personal trainers

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  • aWashCloth
    aWashCloth Posts: 198 Member
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    I have my personal Trainer certification through BCRPA and don't mind answering any questions you have to the best of my ability.
  • staceyseeger
    staceyseeger Posts: 783 Member
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    I made the Plunge & signed up with a PT about 3 weeks ago. He contracts through this small gym. This is gym where your main focus is to get in there & work your *kitten* off. I call them a "man's gym". Nothing frilly or foo-foo about them. Very small, but has the equipment to do the job. I pay a monthy membership fee to the gym (very minimal) & I pay my PT a monthly fee.
    I didn't know what to expect from my PT - well, let me tell you...by the time I get there & changed, he has everything set up for "high interval circuit" & he stands right beside me the entire time, pushing & encouraging me, counting my reps & making sure my form is correct. He does not have his phone on him, he doesn't text or email or gawk at himself in the mirror ...the whole 60-90+ minutes is all about me. He stays in constant contact via email or text checking on my "after workout" status.

    He competes in body building & was on the Olympic BB Team for several years.

    I don't know if I lucked out by chance or if this is the way most PT's are.

    Hope this helps...
  • madameduffay
    madameduffay Posts: 166 Member
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    Before you all start - i'm not one and would'nt want to be one.
    But I may want one.

    I'm losing focus and need someone to drive me and am thinking about getting a personal trainer?

    Anyone got one? Are they that good?

    I have one. I have learned so much and would not have achieved half my success without him. The board is mixed on whether PTs are worth it (from what I've seen). I think a good one is (I've had four and this one is the one I click with).

    I think part of the reason I am happy with my PT is that I found someone who is really into boxing, which I enjoy immensly. Find someone who is good at what you are interested in and don't be afraid to meet with a few.

    There are some amazing PTs out there, but there are also some bad ones.
  • Misiaxcore
    Misiaxcore Posts: 659 Member
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    Last year I got a personal trainer. Kind of a waste, really. I had two different ones in my paid sessions because the first one didn't have time half-way through. Neither of them helped with my diet, which was what I actually NEEDED. They just said to watch my portions and cut out the fat, you know, really generic advice, no concrete stuff. The first one worked me really hard with circuit training and I felt that I was getting a little tone, but adding fat because I still ate like crap. The other one didn't push me as hard but I still got decent workouts in.


    I guess all they did was help me burn some calories and slow down my progress towards getting fatter for the few months I trained with them.

    I should also note, both my trainers were HK students (I used the gym on campus since it's cheaper than going to another gym) one was a semi-professional hockey player, the other one I'm not sure.
  • lindalee0315
    lindalee0315 Posts: 527 Member
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    I've used personal trainers in the past. I've had two really awesome ones, and one that was so-so, and one that downright sucked. The first one I used was through my health club and he was great. I initially met with him 3x a week, just for a couple of weeks. Then, he set me up with a program and I met with him every 6 weeks to change it up. The changes in me were tremendous. I worked with him for about 6 years, until he moved away. He was constantly changing things up and trying new exercises that he had learned about. He nagged me about my nutrition, and was very knowledgeable.

    After he left, I tried another one through an entity called Fitness Together. The first woman I had was great, but then without explanation, I walked in one day and she was working with someone else, and I had a "new" trainer who obviously didn't know anything about me, as she was handing me weights that were too light, etc. Since training with that place was super expensive, I was irate.

    Finally, I used another person in Eastown. I liked him a lot, but he used equipment and moves that wouldn't be easy to replicate on your own, and frankly, I just don't have the budget for a 3x/week personal training session--I mean that's about $1000/month.
  • johnlewismodel
    johnlewismodel Posts: 44
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    Expensive:glasses:
  • inlander
    inlander Posts: 339 Member
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    I think they're awesome if you need that extra kick in the pants. I never wound up signing up for one because I wasn't that committal at the time and didn't want someone to kick my *kitten* if I didn't want to put forth the effort.

    I think it's especially important to find a personal trainer you click with. A training session can be like a therapy session if you get along with your trainer and feel comfortable with them. There is a trainer at my old gym that would talk and talk and talk.... and for some people, that's awesome; for others, it might be frustrating.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    I've had two personal trainers since March --

    One was for a Kickboxing/striking program that was 6 months long, two days a week for an hour. LOVED IT, and miss kicking so I'm thinking about getting my own wavemaster!

    The other I still have..... Started out two days a week, about a month ago I went down to one day a week..... I like having him because he pushes me and although I work out ALL THE TIME on my own, he gives me great ideas to incorporate into my workout and helps keep it fresh.

    *When I had both my trainers, I was paying my gym about $700 a month including my membership fee* - ouch pricey - but it's an investment in myself and I don't regret it one bit!

    You could just get one for a few sessions, to help get ideas and see if there's something that may work better for you -- and then if you like it you can resign for more sessions..... It really can't hurt (Unless you pick a crappy one) so make sure you choose one who seems to understand your goals. I know my gym offers free consultations with the trainers, and there are some that I wouldn't want to train with (although they are very nice people) just I don't think they'd work for me....
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I've found they are really great when I've hit a slump (I'm trying to lose weight) or if I've become bored with my workouts. They are really great for accountability and motivation. They can push me harder than I would push myself when I'm feeling lethargic. If you are feeling yourself becoming a little lazy, it might be a good idea to pay for a couple of sessions/wk for a month or two just to get yourself pumped back up mentally.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    I've had two personal trainers.. My first one sucked and my current one is awesome.

    It's really about you, and what you want to spend and what your goals are. No one can really tell you yes do it, or no don't.. You just have to try it out and see.

    You need to find someone that you are compatible with and that you trust. If you don't, then you're not going to benefit from it at all.
  • Carfoodel
    Carfoodel Posts: 481 Member
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    I changed gym's recently from Bannatynes to a small one life gym - they have two rates for a personal training session - £ 25 for full attention or if you don't mind them setting you up and running to get the phone or to speaking to other gym members you can get a session for £ 10.

    I have only been going to the gym 3 weeks now - but saw one PT session whilst I was there and it looked very impressive - it was an interesting mix including running round circuits in the gym in between sets. I am at the stage where I am building up lung capacity and establishing my routine - but it is defintely something that I would consider far sooner than what I experienced at Bannatynes and I paid far more for.
  • ambercanfly
    ambercanfly Posts: 150 Member
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    Getting a personal trainer seriously changed my life. If you can afford it, or can barely afford it (that's me!) I would say got for it.

    I knew my personal trainer from High School. He's an old friend, but he's now a master trainer for 24 hour fitness (he has a bunch of certifications, and has logged over 2000 hours with clients.). I got 33 sessions for $1,400. The financial investment I think is what helped me become serious about finally losing weight.

    Here is what I like about my personal trainer:
    1. He pushes me to work hard. I have to complete my sets. He makes me finish them. He keeps me accountable.
    2. He watches me to make sure I don't do things that could potentially injure myself. Sometimes during squats my knees go too far forward. He corrects me. I've learned from this and now my form is great. This is REALLY important. I think it's invaluable to know about form. It's something you'll know for the rest of your life.
    3. He is a great source of diet/fitness information.
    4. He switches things up and keeps track of the exercises I do and what muscle groups they work. He knows exactly what to do to make something look more toned and how to strengthen certain muscles. It's quite amazing!
    5. He makes gym time more enjoyable because he'll talk to me.... last week we were chatting and before I knew it I had done 40 push ups in a row (never done that before!).

    I could go on and on about how wonderful having a personal trainer is. If you can find a good one. Go for it. It's expensive but totally worth it.

    Also, my personal trainer just finished filming the most recent Jillian Michaels DVD (yet to be released). If you want to check him out go here: http://www.modelmayhem.com/kentaseki

    He is LEGIT! :-)
  • andreae13
    andreae13 Posts: 239 Member
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    I made the Plunge & signed up with a PT about 3 weeks ago. He contracts through this small gym. This is gym where your main focus is to get in there & work your *kitten* off. I call them a "man's gym". Nothing frilly or foo-foo about them. Very small, but has the equipment to do the job. I pay a monthy membership fee to the gym (very minimal) & I pay my PT a monthly fee.
    I didn't know what to expect from my PT - well, let me tell you...by the time I get there & changed, he has everything set up for "high interval circuit" & he stands right beside me the entire time, pushing & encouraging me, counting my reps & making sure my form is correct. He does not have his phone on him, he doesn't text or email or gawk at himself in the mirror ...the whole 60-90+ minutes is all about me. He stays in constant contact via email or text checking on my "after workout" status.

    He competes in body building & was on the Olympic BB Team for several years.

    I don't know if I lucked out by chance or if this is the way most PT's are.

    Hope this helps...


    Mine is the same way! My appointment is 100% me, as it should be! That's why I say you may need to go through a couple before you find the right one.

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