Is Personal Training Worth the Cost?

So you’re considering hiring a personal trainer, but you’re wondering if it’s worth the cost. 

Let’s way the pros and cons and discuss how to choose the right trainer for you. Personal training is a serious investment in your fitness, so it’s important to consider whether it’s truly worth it for your budget and progress. We’ll examine both sides of the personal training argument and present some cost effective alternatives to help guide you through this decision-making process. If you don’t get a trainer you can always check out

We’ll examine both sides of the personal training argument and present some cost effective alternatives to help guide you through this decision-making process. If you don’t end up taking our advice about a trainer you should at least check out beginners workout.

If you have considered getting a personal trainer…

I’m sure you have asked yourself these questions:

Should I Get A Personal Trainer? I Need Motivation…

It is nothing to be ashamed of to admit to yourself that you don’t have enough motivation to reach your fitness goals on your own. Most people do not.

The one reason why most people succeed from a personal trainer is the relationship of reliability that results from setting a trainer loose on your gym plan and habits. We all need a kick sometimes, and this is without a doubt one of the best things a trainer can provide.

For those self-directed individuals, a gym partner alone might be enough to get the extra push when it’s needed, but for many, a trainer comes in the clutch right here. In fact, even some studies suggest a personal trainer can change your attitude towards fitness altogether.

Trainers are excellent for providing motivation, teaching safe workout techniques
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Why Hire Personal Trainer… I Need Better Form…

One extremely beneficial aspect of hiring a personal trainer is someone to watch and critique your form on every lift. While some gym partners are willing and able to perform this duty, for your average person working out alone, this can be a major area of risk for injury. While it’s been said time and again that everyone should start with low weight and develop their form with each exercise, even experienced lifters are known to chuck weight around with terrible form just trying to squeeze out that last rep.

While it’s been said time and again that everyone should start with low weight and develop their form with each exercise, even experienced lifters are known to chuck weight around with terrible form just trying to squeeze out that last rep.

What about lifting mistakes?

This is where a personal trainer would step in and correct your mistake. This can be a highly, highly beneficial coaching point in the interest of keeping you healthy and able to continue training. If you have a highly knowledgeable gym partner, this might do the trick.

What Does a Physical Trainer Do… Can I Become my Own Expert?

Part of your ongoing progress as you train and make health and fitness priorities in your life is that you will eventually become somewhat of an expert on what works and what doesn’t. If you’re feeling your nowhere near there, and you don’t have the time or motivation to do the research yourself, a trainer might be a viable option. Part of building a relationship with a personal trainer involves their sharing in the wisdom of their experience.

While everybody is different, it is a trainer’s full-time job to stay on the cutting edge of fitness and nutrition news, trends and health research. Learning from a master in any pursuit can be highly beneficial and enable you to learn from the experience of someone else, instead of having to improve on your own trials and errors. If you’re a dedicated reader and are willing to make a commitment to educating yourself, this route can also be taken—but remember that experience speaks louder than trends.

What Makes a Good Personal Trainer, I have Specific Needs & Injuries

If you have experienced a recent injury that took you out of training, hiring a trainer who is certified in PT is a smart decision. In the delicate stages of recovery, it can be easy to get ahead of yourself or overeager to get back in the game. This can obviously be a disastrous mistake as you are highly susceptible to re-injury in these early stages. A therapist/trainer can keep an eye on you, guiding your form and unless you’re recovering from a repeated injury, you’ll most likely need to learn some new movements to rehab the injury. For example maybe you can’t squat due to injury or mobility and you need a “squat free approach muscle building workout“.Keeping you safe and protected from further injury could save you a great deal of money, in the long run.

What Does a Personal Trainer Do For An Event or Race?

Another situation that makes a valid argument for the use of a personal trainer is an athlete who is training for a particular race or event. An experienced fitness coach can keep track of your times, chart your progress and guide you through the specific challenges of training for an endurance event. A personal trainer will help you with, proper running form and other various tips.

Training for a fitness or bodybuilding show also requires an unbiased critical eye to identify gaps in development. If you’re training at the competition level, you should at least have a coach or trainer that you consult and plan your training regimen with.

The Health & Fitness industry grew by 75% between 2000 and 2011
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What Makes a Good Personal Trainer and How to Choose the Correct One

Aside from the obvious of choosing a trainer with the proper credentials, there are a few things to keep in mind when you are choosing a trainer. For one, what are most of their clients like—ie, is this person experienced in training individuals you’re your body type, fitness goals and past injuries.

Always ask for a trial session before committing to a trainer. During this time, what does the trainer discuss with you during conversation? Is it about you and your health and fitness? It should be. You are paying for the attention of an expert who should be intensely focused on YOU during each session.

One of the first and easiest ways to tell if a hair stylist is a good choice is by looking at their hair. The same goes for a personal trainer in many respects. A trainer should be not only a symbol of a fit lifestyle, but also a person whose own fitness and appearance demonstrate their level of expertise. If a trainer embodies the sort of principles that you wish to pursue in your own fitness endeavors, then this may be your match.

Most trainers should be able to adapt to your specific goals, but if you’re looking for a salad, you don’t ask the butcher…

We have answered most of your questions… 

But what if you STILL don’t want a trainer?

I Don’t Need a Personal Trainer…  What are Some Cost Effective Alternatives?

The power of having a gym partner is almost immeasurable. Someone to keep you accountable on those days where you’re just not really feeling it can be one of the best tools in the shed for keeping you on task.

To be an effective gym partner, a person must be able to motivate you and vice versa. It is also preferable that you partner up with someone interested in pursuing a similar routine for at least a couple workouts throughout the week. This builds accountability with your partner as opposed to simply being carpool pals for the gym.

Know your own body, and adjust what you need to do in the gym to your own needs, but a gym partner can really turn up the intensity on your workouts.  If you’re new to training, find someone who’s ahead of where you are at, but not so much that you’ll be a detriment to their own progress. If you do decide to go this route, make sure that you take responsibility for doing your own research to stay informed on fitness issues and best practices.

Another option that is worth considering is having a single monthly session with a personal trainer as a checkup. This will require you to take much more responsibility for yourself than a 3 session per week sort of plan, and allow for less learning time during conversation with your trainer. However, this can be a budget friendly option if you want to have an expert consultant as part of your fitness plan.

Conclusion

The biggest value in hiring a personal trainer is an expert resource to keep you informed and accountable for your health and fitness progress. A personal trainer is someone to constantly push you to train your hardest and get the most out of your time in the gym and the most of your recovery with the right foods and healthy practices. If you’re an extremely disciplined self-directed person, there are tons of resources online that can make an expert out of almost any reader, and maybe personal training isn’t for you. However, if you’re the type of person that needs an extra push then maybes it’s your time for a trainer.

-Terry Asher