Personal Training, worth the cost?

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Adriana673
Adriana673 Posts: 6 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been working out with a personal trainer since July. I have seen a great deal of improvement in my tone and strength, but the cost is extremely high each month and I'm not sure that I should continue to pay for the service or try to train on my own.

I'm looking for input from anyone who may have had a similar experience. I pay about $300 a month (in addition to my gym membership cost) for 2 - 30 minute training sessions a week. Each session basically consist of cross training with weights.

I do find myself more accountable when I have to go and workout with the trainer and that has been great for me, but I'm afraid that I will lose my motivation and stop pushing myself without having the trainer there to do it for me.

Any pointers/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Replies

  • pietomb00
    pietomb00 Posts: 69 Member
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    Well you've said you've see improvement, and afraid you won't do it without a PT, therefore makes sense to carry on as long as you're seeing improvement.

    You could try to do it on your own, and if you're not motivated go back to them, sure they wouldn't mind taking you back.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    Do you plan on having a trainer for the rest of your life? If not, you're going to have to be disciplined enough to do it on your own eventually. You could stop, and then if it doesn't work out, hire him/her back.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    Why not slowly decrease your dependency on the trainer?
    Go down to once a week, then once every other week, then once a month, etc.
    And put the time you normally train with your trainer as an appointment in your phone. And just treat it as that, an appointment you can't miss?
  • santiherm
    santiherm Posts: 1
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    I can understand your worries but I have to agree with 630reader's suggestion in decreasing your dependency on the trainer. I stopped the gym at end of 2013 then after Insanity videos joined a bootcamp in my neighbourhood and it's been great. I lost the weight I hated and because of the good crew we have I stay motivated. In fact motivated enough to have worked out last night in 0 degree (Celsius) temperature. I'm in London but even with the exchange my monthly cost is way below yours.
  • Badger_Girl99
    Badger_Girl99 Posts: 2,220 Member
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    I see a personal trainer three times a week - yes, it's expensive, but I know that without her help there is no way I would have accomplished what I have so far. I also know I'm not disciplined or knowledgeable enough at the moment to do this on my own. I really need that extra push.
  • Adriana673
    Adriana673 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thank you all for your input. I agree that I should try to decrease my dependency on him because I will not be able to pay him for training indefinitely. I talked to him about it a bit today and he will help me put a plan of action together and maybe have a once a month catch up to revamp my workout routines and keep my cost down while still trying to reach my goals. Thanks for the help peeps!
  • Adriana673
    Adriana673 Posts: 6 Member
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    santiherm wrote: »
    I lost the weight I hated and because of the good crew we have I stay motivated. In fact motivated enough to have worked out last night in 0 degree (Celsius) temperature.

    Kudos to you! I would NEVER be outside in that kind of cold :#

  • pink00007
    pink00007 Posts: 50 Member
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    Adriana673 wrote: »
    Thank you all for your input. I agree that I should try to decrease my dependency on him because I will not be able to pay him for training indefinitely. I talked to him about it a bit today and he will help me put a plan of action together and maybe have a once a month catch up to revamp my workout routines and keep my cost down while still trying to reach my goals. Thanks for the help peeps!

    This is great! Thanks for asking this.
    I recently hired one as well and love my workouts but know I won't be able to afford them forever. I'm doing 1hr twice a week for 6 weeks while I get used to exercising again then I want to do once a week for a few more weeks and eventually do twice a month and once a month.
    Hopefully that works out for me.
  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
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    Never understood the need to pay a personal trainer to give you a routine when there are so many excellent routines online for free that have been tried and proven.

    I do think a PT is a good investment if they teach you good form on your lifts. Once you know the basics, you can move ahead on your own.
  • dshalbert
    dshalbert Posts: 677 Member
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    Just ask the trainer to develop a program that you could follow on your own and cut your sessions with them down to once or twice a month, to gage improvement and make sure you are keeping form. Most people can't afford to work with a trainer 2x a week indefinitely unless they are in Beverly hills, wealthy or training for something specific.

    As a the poster before said, ther are also a lot of great routines online.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    Do you plan on having a trainer for the rest of your life? If not, you're going to have to be disciplined enough to do it on your own eventually. You could stop, and then if it doesn't work out, hire him/her back.

    Agreed. And I joined a group on here to help hold myself accountable to work out. We would all post our workout (lifting) numbers, and I hated owning up to the fact that I didn't go, so I always went to the gym. Several months back we all stopped posting about our workouts and it's more social, but I still go 4x a week because it's now a habit, and I hate it when I don't make it.
  • engmomma
    engmomma Posts: 5 Member
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    walterc7 wrote: »
    Never understood the need to pay a personal trainer to give you a routine when there are so many excellent routines online for free that have been tried and proven.

    I do think a PT is a good investment if they teach you good form on your lifts. Once you know the basics, you can move ahead on your own.

    It isn't just about the routines. It is about having someone push you out of your comfort zone. I had routines developed for me in the past, but it is the trainer that says "I think you can handle more today."

    I only go once/week plus they have bootcamps that we do on off days (total about 4x/week). Definitely see a benefit and believe it is money well spent for my health and fitness.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I think it really depends on the trainer/coach and your goals. As a matter of general fitness I never saw a need for a trainer...when I decided that I wanted to become much more proficient in Olympic Lifting, I changed my tune.

    I've been seeing a coach for a couple of months now...my form has improved dramatically as has my mobility, balance, and overall strength. We just had a discussion this past weekend that going forward we're only going to meet every other month as a weekly meeting really isn't necessary at this point. I figure ultimately I will only train with him once per month or so down the line and ultimately I will no longer need his services...but at the moment they are invaluable to me.

    I would also add that he works with me on my cycling as well and I've made really great improvements there and I'm considering actually entering some races and trying to compete rather than simply participating in tour rides and fundraisers. I think having a coach can be beneficial when you're training for competition as well.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    engmomma wrote: »
    walterc7 wrote: »
    Never understood the need to pay a personal trainer to give you a routine when there are so many excellent routines online for free that have been tried and proven.

    I do think a PT is a good investment if they teach you good form on your lifts. Once you know the basics, you can move ahead on your own.

    It isn't just about the routines. It is about having someone push you out of your comfort zone. I had routines developed for me in the past, but it is the trainer that says "I think you can handle more today."

    I only go once/week plus they have bootcamps that we do on off days (total about 4x/week). Definitely see a benefit and believe it is money well spent for my health and fitness.

    I follow a lifting plan that has a built-in progression plan. I try and add weight each time I do an exercise. I may not get every rep out of it that I could if I had someone cheering me on, but most days, I'm enough encouragement for myself. I love seeing my numbers go up. And the few extra reps a month I may get, I definitely don't think is worth paying $300 for.
  • VegasFit
    VegasFit Posts: 1,232 Member
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    I don't think I would feel comfortable paying $300 for the workout and amount of time you are describing. I would try decreasing or asking for a plan and checking in with them every couple of weeks.

    I understand wanting to be pushed. I go to a boutique gym and it is pricey and I take group classes and what they are offering I could not do on my own because I don't have the knowledge or equipment available that they offer. So in the end it really comes down to if you feel it's worth it. Worst case scenario you try it on your own or scale it back for a bit and see how it works out. You can always go back to your trainer.
  • zipa78
    zipa78 Posts: 354 Member
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    Only you can decide if it is worth the cost. Since you are here asking, I'm guessing that the answer is leaning towards "no".

    Sit down with a pen and a piece of paper and write down all the benefits you are getting from using a PT. Then for each item on your list, think about if that is worth paying for or is it something you could easily do yourself or just do without.

    My somewhat biased opinion is that a PT is not worth the money, but a good coach almost certainly is.
  • rides4sanity
    rides4sanity Posts: 1,269 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I prefer coaches, but they are worth penny if you get the right one and learn from them.

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