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I made a huge sigh as I anxiously reached for the door that would open opportunities for me to achieve my goal. I stepped inside the building and everyone was busy doing their own thing. I walked to the baggage area and rest my bag. Ready to be begin but had no idea where to start.
Standing with frustration as I tried to remember what was said in the equipment usage training session. I walked over to the machines and froze because I didn’t know how to use them. No direction, no guidance, only a goal to lose weight.
This was my experience when I first started going to the gym. I had no trainer at the time. I just wanted to lose weight. I had no idea what I was doing or knew anything about my body. After a few weeks of going to the gym, I got frustrated because I wasn’t seeing any results.
All of that changed when I decided to get a personal trainer. I recognized that I couldn’t do it myself and that I needed help based on what I was trying to achieve.
I spoke to a lot of people who would say, “I use to go to the gym”. When I ask their reason for leaving, they would say “I wasn’t seeing results” or “I couldn’t find the time to go to the gym”. Most of them didn’t have a trainer.
Like me, they went to the gym and did whatever they felt like doing. Not having direction or knowing what to do can cause your goals to take longer than expected to achieve or even discourage you which will make you eventually give up on it.
Having a personal trainer helps to prevent that from happening. My personal trainer changed my fitness life and taught me so much about my body. A personal trainer is an individual certified in general fitness which entails exercise and instructions.
They help you identify your goal and motivate you to achieve it. When I started the gym, my goal was to to lose weight but once I got more involved in exercising, I wanted to be lean. My trainer knew exactly what to do to get the result I wanted.
In this article, I’m going to share with you 3 reasons why you should get a personal trainer.
1. They keep you focused on your goal
If you are new to the gym then having a personal trainer is a smart idea. Once you start your session with your trainer, express your goals clearly to get the most of out of your trainer and training.
Having a trainer holds you accountable and it makes it harder to miss a session especially if you are paying for it. He or she will tell you what to do, how to do it and encourage you to follow the routine. A copy of a written worksheet is normally given as well so it’s easy to track what you are doing. The trainer keeps you on track with the number sets and reps. Your trainer will help you set S.M.A.R.T goals. This was already addressed in a previous article so I won’t go any further into goals.
2. They see things you don’t
Once you share your goal with your trainer, their goal is to help you achieve it. They will examine your body and see how much work you need to do. They might test your blood pressure, heart beat, check your body fat percentage and write a program just for you.
You might have a favorite body part you like working on but your trainer might see other areas that need improvement and tell you to work on those instead.
Let’s say you want lose 20 pounds in one month. Your trainer can examine your current body state and progress and tell you whether or not it’s a realistic goal.
They can watch you while you train and guide you if your form is wrong. If you are not using gym equipment properly it can be very dangerous. I have seen many things go wrong in the gym because the person was doing things the wrong way.
3. They are great motivators
My trainer is great to talk to while I’m working out. We talk sometimes about random things. Most of the times it takes my mind off everything I was worrying about during the day and even the workout pain. Just when I’m about to stop, I would hear, “Five more!” then a count down.
Sometimes when the workout gets challenging and I feel like I can’t continue, I would get a 15 minute motivational speech from him. It is always the best part of my work out.
Know your “Why” and tell your trainer. Why are you doing this? They will always remind you when they see you slacking off. Great trainers are always positive. It’s good to be in a positive environment while training because it gets tough sometimes. This is why finding a great trainer is very important.
How do you find a Personal Trainer?
Trainers are popping up all over. It seems like everyone is a personal trainer these days. The aim is to find a great certified trainer with client proof. The easiest place to find them is at your local gym. Some can also be found online. There are a few things to look for when searching for a trainer. Let’s say you have a few trainers you are considering to work with. Here are some things to consider.
First, You are going to be spending a lot of time together so it’s worth taking time find a trainer with a personality you can work with as well as the someone who has the right skills. You can do this by purchasing a day pass at the gym to work with a trainer. Talk with friends and family who have used trainers before.
Check out if the trainers have Social media accounts to see if they have client success stories. You can even go as far as reaching out to their clients to have them share with you their experience. One thing I would do is observe the trainer while they are working with a client in the gym. Sometimes it takes just a few minutes to see if the trainer really wants to help the client.
Second, It is not always good to look only on outward appearances but you can’t help it as that’s the first thing you see. How the trainer looks can also tell you something about them. There were quite a few trainers that were available but I deliberately chose a trainer that was lean and muscular. I believe in working with someone who is walking the talk.
I didn’t see how some of the other trainers could assist me as they had a high body fat percentage. The opposite of what I wanted to achieve. You can’t teach someone to swim if you have never swam before. It’s the same with exercising, losing weight and entering bodybuilding competitions; which goes into my next point.
Last, choose a trainer who has experience in what you want to achieve. If you are looking to enter a bodybuilding competition, search for a trainer that has worked with other competitors before and knows how to target your muscle to get the shape and muscle development you want.
Once you meet with the trainer, consider asking him or her these 5 questions:
- What is your experience working with people like me?
- (This is individual. Injuries, Sickness, Bodybuilders, losing weight,etc. Whatever your situation is.)
- What results have you achieved with your clients?
- (Any competitions won?, Lost x pound in one month, etc)
- Can I talk with some of your clients?
- (It’s like a job. Simply provided references or getting testimonials)
- Do you offer small group sessions or online classes?
- (This is good if they provide online classes as you can exercise using the online medium if you are unable to make it to the gym.)
- How much do you charge?
- (Rates will vary depending on experience and where you live. It’s very good to know especially if you are working with a tight budget.)
When to Move On
You’ve developed a great relationship with your trainer and he or she has helped you to achieve your goal. Like everything, all good things must come to an end. You have to know when you leave. If you can afford to pay a trainer indefinitely then go right ahead. It’s entirely up to you.
There is also the other side where you are not happy with your results, the trainer or your experience. You have to do a sit down chat with your trainer and let him or her know you are unhappy.
Regardless of how long you have been working with a trainer, if you see that you are no longer seeing results, the relationship has gone bad or the environment is negatively affecting you, these might be signs that you need a change. If you talk to your trainer and he or she is not responsive or willing to adjust then it might be time to move on.
Alright, now that you know the value of getting a trainer and how to get one for yourself, you’re ready to move on to learning the next step in this series. In the next article I’ll be teaching you about choosing the right supplements.
