Hire a Personal Trainer or go it alone?

Should you consider hiring a Personal Trainer to help you reach your New Year’s resolution goals?

Below is a list of legitimate reasons to enlist the help of a professional trainer to ensure your weight-loss success.  

1. To reduce the risk of injury: A quality personal trainer will be an expert at exercise selection and execution, which will reduce your risk for injury.  Proper form and exercise selection will also help you obtain maximal benefit from each workout session. 

2. To save money over the long-term. True! Although a good trainer with may charge between $55 - $80 per hour, most offer significant discounts for purchasing bundles of sessions or sharing your sessions with a friend.  In addition, the long-term benefit of having a professional to get you started out on the right foot will dramatically improve your chances of success and enable you to eventually become self-sufficient. Furthermore, investing in your health and well-being is smart!

3. To obtain long-term guidance and motivation.  Most people can get sufficiently motivated to start a fitness program.  Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority quit within a few short weeks.  Staying motivated to practice healthful nutrition and exercise is a major task for most people and a personal trainer can guide and motivate you can keep you moving forward toward your goals.  Qualified personal trainers will also create structure and ensure that your workouts are custom designed to meet your specific needs. This will allow you to stay focused on your goals, rather than worry about planning your daily workouts. 

4. To hold you accountable.  You will set appointments with your trainer each week and they will be counting on you to be there.  This puts pressure on you to keep your commitment and makes it more difficult to find excuses to neglect you work-out.  In addition, your trainer will set weekly goals, such as body-weight, waist measurement, or body-fat goals.  Naturally, this will provide you with constant reminders of your reasons for exercising, which will keep you on task.    

5. To be a teacher.  Your personal trainer will provide you with knowledge and techniques that you can use for life.  A skilled personal trainer provides you with knowledge, resources, guidance, and information so that you will eventually be qualified to train yourself!  Encourage your trainer to guide and teach you how to be your own personal trainer!

Before you begin, be prepared to answer your trainer’s questions about what you expect and need from your program.  Below is a list of likely questions:

1. How many times per week do you intend to train?
2. What times/days would you like to train?
3. What are your goals?
4. What are your expectations of the trainer?
5. Why did you decide to hire a personal trainer?
6. Why now as opposed to later?
7. Do you have any physical and medical conditions that may be aggravated by exercise?
8. Does your physician know you are about to increase your physical activity level?
9. Are you on any medications that may influence your ability to exercise safely?  
10. Are you interested in a free fitness consultation? Contact Louisville's Personal Trainer