Personal Training: You Gotta Find What Works

Posted by Rex

Alright, I will be the first to admit I have never been a big fan of personal trainers.  When I started getting into training originally quite a few years back, I did just about everything on my own.  I was extremely motivated to make the change because of personal things going on in my life at the time.  I took the time to learn about exercise and the human body.  In fact, I even took a few college classes on it. 
 

Every chance that presented itself for me getting a lifting partner to work with usually ended with me going back off on my own in a few weeks.  At the gym I was going to succeed or fail on my own.  I didn’t need or want the help from someone who was going to charge me $$ just to sit and tell me “just one more rep” and talk to me the rest of the session.
 

Now that I am older and less motivated, I look back on that viewpoint and really chuckle at how lucky I was to be so self motivated at the time and how narrow that viewpoint about personal trainers truly was.  I think part of that viewpoint really came from working out in a small gym that had one personal trainer who would rather talk with the clients than motivate them.  These same clients would later complain to others in the gym that they weren’t losing the weight or getting in shape. So I will openly admit that I unfairly grouped the whole of personal training with the one bad experience I was familiar with.
 

Fast forward to today - I do see the benefit of personal training both personal and online.  I still tend to be a loner of sorts at the gym and have opted for the online trainer.  First, I would say I am glad that I took the time to learn what I did on my own because it made me more informed and knowledgeable about the exercise process, but I am also glad that I have the online training program to help motivate me and make certain transitions in training easier. 
 

I am not going to plug the brand I’m using but give everyone this bit of advice.  Find what works for you.  Whether that is a personal trainer at a gym or a training program online, do the necessary research and weigh the pros and cons of each option as it would benefit you.  Take the time to interview some different trainers if need be to see what training styles they present.  If the online software is a better option, many offer a free trial period, but be mindful that some may require a credit card and a personal call to cancel before the trial period is up.  I looked at about 4 programs online and narrowed it down to the one that was most beneficial to me.  It isn’t perfect and it’s not without its faults, but it does provide me the additional motivation I need right now to stay on course...which is what we all need!
 

Posted by Rex