Do I need a Personal Trainer?

I can workout without a Personal Trainer, ……can’t I?

Of course you can. But you are a busy professional person with lots of pulls on your time and energy. It’s now 1st March. January 1st you told yourself this was the year you would get fit and healthy. Those good intentions of working out at least three times a week … are they still just intentions ?

Life has more than likely got in the way. You have had a lot of work on. Children/parents/partners have had events/issues/needs that you had to deal with. You have been too tired when you did find a spare moment. You are not motivated. There is no-one to hold you accountable.
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So, while you could workout without a personal trainer, it doesn’t seem to be happening. You know you need to get fit for your health’s sake, you just need help in getting started. Will a personal trainer help?

​Benefits of Having a Personal Trainer

There are many benefits that can be had from having a personal trainer, but these are my top 5:

1. Accountability

Are you always saying “Tomorrow, I will get to the gym”? Or, “Tomorrow, I will do a workout from YouTube as soon as I get in from work”? Still waiting for “tomorrow” to arrive?
 
A Personal Trainer is key to ensuring you commit and stick to your fitness goals. If you’ve made an appointment to meet you trainer for a session, then you are far more likely to still go than if you are just telling yourself you should go to the gym. And you will want to tell your trainer how many times you have been since you saw them last!
 
This works with online training as well. Evidence shows that online works just as well, plus you get regular workout reminders, weekly check-ins, progression photos and measurements. And your trainer can see when sessions are missed. I use Trainerize with my real world and online clients so I can tailor both the workouts and the reminders to you. Tracking your progress when you are working out on your own means I can see what you have done, design you new workouts based on your data each month and it gives us lots to talk about when we have our face-to-face sessions. From upping your weights to improving technique. 
 
Being held accountable will create consistency with your workouts. Consistency creates results. Results will keep you motivated.

2. Faster and better results

A personal trainer guiding you through your fitness routine will help make sure you are spending time on the proper types of exercise and that your technique is good (so you get the most out of each exercise and avoid injury). If you only have a limited amount of time to work out, a personal trainer will make sure you get the best results possible for time that you put in.
 
If you are in the gym or doing a home workout, with no plan or idea of what to do, it is going to take a long time to see any results and you are likely to quit before any results start showing.
 
Knowing what exercises to do, at what tempo, with what weight, for how many reps and sets will mean you reach your fitness goals. Your personal trainer will design the plan for you and build it around your abilities and requirements. Sure, you could just Google a workout. But not every size fits all. And you are busy – isn’t that one of the factors that needs to be considered when planning a workout that will get you results and make the best use of your time?

3. Realistic goals

Think about how many months and years it has taken to get your body where it is now. If your six-pack is currently well and truly insulated, it will not suddenly shred it's padding after a week of working out. The extra padding can go, but it will take time.
 
Your Personal Trainer will help you set realistic goals. Goals that you can achieve. And importantly, your trainer will also be able to keep you on track to hit those milestones. For example, say your goal is to be leaner so your abs can be seen. This will not be achieved by doing hundreds of crunches every day. Your personal trainer will talk to you about altering your diet to eat the correct foods, mixing cardio and weights to work the right muscles, and setting a timeframe in which this can be achieved.
 
Before I set your programme I get you to think about your goals - not just the big picture like losing weight, but why you want to achieve this. What will change when you reach your goal. By adding in your other lifestyle factors and your daily schedule, I plan out the steps you need to get to achieve your goal. By working together and following the plan you will get to where you want to be.

4. Improves your mental health

Physical exercise can help with mental health issues such as depression. Many health professionals recommend it as part of a person’s treatment. Having a Personal Trainer to help with your exercise plan when you live with mental health problems can help with motivation and routine. I like to take my clients mental and physical needs into account when designing a programme - do they need exercises to release the most endorphins?  Or exercises that will tire them out to get a restful night’s sleep?
 
That hour with your trainer, or the weekly check-in, provides a bit of time where you get to focus on just you. This is really important in lives that are busy, stressful, and where things may just be getting on top of you. Your personal trainer can help, not just with your fitness goals, but also with improving your overall wellbeing. They care how stressed or unhappy you are as this will affect your motivation and goals.
 
I create a safe space for clients to be able to speak freely, offload, or not communicate at all, so they can be with their own thoughts. One of the beauties of having me tell you what the exercise will be and how to do it, is that you can just ‘do’ rather than spend time thinking about what you will do and why. In a life that is busy, where you are constantly making decisions, navigating logistics and having to think of others, your session with me provides you with much needed respite.

5. Establishing a lifetime exercise habit

A personal trainer can help you find ways to make healthy living and exercise a priority in your life. They can help you workout how to overcome obstacles that might prevent you from exercising, and help you set many small, achievable goals. And more importantly they will help keep you on track. This is not just about reaching a goal, it is about establishing a way of life.
 
Each client I work with has a different set of obstacles that eat up their exercise time. From kids, long commutes, to travelling abroad with work. Together we work out how to fit exercise in and develop programmes for the gym, at home, when in a hotel and even when waiting for the kettle the boil.

So, what are you waiting for?

If you would like more details about how to work with me face-to-face, online or a mixture of both then you can find more details here. Not sure if you have time? Then spend just 5 minutes on a call with me and we can work out how to tailor something to you.