Personal Trainers, Do you really need one?
October 21, 2007 8:37 pm TipsWhat does a personal trainer do for you that you can’t already do on your own, right?
I asked myself that question a year ago while I was 35 Lbs over weight. I received a lot of advice from family and friends, mostly negative. They’re too expensive, not worth it, and just another way for the health club to make money was what I heard.
So naturally I signed up for some one on one sessions. I figured everyone that offered me their negative opinion was overweight and out of shape, so of course they would be against hiring a trainer.
Going in I thought I knew enough about weight lifting and cardio that this guy would be impressed. Boy was I wrong. Apparently my technique and form were really bad (that explains the shoulder and lower back injuries); currently up to 70% of people perform at least 1 weight lifting exercise incorrectly.
He also pointed out that I was missing out on all of the benefits from those last few reps that I quit on. I was “lifting for comfort and not for size or strength”. (His words)
What did my trainer do for me?
The 2 most important lessons that I learned from my trainer were:
1.) How to lift weights properly, for safety as well as maximum gains.
2.) How to push myself beyond my normal comfort zone, on my own.
To this day I still follow that advice and have been injury free ever since. As well as dropping the 35lbs 
How Much do they cost?
This varies from city to city and gym to gym. I signed up for 10, 1 hour sessions and paid a total of $450. So you really need to check with your local health club. My sessions were without a meal plan. But the generally accepted fees are anywhere from $40 to $100 an hour.
Most health clubs have plans that include your trainer fees, fitness assessments and meal plans.
Conclusion
I do recommend hiring a personal trainer for at least 6 sessions anything less and you won’t really see the benefits. After that you should be knowledgeable enough to go it alone.
Follow these guidelines on how to pick a personal trainer. From Ray Burtons site buildingbodies.ca
October 21st, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Yes, yes, yes! I wholeheartedly agree on this topic. And I’ve never even had a personal trainer, but if I had the dough, they’d be the first person I’d call to spend it on! I would love to have someone put me through the drills. We live up to other people’s expectations much quicker and easier than we do our own. Especially if we’re paying that person our hard-earned cash. I’d love to one day get a trainer!
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:16 am
I am not fully agreed with your topic as i visit a site named fat loss 4 idiots review, According to it you don’ have any need to spend hours in gym with your trainer if you can really control your eating habbits and incoroporate some of the daily exercises that can be done at home.
October 22nd, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Hey Lorelei,
My trainer kicked my butt during our workouts and was worth every penny.
I think they are great but you need to get one that is all business and won’t let you BS them excuses.
So true about the other expectations of others. I never would have pushed myself as hard without someone standing there tell me they wanted 2-3 more out of me.
October 22nd, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Anonymous,
While it is true that you don’t need a trainer to get in shape or lose the weight, there are many advantages of having a knowledgeable person on your side to show you how to do things properly ass well as push you out of your normal comfort zone.
If it was as easy as simply watching what you eat and getting a little bit of exercise each day, no one would be overweight.
Weight loss and building muscle takes a lot of effort and commitment.
You can make small changes, put in a little bit of effort and see results but don’t expect the weight to just fall off going that route. It will happen very slowly.
Good luck and don’t believe everything you read, some sites will tell you what you want to hear just to sell you what you don’t need.