Is Personal Training Worth the Investment? (Hint: It Is If You Value These Things)
Fitness - November 20, 2024
New Year’s Resolutions are coming back: think back to all the resolutions you didn’t keep. What happened?
Was it something you never really wanted to do in the first place? Was it a cost thing? Maybe you didn’t have the time?
Exercise, and hiring a personal trainer, is probably the highest on the list for New Years Resolutions, and also highest on the list for failed resolutions. We just aren’t sure if personal training is worth the investment, whether that’s of your time or money. If you want to take back control of your health, look great, and feel better than you have in 20 years, there is nothing that will return a greater bang for your buck than personal training, especially if you are really unsure of where to start with a new exercise routine.
If these things matter to you, you might just thrive with a personal trainer!
Personalized Attention
Attention might be the opposite of what you want when thinking about exercise, but the right attention is a game changer. A personal trainer will pay attention to all the right things: starting with the right exercises and weights, proper progression, and correct form.
If you don’t have personalized attention (think, in a large group training class) the chances of not doing the exercises properly, and potentially injuring yourself, skyrocket. Also, you never really make progress: you probably won’t push yourself with the correct weights and intensity if no one is keeping track. Personalized attention makes all the difference!
Customized Plan
If you work out on your own, are you going to create a plan tailored to your goals? If you were the type to want to do that, you wouldn’t be reading this blog!
A trainer will sit down with you to discuss your goals, your workout history, and your injury history. They will put you through basic movements to see what is safe for you to do, and what you have to progress to. They will gradually challenge you more as you improve your ability level. And they’ll keep track of it all from beginning to end!
If you are working out and you don’t have a plan, you will ultimately fail in achieving your goals. Having a partner in accountability who can keep track and adjust your plan as needed will set you on the path to success!
Accountability
You have to show up. Our clients often tell us they treat their training sessions like a doctor appointment: you wouldn’t just miss it! But you might skip a group class where you are just a number. You will probably skip a home workout that you try to put together for yourself. You won’t miss a personal appointment.
A personal trainer will also help keep you accountable for whatever your goals are. Do you need to be eating healthier food? Are you trying to gain muscle and need to be eating MORE food? Are you getting 8 hours of sleep and refilling your water bottle multiple times a day? Fitness and health is so much more than just exercise, and a trainer will make sure you have all the tools to achieve your goals!
Results
At the end of the day, all you really want is results, right? Nowadays, there might be a magic pill to help you lose weight, but it won’t help you build lean muscle or improve your heart health. It won’t keep your joints feeling healthy or your endorphins flowing to keep you happy.
I have trained over 100 adult clients over the years, and hiring a personal trainer is never a regret. It makes their lives better in so many ways. Whether you are a guy in his late 30s looking to feel like it’s still your glory days, or a grandmother in her 70s who wants to be able to play with her grandkids, the investment of personal training far outweighs the lack of exercise and attention to your health.