Personal Trainers: Yay or Nay?

Often, a gym will try and up-sell their new members with a discounted offer of working with a personal trainer. While having a fitness guru by your side to assist in regular training may sound ideal, many question the need of a personal trainer. For those hoping to get that chiseled, god-like physique or the sexy, toned legs that are polluting social media nowadays, a personal trainer could be a miracle-worker in disguise… or a too-good-to-be-true nightmare. After all, the fees associated with joining a gym combined with the expenses of a regular personal trainer act as a deterrent for most first-time gym attendees. And while a trainer could be the answer, they could also be a fast-pass to lifting too much weight too soon and burning out your desire to hit the gym altogether. So the question becomes is a personal trainer worth the additional expense? The answer, naturally, is yes… with caveats. A personal trainer is perfect for those who need extra motivation or help learning the machines, but it has to be a personal trainer that can match and understand your fitness goals. 

Traditionally, most gyms see a spike in membership registrations as the high of the holidays transition into the new year. For most, it’s the opportunity for a fresh start and a means of boosting self-confidence. However, for someone who has little experience in the gym, walking into a room full of yoga pants and cantaloupe-sized biceps is daunting. Therefore, having a personal trainer as a guide is an excellent way to instill self-confidence and bolster your motivation. A trainer is a friendly face in a sea of determined strangers, someone to help keep your focus.

While a personal trainer is great for those new to working out, a trainer is also beneficial for people new to lifting weights and using weight machines—something I found out the hard way. Coming from a strictly cardio-based background, I couldn’t tell the difference between a barbell and a dumbbell the first time I stepped into a gym. Feeling overconfident, I decided to conquer the squat rack on day one, which prompted several trainers to rush over and correct my form. After receiving advice from a trainer with muscles that straddled the line between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Shrek, I set up a consultation to hear him out. I explained up front that I was motivated enough to not need a trainer long term but would love help in the interim to avoid making mistakes that could result in injury—and that, more than anything, is a reason for those new to the fitness world to evoke the talents of a personal trainer. For the unfamiliar, injury is around every corner at a gym. If you don’t understand how to work the equipment, it will likely pay off in the long run to pay extra for a trainer.

While my experience with a trainer was purely technical, to those looking for a long-term trainer, it’s important to find someone who understands your fitness needs. According to 24 Hour Fitness trainer Max Rudolph, a good trainer will focus on meeting your goals and personalizing the experience. "Good trainers offer motivation and understand what works best for their clientele. Anyone can become certified to adequately train people, but you need to understand what your client’s goals are and what methods of coaching will work best for them so you aren’t wasting their time or your own." In reality, if you don’t mesh with and trust your trainer, you might as well not have one at all.

Whether you’re looking to begin the fitness process or step up your personal goals in 2017, finding a trainer you can work well with can make the process easier. Ultimately, you need to assess your goals to determine what’s going to work best; as Rudolph says, "Everyone can benefit from a little coaching here and there in the gym. It really depends on what you’re looking to accomplish and then finding the right person to get you there."

For Related Articles Try:

Enjoy a Neakita Organic Tea

OH! Juice Brings a New Taste to San Diego

8 Food Swaps That Will Change Your Eating Habits