personal trainers

[donutglazer]

I was wondering if there are any personal trainers on board here.

At my gym they cost about $50. per hour.

The manager stated that he would not hire anyone who was not qualified-because people want the best, and will pay for the best. If not they will move on.

The gym has been around for 10 years-and most people I talk to state that they have used the services before.


Are they worth it?

The trainer I spoke with told me not to just go surfing and asking so called gurus on the net-but ask someone who has been educated.

What do you all think?

 

[absolute hardgainer]

I am qualified as a personal trainer. A personal trainer at my gym costs $55.00.

In my honest opinion, it is a waste of money.

You would be better off with an experienced work out partner.

Most of the 'qualified' personal trainers that I have come across had in fact received their qualification by doing a 1 week crash course in personal training. Their expertise and knowledge is laughable and not worth your time or money.

If you really feel you MUST have a personal trainer, then choose wisely.

hardgainer (my two cents)

 

[McBainXVII]

im not a personal trainer, my boxing coach is qualified, and has something like 20 years under his belt. i think that there are a few bullshit personal trainers around, and the boys on this board know friggin heaps about bodybuilding, i dont know, if you really needed help, like whenever you train, a good personal trainer will get you set in the right direction, but its really up to you.

 

[Tuna Guy]

Hardgainers right, a lot of trainers have been on one of these shity crash courses, i have been on one myself and to be honest anyone could pass it. Its all about making an educated decision about what is right for you, there are good personal trainers out there, but they should something else going for them such as experience or a degree.

 

[Phemomena]

95% of the pts at my gym get paid to walk around with the clients and move the pin on various machines...

not saying that they're not qualified or that they suck, just that i wouldn't pay 50+ an hour for it... if i ever get a trainer, that person better be able to help me/push me to do something i couldn't and am not already doing myself... (i.e. some nice sweet squat drop sets... hehe, if a trainer could help me unrack the weights quickly and motivate me to do these, they'd be worth their weight in gold they'd have to be able to deal with my screaming and lotsa tears though hehe)

 

[The mann]

as you can see from the other posts...the answer is a big NO!!don't waste you're hard earned money on that bullshit.you have so many options.what makes you feel you need a "personal trainer"??are you hard gainer,trying to lose weight,beginner.no flame intended at all.you would be surprised what you could learn on this board alone,and make adjustments to suit you.are you training now?what are your goals?

 

[Phemomena]

i would fully recommend trainers to people who are just starting out... a trainer is a great way to learn the ropes and just get confident enough to do things on your own... (for beginners, walking into a gym is scary enough, never mind knowing what do to, how much and how do go about putting together a routine for yourself)

also, if you aren't a penny pincher and not easily self-motivated, a trainer would be a good kickinthebutt to get you into a regular routine...

however keep in mind that as already stated, a good workout partner can do all this and more... but good workout parters are few and far between...

 

[edgecrusher]

I am a trainer and the cost at my gym is 75$ per hour. Although i would recommend my services to almost anyone, I would not recommend most of the other trainers on staff. Half of them don't even workout, they simply have a useless piece of paper saying they completed some 3 day course. this is something that really bothers me.

 

[bignate73]

prices range from 45-69 at my gym. it depends on the amount of training they buy in advance.

i'll agree, there are alot of trainers that a)dont look the part or b) cant talk the part but there are also those who are neither good nor in shape but act as gym psychologists, and people will pay for the good conversation.

i, on the other hand, dont talk to my client except for meager pleasantries and directions or instructions on how to do the exercise or explain how thier cardio should go, or how they should be eating. i think i talk the most when teaching but dont ask them how thier weekend went. LOL. ah well, they get tired and sore.....thats what they pay for. as for whether its worth it? for a brand new person to a gym, yes. for someone more seasoned....its on you to learn if you want to have the ego of not "needing a trainer" but dont hate when you do an exercise wrong and the trainer you dont respect calls you on it.

 

[The mann]

i agree 100% dgreenhill,but think about most of the gyms you walk into...you are lucky to find one person that works there that will get you results or even cares.maybe you have been lucky that your gym is the opposite. i also would want a trainer that "looks the part"to train me if i wanted a trainer.i just think people can do so much before handing they're cash.you can learn from others in the gym,books,and even internet..

 

[The mann]

well said dgreenhill............

talk is cheap

 

[Longhorn85]

I've trained for the last two years. I am certified through AFAA. I would not hire a trainer that was not himself in great (not just good) shape. It makes sense to hire one for a few sessions if you don't know your way around the gym.

Most of my clients were middle-aged people who had sessions bought for them by a spouse or son/daughter. Many of them were not motivated. It is great to get someone who is motivated, but those type of people usually don't need a trainer long.

 

[bignate73]

I've trained for the last two years. I am certified through AFAA. I would not hire a trainer that was not himself in great (not just good) shape. It makes sense to hire one for a few sessions if you don't know your way around the gym.

Most of my clients were middle-aged people who had sessions bought for them by a spouse or son/daughter. Many of them were not motivated. It is great to get someone who is motivated, but those type of people usually don't need a trainer long.

nah, dont agree. many people wont learn what it takes to train themselves in just a few short sessions. they may learn how to use the machines, a few freeweights effectively, yes. but they wont learn how to avoid a plateau, how to manipulate thier calories based on their goal, how to tell when cardio is getting stale, identifying muscle imbalances etc. thats the job of a trainer.

i guess if they are just looking for overall fitness, a few sessions will keep them from getting hurt, but if they have a solid goal, a few sessions does nothing but waste thier money and sour them on personal training because they havent seen the results in 2-3 weeks.

 

[Longhorn85]

I do agree that the first thing that must be clear is what are the goals of the person seeking a trainer. In my experience for the average person a few initial sessions, then a follow-up with a trainier once a month or so, and of course, being available to answer any questions in the meantime.

 

[Buffalo Joe]

i am also a CPT and there are very few that have good background in it. i went through 2 years of A&P plus movement analysis, nutrition and fitness testing before i got my certs. Most of your trainers have about an equivalent of id say 8 hours plus some stuies. choos wiesly and ask some baic questions about the background of the person you are about to hire. Some gyms dont even require them to have national or state certs to start just an in house test. choose wisely and safely. dont go for the "biggest or strongest" guy in the gym, go for the smartest sometimes youll be shocked at who the best trainer for you is.

I am qualified as a personal trainer. A personal trainer at my gym costs $55.00.

In my honest opinion, it is a waste of money.

You would be better off with an experienced work out partner.

Most of the 'qualified' personal trainers that I have come across had in fact received their qualification by doing a 1 week crash course in personal training. Their expertise and knowledge is laughable and not worth your time or money.

If you really feel you MUST have a personal trainer, then choose wisely.

hardgainer (my two cents)

 

[Buffalo Joe]

just to clarify somthing. i never did say that big strong guy in the gym are not the smartest too. i know many brilliant body builders and i also know many ignorant ones. you just have to choose some wone that will give you a program that will help YOU, which is normally not the program that would help them.

Joe
CPT, LMT,

 

[Superbabe]

It will be cheaper in the long run to get qualified yourself......

 

[Buffalo Joe]

hahahahaha superbabe. you are probably right. but nothing compares to experience in the field.