Personal training?

I was terrified as well until I did it. Now I LOVE it. They won't "make" you do anything you honestlly cannot do. They WILL ASK you to do things you "don't think" you can do. That's the point, really. You are capable of so much more than you realize. I've been going since the 1st of the year and have a package of 30 sessions that I am using. I cannot tell you how much it has changed my life. Even if you can only go a few times, it will help you in many ways.
1) You will realize your true capabilities, which will enable you to work HARDER when you are on your own.
2) It will teach you the RIGHT way to do strength training so you can feel confident when you are at the gym.

The right trainer will not make you feel stupid or inadequate. They will MOTIVATE you and give you POWER!

I would go for it!! It really is life changing.

My opinion from my personal observations is that most personal trainers don't know much.

There is a PT here on MFP that seems to know his stuff, I can't think of his name right now.

i have a PT, i bought some multiple session deal, and it comes out to 2 sessions a month for four months. totally worth it. they;'re supposed to make you do things that are out of your comfort zone. thats the point of a PT. they should be able to help you out, coordinate your movements, etc. i wouldn't have done a lot of my work outs if it wasn't for my guy.

and yes, many PTs out there are not as knowledgeable as they may seem. talk to your gym management and hopefully they can set you up with a PT that can help you meet your goals.

My opinion from my personal observations is that most personal trainers don't know much.

There is a PT here on MFP that seems to know his stuff, I can't think of his name right now.

^^^THIS

I know some great ones exist, but if you don't get some good references you will mostly end up with a "rep counter" whose mind wanders while you work. If you are paying $$, you deserve better. Ask around. Get references.

There is a PT here on MFP that seems to know his stuff, I can't think of his name right now.

ninerbuff?

Around me there seem to be a lot of trainers, so in the local gyms they often advertise free or cheap intro sessions - that is a good way to try it out and see if they are what you are looking for without wasting money.

I wanted to kick my workout into a whole other gear. Searched and searched and found a personal trainer. Loved him from day one (mind you I couldn't walk for over a week) but started training with him twice a week, what started out as a 3 month plan ended up being 6 months. He taught me so much, yes it was expensive but it was the best thing I could have done for myself. We never worked on my eating, he didn't plan my menu I wasn't looking for that just training. He was helpful and I will forever be glad I did that splurge.

I was terrified as well until I did it. Now I LOVE it. They won't "make" you do anything you honestlly cannot do. They WILL ASK you to do things you "don't think" you can do. That's the point, really. You are capable of so much more than you realize. I've been going since the 1st of the year and have a package of 30 sessions that I am using. I cannot tell you how much it has changed my life. Even if you can only go a few times, it will help you in many ways.
1) You will realize your true capabilities, which will enable you to work HARDER when you are on your own.
2) It will teach you the RIGHT way to do strength training so you can feel confident when you are at the gym.

The right trainer will not make you feel stupid or inadequate. They will MOTIVATE you and give you POWER!

I would go for it!! It really is life changing.

EXACTLY! Without my PT I would be floundering around getting frustrated that I wasn't seeing any results. I can't afford it either, but I MAKE myself afford it - for six months every week anyway - that way I learn so much and get so much back from him. Choose well, test out a couple (my gym give one free session with each PT so I chose the one for me). Go for it, you won't regret it.

Hi,

I'm thinking about maybe doing a personal training session, and was wanting some advice. I've been exercising about 3-5 times a week since April.

firstly, I'm petrified of the idea of it! what if they make me so something I can't do? just generally quite intimated by it.

secondly, its cost. if I were to do this, I would only be able to afford around 1/2 per month. would this be a waste of time?

I would just like some idea if they are worth the money and also am i right to be so scared?!

thanks in advance

:flowerforyou:

Hi, I am a PT and hopefully I can offer some reasonable answers from a trainers point of you. Firstly, most trainers will never make you do something you DONT want to do. Yes, if I thought thats a certain exercise would be ideal for you I would strongly recommend it but there are so many exercises it is very easy to swap for an alternative (there are literally thousands of possible exercises for cardio or strength). Although it is nice to have a client you can see for every session the majority of people actually only see me once or twice a month so this wouldnt be an issue. Twice a month would obviously be better than once but what most trainers will do is prescribe goals / program for the next two weeks then review it and prescribe the next two weeks.

My advice would be first find a qualified personal trainer - avoid using the first one you come across. Im not sure where you are from but in the UK they have REPS (Register of exercise professionals) which lists qualified personal trainers by area with contact details. Secondly, many trainers will offer a first free session so give this a go and see how you feel with the trainer then go from there.

Recieveing personal training (which I also have when I begun my fitness career) is very useful not just because of what you gain in the short-term but what you LEARN for the long-term. Most trainers will aim to teach you as much as possible so that you can continue the success on your own if you ever wish to. Yes some will refrain from this to capitalise on keeping you as a client forever but not the good ones. I Wouldnt more than £20 for a personal trainer unless perhaps your living in major cities where prices may be higher but £20 seems the standard. Also, avoid using one that is part of a gym if possible - the reason is the gym takes £10 of the profit straight up so your only really getting a trainer worth about £10 whos probably only doing it on the side of being a fitness instructor.

The good trainers are free-lance and fully qualified and will give you amazing results. Hope this helps.

i have come a long way since I started seeing my PT 2x a week...he makes me do stuff that I normally wouldn't think I could do...but that's the point, to push me past a certain point to where I push myself more instead of just doing the same things over and over...good luck!

Get a trainer that has some national certifications, and stay with them for a week or so to get you familiar with a good workout. Like Addison said earlier, get them to teach you the big lifts: deadlifts, squats, bench, shoulder press, barbell rows, and clean and jerks (which may not be allowed at your gym, so don't worry about it). If they can't/won't teach those to you, get another trainer.