Circuit Room vs Personal Trainer

I am a trainer so I am a bit biased... ;-) I would strongly suggested purchasing 4-6 sessions with a trainer to get some ideas on what you are best suited for. Alot of people lose motivation on going to the gym because they don't know if what they are doing is really working. An unused membership is a total waste of money when comparing it to the $200 bucks or less you will spend on a trainer. A few sessions with a trainer will get you on your way and then you can use the internet (youtube is great) for ideas when you need some new ones. Most trainers give you a free "consult" session when you join. Make sure it is someone you like who is comfortable with your abilities. Schedule your sessions 2 times a week so they are done in 2 to 3 weeks. You will learn and retain more that way than if you try and save money by spreading them out over time. Good luck!

trainer because they monitor your progress and keeps you from making mistakes and getting hurt. If you do go with a trainer ask: What are there certifications and who they are associated with, What are their specialties, do they have insurance, make sure they definately have CPR/First Aid, and what kind of results that they have had with previous clients.

The hardest part about getting results on your own is pushing yourself to your limits. Especially if you're new to working out, people have the tendancy to not push their bodies as hard as they actually can. Many people, once they start to feel a little out of breath will back off. Honestly, you have to become used to (and comfortable with) being out of breath to some extent and realize that the goal is to feel that way. You want to push yourself so you do sweat a lot, so your muscles feel tired, so your breathing heavy and your heart is pounding. That's what makes for a good cardio workout.

Another propbly with working out alone is doing the exercises (especially strength exercises) correctly. Many people think they are doing them right but in reality their form is terrible and they either risk injury or at minimum are not getting the most out of the exercise they're doing. Use your ab muscles to support your back and don't arch your back. Focus on using the muscle groups that are supposed to be used for a particular exercise and make sure that you're not using other muscles to lighten the load. For instance, when doing curls, you should focus on only using your biceps to bring the weight up. If you're moving your shoulder, you're compensating and not working your biceps correctly.

Having a personal trainer is good for a few reasons. First and foremost they'll push you to your limits (at least if they're any good they will). Also, good personal trainers will make sure you're doing the exercises properly to get the most out of them and avoid injury. Finally, a personal trainer can customize your workout specifically to your body, your goals and your progress.

All that said, my suggestion would be if you have no previous workout experience, start with maybe a few weeks of a personal trainer to at least get the basics of the exercises down, then go on your own. If that's not possible, I'd start with the cheaper option (doing it on your own) and do your homework on the exercises that are a part of that circuit room so you can make sure you're doing them correctly. If you still feel like you're not getting the results you want, then maybe look into the personal training option.

I think this is a very personal thing.

I've gone this entire journey without ever speaking to a personal trainer, let alone working with one. I am stubborn and independent. I've wanted to do this myself from the very beginning. *I* wanted to learn about my body - what makes it happy, unhappy, lose weight, gain weight, etc. I wanted to learn ALL that stuff for myself. I didn't want someone else to do all the behind the scenes work for me and all I did was do what they said.

I'm happy to say I've accomplished my goal of doing it myself and I'm super proud of myself for it!

Most gyms offer a free personal training session - go ahead and talk to the trainer if you want to do so. See what they have to say - you won't have to pay for that session - so ask away! Have them show you the different machines and such. That way you'll be working out properly. Then try it without the trainer and see how it goes. If you find yourself in need of motivation or guidance then go back and talk to the trainer again.

I know that not everyone can go it alone - nothing wrong with that. I'm just too stubborn to let someone else figure it out for me.

I am going to join a new gym that just opened beside my office. They have a curcuit room. Any thoughts of what would be the best thing to do: circuit room/cardio on my own or personal trainer? I have 90 more lbs to lose till a hit goal so I obviously want to do whatever will give me the max bang for my buck. But I don't want to waste money on personal training sessions if I can get as much benefit from the circuit room.

Thoughts????

First of all, what kind of "circuit room" are we talking about? Is it just a line of selectorized strength equipment, something like Curves, what?

There is nothing magic about a "circuit room"--like any exercise plan, you will get out of it what you put into it. Circuit training can be an advanced, higher-intensity form of training, or it can be really mediocre--depends on how it's set up and how much effort and focus you can bring to the table.

In my mind, the issue is not "personal trainer vs circuit training". They are two different things. Circuit training is just a modality; it contains no inherent value. It may not even be something you should do every day.

The question is: are you knowledgeable enough, experienced enough, and focused enough to drive yourself to meet your goals. Or, if inexperienced, are you willing and able to learn proper technique, guidelines, etc and develop your own workout plan.

In many cases, a good trainer can get you to a certain level faster and more effectively than you could do on your own. However, it is also possible to achieve all of your goals on your own--even if it takes a little longer. It's like any other professional service--there are a lot of things around the house and yard that I can do myself. Depending on my time and budget, some I do myself, some I hire out to a professional. The professionals can always do it faster and more efficiently, but sometimes I don't have the money and sometimes I like the satisfaction of doing it myself.