“Do you really want to waste your money on that, you can just Google everything” “those meatheads only care about making the personal training sale, not you” ahh yes, the unwarranted advice from co-workers and friends, just what you want when you decide to pull the trigger and step outside of your comfort zone into the world of personal training.

One important thing to remember is that YOUR mindset and YOUR effort are a huge pat of your success or failure – you can blame your personal trainer until you are blue in the face, but what goes on outside of that 30-60 minute session is just as important as what went on in it.

My Top 5 Benefits of Having a Personal Trainer:

1. ACCOUNTABLILITY & MOTIVATION
   • Knowing that every Tuesday I am going to see my personal trainer and that the first session of every month is stats day pushes me to work towards my goal
   • Even on days I don’t have a session I feel like my personal trainer will realize I didn’t go that day and call me out – some personal trainers actually will text you and ask you how your workout was or will check in when they don’t see you
   • Trainers believe in you even when you don’t believe in yourself – they encourage you and make your goals and dreams realistic and attainable
2. PERSONALIZED PLAN
   • Sure, you can buy or download some generic workout plan you saw on Pinterest, Instagram, or Google – but, your trainer takes the time to understand your goals and what you want out of your sessions – your training plan is specific to your goals or sport (if you play one)
   •  Your injuries and medical conditions are taken into account when forming your plan, and a trainer is able to watch you and look out for that in your sessions – they can even add exercises to strengthen those areas
3. EDUCATE & EMPOWER 
   • I was a cardio addict before I started training with Chris and when I did venture to the weights I was a Pinterest workout & YouTube How To junkie.  Nothing compares to someone actually correcting and watching to make sure your form is safe and effective.  As sessions went on and time passed he helped me to make sense of maximizing my gym time.  I learned new exercises and he developed and taught me multiple routines that were realistic for my non-trainer workouts.
4. EASE YOU OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
   • As I learned more and felt more confident in my form and understanding of different exercises I began to step outside my comfort zone and expand on my daily workouts – pushing myself more and more
   • While my personal trainer is compassionate and patient, he won’t take my bulls*t or excuses.
5. YOUR SUCCESS IS THEIR SUCCESS
   • Results are just important to them as they are to you and they point out and help you recognize non-scale victories (such as improvement in certain exercises, how you look, your energy level, etc.)
   • I don’t want to disappoint him just as much as I don’t want to disappoint myself

Okay I am ready to start personal training … now what?

Every gym, every trainer is different and YOU as the client are different than every other.  Make sure your gym takes the time to understand your goals, needs, and wants in a personal trainer before setting you up for your first session.

Before buying a package most gyms have a free fitness assessment or a free session with a personal trainer to try them out.  The person who schedules your appointments SHOULD know how to match you to a trainer that would fit your needs and wants, with that being said when you walk in there KNOW your personal goals and what you need/want in a trainer.

What to Pay Attention to in Your Session:

1. DO NOT judge by your trainers appearance – yes, you want someone who walks the walk, but their appearance does not determine their knowledge, journey, genetics, ability to coach
2. COMMUNICATION – Did they ask you questions? Did they answer yours? Are they the type of trainer that is open to you calling/texting them with questions? Will they hold you accountable and text you when you are not there? Were you comfortable talking to them?
3. ATTENTIVENESS – Are they paying attention to you? Are you their priority in that time frame? Are they recording data/taking notes during or after your session?
4. PERSONALITY – Did you mesh? Do they have traits that are important to you? Personally, I need some sort of sense of humor, I am an extremely sarcastic person and can have some sass – I can’t have someone who doesn’t understand that or won’t give it right back to me (reason #254 my trainer deserves a raise).
5. PASSION – Do they seem passionate about what they do? Were they attentive to what you had to say?

My personal training is worth every single penny.  I see it as an investment in my personal health and wellbeing, paying for an education to better my life, a non-negotiable set into my budget.

This can be one of the strangest relationships you ever have – you have an intense level of in this stranger to lead you to your goals. These are goals you may not share with many people, insecurities you air that not many know about, but this person, this trainer will work so diligently to help you get there. This half hour a week is completely devoted to me, my goals, and ultimate success.

In the end only you can be the one to decide if the benefits outweigh the cost investment of personal training.

 

Get strong, Live Happy – XX,

J