What to expect from my personal trainer ... Am I just needy

urloved33 · March 2015

Other trainers do that ...for a price. This nutrition aspect you speak of is an additional cost from the money you pay to get trained, as is, anything else you want the pt to do for you besides that training session once weekly.

urloved33 · March 2015

sullus wrote: »

angelashu108 wrote: »

I need input

I have just started my second round of PT. (I did 3 months and took 3 off)
I'm in great shape but want to tone up more and gain more muscle.

Here's the thing, my trainer is a bit young... He's an awesome trainer but kinda lacks in the "full program" aspect. In other words when he's training, he's awesome...
But he provides little to no guidance outside of our session.

I am only workin with him 1day a week.
I want/expect him to give me a schedule (better yet a workout) for my off days.
But so far... He hasn't. I've asked but he just seems to not to take it seriously.
Same with my diet, he says it's great.

I'm 5'6 132 pounds and 17%bf.
I Need guidance to get to the next level, I know it's hard to put on muscle and that's why I hired him.

So my question is...
Am I just a needy client? What do other trainers do? I don't need him to hold my hand but I want to get to the next level and I just don't know what is reasonable.

What do you all get from your trainer?

I was told pretty clearly by a trainer that If I wanted him to write me a program for the off days, that he would happily do it for a fee. The money you pay him is for his time (and expertise) while he is training you, and writing a program for you would certainly be something outside of that, and something he should be paid to do. Maybe you can suggest using one of your paid sessions to skip the workout and sit down and work on a plan.

Regardless of how you work out the mechanics on when and how the schedule is written, if you don't expect to compensate him for his time to write it, you are the one being unreasonable.

Great way to put it.

ShibaEars · March 2015

I only pay for one hour a week, so I don't expect "extras". She offers tips and advice on what to include in my other workouts, but the only full routines she's given me were when she was going to be away for 2-3 weeks. She has gone over my food diary one or two times, but I wouldn't ask her regularly because 1) she's not a nutrionist and 2) I'm not paying her for it. I'm not her only client, and she has a home life too. I wouldn't expect her to be constantly checking my diet and making other workouts for free. (But after reading these other responses, maybe I should be asking for more help!)

If you're not happy with your current trainer though, then you should look into finding someone else who can give you the guidance you're looking for

akboy58 · March 2015

I like my trainer's approach. I only see him once a week, but he regularly asks me what I'm doing in my home workouts. He is always willing to help me fine-tune that part of my exercise routine, and often adjusts our session to focus on exercises I DON'T do at home.

Roxiegirl2008 · March 2015

I love my trainer. I workout with her twice per week. She doesn't write me plans for outside of our workout sessions, not because she won't but because I don't need it. She suggested some classes to attend at my gym when I am not working out with her. I train for (1/2 marathons and marathons) so three of my off days are run days so she doesn't need to plan for that. If I am going on vacation or travel for work she will give me some plans to use while I am gone and don't have access to those classes. Also, when I am training with her she will ask what I am doing outside the gym.

lili61 · March 2015

Depends on the trainer. Some will be happy to write a program for you, but you're really only paying for an hour of his time. You shouldn't expect him to spend time outside your session developing a plan for you to essentially not pay him (working out on your own).

I like the suggestion of paying for another session and not working out--just ask him to sit with you and help write up a program.

lbm1987 · March 2015

I think you are asking for more from your trainer than you anticipate paying for. You pay for one session a week and that's what you're getting: one hour (or whatever) of their time. I meet with my trainer twice a week and she gives me a weekly workout log to turn in the next week. Our sessions are for weight-lifting and HIIT, and the other days are for cardio, which can be whatever I want. She is a certified nutritionist but I do not pay for those services, so I log calories on my own and she provides brief guidance on nutrition when needed. I would never expect her to plan out my non-session workouts or meals without an additional fee. This is how she makes her living. She does give me a copy of every workout we do together, so if I want to do an extra weight training workout, I just repeat one of those that we've already done.

roxielu0422 · March 2015

My PT has given me exercises to do on my own at home or in the gym. He monitors my caloric intake AND my body composition. I see him twice a week. I'm not paying an astronomical amount either. IMO, a good trainer who wants you to success and invest in your health is worth looking for. The ones that don't do that are a dime a dozen and not worth your time.

Cahgetsfit · March 2015

This is something I have been thinking about recently! I have been with one trainer for the last 3-going onto-4 months. The first 6 weeks she was all sending me emails asking how I was doing etc, then she kind of disappeared and I have been left feeling a bit "needy"! I do get a full exercise routine (like 5 pages worth - 5 different day workouts) AND a full meal plan every 6 weeks-ish. She also does the whole pinch test measuring thing and all that every 6 weeks. We only do training that once every 6 weeks. When we started though we trained about 5 times so that she could show me how to do the exercises and use the machines and the whole tempo and when to breathe out etc stuff (we do bodybuilding/powerlifting type stuff). I don't know if I got used to having the apparent support and now I feel a bit lost without it - I kind of think that at least a once a week "how is it going?" email would be nice. Maybe she thinks I am doing well on my own, but yeah - I am feeling a bit needy. I'm meeting her this Friday so I think I will mention it. I am a bit of a wuss at broaching difficult topics though

I do pay a large chunk of $ for the meal/exercise plan and each training session is also more expensive than others I have come across. So for the premium price that I seem to be paying I guess I expect a bit more of a premium service - like I received when I first started.

ninerbuff · March 2015

Philosophies are different from trainer to trainer. Some have a lot of clients, some don't. Personally I don't have more than 5-10 at one time out of choosing. This way I don't get overwhelmed by responses or questions that need to be answered or having to write up several programs at one time and remember each and every one I gave to each client. I have peers who have 20+ clients.
So really it's going to be based on the PT and how they operate.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

angelashu108 · March 2015

this is great feedback...
i really think part of it is i see my trainier all the time at the gym (he teaches other classes) I just expect that he would ask me how its going or ask what i did... We talk a lot but not about my training.

I dont need a full workout detailed, but I want him to look at what i did and ask how heavy did i lift or how am i eating... I want to see gaines and I dont know what to change to get past this platue

I think he did more the first time we trained....now he's got too many ppl and its hard for him to keep up. We have a small gym, we are all like family... I guess i just need more...

stealthq · March 2015

sheldonklein wrote: »

I have the opposite problem. My trainer wants to provide me with diet and medical advice (detoxes, probiotics, etc...) that I have no interest in. I like him as a trainer, but he won't take the hint that I don't want his other advice. I'm too much of a wimp to tell him that I think he's spouting nonsense and to stick to exercise.

I feel your pain.

I had a trainer with the same interest in woo science. It wasn't too bad while he was just chattering away about it. Then at one session he asked me what I did for a living, and I made a big mistake and told him the truth - biomedical research. Next thing I knew, he was asking my opinion of every detail of every fad diet and homeopathic fantasy treatment you can imagine. I shot them all down as gently as I could, but he didn't seem to learn. Just moved on to the next woo theory without missing a beat.

CA_Underdog · March 2015

angelashu108 wrote: »

am only workin with him 1day a week.
I want/expect him to give me a schedule (better yet a workout) for my off days.

Is this extra work part of your contract? My last trainer was quite good, but offered free off-day programming/advice only to clients who paid for regular (2/week) sessions. I tend to be direct when it comes to money. "Look, I want to send you videos of my form and get your feedback, and at least once a week I'm going to have a silly question--will you address those as part of your rate?" Now that it's contracted, if they ever refused these, I'd demand a refund (or quit).

sunandstars2 · March 2015

i worked with a trainer last summer .. she did exactly what i hired her for, which was to write an entire plan for me, a routine for 6 days in the gym and a meal plan. as things progressed, based on my results, she changed the plan and adjusted the meals. i could text her anytime with questions. it sounds like you would benefit from a trainer who gives you a full routine, not just one that will work you out once a week.

What to expect from my personal trainer ... Am I just needy

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