Personal Trainer??

[Opin_Yunated]

Originally Posted by Suncc49

80% of looking good from fitness is diet, but the rest is the hard work in the gym....

Alot of what you learn from a trainer is available for free. When I first started lifting I bought Arnold's Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. Had pictures and drawings of form on almost all exercises. You pick what area you want to work and then rotate in some exercises for the day. Not rocket science at all.

Typical training split

Day 1 Legs, Calves, Butt, Abs

Day 2 Rest

Day 3 Chest & Back, Abs

Day 4 Rest

Day 5 Shoulders, Abs

Day 6 Rest

Day 7 Biceps & Triceps, Abs

Way too complicated.

No one needs to be in the gym more than three times per week. A few points:

1) Personal trainers are useless unless you are rehabbing an injury.
2) Machines and isolation work are both useless unless you are rehabbing an injury.
3) Bodybuilding splits are useless, unless you talk drugs to enhance recovery. The average natural person simply can't do bodybuilding splits for an extended period of time without overtraining.

Keep it simple.

Do a 5X5 routine like Stronglifts or Starting Strength. They give the best results.
If one is trying to lose weight, add 30 minutes of cardio after the workouts.

Heavy compound lifts such as Squats, Deadlifts, Rows / Power Cleans, and Bench Press burn the most calories, build the most muscle, and add the most strength.

Nothing in the gym worked for me until I ditched the body building splits, broscience, and complicated personal training exercises.

[Pikantari]

Well I am still at it. Going every week. I went this morning but had to take it a little easy due to bursitis in the right shoulder, but I still did what I could! =)

[veuvegirl]

Awesome!

[hooligan]

Originally Posted by Pikantari

Well I am still at it. Going every week. I went this morning but had to take it a little easy due to bursitis in the right shoulder, but I still did what I could! =)

Good for you! Stick with it.

[hooligan]

Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks

I am not a Crossfit fan. It's very expensive (memberships cost at least $150/month) and EXTREMELY STRENUOUS. Thus, OP would not be a good candidate for Crossfit, at least not now. Crossfit members often have terrible form that can lead to injuries because they emphasize speed over safety. If OP is interested, he/she should wait to try it until he/she is in better physical condition.

@OP, the effectiveness of personal training depends on two things:

1. The personal trainer
2. You

Some personal trainers at gyms are good. Some are terrible. Ask other members whose results you admire who their trainer is. When you meet the personal trainer, look at him/her. When I belonged to a gym, I was appalled at how many overweight, out of shape personal trainers they had working there. Why would I want to take the advice of someone who doesn't apply it in his/her own life? As someone else mentioned, 80% of your results are based on diet. You have to eat healthy, low fat, lower calorie meals to slim down and tone. The personal trainer is only with you a couple of hours a week. No matter how good they are, they can't police you 24-7. You have to be motivated to change, and if you are and you put forth the effort, the change will happen. Good luck!

Just like personal trainers, some CrossFit gyms/coaches are good, some are bad.

You have to do your part in both cases to vet the people you're about to "hire".

No need to wait until she's in "better shape" to start doing CrossFit, though. Every workout is scalable for the individual's performance level. Heck, we've got a 65-year-old lady who started at my CrossFit gym earlier this year. She hadn't worked out in years (decades?).

[leadingedge04]

Not sure if the OP is still active, but I am curious if she/he has an update? I have recently started with a personal trainer and wanted to compare notes.