Personal trainer???

Tell that to rich piana

I actually think he has good exercise advice except for the "muscle confusion" thing. But I wouldn't let that get in the way of my workouts & weight loss.

You just need to be in a calorie deficit- not work out harder. Working out is great but if you aren't eating in a calorie deficit you won't lose any weight no matter how much or what type of exercise you do.

Use myfitnesspal as it is intended & watch the weight come off easily.

If it's free then why not take him up on it. Tell him you want to lift heavy, no machines, and see what he can teach you.

I'm working with a trainer now to work on form for lifting and once I feel like I've got things under control, I'm going to discontinue the service. I like her b/c she teaches you to not be dependent on her and gives advice on how to build your own program while helping me keep my form in check. She also sends notes after every workout so that I have it handy when I go in to work on my own.

Try it out, see what he can teach you, and then do your own thing. I won't lie, I'm skeptical that it's actually free. Every place that I've been to charges for PT sessions. He might just be offering you a few free sessions. Unless he's told you explicitly that PT is absolutely and always free, I'd be wary of his motivations.

Of course he would say that you need a personal trainer. I am surprised he isn't trying to sell some "magic powder" as well. The say way that a salon owner will always tell you that you need a "special treatment".

I've had a PT for a couple months and here are a few thoughts:

1) PT can help you correct your form much quicker because they can see you do it. If you have a buddy who is really knowledgeable about lifting, a PT isn't necessary but if you're on your own, I would recommend it.

2) PT can identify what smaller muscles need to get strengthened in order to improve form on the compound lifts.

3) PT can keep you honest on your schedule. I've found that I'm 99% likely to show up if I have a session scheduled with my PT.

4) PT can be expensive so look at it as more than just PT. You're paying for training as well as education. The education part is important because at some point, you'll need to stop and you don't want to revert doing things in a *kitten* way. Take the time to think about what they are saying so it can become part of your long term fitness toolset.

weight lifting is a wonderful activity for women. It helps build bone density and muscle. Muscle mass is a key driver in resting calorie burn. The more of it you have the more calories you burn per hour while sitting on your rear.

That being said, you absolutely don't need a personal trainer to lift weights unless you literally have no clue what you are doing. If you get a personal trainer you have to tell them "I want to be able to lift weights on my own when we are done" Otherwise they will put you in some B*ll$hit program that will draw out your strength training.

@melvinrram was precisely right about the benefits of a PT but you must make sure that you know what *your* goals are going in. Don't let a PT try to horn swaggle you or underestimate what you can do. The slower your progress the more sessions you get the more gaurenteed money they get.

I have had some good trainers and I have had some complete $H!% trainers. If you are having to tell your trainer how to do their job, end the relationship asap.