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2005/08/19, 09:25 AM
If you're looking into getting a personal trainer then I recommend you read this article first. It gives some horror stories about personal trainers, as well as good advice about what to look for and questions to ask.
http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=fitness&category=muscle.building&topic=total.body&conitem=6c7825f21a0a5010VgnVCM200000cee793cd____&page=1
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2005/08/19, 09:49 AM
good article....actually i should say scary article
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2005/08/19, 11:07 AM
Yes it is. Definately worth knowing if you're in the market for a PT though.
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2005/08/19, 11:15 AM
kind of funny that you posted this today...I've been second guessing my PT. what he says and what I read on here are sometimes 2 totally different things. I asked him who he was certified through just in general conversation and can you believe he "can't remember"
I don't feel I am going to injure myself, he doesn't push me, but I just wonder what he is actually doing for me as I haven't really seen any type of results yet and it's been about a month of 3x a week
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2005/08/19, 11:24 AM
If you don't feel like he's pushing you then you might be better off by yourself (and using everyone here as well). You'll know your limitations better then they would, and could probably push yourself harder. If you've got the basics, form and routine down then I'd probably consider my business with them to be complete. It's up to you though...a lot of people that get a PT use it as motivation that since they payed for it they're gonna use it. Might help to at least get in the habit of visiting the gym...but if you're not seeing or feeling results you might consider other alternatives or discuss with them the fact that you're not seeing results and see if they have any other suggestions.
It took me about a month to see any results when I started on my own and I considered a PT. Glad I didn't waste the money cause shortly there after I started seeing quick results and still am.
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2005/08/19, 11:40 AM
thanks sstump...i think i am switching gyms because i think i found one i like more...anyway thanks for your advice
and congrats on your awesome progress...
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2005/08/19, 11:41 AM
With the vast amount of information available on the web these days, I find that PTs are nothing more than motivational support. Kick the PT to the curb ksmith and get a good well balanced fitness plan. Stay off the supplements and just eat well.
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2005/08/19, 11:47 AM
no supplements...but while we are here and on the subject...well kind of
the fish oil i bought last night says to take one 3 times a day...is that good?
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2005/08/19, 11:49 AM
Depends on whats in each one. But that's the dosage on mine as well...1 with each meal.
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2005/08/19, 11:56 AM
ok, thanks
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2005/08/19, 12:04 PM
I agree with the fact that you need to insure that your PT is knowlegable and well trained. I've used a PT on and off for about a year now( usually for 6-8 sessions every 4-6 months) and I've found them very benificial. I think the combination of the knowledge I've learned from this site and the proper techniques learned from my PT has made my wt training very effective and safe. I certainly don't need the motivation as I am a bit of a gym junky, but I do use him from time to time to insure I'm using proper form as I move from beginner to intermediate to advanced wieght training. I recommend them to anyone who is just starting out and wants to avoid injury. My form was disasterous when I started! Wt training can be very intimidating when you're starting out and my PT helped me to get used to training in the same room as the "big boys" and not feeling like a total dork when I'm working.:)
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Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.
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2005/08/19, 12:32 PM
make sure your personal trainer knows what he's talking about...there are way too many posers out there.....make sure the certification is a big nationally certified one...and the person has been doing it for a while...ie...few years at least....
personal trainers definitely can help you with a direction in your training, give you support and motivation, as well as handle plateaus more efficiently.......howeverlike I said watch out for posers(I worked for a little bit in Fitness USA....and their whole mantra is free personal training with membership......however many don't have any certifications or even CPR.......and most have very little training experience or are outright out of shape themselves which is 'uninspiring' in itself.....)
It's funny to me when people say they are intimidated by big guys in the gym as a beginner(some gyms even avoid free weights all together as to not attract any......I always felt the opposite because if I see that someone is a nice person I can always ask them questions or ask for a spot....(I mean I have met occassional a-holes but it's rare)....plus if you go to a more hardcore gym(place where athletes, bodybuilders, powerlifters, etc train) you will get results much faster(although be careful to make sure your training style fits your goals)....instead of the 'toning' bs that makes me queasy when I hear it for the 10000000th time...
my take is that if you take some time to acquaint yourself with lifting by reading up on it and really spending some time learning everything.....you can do just as well by doing it on your own(perhaps someone knowledgeable observing your form in the beginning is helpful....but I am sure someone can do it free of charge in 5 minutes)....you can look up just about anything about training free online....
my usual 2 cents which turn out to be 2 dollars.....lol
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2005/08/21, 11:17 AM
I certainly agree that there are some benefits to having a PT for a short while , even though I've never actually used one. However you gotta make sure you're asking the right questions when you get started and make sure it's a good fit and that they're not "poser's" (lol).
I don't hit a lot of free weights yet. Mainly because I don't have a partner and I don't care to bother people to ask for a spot every time. I'll do dumbbell presses without a spot (cause I can safely drop them off the side if I need to), but have yet to hit the free weight bench. However I'm getting to know a few people in my gym, so I might be able to get them to spot me on occassion even though I really try not to disrupt anyone elses workouts.
Hopefully someday there will be a standard for PT's and their effectiveness will become more prevalent in time. For now I'm not willing to risk it. Just as I wouldn't have a Dr do work on me that didn't have all the right credentials, I'm not willing to put my training in the hands of some under qualified kid that thinks he knows best for me. I workout at 24 hour and I've watched their trainers and there's actually one guy that I've noticed likes to kill his guys (these are guys in the kind of shape they need to be starting out slower), so much that they don't come back and he can pick up more female clients (maybe he has a master's degree in the female anatomy, I don't know). There is another guy that has been working with this one guy since I started there and they appear to be doing some boxing training (gloves and all), personally I haven't seen much improvement in the guy since I started though.
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