Personal Trainer

cgolden1701
cgolden1701 Posts: 31 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I have been on and off again trying to lose some lbs. Every time I start I get to a point and I just stop. I see no change, I feel no better, and the lbs just flat lines.
I know this happens, and I know you need to keep working and get over the hump.
But I have a weak mind when it comes to waiting, waiting, waiting, and seeing nothing come from it. So I have a gym membership, and I was thinking about getting a trainer at the gym to maybe help me. I was hoping that I can get some input on if a trainer would be helpful, or if I would just be wasting my money.
What are some pros and cons?

Thank you all for any help you are able to offer.

Replies

  • kimothy38
    kimothy38 Posts: 840 Member
    Getting a trainer was the best thing I ever did and I've rearranged my budget to accommodate it. Not only does my trainer motivate me by being supportive and constantly changing my program but he helped sort out old injuries by doing a specially designed program and correcting my technique. If you get the right one they are worth their weight in gold. It is hard work and I still get nervous before a session but the results are definitely worth it.
  • pandsmomCheryl
    pandsmomCheryl Posts: 168 Member
    I think it's a good investment in your health. Every time I'm scheduled to work with my trainer (2x week), I don't want to go. But every time I'm done, I feel like a million bucks. I'm seeing changes too. I say give it a shot. Make sure you and the trainer are a good "fit". Good luck!
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    I'm not so sure a trainer will get you over your plateau. I suggest first looking at the common reasons for a plateau here:
    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10179969/weight-loss-flow-chart-2-0/p1

    If you aren't currently weighing all your food on a digital scale, that's what i would start with. :+1:
  • cgolden1701
    cgolden1701 Posts: 31 Member
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    I'm not so sure a trainer will get you over your plateau. I suggest first looking at the common reasons for a plateau here:
    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10179969/weight-loss-flow-chart-2-0/p1

    If you aren't currently weighing all your food on a digital scale, that's what i would start with. :+1:

    I was using a scale before. Since I started back up I haven't gotten much into it yet. But the flow chart is pretty good.
  • suzettedees
    suzettedees Posts: 85 Member
    My trainer is amazing and motivates me to push harder and go longer. He challenges me to do new exercises or exercises that I'd rather skip (burpees) but I find out I'm stronger than I thought I was. Your trainer has to be a good match, I've gone through a few to find the right one.
  • Barbonica
    Barbonica Posts: 337 Member
    A trainer is great to train you, but few trainers are experts on nutrition and weight loss. If you want to get stronger, increase endurance, become more flexible, etc, get a trainer...well worth it. I have been working with one for years, and have gotten into power lifting with his help. But if you want someone who will magically get you off your plateau, your expectations are probably misaligned with what you will get. BTW, I lost 65 pounds working with my trainer, mostly before MFP, but I worked with my trainer to get stronger, not to lose weight. Good luck and stick with it!
  • DylanCHenderson
    DylanCHenderson Posts: 3 Member
    Hey there! I am a certified personal trainer...I am guessing you have already looked at your diet since you are on MFP. I recommend drinking only water and cutting out "sugar" completely. There is no need for it. Then when your eating is health oriented I would recommend switching up your training program. Your body adapts to whatever excersize you are doing rather quickly if not changed regularly.
    YOU CAN DO IT. (YouTube works wonders)
    Also look into intermittent fasting. Helped me to drop 20+ when I reached that plateau. Of course dont get into fasting without checking with a dr first. (Its not for everyone)BLA BLA BLA. Message back if you need more support...
    -Dylan
    Ps: Don't let your mind play tricks into thinking you are "weak". As I said before, you can do it.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,954 Member
    DylanCHenderson wrote: »
    Hey there! I am a certified personal trainer...I am guessing you have already looked at your diet since you are on MFP. I recommend drinking only water and cutting out "sugar" completely. There is no need for it. Then when your eating is health oriented I would recommend switching up your training program. Your body adapts to whatever excersize you are doing rather quickly if not changed regularly.
    YOU CAN DO IT. (YouTube works wonders)
    Also look into intermittent fasting. Helped me to drop 20+ when I reached that plateau. Of course dont get into fasting without checking with a dr first. (Its not for everyone)BLA BLA BLA. Message back if you need more support...
    -Dylan
    Ps: Don't let your mind play tricks into thinking you are "weak". As I said before, you can do it.
    No need for sugar? So in other words no carbs? This is classic broscience by voiced by many trainers who likely didn't get a degree in nutrition and likely lacks understanding in physiology.
    As a CPT you should be teaching people how to live a lifestyle that doable for LIFE. Not just to lose weight or short term fix.

    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
    9285851.png
  • DasItMan91
    DasItMan91 Posts: 5,753 Member
    Try to get a PT that is reputable and knows what he's talking about, not some fat PT or a PT who smokes. Make sure he looks the part. A personal trainer that has other clients showing results will most likely have you show results too as long as you're up to it.
  • broseidonkingofbrocean
    broseidonkingofbrocean Posts: 180 Member
    How long are you waiting for the weight to drop after a stand still? A trainer is usually a person who is just going to train you while nutrition is your responsibility. Checked out your food log and it doesn't seem like you're very consistent with tracking. If you hit a standstill for say a few weeks then I would lower your calories.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    imo, just waiting to lose x amount of weight can be like a long long car journey. when you're about 7 years old. 'are we there yet? are we there yet? when are we goign to be there? how much longer . . . can we get ice cream?'

    a 'sport' or whatever you want to call it is like having a board game or a project to detach you from the there-yets. and a trainer is the person who plays/works on it with you.

    2c worth.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    A trainer can motivate you to get in shape, but your weight loss will come from the kitchen, not the gym.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    OP, if you need someone to keep you motivated to work out, then a PT could help. But please keep in mind that personal trainers don't necessarily have any education in nutrition, so you should really only get fitness advice from a PT, not food advice.

    You will lose weight if you are eating less calories than you burn, so getting your diet in line is the key. Unfortunately, patience is required. You have to do the right things and know that the results will follow, even when you aren't seeing the scale move.

    Committing to accurate and consistent logging for awhile would probably do more for your weight loss than a PT, but if having someone keeping you working at the gym will make you more focused and more likely to eat right, more power to ya :drinker:
  • kar328
    kar328 Posts: 4,159 Member
    Agree with all of the above as for PTs not having the background in the nutrition part of things. Mine asks how the weight loss is going, but doesn't offer advice on changing things, I asked her a question once and she referred me to the dietician I use. I liked that. I do think a trainer is worth the investment if you have a good one. I got lucky (the same dietician recommended her). She listens to what my goals are and my sessions with her are made to work towards those goals. It's not a workout she'll do with every other client she has that day. She's knowledgeable, supportive and able to push me to do things I normally wouldn't dream of trying. I'll get the fat off with the help of the dietician, she'll help me make the rest of it look good.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »
    DylanCHenderson wrote: »
    Hey there! I am a certified personal trainer...I am guessing you have already looked at your diet since you are on MFP. I recommend drinking only water and cutting out "sugar" completely. There is no need for it. Then when your eating is health oriented I would recommend switching up your training program. Your body adapts to whatever excersize you are doing rather quickly if not changed regularly.
    YOU CAN DO IT. (YouTube works wonders)
    Also look into intermittent fasting. Helped me to drop 20+ when I reached that plateau. Of course dont get into fasting without checking with a dr first. (Its not for everyone)BLA BLA BLA. Message back if you need more support...
    -Dylan
    Ps: Don't let your mind play tricks into thinking you are "weak". As I said before, you can do it.


    Thank you for showing why people should rarely pay attention to personal trainers regarding nutrition.

    Exactly what I was thinking.
  • _incogNEATo_
    _incogNEATo_ Posts: 4,537 Member
    Pros:
    - If you like somebody to motivate you, they're great about that (usually).
    - If you want to take all of the work out of doing your own programming, they're good for that.
    - Most reputable trainers have a portfolio of client success which can help with motivation.
    - Assessment can be important with form and intensity. A good trainer can let you know if you're doing okay with those things.
    - In general, it's nice to have somebody to talk to/interact with while at the gym (if you're sociable).

    Cons:
    - It costs money most times.
    - It's easy to find bad ones who completed a 4 hour online course and have no other education.
    - Personalities may not always jive.
    - There's probably more.


  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,954 Member
    DasItMan91 wrote: »
    Try to get a PT that is reputable and knows what he's talking about, not some fat PT or a PT who smokes. Make sure he looks the part. A personal trainer that has other clients showing results will most likely have you show results too as long as you're up to it.
    Don't put too much credence into that though. Some of the best coaches in the world aren't Adonis' or Aphrodites. They are just really good at instruction. But clientele results will speak the loudest.

    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
    9285851.png
  • _incogNEATo_
    _incogNEATo_ Posts: 4,537 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    DasItMan91 wrote: »
    Try to get a PT that is reputable and knows what he's talking about, not some fat PT or a PT who smokes. Make sure he looks the part. A personal trainer that has other clients showing results will most likely have you show results too as long as you're up to it.
    Don't put too much credence into that though. Some of the best coaches in the world aren't Adonis' or Aphrodites. They are just really good at instruction. But clientele results will speak the loudest.

    agreed
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I think the main issue with personal training is that it's a profession with a rather low barrier to entry and it's also one with pretty big differences from certification to certification in terms of what is taught followed by very little regulation to make sure that a trainer is actually teaching what they are supposed to teach.

    And so you really don't know how good of quality of trainer you are getting.

    That being said, a good trainer can teach you proper technique, they can provide some general guidelines on nutrition that fall within scope of practice, they can provide some accountability, they can improve your comfort levels with being in a gym, they can direct you to other professionals in related fields if you have needs that fall outside of their scope, they can design programs for you to elicit specific outcomes.

    If they are good.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    edited April 2017
    DylanCHenderson wrote: »
    Hey there! I am a certified personal trainer...I am guessing you have already looked at your diet since you are on MFP. I recommend drinking only water and cutting out "sugar" completely. There is no need for it.

    Hi Dylan,

    We can say with good reliability that dietary adherence is a critical factor to success with weight loss. As such, I disagree with the above as being "general advice" that will be a good fit for everyone. Reducing all beverages to "water only" eliminates plenty beverages that are zero or very low calorie that are perfectly fine for weight loss, such as coffee for example.

    Additionally, whether or not something is "necessary" is not grounds for whether or not we should consume it. It's perfectly fine to consume things that aren't "necessary" and in fact I could present you with plenty of diets where chicken isn't necessary but we don't go around telling people not to eat it.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4005268/
    DylanCHenderson wrote: »
    Then when your eating is health oriented I would recommend switching up your training program. Your body adapts to whatever excersize you are doing rather quickly if not changed regularly.

    Adaptation is GOOD, it's what you WANT to happen.

    Once you've caused adaptation to occur, then you should be making calculated changes to elicit a specific adaptation.

    For one example, if you want to get stronger, you can add 5lbs to the barbell and do the same exercise next week. This increase in load will cause additional adaptations.






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