When you're stuck or feel like you need an extra push, sometimes it helps to have a personal trainer. Here I will share the successes and failures in working with a personal trainer. It's worth the investment, I promise.
Having a personal trainer is a huge part of my story. It is the key factor that helped me to change the way I think about nutrition, exercise and sticking with it. I have worked with four different trainers. The first trainer and I were not a good match. However, I can't say enough about the others. You can read about Mike and Dmitriy here: Mike Made Me Do It and Dmitriy Made It Happen. I'm working with Pat now. I'll tell you a little about him and why I decided to go back to training with someone again in this post.
So, why have a trainer?
It's different for each person. For me, originally it was to lose weight. For others, to build strength, to get in shape, to help recover from an injury after physical therapy is complete, to train for an event or something else.
When I first decided to work with trainer, I had been obese for so long and tried everything under the sun with no success. A couple of my friends had personal trainers and were finding success with that, so I decided to follow suit. The person I was originally matched with was not a good fit for me. She was super nice and listened to me and all my woes, but I didn't need that. (I broke my thumb while I was training with her, had a bad knee, started going to grad school for my CAGS, and was miserable at my job.) I needed someone to be like, "Yeah, so what. Do you want this or not? Enough with your excuses." I realized that when I started training with Mike, so I made the decision to NOT share with him my woes and stopped all the excuses.
I started training with Pat last month because I was stuck. After my back injury last year, I could not overcome the fear hurting myself again. I was not pushing myself. My brain said, "Ok, that's enough," and I listened. With the head aches I've had, I was all over the place with my training. I had no real direction and was not seeing any progress on my own. I felt like what I was doing wasn't enough, but I didn't know what to do because I didn't want to hurt my back. I was referred to Pat by someone I know from the gym and couldn't be happier.
What's the investment?
Different trainers / gyms charge different rates, depending on the type of training you want, as well as the amount of time you train (e.g.: 30 minutes or 60 minutes) and the frequency you train with someone (e.g. once, twice or three times per week). Most providers don't tell you the bottom line up front. They want to meet with you, discuss your goals and let you know which type of program they think is best for you based on your needs. It depends on your own motivation and what you can afford. The rates vary from gym to gym. If you hire someone privately, their rates will vary as well.
Typically, you are looking at anywhere from $40 to $100 (on the high end) per session, depending on the gym and your level of need. You should know, when training with someone who works for a gym, you are paying the gym, not the trainer. If you think you are paying $45 for a session with your trainer, that trainer is probably only getting $12 - $20 for that session. The gym keeps the rest. The sad fact is, trainers are not paid well by their gyms and if you don't show up for your session, they don't get paid.
So the investment is two fold. You are investing your money and your time to train with an expert. They are investing in you as well, they take pride from your success. Don't forget, this is their livelihood, so be respectful of that. Make sure to show up for every session. If there is a conflict, then let him/her know well in advance so you can reschedule your session. You shouldn't cancel unless there is a dire emergency.
A personal trainer is different from having a fitness coach
Fitness coaches typically work independently and provide online or over the phone fitness coaching. They may provide you with nutritional information, with a detailed diet plan and workout plan you follow on your own. They often have groups on Facebook for you to share successes/ failures/ and support with their other clients. Typically they schedule email or telephone check ins with you to see how you are doing and what you may need.
Many competitive body builders work with coaches or may be coaches themselves. Their rates vary, depending on how often they check in with you and what type of support you may need. I have seen rates go from $100 per month to $1200 for six months. I don't like this kind of "training" because I like the one on one interaction with a trainer. I want to work with my trainer in person, have a face to face conversation with him. But this kind of training/coaching works for many people.
So, you're thinking about working with a trainer, now what?
You should ALWAYS start with a meeting to talk about your goals. WHY do you want a trainer? What are you hoping to get out of personal training? What are your unique goals?
When I started training with Dmitriy, I had very specific goals:
- Do push ups without assistance
- Lose weight
- Do the Ride to Remember (a 100 mile bike ride)
When I started training with Pat, my goals are simple:
- Regain/ Improve strength
- Improve my endurance
How do you know if your trainer is right for you?
This is probably the hardest thing to figure out and is definitely where things went wrong with my first trainer. So be smart about this.
If you can, check out their online presence before your first meeting.
Follow them on Instagram, which is a very popular place for body builders and fitness experts to promote their work. Do they promote a healthy lifestyle? What are they about?
At your first meeting with your trainer, this is your opportunity to check him/her out.
Ask LOTs of questions.
- What is their experience?
- How long have they been doing this?
- Tell him/her your needs, your story.
- Ask them if they can help you and how.
- Do they like their job? If there is any indication that they don't like their job, if it's too stressful or they don't like management, find a different trainer. This is NOT someone you want to train with.
- If you can't tell, find out if they workout themselves. If they don't, find a different trainer.
- Will they provide you with support about nutrition?
- Will they provide you with personalized workout plans?
- How do you stay in contact with them? Do they want you to check in with them? How often?
- How long is the commitment? Is there a contract? For how long?
Ask yourself a few questions...
Do you like this person? Can you talk to him/her? Do they seem to have a good sense of humor? Can they help you with your unique needs? Are they serious about their work?
Don't forget to ask
What is their availability? Does it match yours?
MAKE SURE you get their cell phone number and they get yours!
Benefits of having a trainer
Besides the most obvious reason to have a trainer (working with an expert to help you obtain your goals), there are a lot of benefits.
A trainer pushes you past what you believe you can do on your own.
I hurt my back last February and have recovered from that injury, but was holding myself back. When I started training with Pat, he basically made me start all over. My favorite exercise is deadlifts. A year ago, my personal record was 210 lbs. A month ago I was able to do a single rep maximum of 175 lbs. I was excited because I was approaching my PR. But Pat said, "No. Don't do that, do this instead." He has me lifting lighter weights with 10 repetitions for each set. Sounds easy, right? Well the first time I did it, I thought I would die. This week, I worked my way up to do four sets of 10 reps at 145 lbs. On Thursday when I trained with him, he's like, "Ok, so you did 145 lbs. on Monday, let's do 155 lbs. today." And I was like , "What?" Then he brought the weight down to 135 lbs. and had me do 15 repetitions. 15 reps. I thought I was going to die. I didn't, but I thought it was the end. That's what a trainer does. They push you.
You have a cheerleader
Seriously, your trainer should be your biggest cheerleader.
Pat posts his clients achievements on his live Instagram story all the time. I am so impressed with that. It's one of the reasons I knew I could work with him. It's not about posting about you in social media, it's about saying, "Look at that!" Look what you can do. When I did 15 reps of deadlifts at 135 lbs. with him the other day, he was like, "Wow! That's really impressive." Of course, I wanted to die and was cursing at him for making me do it, but that pat on the back carried a long way for me.
When I did the Rugged Maniac for the first time in 2014, I texted Mike and thanked him for his support. He was like, "That's incredible Tracey! Way to go!" He asked me to post a picture and tag him in it too. I had no idea what Instagram was at the time, but I did do that on Facebook.
You have someone to answer your questions
As I am working out during the week, I always have questions I want to ask Pat. While I started training with him because I wanted to regain the strength I lost after my back injury, I've found my back isn't really the issue. My shoulder is. So I always have questions for him. While he doesn't necessarily have all the answers, he is super about helping me figure things out. "Try this," he'll say. or "You're doubling up on these exercises and that may be what's aggravating it." He is my personal expert and I trust him. So I ask him lots of questions. (I so hope he's not overly annoyed with me for asking so many.)
Working with a trainer is personal.
It is very personal and can break your heart.
Mike was incredible. Training with him made me take my workouts seriously. At one of our sessions, I remember him telling me, "You did a great job today, Tracey. I'm proud of you." That single statement has stayed with me. After that, it became so important to me to make gains so I could do better next time. He motivated me. I cared about him, so when he died, I was devastated.
Dmitriy and I were very close. I considered him my friend. While at times he listened to my complaining, he didn't put up with any of it. I trusted him and learned how to move past my obstacles. He helped me accomplish every one of my goals and pushed me past them to achieve things I didn't even realize were possible. I miss him.
Having a trainer means you have a personal relationship with this person. You make it what you want it to be.
What to look out for
They are not psychologists. Remember, your trainer's background is in fitness. While you definitely have a personal relationship with them, try not to dump all your personal problems on them. Keep your relationship about fitness. Don't mistake them for your personal therapist or you won't see the gains you want to make. This happened with me and my first trainer. I had every reason for not being successful. She listened to me and this is how we seemed to spend our sessions. Don't do that. If you have personal problems, seek professional help from a licensed therapist. Your time with your trainer should be focused on your physical training.
Your trainer should like his/her job. Don't waste your sessions with your trainer listening to them gripe about management, how little they are being paid, or about how their other clients missed sessions. This is a major danger sign. I get it, you become friends with your trainer and want to support them as much as they support you. But if they don't like their job, they should seek other employment. Redirect them if you can, keep the focus on you and your training sessions.
Are they on time for your sessions? If you are on time, so should your trainer. If you are paying $50 for a 1/2 hour session, that works out to $1.67 per minute. If you are waiting five minutes for your trainer, that's $8 you are paying to stand and wait. Your trainer should be mindful of the time, ending sessions with other clients on time so you can make the most of your session.
Keep track of your sessions. Know how many sessions you have paid for each month. Keep track of them and make sure you use them. If you miss a session because you have to reschedule, due to inclement weather or because of an unexpected cancellation, keep track of that. When I started training with Dmitriy, I had over 10 unused sessions I had never used because of sessions missed when Mike died and a collection of unused cancellations with my first trainer. (She was in the National Guard and was gone a lot.) You paid for them, use them.
Is it worth it?
YES! Having a trainer literally changed my life. If you can work it into your budget, do it.
Pat does one on one training in the Connecticut / Western Massachusetts area, as well as online coaching. He has over 10 years of experience in the field. He is unbelievably knowledgeable about fitness and nutrition. He offers very reasonable rates for the different programs. I really like Pat and can't say enough about him.
New entry coming soon:
10 Minutes. For those who want to make a change, but are still stuck in first gear. Making a 10 minute workout count. This has been ready to post, but I'm having trouble uploading my video to YouTube. Watch for it soon!
Starboy by The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk
Questions for you: (Answer in the comment section below.)
Do you work out with someone? (A friend? A partner? A trainer?) Do they push you or do you push them?
Follow me...
Do you work out with someone? (A friend? A partner? A trainer?) Do they push you or do you push them?
Follow me...
Instagram: @tracoleman99
Email: tracoleman99@gmail.com
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