Personal Trainer

Very interested in responses...looking to hire one after the holidays!! I work out at a gym, so I have my eye out for a good one!!!

I feel like most of them are useless. There are good trainers, but you usually find them at specialty gyms or running their own business. If you were in Boston, I could help you, because Mike Boyle is amazing.

This, it's not easy to find a good trainer. Most of them won't give you much better advice then you see on here.

My problem is that I don’t have a clue where to start. I have extremely bad knees, and I literally have not exercised more than a week at a time since I was 16 years old. I need someone to show me what to do, hold my hand, so I don’t absolutely hurt myself *LOL* I haven't a clue where to start to be honest.

You might be able to see a physical therapist for assistance with "postural awareness" and correct form. Given your history of injury and rehab, i think you can swing it - and send the bill to your PPO

My problem is that I don’t have a clue where to start. I have extremely bad knees, and I literally have not exercised more than a week at a time since I was 16 years old. I need someone to show me what to do, hold my hand, so I don’t absolutely hurt myself *LOL* I haven't a clue where to start to be honest.

Go to the gym and take a strength conditioning class (like bodypump). You won't get personal attention, but you'll learn some compound exercises, and someone will correct your form if you're doing something that will lead to injury

I have had great success with my trainer, but he's the fourth one I've had.

I've posted about this in another thread. But, my best advice is this:

1) Meet with potential trainers first and find out what their training philosophy is and if it apeals to you. Think of it as a job interview and your a tough boss! Of course, you need to have some idea of what you are looking for in order for this to work.
2) If you can, get a couple of free sessions. If the trainer does not show up prepared with a workout ready for you, then forget about it. They can be friggin' expensive. You do not have time/money to wait for them to pull exercises out of their a**. In addition, make sure they have an overall plan for you.
3) Check out their biographies. The ones who have put time into getting certifications or have trained themselves in a specific sport, are usually professionals and not just a "jock" who figured being a pt was an easy way to make some money (which I think happens a lot and hence why PTs get a bad name). You are NOT looking for someone who just watches you as you do the same old thing.

They provide a service and if you want the one that's right for you, then you have to really know what you are looking for and "shop around."

Personally, having a PT has been very successful, but I agree with teh general sentiment that you do not need one.

I see my trainer on Fridays when she kicks my butt and then weighs me. She motivates me to keep on track during the week - and stops me from indulging too cos I know she's gonna see the results/repurcussions on the scales.
Plus I'm paying her so I want to succeed more!
She gives me ideas for workouts while I"m at the gym. We're concentrating on building definition in my arms and back plus improving other areas too and without her I would be feeling lost - like you!
She is worth the money. I'd recommend it - if they're good of course!

Paying a trainer is like paying a mechanic, you CAN do it yourself, but you either lack the tools, or just dont want to.

I personally love my trainer, she is so supportive and she knows how to kick my butt in a motivational way. We have had our ups and downs and sometimes I feel like she doesn't understand where I'm coming from cause she has always been fit. However I look forward to our sessions and her insight. My first week and a half with her I lost 19inches and a few pounds, but it made me realize that this healthy way of lifestyle and weight loss journey isn't as hard as I originally had thought.

You lost 19 inches in 10 days? :huh:

Yes I did, but I was over 230 lbs and hadn't worked out in years. I saw my trainer 3x that week for an hour and she made me do 30min of cardio after a workout and an hour of cardio when I didn't see her that week and we fine tuned my nutrition to something healthier. I am assuming it was mostly water weight and the fact I actually moved my fat *kitten*. I still have a long ways to go, but I am healthier, stronger and fitter. I started with a trainer cause I needed to have an appointment to get myself to the gym, I was too scared to go on my own, now I love the gym and try to work out there or at home 4-5x a week.

Check their credentials, get references, do a trial session with one. Like anything else, there are good and bad trainers. A blanket statement like, "Most of them don't know what they're talking about," is unfair.

You don't have to keep on long term. Even having one for a short time, who can teach you proper form, can keep you from injuring yourself.

Also, a trainer can help motivate you. If you have trouble being consistent with workouts, having paid in advance is a great motivator to show up when you're supposed to.

And also, you may be working out but not pushing yourself as hard as you could and getting the results that you could. A good trainer will push you to the limits of your ability and help you grow stronger and build more endurance than you might if you worked alone and quit because you were tired.

Personally, as a trainer, I have, for free, helped a woman drop 30 pounds so she could donate a kidney to her brother. She had lap band surgery and lost a lot of weight then gained back 50 pounds. She needed to lose 40 pounds before they would take her as a donor. She had been working for three months with no success and was completely stressed out. Her brother was going on dialysis. Another client told me about her and I offered to work with her for free. In three months her she was down 30 pounds and her body fat percentage was low enough for them to take her as a donor.

Not bad for someone who has no idea what they're talking about.