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A trainer might be good if you're a beginner, but over time, you shouldn't need one. With experience comes better self-discipline and becoming more in tuned with your body to the point where you don't need a trainer to keep you from overtraining or helping you with form, workouts, etc.
Really? How come most, if not all professional triathletes, marathon runners, cyclists all have coaches and trainers? Heck, I know people who are coach that have their own coaches to supervise their personal training! Very few are self-coached...
Really? How come most, if not all professional triathletes, marathon runners, cyclists all have coaches and trainers? Heck, I know people who are coach that have their own coaches to supervise their personal training! Very few are self-coached...
Because people like that train so hard they push themselves so hard.
You NEED to have someone watching you when you train crazy like that.
I think a trainer is good to show you proper form and every PT can do that. And just like any other employee, check the references. I personally think one of the same gender as you is more in tune. Or any person over 30 that understands and LISTENS to your goals. Research what they give you to do just like you would research any medical advice before going through with it.
A trainer might be good if you're a beginner, but over time, you shouldn't need one. With experience comes better self-discipline and becoming more in tuned with your body to the point where you don't need a trainer to keep you from overtraining or helping you with form, workouts, etc.
I agree with this unless you're a professional.... I think the average gym goer would be much better off without a trainer. I haven't seen ONE trainer teach anyone @ my gym how to squat, deadlift, power clean, or do anything with a barbell. It wouldn't really matter if they just wanted to get a workout, but these are kids who want to increase their performance for a given sport. I digress..... But as i said, unless you do something like this for a living there is no need to have a professional past a certain point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by broadbill
Really? How come most, if not all professional triathletes, marathon runners, cyclists all have coaches and trainers? Heck, I know people who are coach that have their own coaches to supervise their personal training! Very few are self-coached...
Professionals are different in a sense that they do it for a living. They also have trainers who are renowned in their given field, unlike average trainers at commercial gyms and even some private ones who have a BS certificate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pitt_transplant
Because people like that train so hard they push themselves so hard.
You NEED to have someone watching you when you train crazy like that.
I think a trainer is good to show you proper form and every PT can do that. And just like any other employee, check the references. I personally think one of the same gender as you is more in tune. Or any person over 30 that understands and LISTENS to your goals. Research what they give you to do just like you would research any medical advice before going through with it.
Sadly, most PTs do not know proper form on a lot of the lifts. It's really not something one would expect from a PT, but i guarantee you it's true.
Really? How come most, if not all professional triathletes, marathon runners, cyclists all have coaches and trainers? Heck, I know people who are coach that have their own coaches to supervise their personal training! Very few are self-coached...
We're talking about the average individual, not professional athletes. The average person doesn't have a job that depends on they're being in shape nor do they have a bunch of other people whose livelihoods depend on them winning a race, hitting home runs, or scoring touchdowns. The average person is simply looking to get in shape and improve their health while having time for a life. Being able to juggle all of those responsibilities comes to learning life skills, something that you shouldn't need a coach for. Then again, we now have people needing life coaches. Pretty sad that people need a coach to help them get through life.
I think having a trainer/coach is a great idea. Primarily if you are beginning a routine or type of training that you are not familiar with. Then, after a while, you should be able to self coach.
For example, I think Im pretty knowledgeable in working out, but I seeked out a coach who specializes in olympic lifts to help me with those specific exercises. I also looked for a coach who specializes in plyometric training to learn that as well. Sure, I could have just gone to YouTube or Google to find info, but would not have been able to really learn like I could from a coach.
I think having a personal trainer/coach is extremely important for those beginning a routine or specific type of training. You want to learn wing chun kung fu? You better find a someone who teaches it and not try to just learn from the net. You want to learn how to be a powerlifter? How to lose weight? How to increase your physical fitness? Find someone who specializes in this and learn from them.
We're talking about the average individual, not professional athletes. The average person doesn't have a job that depends on they're being in shape nor do they have a bunch of other people whose livelihoods depend on them winning a race, hitting home runs, or scoring touchdowns. The average person is simply looking to get in shape and improve their health while having time for a life. Being able to juggle all of those responsibilities comes to learning life skills, something that you shouldn't need a coach for. Then again, we now have people needing life coaches. Pretty sad that people need a coach to help them get through life.
I disagree (again). Although I used professional/elite athletes as an example, I think average folks can also reap big benefits. Aside from whatever benefits in performance somebody could see as a result of a consistent workout plan from a coach, another benefit is that person doesn't have to come up with a plan.
The coached athlete doesn't need to spend time thinking up work-outs, about how many miles they need to cover, or how hard they should do it. They just show up to work out. That translates into enjoying your time that you isn't spent working out a whole lot more.
I trained for an Ironman a few years back and paid a coach. He was money well spent just to have him give me my swim workouts, not to mention the bike and run workouts! Nothing worse trying to figure out a 3000yard swim workout in the last hours of the weekend...
I've been working with a trainer for three years, and I like doing so. I started off weekly, now see her bi-weekly... if money becomes tight my PT would be the first thing slashed from my budget. I enjoy being pushed, and having someone create workouts for me which incorporate things I would not normally do, and I like having someone I can talk to about what has been going on in my life physically speaking and the suggestions she makes as a result.
I have never had a PT but would like to have one sometime in the near future to help me with strength training. I have literally no upper body strength and I need to learn proper lifting techniques. A PT will also be helpful as I begin training later this year to run a race in 2011.
While I do not have much to add to assist the OP, I wish them luck with their PT. I might suggest logging your progress as a method of accountability. Once I began putting my goals and progress on paper, it made it harder just to skip a few days or go to far off course with my diet and nutrition. I wish I would have done this with measurements, too; I do not know my exact peak weight or measurements prior to starting my journey just estimates.
I disagree (again). Although I used professional/elite athletes as an example, I think average folks can also reap big benefits. Aside from whatever benefits in performance somebody could see as a result of a consistent workout plan from a coach, another benefit is that person doesn't have to come up with a plan.
The coached athlete doesn't need to spend time thinking up work-outs, about how many miles they need to cover, or how hard they should do it. They just show up to work out. That translates into enjoying your time that you isn't spent working out a whole lot more.
I still disagree. While I don't deny that a trainer can be very valuable, I still think it's unnecessary. People say they need a trainer to push them to work harder. But that implies you wouldn't work as hard in the absence of one. When I look for motivation, I look internally, not externally. I workout hard because it's important to me. I think of how I'm getting stronger, fitter, and healthier with each workout. I don't do it because some drill Sargent is pushing me.
Likewise, I don't need someone else to draw up workout plans for me. Part of the fun of working out is coming up with my own plans. Once you learn the fundamentals, it becomes easier to put together your own plan. You learn how your body responds, what you enjoy, what you don't, etc. Having a trainer come up with plans for you might save time, but it also takes a lot of the fun out of it, at least for me.
Here's my tip. Decide on a time limit. The amount of time you will hire your trainer. I see people at the gym that have had a trainer for years. Their training programs are very light workouts, and there is absolutely no reason to spend that kind of money for such minimal exercise. Many of these trainers look like they need a trainer and some exercise. So make sure your needs are met with your trainer. Make sure you learn the exercises you need to accomplish your goals. Make sure your trainer looks the part and knows his or her stuff. There are some people that should not be in that type of job. Most of all know when its time to wean yourself off of your trainer. There is no need to hire a trainer year after year for minimal workouts as I see so often at the gym.
Best of Luck.
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