Personal training : yes or no?

StealthHealth wrote: »

It depends on why you feel you need a PT.

My opinion.

To work on form for a specific exercise or exercises - maybe. You can get a lot of good information online but having someone knowledgeable to watch you and tell you where you are going wrong, to give you the queue points and helping you to remember, and routinely use those, is invaluable and can prevent problems down the line.

To build a routine - maybe. But this, IMHO, is more suited to advanced trainees with well defined goals. For weight loss or general fitness there is so much free stuff out there in internetland that you would probably be better working out what you want to achieve, how much time you have, and what you enjoy and then asking on here.

For motivation - No. You can't buy that stuff.

Is having an online trainer the same? - No. Very different.

I also agree. If you want to learn great form and have someone couch you through it. I hired a PT because I learn best in person one on one. I had absolutely no idea where to start. I had never heard of MFP. I had never thought about my diet before. I had no clue how to work out, track calories, or eat healthy. I ate a bunch of junk. I hired my PT short term. We worked on conditioning myself to run a mile, do some push-ups, and other basic bodyweight exercises. My goal by the end of our sessions, was to join a fit camp/ group fitness without feeling 100% embarrassed for being so out of shape. She was such an asset. All I needed was to meet with a knowledgeable person face to face to give me building blocks. She pushed me in the right direction. She taught me the importance of tracking my food. She introduced me to MFP. She educated me on making better food choices. My PT was well worth the money. As I said before, I knew I needed someone to teach me the very basics of fitness and nutrition. I lost 20 lbs working with her. I have kept the fat off. I joined two different fitness groups and I don't feel embarrassed at all. I gained a little confidence. I also found a way of healthy eating which works for me personally. I might hire her again next month to really nail proper form of weight lifting exercises. I'm sure most people don't need a PT for that. However, I feel safe knowing she is watching my form, encouraging me to do more than what I want to do or more than what I think I can do. I learn better one on one, but I need that with learning lots of things besides fitness. The success and knowledge and confidence and experiences I have are priceless.

You have to do what is best for you. Decide how you learn best. I'm always on a tight budget but I find a way to make time and set aside money for what's important to me. She even worked out a payment plan with me. Most of extra money came when I stopped eating at restaurants every single day! That helped my purse and my waist band.

kariplz wrote: »

I had an 'orientation' with a trainer and I guess I was just really turned off. She spent most of her time going over nutrition even after I explained to her that I eat and eat healthy and it's not my issue, but moving more and going out of my comfort zone at the gym is my priority. We never did a session together, she spent the whole hour going over nutrition and pushing the Gym's supplements PLUS she told me that she was training for a body building competition but she couldn't complete it because she injured her shoulder. I don't know, something told me if she injured her own shoulder working out that I'm probably not in the best hands as far as preventing injuries.

That is a good example of an awful trainer but in my experience they are not usually like that. If you got one free orientation and that was it, you could complain to the gym and get another one with someone else.

I once had a doctor who spent a large part of our time telling me she was leaving because she'd accidentally gotten pregnant...by another doctor, no less. Not typical of my experience when being checked for strep throat, lol. She did manage to take the culture and write the prescription so I didn't really care.

I've been working with a trainer for seven months, am 58 years and never set foot in a gym before. He has been amazing, has pushed me past my limits, way past, encouraged me and told me off when needed, has tweaked my diet and I have progressed far beyond my wildest dreams with more to come. Honestly if he had told me when I started I would be training as I am now I would have run screaming from the gym. I am 40 lbs down and my dress size has gone from 18/20 to 12/14. Every penny has been absolutely worth it.

I don't think there is anything wrong with PT, but I've never needed one.

kariplz wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

kariplz wrote: »

Is the cost of a personal trainer worth it? I live on a tight budget and was weighing the cons and pros of a personal trainer. If you had/have one, was it worth it?
Is having an "online trainer" the same ?

I'm struggling to figure out how an online trainer could check your form, which to me is one of the most important roles performed by a trainer.

I'm picturing myself, a yoga teacher, telling someone to do 10 Sun Salutations without being able to see if they are doing the postures correctly.

I mainly asked because I was unsure of the difference. I assume an online trainer puts s specific plan together for you and is there to support you. It was an idea I wanted to explore since commercial gym trainer just seemed inexperienced to me plus the push of products just wasn't my thing!

If you're just looking for a program, there's a lot of good ones out there to start you off. Start a thread on here stating your goals and you'll get a bunch of recommendations.

If you're wanting to work on technique, an in-person trainer can be incredibly useful, but only if they know what they're doing. If you don't have confidence in your gym trainer, don't go there. You might be able to find a non-affiliated trainer that can do a one-time session to work with you on form (there was a trainer who met with clients my apartment complex gym, so no gym membership required), or you can do what SideSteel suggested and find someone who will review videos of your form. Or go find the people in the gym who know what they're doing and ask for help.

Also, whatever your goals, consider the required commitment: I buy 5-session packages (my gym's minimum) as I feel I need them - right now I'm trying to fix some issues with my deadlift, so it's worth it to me. But once I get what I need, I don't renew. The commitment requirement can be where an online trainer has an advantage, because it can be a one-time consultation if that's all you need (i.e. custom program).