Trainer's words today ...

Is there another gym you can go to? I wouldn't even go there anymore. Such nonsense.

I work with a trainer, but that's because at the beginning I didn't have enough motivation on my own. We started with twice per week sessions, and are now down to one per week with a weekly group bootcamp. I find that now that I'm closer to my goal, she focuses more on the areas I tend to forget (or intentionally ignore ). I pay $40 per session, but have budgeted for it at this point (been going for 9 months).

I lost 62 pounds all by myself, she only makes money if she gets people to sign up with her so of course she would tell you that.

Utter nonsense! Wonder how many ppl that's worked on! Bet she's on commission! Plenty of people on here have lost tonnes of weight and I doubt they all hav personal trainers to see 3x a week!

That's her job and her opinion- I've known a lot of people that are successful without a trainer, and people who need that kind of help and support. When you're paying big money for something like that, you bet your bottom you're going to do it- monetary incentives can be huge.

Whatever you choose is fine as long as you stick with it!

What a fraud! You have only 15 lbs to lose and yet a trainer wants to charge you that, and also insult you into the bargain????
Have faith in yourself, you can do just fine on your own, and everyone here will support you, so you are never alone.

yes there are benefits to working with a trainer, they keep you motivated, they can help you target specific areas, they can make sure you are lifting/using machine properly, if they are very good they can also give you nutritional tips, pre/post work-out foods and schedules etc. However, these are also things that are found easily through most fitness or nutrition websites, through consultations with your doctor, and from the free one on one that you had with her. I personally wouldn't spend that money monthly for her. Working on your own allows you to make it your committment on your time frame and with what works in your life, it forces you to find adaptations and make them. What happens when you stop seeing her if the only motivation you had was well im paying her and this is my scheduled time so i have to go....then you aren't doing it for yourself or learning how to adapt your own lifestyle, and you are not learning these things at a very expensive price. Just my thoughts..

A trainer is not necessary. They are HELPFUL. but not necessary. Remember to mix up your exercises. Try new things. If you don't eventually your muscles will plateau and stop growing. THIS is when a trainer can say ok, lets try this...

Then again.. there is youtube. and bodybuilding.com has a huge exercises section with quick 30 second video's on HOW to do the exercises. Assuming you can get past the incredible hulk DOING the exercises..

Sounds like a hard sales pitch to me! I work with a trainer and find it to be invaluable. And, he doesn't have that attitude that I can't do the work without him. Go for it on your own...it doesn't sound productive!

Don't fall for it. I lost 72 pounds on my own using walking and DVD workouts for my daily exercise. Of course, 80% is diet and I was tracking my meals as well. I joined a gym hoping to pick up some pointers and keep myself motivated. I was given exactly the same speech. I took an offer for 7 personal trainer workouts at a reduced rate with my membership. I liked the trainer, but he did not teach me anything new. I specifically wanted to improve my swimming, and was told the trainer would work with me in the pool for my 7 hours. He had excuses every time, and we did weights, treadmills, and track exercises, but not once in the pool. I ended up not renewing the membership when it expired. I took a C25K class this summer instead, and really learned a lot from the running coach. I think individual classes which are relatively inexpensive through public schools and community colleges are probably much better for the budget and meeting individual goals for fitness. Good Luck!

Not sure about your area, but where I live the local rec centre has a workout room. When you sign up to join they make you sign up for a 1 hour session where they show you how to use the machines. Other than that you have all the access you want to the machines, the track and the pool! You just have to pay your membership fee once a year and they have a sliding scale of fees.

That's total crap...I got a free personal training session (actually 4), and my trainer set up a workout for me so that I know what to do, how much to lift, how often, and have proper form so that I can do it on my own. You so don't need a trainer for every time you work out to see results. Good luck!

So I joined a gym 2 weeks ago and have been going 3x a week, burning an average of 1400 (on spinning class days) to 800 on my own w/the arc training and some free weights. Pretty proud of myself and happy to see how much I can actually sweat. So with a new gym membership comes a free consultation with a personal trainer. it's free.. what the heck. basically she told me that w/out one on one training I will never see results or meet my goals. She said working out will make me feel great and that's about all unless I have a game plan and follow the watchful eye of a trainer 2 to 3x a week.
for $400+ a month.. I do not think so. If I had money to burn.. sure... but totally not in my budget.
What do you think? Is she right? .. any advise ? (I'd like to loose a good 15 lbs).

As a PT myself this is full of BS. Scare tactics like this is an unprofessional way to conduct business. You know how I get my clients? When others see the results my other clients are getting, I get asked to train them. You can get lots of free advice on the internet and here. The only thing you won't get is the physical pushing and encouragement while working out and the observation to see if your form is correct. Prove her wrong.