Quote:
Originally Posted by SupDock
I am torn on this. I think there are a lot of good trainers and a lot of bad trainers. I think the accountability is a good thing, and having someone giving you feedback is also good. Also some people have no idea how to safely use equipment, so a trainer is very helpful.
Assessing your goals is quite important.
If you are someone that really struggles with being motivated at the gym, a trainer can be very helpful to ensure you efficiently use your time.
There is no shortage of information available to lead you in your fitness goals.
I will say that many of them have no idea what the literature says in regards to exercise physiology (there is a lot of conflict in the literature though).
My wife wanted to hire a trainer to gain strength. The trainer she spoke to wanted her doing cardio for 30-40 minutes before starting her time with the trainer.
This makes absolutely no sense. You want someone who is exercise naive to waste their energy for 40 minutes prior to strength training? That’s a recipe for burnout and low energy strength training.
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Yeah, torn as well.
I did a good amount of research on my own, so on one hand I'd say a personal trainer could save time, but only if they're good... I feel like there would still be things I'd go home and research if only getting one opinion on the matter.
My initial thoughts...
- Think an infinite game. Not "90 days to a better you" where you make a ton of huge changes all at once. It's one thing if you do have an immediate goal (lose 20 pounds for a specific thing), but so much of it is about balance and sustainability.
- If you're looking to gain muscle, it's all about progressive overload, and at least for a beginner, you don't need to lift 6 days/week. The general rule I've seen is anywhere from 10-20 sets per muscle per week, and much over 5 sets per muscle in one workout is excessive and probably has no more ROI. I personally did 3 days/week full body for a while with good results.
- Diet... again, sustainability. Don't deprive yourself, but look at moderation. Counting calories has always worked out far better than not for me when needing to lose a few pounds.
- Feed your good habits with things that keep you going down that path. Walked/jogged consistently for a couple months? Buy a better pair of running shoes or ear buds for jogging or a nice smart watch.
Lift for a few months? Buy some home gym stuff for new exercises or accessories for the gym.
Sure, reward yourself with a beer sometimes, just don't be too self destructive... and feeding the good habits has worked really well for me because it keeps things new and you don't want to waste the dollars invested once it becomes a habit (as opposed to spending $2k on a treadmill day one).
Think of it as how athletes get paid... performance first, set the habit, then buy that shiny thing. Motivation and results should come first, IMO.