Do You Need a Personal Trainer?
Do You Need A Personal Trainer?
In the episode “How To Choose A Personal Trainer,” I teach you how to choose a personal trainer, what to expect during a personal training session, and how to get the best results from a personal trainer.
But do you really need a personal trainer? Here are three quick questions to help you determine if you do:
1. Are You Completely Confident that You’re Performing Your Exercises Properly?
Although weight machines can be fairly easy to figure out based on the instructions, free weight exercises like squats, dead lifts, and lunges can cause a serious low back or knee injuries if they’re not done properly.
If you have no clue how to do them right, then you should consider a few meetings with a personal trainer to teach you how to do free weight exercises properly.
2. Do You Have a Plan?
Your unique schedule, family, and work limitations will determine how often you can do cardio, stretch, lift weights, or play sports.
A personal trainer helps you put all this together into a manageable schedule that reduces risk of overtraining and maximizes results. If you’re banging your head against a wall trying to put together a plan, then a meeting with a personal trainer could help you
3. Do You Have Unique Limitations?
If you are trying to get fit and are fighting against joint pain, have blood pressure issues, struggle with diabetic or blood sugar limitations, or have other health or joint limitations, a personal trainer can help customize a program to meet your needs and make exercise more enjoyable.
While trainers are not doctors, they are equipped and educated to help you exercise in the presence of medical conditions or limitations.
You don’t have to commit to a personal trainer for life. Often, just a single meeting can be enough to get you pointed in the right direction or equipped with the knowledge you need.
Personal Trainer image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.
