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davemacdonald31
davemacdonald31 Posts: 196 Member
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Anybody here have, or used a personal trainer? I am looking at getting one soon. He is a pro bodybuilder, not one of the "trainers" you see at goodlife or something. It's just convincing my wife to let me spend the money. He charges $50/hr, which I think is a good price. Goodlife is $80-$100/hr. It would be 8 sessions per month. $400/month for my health. I think it's a good investment. My wife is super extreme cheap and doesn't want me to do it. She wants me to do it alone. I told her I needed help, and I'm investing in my future! My future to live.
What successes have you guys had with a trainer? Or, is anybody else looking to get one as well?

Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    I am not looking. I have one that is highly recommended but I haven't made the call yet. I keep waffling on whether or not to start before or after the surgery. If I don't start really soon I run the risk of retaining water at the wrong time and not making the weight I need and if I delay I will be looking at about 4 months. I should have done it 2 months ago but I am an idiot.
  • Jackie9003
    Jackie9003 Posts: 1,106 Member
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    It's not of interest to me but my friend started with one a few years ago and now she's running marathons and regularly doing triathlons. If you think it would help then give it a go.
  • TwinThompson
    TwinThompson Posts: 80 Member
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    I was literally just about to start a thread on the same subject!

    I’m going to get a personal trainer, been chatting to one about my goals and what to expect. He’s £15 an hour (I’m in the UK) it’s recommended two sessions a week but I can’t afford that so he’s going to show me the best ways to incorporate what he teaches into my usual workouts and have one hour a week with him.

    I’m like you and I need that help now, I’ve done what I can on my own and now need another push and shown what I need to do to achieve what I want. Could you and your wife agree on a timescale?? I’m giving myself three months of 1-1’s then I expect myself to be able to keep going on my own, maybe agree to something like that, then at least it’s not an indefinite amount of time spending the money??
  • kosseychick
    kosseychick Posts: 244 Member
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    I did a couple years ago and it was a horrible experience. She had all the credentials but missed all my health cues.. I kept telling her that I needed to slow down/stop as something was terribly wrong. She wouldnt listen to me and pushed me to the point where i almost passed out. The doctor checked my blood pressure and it was over 200 over 100. Doctor told me i was lucky i didnt stroke out.. I never went back after that. I had told her when i joined that i have an enlarged heart and i need to be careful.. fell on deaf ears.. i hope you have a good experience Dave. I probably wont ever do it again after that experience.
  • davemacdonald31
    davemacdonald31 Posts: 196 Member
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    kosseychick wrote: »
    I did a couple years ago and it was a horrible experience. She had all the credentials but missed all my health cues.. I kept telling her that I needed to slow down/stop as something was terribly wrong. She wouldnt listen to me and pushed me to the point where i almost passed out. The doctor checked my blood pressure and it was over 200 over 100. Doctor told me i was lucky i didnt stroke out.. I never went back after that. I had told her when i joined that i have an enlarged heart and i need to be careful.. fell on deaf ears.. i hope you have a good experience Dave. I probably wont ever do it again after that experience.

    Damn, that sucks. Sometimes having "credentials" means nothing. Some of the Goodlife trainers have "credentials", but all that means is they took a weekend course on fitness. The guy I am getting knows his stuff. I have seen countless success stories come out of his training!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    kosseychick wrote: »
    I did a couple years ago and it was a horrible experience. She had all the credentials but missed all my health cues.. I kept telling her that I needed to slow down/stop as something was terribly wrong. She wouldnt listen to me and pushed me to the point where i almost passed out. The doctor checked my blood pressure and it was over 200 over 100. Doctor told me i was lucky i didnt stroke out.. I never went back after that. I had told her when i joined that i have an enlarged heart and i need to be careful.. fell on deaf ears.. i hope you have a good experience Dave. I probably wont ever do it again after that experience.

    That is terrible. I am glad the outcome was not worse.

    You do bring up a point I should address when I engage one. I am primarily interested in instruction, form, and a good routine. I am not interested in someone trying to push me for additional results. I am very easily motivated by myself and very hard to motivate from external sources. If I am not willing to push myself any harder someone trying to encourage me to do it won't have any success and it will just annoy me.
  • merph518
    merph518 Posts: 702 Member
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    I plan on seeking some help when I start weight training, just to show me the ropes and make sure I'm not lifting wrong. No specific plans yet, as I'm going to wait until I lose some more weight.
  • eastjc
    eastjc Posts: 32 Member
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    I get 2 free sessions at the gym I work out at. I'm waiting till I do a month straight before I use one of the sessions. My goal then will be to have my workout rated and improved.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,136 Member
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    I have used a personal trainer, but I only used him as a one off session at home, I'm quite comfortable with free weights, but wanted him to check my form before I started increasing weights to improve my rowing performance.

    It was definitely worth the money for the one session, not sure I would part with it on a regular basis though. I suppose if you're not very confident with them at least one or two sessions would be beneficial because poor form can lead to pretty bad injuries.


    merph518 wrote: »
    I plan on seeking some help when I start weight training, just to show me the ropes and make sure I'm not lifting wrong. No specific plans yet, as I'm going to wait until I lose some more weight.

    @merph518 I would highly recommend starting sooner rather than later unless you have medical concerns, it helps immensely with body recomposition, muscle maintenance and improving bone density.
  • merph518
    merph518 Posts: 702 Member
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    @tinkerbellang83 It's more a mental thing than anything. I'm not very comfortable with the idea of working out in a very public place (like a gym) at my weight.

    Maybe I should just push myself to get over that. For right now, I've set a goal to start going to the local YMCA come late fall / early winter. I had planned on doing cardio (running and biking, alternating) daily until then.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,136 Member
    edited August 2019
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    merph518 wrote: »
    @tinkerbellang83 It's more a mental thing than anything. I'm not very comfortable with the idea of working out in a very public place (like a gym) at my weight.

    Maybe I should just push myself to get over that. For right now, I've set a goal to start going to the local YMCA come late fall / early winter. I had planned on doing cardio (running and biking, alternating) daily until then.

    I do all my weight training at home, you don't need any equipment to get started just bodyweight and/or water bottles/canned goods. I started that way and then invested in a barbell/dumbell set for about €50.

    This is the video workout I started with.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIHy-ZnSndA



  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    I hired one and regretted it. The mistakes I made were that I hired the daughter of a good friend, I prepaid and although we met and I clearly outlined what I wanted she didn't listen. While the invoice she provided said 10 sessions at $50 dollars each she insisted that was just so I could turn in the invoice to my work (we have a subsidy). I ended up meeting her twice and getting very little information or training for $500. Some of her clients seem very happy so it was a bad fit as I am older and wanted to train at home not her place. I would try to avoid prepayment at all costs. Pay as you go and be careful of signing any contracts until you know if it's a good fit.
  • TwinThompson
    TwinThompson Posts: 80 Member
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    The personal trainer I was going to hire has now started a new job at another gym... very unexpectedly! Might wait a few weeks before looking for another one
  • merph518
    merph518 Posts: 702 Member
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    I joined the local YMCA this week. Going tonight to poke around and see what I can do on my own. They have a $70 "kickstart" program that's three sessions with a personal trainer. I'm thinking of doing that just to get started, and then go on my own from there. I'm mostly concerned about getting the basics down, like lifting form and such.
  • real_change
    real_change Posts: 53 Member
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    @tinkerbellang83 Thanks for sharing your weight lifting video. I was looking for something just like it for when I’m able to start working out again.

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