Personal trainer, yay or nay?

I'd always advocate for a trainer. The benefits are well beyond the initial thinking of cost or worth.

My response to "I'm thinking about joining my local gym but I am a total newbie" is always "hire a PT for at least a few sessions."

However, the price ($413.54) does seem high to me for an intro package. Here in the US we have a problem with PT's giving dietary advice when they are not qualified or even allowed to do so - what are her qualifications? If you are at all hesitant about her dietary qualifications you could ask her to reduce her price and leave that out. The total price might be negotiable as well.

Also, it did not seem like she is connected with the specific gym you are planning to join. If she's not a member, that could raise your costs. Having a PT from your gym could reduce your costs. I've always been given 1-3 free sessions whenever I joined a new gym. I've also taken small group classes for very cheap or free.

That said, if she is fabulous, she'd be totally worth it!

I'm entitled to free massage through my health care but none of the providers are vaccinated so I am paying out of pocket for someone out of network, and he's worth it.

If it's affordable for you, I think it's an excellent idea. Up until the pandemic I worked with a personal trainer for two and a half years, and I was in amazing shape when we had to stop. I was so lucky to have her working with me since I had just joined a gym and could have been randomly assigned anyone. This trainer specialized in working with older and injury limited people, and she really pushed and inspired me while working around my shoulder injury.

If this is a month-to-month arrangement I think you have nothing to lose by trying it out for a month

If you
1) Have a good rapport with this PT
2) Can afford it
3) Ask around and don’t hear anything negative or questionable about this PT

Go for it.

Outside of just being out of Marine Corps bootcamp, I was in the best shape of my life when I was working with my trainer. A good one is gold. I don't work with him much anymore in large part due to the expense, and I learned a lot working with him so as a matter of general fitness I can pretty much program my own stuff...but working with him directly pushed me past points that I would generally not push myself on my own.

If you can afford a personal trainer for a few months at least, do it. You will learn so much, and it's added accountability and motivation, especially if you have the right personal trainer for you. I've been doing it for 3 days a week for 3 months, and it's really been an amazing experience. I'd never had a PT before, nor had I actually gone to a gym for more than a few months in the past. When I got my vaccine in May I decided to get a membership and personal training for the first time.

I was lucky enough to receive free training from a PT and free access to the local mine-site's gym as part of the mine's "giving back to the community" program for a couple years. I really found having one session a week was 1) someone to push me when I might struggle to finish a set
2) someone to talk to about concerns about my body - "my ankles do this when I run, can we do something about that?"
3) he showed me how to lift safely, how to increase my weights when needed, how to work around injuries and when to take a break.
4) it was someone who I wasn't "accountable" to, but who might tell me that the "reasons" I had for not doing my "prescribed" workouts were excuses and poor ones at that
5) having the appointment with him got me out of the house and gave me something to look forward to, even if it was an "ugh, I have PT tonight" feeling
6) I always, ALWAYS came away from his sessions feeling improvement some where, whether I ran faster/further, squatted deeper, lifted heavier, did more reps, learnt a new technique or machine - I always came away in a better mood and with more self confidence

If you can afford it, and it isn't a "lock in" contact (you can cancel any time) and you have the time to do the scheduled sessions - go for it. You won't know you need it/like it/want it, until you try it.

Lots of great comments here. The two biggest benefits I got out of working with a trainer were motivation on those days I didn't feel like showing up and the assurance that I was using correct form when lifting weights. Well worth it. Have fun!

krjohnson1292 wrote: »

I’ve always been on the fence about personal trainers as I’m more of a self-educator.

If you are a self-starter and can follow basic laws of nutrition and fitness, I say save your money. If you need the accountability, guidance, structure and nurturing go for a personal trainer.

It may work for some, but no others.

Early on, I surreptitiously tried one of the self training programs, out of curiosity and, tbh, hoping for faster results.

My trainer caught me at it, asked me what I was doing, and then told me I was going to hurt myself with my bad form, and that she’s seen it over and over, and basically that I either did it properly in her gym, or not at all.

She wasn’t being a beyotch, she was truly concerned that I was doing things correctly so I wouldn’t hurt myself. As usual, she was right.

I’m her only training client (she wasn’t taking clients and took me for a lark), but she treats everyone in the gym the same way. She’ll call anyone out for incorrect form, and then just as loudly scream encouragement for someone attempting a PR. (And she knows everyone’s PRs by heart.)

Looking at photos or videos of training programs just doesn’t work for me. One reason is that, in my head, the highest, grandest, biggest motion should obviously return the largest results, right?

But she’s shown me that smaller, more focused movements are actually better, and alternates weeks between higher reps and fewer but very slow reps with pauses.

I would have not have understood that- or being me- would have skipped reading about last that part, lol. Those are the workouts that kick my butt.

I’m fortunate I can afford a trainer. If you can’t do it on an extended basis, try to save enough to at least get a few sessions with one to learn the basics.

Or see if you can partner with or shadow someone who is more experienced. Buy em lunch or offer them keto bombs, bake them a cake, treat them to a neck pad or gloves or something.

But for me, if I self trained, there’s so danged much equipment in gyms and so many effective ways to use each one, I’d never know about all the opportunities to change things up, and would be in a rut almost immediately.

I mean there’s one machine (I suck at names it might be the multi station or something like that) that I swear the thing has fifty different handles, five or six different stations and each has multiple heights for different purposes, you can sit on it backwards or forwards, and of course, there’s multiple weights. My eyes roll around like marbles when I get on that thing. Soooo much choice. I find all that very intimidating.

OTOH many people here self train very effectively. @KickassAmazon76 , @DancingMoosie and some of the others on this thread are pretty damn amazing:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10817729/gift-us-your-lifts-or-other-achievements/p1

I had a wonderful PT who helped me with both a shoulder impingement ad a hip labrum tear. When I met him the first time and he asked me about my goals, I asked specifically for exercises that would be beneficial to my overall fitness goals that would not damage my shoulder and hip--and would, in fact improve them.

I went a step further, and asked if I could have an aquatherapy consultation (it's the only PT firm in my area that offers the service) to have the PT examine my current swimming strokes and make recommendations for adjustments that would meet both my PT-strength goals and my overall fitness goals.

I was extremely satisfied. I think the key is having that conversation with your PT about what you really WANT so they build those into your goals for therapy

hannahfkaye2021 wrote: »

I'm thinking about joining my local gym but I am a total newbie. I have spoken with a PT who works in a gym close to my home and we had a great chat about my goals and how she can help me, and I think it's really worth a go.

I've been a yo yo dieter for years but I'm finally finding my groove with CICO and I've already lost 22lbs myself with this and walking at lunch, but we are coming into the winter and I know I'm going to find it harder to get out and move.

The PT charges £300 a month for 8 sessions a month (2 a week) but it's a full service, so will have weekly and monthly check ups outside of the PT sessions, support with nutrition and working on strength and resistance.

I also have hip impingement on my right side, and I have a sign off from my physio to start exercising with limits and she can build my gym schedule from scratch just for me.

I feel like it's worth it, but I have had a few people raise issue with how expensive it is, and now I'm doubting myself.

Does anybody have any advice or thoughts?

Assuming you are already paying your physiotherapist I would just get the training program from them, especially if you have limits you have to work within. That is what I do anyway. They are far more qualified than a "personal trainer" (anyone can call themselves a trainer) and they already know (and more importantly understand) your medical/injury history.

kshama2001 wrote: »

krjohnson1292 wrote: »

I’ve always been on the fence about personal trainers as I’m more of a self-educator.

If you are a self-starter and can follow basic laws of nutrition and fitness, I say save your money. If you need the accountability, guidance, structure and nurturing go for a personal trainer.

After many years of ballet, yoga, and becoming a certified yoga teacher, I pay attention to form. I've seen a LOT of bad form at gyms over the years, lol.

My physical therapist was wanting to let me go now that I no longer have pain in my Achilles tendon. I told her that I've been holding back from doing yoga and that my knee pain would probably kick back in once I ramp up yoga again. She suggested I take some classes so a teacher could check my form. I said *I am* a yoga teacher. She said it is still useful for someone else to look at my form.

Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods had/have coaches/trainers.