How are you? I loved this post, very useful. I tried a personal trainer about a while back. I had just started at a gym and a free session with a personal trainer was included. I loved the 30 minute session, 2-3 muscle groups were incorporated in each move,I was sweating loads and I felt that I got a real total body workout in that time. I was hooked! I thought spending over $50 per hour on a trainer was out of my price range however.
One thing that turned me off with that session was how stubborn the trainer was to provide me with tips for my exercise routine. I understand they want to make me a regular client, but as a employee of the gym or even a generally nice person, I'm sure they should provide additional tips or recommendations. If i asked, “how often should this type of routine be performed?”- I was responded to with “Next time we meet again, I will explain it to you”.

I went on to craigslist shortly after and got a cheaper personal trainer, $20/hour at his home. The guy was sweet, helpful, caring, the works. In terms of routine, he designed the routine so i could do it anywhere, any time. I really liked the fact that this trainer gave me a basic routine (similar to what we have discussed, free weights, cardio, etc) that I could do on my own, without his help. It taught me the foundation of a good workout routine, and how to go about making one.
I requested several times for some variety in our workout sessions, perhaps some kick boxing, combo movements, etc. My trainer didn't agree and took me through the same routine 2x a week without any change at all. Eventually I grew very bored with it and had to quit.
If i had the money, i would def try seeing a personal trainer atleast once a month, just so they can give me a new routine to implement.

How are you? I loved this post, very useful. I tried a personal trainer about a while back. I had just started at a gym and a free session with a personal trainer was included. I loved the 30 minute session, 2-3 muscle groups were incorporated in each move,I was sweating loads and I felt that I got a real total body workout in that time. I was hooked! I thought spending over $50 per hour on a trainer was out of my price range however.
One thing that turned me off with that session was how stubborn the trainer was to provide me with tips for my exercise routine. I understand they want to make me a regular client, but as a employee of the gym or even a generally nice person, I'm sure they should provide additional tips or recommendations. If i asked, “how often should this type of routine be performed?”- I was responded to with “Next time we meet again, I will explain it to you”.

I went on to craigslist shortly after and got a cheaper personal trainer, $20/hour at his home. The guy was sweet, helpful, caring, the works. In terms of routine, he designed the routine so i could do it anywhere, any time. I really liked the fact that this trainer gave me a basic routine (similar to what we have discussed, free weights, cardio, etc) that I could do on my own, without his help. It taught me the foundation of a good workout routine, and how to go about making one.
I requested several times for some variety in our workout sessions, perhaps some kick boxing, combo movements, etc. My trainer didn't agree and took me through the same routine 2x a week without any change at all. Eventually I grew very bored with it and had to quit.
If i had the money, i would def try seeing a personal trainer atleast once a month, just so they can give me a new routine to implement.

@Steve If you have a free trainer in the office, why not go by for a free session, just to see what she says. In fact, I’d love to hear what she says, so please go. Make her earn her money!

@am – good call – ask around too, find out who else has used a trainer and if they liked them. personal testimonials go a LONG way.

@mandy – glad to hear you had such a successful experience with a trainer, I wish more trainers put the time in to learn about people like yours did. (of course, it did help that you were friends before hand).

@bfitz – Fitzy I’m gonna look into those DVDs as I’m curious to see what the fuss is all about. Are you gonna be home for Thanksgiving or Xmas?

@RRPF – I think you make a great point. That extra OOMPH that you can get out of somebody pushing you along is so important, especially if you’re trying to push your body to its limits.

Thanks guys!

-NF Steve

I have had a personal trainer before and she was awesome. she was your definition of a great trainer. The most important thing for me was that she held me accountable and since we were already friends, she knew that yelling at me wouldn’t get me to work harder but that working out to 80s music would. go figure. basically, she cared. she made the workout fun and customized it for me. when my carpal tunnel was giving me problems (making it hard for me to grip free weights for any length of time) she modified my workout to not aggravate my injury.

It was completely worth the money to have a trainer, I only wish I could afford to have one again.

When I started working out a few months ago, I considered getting an initial session with a personal trainer, but I looked around at the options at my chain gym, and it didn’t seem like these were the right guys for me.

So I did some reading online and in magazines, and just used my instincts, and lost 30 pounds in the next two months, all through cardio.

But, as I approach my target weight (just 6 lbs to go!) and start thinking about weight training, I am considering finding a personal trainer to help me understand form and the technical aspects of weight training. But, I won’t be doing it at my chain gym…While I’ve spent my time doing intervals on the treadmill, I’ve seen endless red-shirted “personal” “trainers” yapping on their cellphones while they are supposedly helping their clients, or giving very overweight people poor advice/routines, etc., etc.

I’m thinking about joining a more individualized gym with more experienced trainers who will help me get results, not just charge me $50 every session, regardless of whether they can actually help me.

When I moved and I started at another gym, I actually called one and arranged for a training session. He was a nice guy, and he did give me some good tips for working out and diet, but he wasn’t exactly in the best shape, which kind of put me off. I don’t want to sound shallow, but he was a PERSONAL TRAINER, I was expecting to be working with a fit, muscular guy and wanting to work to a point where I looked like him, that wasn’t the case here.

At the gyms in my office there was personal trainer who comes by once a week, and we can have free sessions with her. I haven’t gone through with any of these b/c I really don’t think she cares about the people she is working with. I guess it’s because she isn’t being paid per person, but I see her roll her eyes when someone comes in looking for her, or acting like she is put out when she has to get off of her laptop to work with someone. I just get a bad vibe, and I don’t want to work with someone like that.

Sufficed to say, from what I’ve seen and worked with, I have a a pretty bad taste in my mouth. I’m sure there are AWESOME trainers right there who care about the people he/she works with and wants to do everything in their power to help, but I haven’t seen that yet.