Are Personal Trainers Worth the Cost?
Jan 4, 2023 mindpumpDepending on where you go and what you are looking for, a trainer’s price range can vary. For some people money is not an issue, while for others it’s the biggest variable holding them back. If you care about your health, and are able to find a great, knowledgeable trainer, I can tell you right now they are absolutely worth the price. Investing into your health and wellness is one of the biggest treats you can give yourself so don’t see this as a luxury. It can be the difference of living a longer, much more high quality life.
What Makes Trainer’s Worth It?
Having said that, let me explain why they are worth the cost. I will admit, the hardest part about working with trainers is finding good ones over bad ones. I have other articles that go into how to suss out the good from the bad so be sure to check those out.
For the sake of this article, I’d rather get into what value they bring in versus doing it on your own.
Accountability
If nothing else, they keep you consistent. If you know you are paying someone to see them 2-3 times a week, you are going to show up. If you have set goals with them, they are going to help make sure you get there. If you start slacking off, they will hold you accountable. I’ve found most people’s issue isn’t with finding the right program, or choosing the right diet. It’s being able to stick with it day in and day out consistently. A great trainer becomes a useful tool to keep you focused.
Injuries/Personalization
Unless you are SUPER knowledgeable on programming both for injured and non-injured populations, you will have no idea how to make an appropriate program for where you are at right now. A great trainer can do an assessment and see what imbalances you have, previous injuries, current obstacles with schedule, and much more. They can take that info and optimize your program so that you are focusing on weaknesses, or areas that need improvement. If you are injured, they can make sure to create regressions in your current program so that you can still make progress or still have a goal to focus on and don’t fall off the wagon. This is the kind of stuff you don’t want to leave to chance, or assume you can google on your own. It can get very complex.
Education/Safety
Nothing is more important than your safety and making sure you are spending your time in the gym effectively. Investing in a trainer will allow you to make sure you are performing each exercise properly, and using each machine the way it is intended. Nothing is worse than wasting 6 months in the gym because you thought you could just hop on random machines with no progression and magically gain muscle. Hiring a trainer will provide that timeline and gameplan to hit your goals safely. They will teach you how to target each muscle appropriately.
Pushing Your Boundaries
I can’t tell you how many people I see in the gym wasting their time using weights that are too light or too heavy. Again, I’m going to guess most people who are thinking of hiring a trainer don’t want to spend more time in the gym than they have to. If that’s the case, invest in a good trainer! They will know when it’s time to push you in order to see progression, and when it’s time to back off because you’ve been pushing hard. None of us want to feel like we are wasting time or unsure if what we are doing works. Let them take the guesswork out of it!
If you are still unsure whether a trainer is worth it, ask your local gym about an intro session or a free assessment. This will allow you to see what working with a trainer is like at no cost. Make sure to ask them questions that address any of the topics above. Make sure they have a plan laid out for you, and have the capability to adapt to your schedule and needs.
