Benefits of a Personal Trainer!!

This one is more of a self-promotion for myself J  Then again acts as a PSA for all PTs…..

To give my fitness credentials I have had a WITS (World Instructor Training School) personal trainer certification for nearly 2 years now.  Can’t say I’m a professional when it comes to being a personal trainer yet, though I do have a good idea of what I’m talking about when it comes to overall health and fitness. 
The knowledge and experience I’ve gained have helped me to answer questions from folks about how to achieve certain weight loss goals, what to eat, what not to, etc. and even though I tend to give them advice its funny that without anybody there over their shoulder to tell them what to eat or what not to eat, actually do it.
It’s either that or I find it hilarious of some of the people I speak with at the gym or just anywhere that tell me they are capable of achieving their fitness goals themselves…..if that were the case then wouldn’t everybody be in shape and the overweight, obesity levels consistently wouldn’t raise every year? 

To quote one of my sources (http://www.livestrong.com/article/327899-effectiveness-and-benefits-of-a-personal-trainer) ‘Personal trainers can be a tremendous benefit to anyone seeking to increase their muscular strength, endurance, body composition, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility and general sports or physical performance.’)

So I figure with all this being said, let’s look at the benefits of hiring a personal trainer to achieve your fitness goals!

Ability to motivate and offer some self-accountability

We all have good intentions of wanting to try and lose weight or pursue some sort of goal but how many of us actually go for it?  For example you set your alarm an hour or so early in the morning to go and work out yet pound the snooze button and go back to sleep for another 45 minutes and before you know it you then ‘don’t have time.’  Its either that or you have intentions to go and hit the gym after work but instead go home, see an awesome dinner on the table and then before you know it are on the couch watching reruns of Seinfeld?

With all this being said if you had a trainer to answer to, somebody that says ‘we are meeting at this time,’ it tends to motivate and give you to put off that meal for afterwards or to get up immediately after you pound the snooze button and meet with your trainer.  A trainer would also help motivate and push you to get a few more reps in or to add a little more weight and push yourself just a little harder.  You would also have somebody to answer to if you decide to binge on a diet!

Goal Setting, Progression

This can be from possibly doing your first ever 5k race, tone up for the summer, friend’s wedding, etc.  On the first client-training session you usually sit down with the trainer and let them know of those goals you are going for.  They then typically write out a program tailored to your needs, as well as give a fitness consultation demonstrating some of the workouts you would do to help reach those goals.

Learn Proper Form

I hate to be one of those guys that watch others form but I feel it is important to spot in order to help others prevent injury.  An example, a lot of people tend to utilize their lower back too much when lifting and will end up feeling it a lot the next day to the point where they can barely move.  A personal trainer points things like these out and helps the individual get the most out of their workouts to train the muscles they are looking to work (abdominal area comes to mind).

STOP Wasting Time!

You’re not going to get a good effect of a  workout by just walking on a treadmill for a half hour…sure it beats sitting on a couch for that period of time but still you’re not going to get the results you want.  Personal trainers help get the results you desire in half the time it would normally take!

I could go on about this topic for pages and pages but you at least have an idea on how helpful personal training can be to you.  While personal training does offer great benefits the only downfall is that there comes an additional price on top of what you pay at the gym, unless you get somebody to come directly to your house.  Sessions tend to run anywhere from $30 upwards to $100 depending on your location (I tend to charge on the lower side, just fyi J), though most of the time you are able to get a few free sessions thrown in or at least a free consultation session to show you the effectiveness a personal trainer can have on you.