How many of you use a personal trainer?
 

I finally got a new gym membership so I can work all the bitch out of me that seeps in when you spend 8572439857 hours a week working on the computer. Problem is, I haven't a clue as to what the ideal regimen of diet and exercise for me at this point, and I don't want to be one of those morons who blindly assails a group of machines only to yield poor results or injury.

How much do those of you that use trainers spend on them, do you think its worth it, and if not, can you cite some useful references I might check out?

most of the people in this business dont need a personal trainer, they need a zookeeper..

fat fucks...

well i'm far from fat but i'm 6'4" and 240lbs.. would love to get rid of my beer gut since it's been 8 mos since i've had a beer haha.. when i was in the hospital i got down to 210 from 250 at one time and i really liked that weight for my height.

I don't really want a personal trainer, I just need to get off my ass a few more times a day.

When I first got in shape about five years ago I started out with a personal trainer at my local gym for several months. It was definitely worth it to have some guidance on how to train safely and effectively. Choosing a person who is in excellent shape and can give you some diet advice is also a good idea. But more important than the start is the follow through. Read the forum at bodybuilding dot com to learn a lot more about how to eat a healthy diet and how to exercise even if you don't want to be a bodybuilder. The wealth of knowledge there is great.

naaa get yourself mens health, choose a diet, plan your work out sessions and hit the weights :thumbsup

it is a good idea if you don't really know what you are doing, and a training partner is a huge help for anyone no matter how advanced they are too

O and get out your protein shake lol

I got a personal trainer last November. It was without a doubt one of the best decisions I've made in the past few years. I had 3 hourly sessions a week. I think it was $89 per session. Money well spent. I was very pleased. It got me back in the gym. Got me to lose fat. Got me to gain muscle. Increased my energy. All around really kicked ass.

I'm sure it depends who your trainer is. I happened to have a kick ass trainer :thumbsup

waist of money.... go join couple of fitness forums and read up, it's not a rocket science... one thing though, it's all about dedication and diet, if you can't follow routine there's no point in trying...

Thanks for all the comments. I can commit to, and stick with, a good gym routine. The thing is that I have a bear's appetite (it's a miracle I don't weigh 300 lbs. - I'm 5'9" and ~210lbs.). I'd like to simply add burn a lot more calories and get in better shape, but still get to keep my diet where its at. I haven't really gained or lost much weight in awhile, though I tend to fluctuate from about 205-215.

same for me. There is no way I would work nearly as hard in the gym without my trainer.

Sometimes the fact that you are paying for the trainer can be the incentive you need to show up. :2 cents:

Although I appreciate the use of the word waist.

I had a membership at 24 hr fitness for $40/mo and to use one of their trainers was $50/session unless you bought in bulk, like 10 sessions at a time, then it was $45/per. It was motivating to get me to the gym, because I was spending the money, but I only went on the days I had my trainer. I saw results, but they were slow since I wasn't really doing cardio, and eventually it got too expensive and I stopped going altogether and got right back out of shape.

Now I have been getting in shape for my wedding for the last 2 months using a video called "Power 90" from beachbody.com, which cost $65, and a free website called thedailyplate.com

The video has you work out 6 days a week, 3 cardio and 3 weightlifting days, for 90 days. Each workout is less than 45 minutes, and they go really fast. I saw results after 2 weeks, and in just 2 months have lost 3 dress sizes. The website takes your measurements and tells you how many calories you can eat to lose how much weight you want. You have to track everything you eat, but it is less tedious than it sounds since you are on the computer all day anyway. Then on days you eat too much, you can see how much you have to work out to burn off the extra calories. It quickly makes you aware of poor habits.

Good luck!

I'm doing P90X Doubles so I guess Tony Horton is my personal trainer lol

holy crap, I bought p90X first on accident and it was crazy hard! you must be in amazing shape...

what I mean by diet is not your usual food you eat... you will need to switch it to quality foods and concentrate on high protein (1.5-2x of your body weight, so if you weight 200pounds you will need to consume 200-350 grams of protein daily)/low fat food/low carbs/tons of water/get proteins shakes going/etc... I always see guys in the gym that bust their ass everyday in there spending more time then I do, but I see no results, simply because they have a shitty diet... also not all personal trainers know what they doing, some simply have amazing genetics that 90% of the people don't, so whatever worked for them might not work for other people, in my gym half of the trainers are not even build and some look like a regular skinny guys so I wouldn't even train with them for free... that's why I said go read up on all this, educate yourself first before doing anything, once you know basics you have to ask yourself are you going to do this or not, if yes then do it right the first time... good luck :thumbsup

Hmm, I don't want to bulk up that much, I just want to get more lean and cut. If my current diet and complete lack of exercise equals me staying pretty much at the same weight, is it incorrect to assume that if my diet remains the same, yet I start getting a lot of exercise, I'll drop weight and look more cut?

U dont think ur money could have been spent better on food and nutrition? anything a personal trainer can tell you, you can find with a 30 second google search. if its a spotter you need, ask someone in the gym. 90 dollars a session, is ROBBERY

If you want some good workout/nutrition advice hit me up on ICQ

I have one and see him 2x a week. Work out 4-5x a week on my own (home gym). Generally work certain sets of muscle groups together with days off between. Ex: legs/shoulders, back/biceps, chest/triceps. Core exercises each time i work out too (crunches etc).

It is definitely one of the best things I have ever done for ME. I go lite on carbs and my only problem is wine :(

I feel sooo much better than I used to. I have more energy and wake up earlier too.

Go for it!

Europeans Billing Europe!
 

The most important element of a fitness routine is CONSISTENCY.

The best thing about a personal trainer is that you have a set appointment.

You work together to make sure you don't blow off appointments.

And when you are consistent, so is your metabolic rate, and most vital - your awareness - of everything - what you are eating, drinking, portions, frequency, supplements, sleep and all the life elements that determine your physical persona.

And of course, once you see measurable results motivation becomes self-generating...

Good Luck - make it life changing, because it can affect every facet of your life in a positive way :thumbsup

couldnt have put it better, i went from a measly 125 out of HS to 175 now. feels great and i love every minute of it

I find the best thing about a trainer is you have a spotter there all the time, it is hard to really push and get a good workout without a spotter, you can't really push yourself past the point when you have to worry about whether you can get the bar up again, and there are exercises where the first rep can be a sticking point so you can't move up in weight without the help of a spotter.

A training partner is better than a trainer imo, because the competition thing adds in as well (or at least the pride in personal bests help alot)

if you don't want to bulk up and all about looking more cut then skip whole working out process, just go do cardio 3-4 times a week... you will still need to change your food choice to achieve your maximum potential, you don't want to do cardio and eat macdonalds and pizza all day long... and don't starve yourself like all those idiots who try to loose weight (you will do more harm to your body like that), because ya you will loose weight but it will all comeback later on... you will still need to eat 5-6 times a day, but eat small potions to speed up your metabolism

if you can't lift that weight for the first rep you shouldn't even be trying it, before moving up a weight you need to do lower weight at least 7-8 times CLEAN.... and no you don't need a spotter (sure it'll be better with a spotter that knows how to spot), overtime you get used to it, not to mention people usually don't know how to spot anyways (by helping way too much)

disagree with you, there are exercises, dumbell presses for one, where having a spotter for the first rep can make a BIG difference in your progress

and going heavy with with barbell bench presses is great to have a spotter, if you want to do heavy weight triples to failure there is no way to do it without a spotter, plus there is a big advantage to end on a failure negative rather than not be quite at failure and end on a positive rep

you can do all what they teach you on your own they're only good for motivation

nowhere did I say that without a spotter is BETTER, I even put in brackets that IT IS better WITH a spotter, but good luck finding a partner that will go EVERY SINGLE time you go to the gym for few years...

agreed, it is hard to find that, but when you can get someone else motivated to go with you and you both bug each other to go, it is great and extreme progress can be made while it lasts, I know I hit some major peaks when a buddy and I used to go 4 or 5 times a week and really push each other, I haven't been able to get back to some of the strength I had those days