Should You Hire a Personal Trainer? A Look at the Pros and Cons
Whether they’re just starting out on a fitness journey or looking to take things to the next level, many people wonder if they should bring in a professional to help them. But is it worth it? That depends on a number of factors including your goals and budget.
Let’s look at some of the pros and cons to hiring a personal trainer to help you reach your fitness goals.
Benefits to Working with a Personal Trainer
Extra motivation
Sessions with Personal Trainers have to be booked in advance, and there’s usually a penalty fee for canceling or failing to turn up. This alone can help motivate you to actually go through with your planned workout.
Your trainer can also provide extra motivation, moral support, and encouragement during your session, which can help you to push yourself harder than you might otherwise.
Staying safe
Personal Trainers understand the human body and the correct way to perform exercises in-depth. They can teach you the proper form for all kinds of moves and help you to perfect your technique.
This not only enables you to get the maximum benefit from each exercise. It also helps you to stay safe and free from pain or injury.
Get the most from your workout
You probably don’t have the time or desire to spend multiple hours in the gym every day. Therefore, it’s important to get the maximum benefit from the time you have carved out for fitness.
A good Personal Trainer can help you to maximize your workout and get the absolute most possible benefit from your time with them as well as from any additional workouts you do outside of your sessions.
Jump-start a new routine
If you’re brand new to fitness or getting back into it after a break, it can be hard to know where to start. How do you know which exercises to do ? How long, how much weight, how many reps?
A Personal Trainer will help you to devise a fitness routine that is specifically tailored to your needs, goals, and level of fitness. Even if you only see them for a few sessions, this will give you a blueprint to work from as you go forward on your own.
Drawbacks to Working with a Personal Trainer
The cost
Hiring a Personal Trainer can pump up the cost of your fitness regime substantially. An hour-long session can cost anything from $40 to $70, depending on the trainer’s level of experience and how in-demand they are. You'll need to be sure you can afford it before you commit.
If regular sessions are out of your budget, paying for one or two to get you started can be a good compromise.
Less flexibility in your schedule
When you start working with a trainer, you will need to make appointments and stick to them. If you have a very erratic schedule or often need to move things around, this can be very inconvenient (not to mention costly if your trainer charges a cancellation and rebooking fee).
Getting the wrong trainer can set you back
Whether they’re inexperienced, lacking expertise in the area you want to work on, or you just have a personality clash, working with the wrong trainer can be worse than not working with one at all. At best, it can knock your confidence and put a dent in your motivation. At worst, it can lead to an injury.
Always do your research before you choose a trainer, and don’t be afraid to book trial sessions with a few people to see who is the best fit for you.
Becoming overly reliant on your trainer
Personal Trainers are great, but they are not miracle workers. You will need to put in the work outside of your sessions as well as in them if you want to see results.
Working with a Personal Trainer long-term can create a great and rewarding relationship, but be careful that you are not becoming too reliant on your trainer. You should also be working out regularly by yourself.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Hire a Personal Trainer
If you’re still on the fence about Personal Training, ask yourself these questions before you take the plunge:
- What are my short, medium, and long-term fitness goals?
- Do I have any specific needs (e.g. recovering from an injury or returning to exercise after a long time away?)
- What types of exercise do I want to focus on?
- What can I get out of working with a trainer that I can’t get from working out by myself?
- Do I have the time in my schedule to commit to regular sessions?
- Do I have the money to commit to Personal Training?
- What sort of person would I most enjoy working with and what sort of person would not be a good fit for me?
- Am I ready to put the work in to get the most out of my fitness journey, both in and outside of sessions with my trainer?
