Personal Trainers

This is just my opinion, but that sounds like greed talking. I go to Lifetime Fitness and I met a lady that has lost over 60 lbs from just doing the (free) classes that are offered. It has been pretty amazing to watch her transformation. It is amazing ot see how much her endurance has been built up during this time - in fact on Tuesday I saw her running her butt off on the treadmill.
I would talk to your doctor and see what they have to say.

I just met with a "free" personal trainer last week. The guy was a ding dong & was telling me a bunch of blah blah blah to get me to buy sessions. Don't listen to him! If you want to find a personal trainer, check out craigslist for some listings.

I am a firm believer that you can do this on your own. Educate yourself by reading articles online, get some books, ask MFP members for suggestions. Go to the gym & figure out the machines. Get a gym buddy & work out together! YOU can do this without a personal trainer. If you aren't where you want to be in a year, then re-entertain the idea, but I think you can go a long way without them. Good luck to you! :flowerforyou:

The guy told me because my weight is so high. That I need to bring my lean body mass down and to do that for 6 months then add cardio.

Wow... Um... really? He wants you to just lift weights for 6 months? That seems completely ridiculous to me... cardio is how you lose body fat. Tons and tons of cardio. Not only that, it will improve your heart health. Why would he tell you to wait 6 months before experiencing those benefits?

I totally agree with keiko on the walking.... Start there! You can even track your distance by going to www.geodistance.com Walking is great exercise & stress relief and requires no special equipment! I LOVE walking! :flowerforyou:

You need to do cardio and weights. I would look around for a new trainer. You need to take your weightloss 10 lbs at a time. If your start thinking about how long it's gonna take you will not stay focused. Why not just set mini goals for yourself. You will be able to stay focused that way. Maybe after a certain amount of weight loss give yourself a treat like a new pair of pants. I have lost over 60 lbs and only joined here when I had a little left to loose. I have been seing a personal trainer once a month for 2 years now and she is wonderful. She is very encouraging and changes up my gym routine once a month. I feel like I am in the best shape of my life. It was worth every penny.

I have been working out for 10 years and have never paid for a personal trainer. The best advice I can offer is to try and get to those classes your gym offers. The YMCA (where I work out) and many other gyms offer cardio classes, strength classes, zumba, pilates, yoga, etc... and those classes are free with your membership. So basically you get to work out with a trainer for free. The trainers always cue you on the proper form, etc.. Once you get that down you can go into the weight room with confidence. Read fitness magazines for tips also (you can borrow them for free at your local library). I'm a big fan of Oxygen Magazine! Good luck!:happy:

I wanted a personal trainer to move me to the next level, and challenge me. I went to the manager and said " I want a woman with 5+ years experience, understands my neck injury, will push me within a certain limit, and who knows her stuff"

He set me up the the perfect trainer.

You need to go to the manager of the gym and tell him you do not want to hurt yourself in his equipment and you need a certified trainer to show you the proper form to use HIS equipment.

Tell him you must have someone who is experienced with someone with your issues.

Good luck honey! I am so proud of you for taking this first step!

:flowerforyou: Jeannie

Please dont be discouraged about the time it will take to lose weight. If you are changing your mind set, truly making a lifstyle change, you will be so much happier 10 months from now! I have lost 30 pounds and increased my level of fitness 10 fold. I have not regretted the change ONE time in this year.

I know it seems like a long way away............but 1 year will be here either way!! You can either say HEY I lost 50 pounds or damn, I am still sitting here on my couch!!

You can do this. Once day at a time!!

Wow, lots of PT hate here! :laugh:

Keep in mind that, while you're paying the $40 for an hour, they aren't getting all of that. They have to charge enough to make money after the gym has taken it's overhead, which can be around 50%. If you only got 50% of your paycheck, wouldn't you want that to still be enough to feed you?

However, I do agree that you need to ask for credentials--who they're certified with, how long they've been certified, whether they've worked with special populations, and any competitions or specialties they may have. Meeting with a quality trainer just once a month can make a big difference. They can perform assessments you won't have access to on your own, write you programs, and offer general advice on form and sometimes diet.

No quality trainer will sugar coat your situation. If you have an appreciable amount of body fat, it's going to take a long time to lose it in a safe way. It took a long time to put it on, too.There will be weeks in which you'll lose absolutely nothing. You have to have patience and look at this realistically. By the math, it WILL take 19 months to lose 77 lbs assuming you lose 1 pound every week. But hormonally, it could take more or less time.

I have been using a personal trainer for almost a year now and I absolutely LOVE him! I only do weight training with him, and it has worked out pretty well for me since I am pretty motivated and have the power to control my own destiny with cardio. But I think my experience with finding my trainer may help.

I did A LOT of research. I have had surgery on both of my knees so I am VERY picky about who I work with. I require someone with medical training/experience or some sort of medical degree.

In the course of my research, I found that trainers generally fall into two categories, (1) they work for a major gym like Bally; or (2) they have their own gym/facility where they only do personal training. I believe that trainers in major gyms are just ok. Generally they do not have all of the credentials that a "real" trainer should have. That is something I cannot stress enough, ALWAYS find out what certifications they have. Pretty much any schmuck can become a trainer if they pass a test. You want someone who has something more than just the minimum. What exactly those certs are escape me at the moment, but someone else might be able to add about that.

I ended up finding my trainer with a little bit of diligence and some luck! He owns his own small gym in New Orleans, has been in business for 15 years, has almost every degree in exercise physiology you can have, and I absolutely adore him! He is part of a large network of trainers who use the "super-slow" weight training method. The man had even written articles and books in medical journals. He did not try to sell me at all, actually he told me that with the amount of weight that I push with him, I would only be able to do once a week.

Its really important that you connect with your trainer. While I may only do weight training with him, I ask him for advice about my cardio and nutrition all the time. Since I have been working with him, I have lost 21 pounds.

So after my REALLY long rant, do the research and find someone who's right for YOU. Most trainers offer their first session free. If you don't click, then move on. And make sure to ask about certifications, it really can make a difference between a schmuck and a really good trainer.