own, but when I wanted a change I asked the trainer at the gym to show me how to use free weights (I'd just been using the machines until then).

There are many different ways to use a trainer
- x3 per week to be your nanny and workout buddy. Hold you accountable and push you.
- x1 per week to check-in, and also learn new techniques
- several hrs to help you get started - create a plan and teach you the basics. Follow up hrs as needed.

I recommend the third option as a minimum, and then more frequently as budget allows.

I think checking in with a personal trainer can be a good thing. However, I think that once you've gotten yourself set up and in a routine, that you'd only need to check with him once in a while to make sure your form is right - making sure you've not forgotten the best way to do the exercises he's suggested.

As for nutrition, I'm not the biggest fan of having the trainers do the diet plans. I think a bariatric dietician would be better.

About 20 years ago, I got set up with a trainer at a gym, he showed me what to do based on the goals I had at the time. I had an index card that I'd mark things down on, and he'd look at it periodically and ask me how things were going once in a while. I made a lot of progress getting into shape that way.

At that time, I really didn't know what to do about diet and didn't understand nutrition well enough.

It was only a few years ago when I started working with a bariatric dietician that I began to understand the best way to do things for ME relative to my food intake. Logging foods on here was a monster help. That way, I understood where my calories were being spent and could better make adjustments to help me feel fuller longer, and get more "mileage" out of what I was eating. (The healthier the food you eat, the more of it you can have!)

Make sure you're doing what's best for you on this journey you're on, and that he fully understands your goals and where you want to be. Otherwise, you're on his path and not your own.